Stories

RESPONSIBLE BUSINESSES

Difficult economic circumstances generate fear in customers - fear of the future, fear of making a wrong decision, of wasting money, of being let down, of their future security. Employees need to be trained to expect more extremes of behaviour from customers as a result – greater aggression from some customers, others wanting to understand more thoroughly and taking more staff time to have things explained.

Buying decisions taking longer to make and value for money becoming more important than ever. Problems will be seen by customers as much bigger than they really are, employees will need to be better informed and more patient, their empowerment to access knowledge ...

RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE

So, here’s the thing, if you get good service, is it because those you have dealt with are being responsible or is it that they are just good at what they do? You might argue that being good in your role is being responsible, but it doesn’t always translate into providing a good experience for customers.

There are of course many characteristics of responsible people and at FRB we list some of them - informative, brave, resilient, conscientious, diligent, holistic, respectful, and taking ownership. To illustrate how these play out, this story describes a recent retail shopping experience.

A personal shopping day was organised as a birthday present for someone who had not had the experience before and, hands up, was a little apprehensive about how it would go...

Ding Global

RESPONSIBLE TEACHING

“… the ability to apply understanding in novel contexts, integrate insights across disciplines, and make ethical judgements in complex situations.”

This story from Ding Global will be music to the ears of those struggling with dyslexia who often exhibit strong visual thinking abilities, excel at creative problem solving, can grasp big picture concepts, and are adept at thinking outside the box.

When Agatha Christie published The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in 1926, she upended the detective genre by introducing one of literature’s most famous unreliable narrators.....

GOING BEYOND

Towards the end of last year, the FRB was delighted to be invited to the first ever National Customer Vulnerability Conference. Held at the Law Society in London, the event was hosted by Cadent, the UK's largest gas distribution network, and brought together leaders from energy companies, utilities, Ofgem, third sector companies such as Scope, Age UK, National Energy Action, Citizens Advice, along with other businesses and representation from the Government. It is through discussion, debate, and a focus on the real needs of customers living in vulnerable situations ...

Cadent

LEADING THE WAY

Much is written about the menopause in our diversity, equality and inclusion society today, but it might come as a surprise to many that a male-dominated organisation in a male-dominated industry is accredited as ‘menopause friendly’. Turning those tables is what Huddersfield Town Football Club (HTFC) did as far back as 2022 when they became the first football club to be accredited as menopause friendly as part of their wider strategy to build the club’s diversity, equality and inclusion credentials.

Founded in 1908 in England’s north, HTFC currently competes in the English Championship League, the second tier of English football, below the world-famous Premier League. But it was during the brief time in which HTFC was promoted to the Premier League — throughout 2017 and 2018 — that the club was required to meet the league’s DEI standards, assessed at preliminary, intermediate and advanced levels....

RESPONSIBILITY PLUS

A piece on education published by the BBC this week made sober reading.

As the bell rings at St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy in Boston, Lincolnshire, head teacher Mrs Booth spots a little boy coming through the gates with his hood pulled up, crying. "Are you OK?" she asks in a soft voice, taking him to one side. He tells her he's been hit around the head by an adult at home. Domestic violence is not the only issue teachers here are dealing with. Four families at the school are currently homeless. Many are in severe debt.

The school prepares bags of emergency supplies for children who suddenly become homeless, a dozen ...