Their challenge
Wolseley UK is the country’s largest plumbing, heating and cooling trade specialist merchant. Following acquisitions over a period of time and a previous divisional based organisation structure, it became clear that parts of the organisation were paying different amounts of base pay, for reasons which were rooted in historical and legacy differences, rather than objective criteria.
Our solution
With Innecto's help, Wolseley UK has improved basic salaries of thousands of non-management employees in its network of branches. The organisation also took the opportunity to clarify roles, and to develop tools for managers to assess the skills, knowledge and experience of their branch-based employees, to enable them to discuss with employees how they could progress their career.
The outcome
Wolseley now has a career structure based on levels of experience and job requirements. The scheme ensures that employees who wish to stay in their current role are able to earn more from doing the same work, by improving their knowledge and skills.
Alternatively, employees who wish to climb the career ladder now have the opportunity to earn more as they progress their career to a higher level. The whole structure links from warehouse assistant to branch manager. Yet employees have realistic expectations, as accountabilities and readiness to progress to their target role are discussed at every stage with their branch manager. There are high levels of transparency with regard to career paths and the development and assessment of individuals. The new arrangements are a partnership between employees and their branch managers, but Wolseley UK has also underpinned the structure with pay, to ensure results.
Client feedback
"This is about so much more than a fair salary for our employees. The pay and grading structure gives us a blueprint for the future, in which our people can drive their own career development."
