One of the key links in the sourcing and procurement process is naturally the wealth of suppliers, without whom the supply chain would not function. Given the demands and pressure burdened upon them, it seems only fitting that those who go above and beyond should be recognised.
A keen advocate of the supplier recognition awards hosted by his business, this week’s Talent Talks guest – Vitality’s Head of Sourcing, Chris Wilson – also considers the benefits of authenticity from struggling suppliers, how Vitality have changed their customer rewards programme in light of current events, and managing to onboard a new supplier without a single face to face meeting!
This episode of Talent Talks covers:
- Improving engagement through refining employee reward programs
- The importance of supplier recognition
- Key differences between working in the public and private sectors
- The authenticity of admitting concerns
- A growing emphasis on risk analysis
- How Vitality have adapted to the current working environment
Links & references
- Chris Wilson, Head of Sourcing at Vitality
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-wilson-844a06a/
- Vitality
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vitalityuk/
- Martin Smith, Founder & Director of Talent Drive https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsmith2009/
Episode highlights
“The collaboration that’s happening now I think is absolutely fantastic. We’ve been able to onboard a few major suppliers and then vitality without ever meeting them.” – 8:00 – Chris Wilson
“I think beforehand, it was always those few minutes before a meeting and the few minutes at the end where you get that little feel for people, to understand a bit more and have those additional conversations. I don’t think they’re happening as much now.” – 9:16 – Chris Wilson
“When someone walks into the office, you can normally tell if they’re in an upbeat mood or not. They might say a cheery ‘Hello’, or they may just slump at their desk, so you can pick up on things and try to have some kind of positive impact. You don’t get to see that at this moment in time.” – 12:15 – Chris Wilson
“I don’t think any procurement function can credibly turn around and say ‘We’re back in the office five days a week now’, that isn’t going to happen. This has shifted the work pattern forever.” – 16:10 – Martin Smith
“It’s okay to say it’s tough, or that you’re a bit worried, because actually I think that allows a bit more authenticity in what you’re saying, and which probably builds up the engagement with suppliers a bit more.” – 22:45 – Martin Smith
“I think we’re very hard on our suppliers. Perhaps we don’t give enough to them as they give to us. Yes, they’re financially remunerated for what they do, but then there’s a lot of them that go the extra mile, an extra step. I feel we need to give something back to recognize that.” – 24:20 – Chris Wilson
“This year we had even more stakeholders attend our awards because it was virtual. That was the beauty. We weren’t constricted by how many seats we could have.” – 27:10 – Chris Wilson
“I think within the private sector, there’s a lot more focus on the whole relationship management, and rightly so, that’s the way it should be. It is looking at the entire sourcing lifecycle from end to end. You do have more of a say.” – 34:40 – Chris Wilson
“Procurement and sourcing are there to assist with your business strategies and objectives. A lot of those things will be cost efficiencies. So why would you reduce your headcount? You should engage with the sourcing and procurement teams more to be able to assist you more to deliver those things.” – 45:55 – Chris Wilson
