inspiring happy + healthy people
We know that happy, healthy people do the best work so we work reeeally hard to be a tip-top employer focussing on understanding the whole person.
Life at the barn supports this by offering opportunities for growth and creating a fun environment which supports wellbeing. Checkout the steps we take as a team to ensure we uphold our values and vision to inspire our people to be happy, healthy + make a difference.
helping our people grow
Enabling our people to grow and develop is a priority for us. We give our employees up to £1k to spend on training and development each year to help them grow personally and professionally. Everyone at Ella’s has access to their own training pot which can be spent on anything to make them super-duper in their role or to help them grow in their career. Many of our Barners dipped in to their ‘Grow Me Development Pots’ to fund training of their choice, we get up to all sorts!
We want our people to have the right skills to do their job, have opportunities to learn new things + be the best you that you can be while at Ella’s Kitchen.
From you having a specific Grow Me Development Plan in place, to brushing up on your Excel skills or going on a super exciting external training course……..there are so many options we can provide!
At Ella’s we try to create a unique workplace where you can be creative, innovative + be childlike. We’re all still little ones at heart so we have lots of room to learn + grow + we make it our top priority to ensure you have the right training, guidance + support to be successful at Ella’s.
We pride ourselves on living + breathing our values on a day to day basis not just in the way we work but in everything that we do to promote consistent growth.
We promise to invest in your personal growth to ensure that you are growing + developing within your role. There may not always be the opportunity to be promoted at Ella’s but we will ensure that you are provided with the tools + training to really grow within your role.
We even have an amazing mentor scheme at Ella’s to drive + promote your personal + professional growth + development at with having the opportunity to become a Mentee or Mentor! We have sooooo many experts in the Barns that we can learn from!
giving back
We give everyone at Ella's Kitchen the opportunity to volunteer 2 days per year through our Mission and Make a Difference Days.
We have had people volunteer at Giving Blood, charity shops and presenting careers advice at schools!
valuing diversity
We are committed to promoting and enabling a positive culture where everyone can be themselves. Thinking Differently is one of Ella’s core values. In today’s world, we face huge and complex challenges. If we want to leave a better world for future generations, then we will need ideas and behaviours that channel multiple perspectives and diversity of thought to get there. That’s why diversity isn’t just something we have to do , but the smart thing to do.
We have a Diversity and Inclusion Framework and a group of Allies who champion our Diversity and Inclusion Journey. The 5 pillars of our Framework inform the programmes and initiatives we develop and ensure the conversations continue throughout Ella’s.
wellbeing
We have an annual Wellbeing Calendar - which is designed to help each of our people feel healthy and happy at work. With focus on mind, body and soul, the calendar promotes a full programme, ranging from pamper sessions, onsite health screenings, virtual creative sessions, sleep workshops and opportunities to stay active with weekly fitness bootcamps and yoga classes.
mental health
Mental health awareness is a priority for us, and we are super lucky to have 8 people from across the business who are qualified Mental Health First Aiders. This means they’re ready to lend an ear and give discreet and confidential support to anyone in our team who needs it. We send out a Mental Health First Aid newsletter with personal stories from around the business, and we run regular discussion groups to connect with each other and share our experiences on topics like stress, the menopause and empty nest syndrome.
listening to our people
As well as role-modelling our values every day, we also make sure that we are listening to our buddies and using their feedback to sharpen our people strategy.
We have an opportunity each year to hear what our team thinks. ‘Talk to Buddy’, our own engagement survey developed around our values.
This survey give us essential information which help us learn, grow and keep on top of our game.
say hello to Buddy!
Buddy is our friend who helps us understand what it means to work at Ella’s Kitchen + guides us in our behaviours + relationships everyday.
explore our 5 values
Our Values are at the heart of Ella’s Kitchen, it’s how we recruit newbies, it’s how we judge and reward success, it’s how we make decisions and it’s how we make sure Ella’s Kitchen is always a super fun and rewarding place to work.
Take a peek at our 5 values, which Buddy oversees and helps make sure that Ella’s is a brilliant place to work and that our values are more than just ‘great sounding ideas’.
We're childlike
We try to be: Open + honest, carefree, imaginative, trusting, playful, spirited + genuine
We try not to be: Childish, immature, petulant or moody
We’re good to each other
We try to be: Inclusive, approachable, self aware, friendly, nurturing, diverse, fair + kind
We try not to be: Selfish or unaware of our impact
We think differently
We try to: Use our imagination, ask “what if?” + “why not?”, stand out from the crowd, be open minded, confident, challenging, brave, inquisitive, question the status quo, be creative + live outside our comfort zone
We try not to be: A passenger, blinkered, aggressive, ‘way out there’ so no one ‘gets us’
We want to win
We try to: Be top of the class, spirited, optimistic, focussed, purposeful, persistent, decisive, strive for the next big thing + ‘Never, Never give up’
We try not to be: Careless in tasks or communications or accept second best
We’re business minded
We try to be: Sustainable, professional, grounded, responsible, accountable, calculated risk takers, experts, knowledgeable, competent + exceptional
We try not to be: Reckless
Join our team! we are always keen to meet brilliant people who believe in our mission!
