Patch impact report 2021: people

The past 18 months have been challenging for all of us, and we’ve had to reset our focus onto our people and how we can best support them. A big part of this has been moving to our new HQ housed at Second Home, who we’re proud to say are a certified B Corporation and Living Wage employer. 

Mental health has also been key for all of us during these challenging times, and so we brought on a mental health coaching provider, whom employees could speak to monthly for support whether it be work-related or personal.

Our commitment to our people

Diversity and inclusion

Navigating the pandemic

Training and development

We want to be an attractive employer who provides a great environment for employees to learn and develop through an inclusive workplace and a supportive working environment. This means paying the London living wage to all staff including our warehouse workers and delivery drivers, supporting our team’s mental and physical health, and creating a structure which enables growth.

The best teams are made up of many different voices. At Patch, we want everyone to feel included and heard. That’s why we’re committed to improving diversity within our team and within the larger horticultural industry. 

We’ve released a statement on diversity and inclusion, which has been shared internally and is attached to all job postings. Our internal Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Group is made up of people from all areas of the business, looking at ways we can keep improving. 

As well as internal improvements, it’s important that our brand feels welcoming to all, ensuring our marketing, content and imagery are reflective of all communities. This applies to all aspects of our brand, right down to giving our plants names that reflect the diversity of our customers and not using traditional horticultural names derived from offensive or colonialist language.

The pandemic has changed life in many ways, including how we work. The Patch team has found many benefits to remote working, so we now have a hybrid system, with two days in the office and three working remotely. This gives everybody flexibility in how they work, while still maintaining the social contact that makes us such a close team. We’ve introduced flexible hours to help everyone maintain the best work/life balance, especially for those with children and other care responsibilities. 

Mental health has become a more important focus than ever and we work hard to make sure our team always feels supported. We’ve partnered with a mental health provider to offer regular optional coaching sessions and invested in Mental Health First Aid training within our team.

Our success is down to an amazing, ever-growing team. Investment in our team is investment in Patch’s future. We have an allocated learning and development budget that can be used by anyone in the team to spend on courses or material that will help them grow. 

On top of this, we have launched several new training opportunities including:  

• Manager training and coaching program pilots
• Access to ThePowerMBA courses
• In-house training for business intelligence including an introduction to SQL