Can all improvement ideas be raised through Member First?
Member First will address waste and inefficiency throughout our offices. Waste and inefficiency could take the form of unnecessary tasks, complex and repetitive processes, or overuse of consumables such as copy and print or postage. It will also welcome ideas to improve our office environment.
The programme is aimed at Support Services, including trading group support functions. If you are not a Support Service Colleague, there are other channels through which you can share improvement ideas:
- Food branch operations – Customer First
- Funeral branch operations – Client First
- Energy branch operations – Operational Excellence
All other Colleagues – please raise your improvement idea with your Colleague Council representative in the first instance who will then discuss this with relevant members of the Leadership team.
Can I suggest an improvement idea for another department?
Yes, if you are confident that you know enough about an inefficiency in another department and feel there is valid justification for your idea, then please submit a Process Improvement Request. We do encourage that you share your improvement idea(s) with Colleagues of the department the request is being raised for to avoid duplication.
I want to attend a Roadshow, but am unavailable for the listed dates and times
Don’t worry if you can’t attend any of the Roadshows. To make it fair, we will be reviewing the number of Support Service Colleagues at each site against the number who have attended Roadshows and schedule mop-up sessions accordingly, so keep an eye out for more detail on these.
Do I need my line manager’s permission before submitting an improvement idea?
Absolutely not, Member First is not a top-down programme – we need YOUR ideas, input, and support to understand improvement focus areas. In line with the DOES values, we do encourage open dialogue and that you share your improvement idea(s) with Colleagues, including your line manager, to prevent duplicate requests being submitted.
How will I know whether I have correctly completed a Process Improvement Request form?
Each field in the Process Improvement Request form has a help tip to guide you and provide a better understanding of the information we are looking for. Every field is mandatory and you will receive a prompt for any blank fields prior to submitting your form. We will also be demonstrating and providing tips on how to submit a Process Improvement Request at the Roadshows, as well as answering any questions that Colleagues have, so make sure you don’t miss out!
Do I have to complete and submit the Process Improvement request all at once?
No, you will have the option to save your Process Improvement Request form as a draft and edit this up until the point you submit it. If you have not completed the draft form within seven days of starting the process, you will receive a notification on your dashboard reminding you to complete and submit your Process Improvement Request. You will also be able to delete a draft form that you no longer wish to continue.
Can I submit more than one Process Improvement Request?
Yes, if you have more than one improvement idea that you feel would help make Colleagues’ day-to-day lives easier and offer a more rewarding experience for our Members, please submit these. If you have an idea, but aren’t sure whether to progress it through Member First, pop along to one of our Roadshows where you will have the opportunity to talk through your idea(s) with our dedicated Member First team who will be more than happy to advise you.
What should I expect after submitting a Process Improvement Request?
Your Process Improvement Request will undergo initial review by the Member First team, who may get in touch with you to clarify details or obtain further information. If your request can be progressed, it will be allocated to one of the five Member First workstreams.
Your workstream Lead will further review your request at the fortnightly Member First Steering Group, where it will be assessed alongside other recently submitted requests. If your request is approved, it will be added to the Member First project roadmap and someone in the team will contact you to discuss the projected start date.
Where we are unable to progress a request, we will always provide a reason and be willing to discuss feedback upon request.
You can track the progress of your Process Improvement Request via My Dashboard on Colleague Connect – remember to keep an eye out for notifications.
If my Process Improvement Request is accepted, who will implement the solution?
You will implement the solution! This is YOUR opportunity to make a real difference to the Society. As this is a continuous improvement activity, you will own the change, but the Member First team will be there to support you every step of the way.