Our employees are an important part of our 40 year history.
Jenx has grown immensely over 40 years since being founded in 1982 by husband and wife duo Clive and Catherine Jenkins. Through all the change, we have been lucky enough to have many employees who have chosen to stay with Jenx for more than 10, 15 and even 20 years. Celebrating 40 years of Jenx also means celebrating the employees who have given their time to get Jenx to where it is today.
One of our Directors, Holly Jenkins, discussed her thoughts on what long term employees bring to the company.
“The people who’ve been with us a long time have knowledge of the technical elements of their role, but they’ve also got historical knowledge. They remember if we had an issue with something 7 years ago and reasons why we do things in a particular way now.
“They understand the culture of the business and they regulate it. Our culture is of Jenx being a stable, positive place to work and we’ve got lots of people who continue that legacy.”
We decided to ask some of our longest staying employees for their perspectives: on Jenx’s past, their current roles and what they get out of working for us!
Many employees reflected on the induction that our founders Clive and Catherine ran. Jackie Sands, our Design Upholster
y Developer, has been with Jenx for 18 years.
“My first day at Jenx, I spoke with Catherine and Clive – they used to do an in-depth induction where you’d do a day or two days in each department, so not only did you learn about the products and what the company did and the company values, you learned who people were – you could put a face to a name.”
Steve Blake is now a Leading Operative in our PU Department, but he still remembers his interview with Clive and Catherine 28 years ago. After an interview on the Friday, he soon got started the next Monday!
“My first day, the line manager took me around. It was basically an induction so you could get familiar with the people around you.”
These inductions meant that every new employee understood how every aspect of the process at Jenx worked and everyone felt part of a close-knit community. But back in the 1990s, Jenx was a much smaller company. So, how have things changed?
Steve went on to discuss his progression through the company, from working in the machine shop to pioneering our PU department.
“I’ve been doing PU now for over 15 years. At that time there wasn’t much information externally about PU so there was a lot of experimentation. Lots of should we try this? Should we turn that? Does that work?
“One thing we embrace is change. We’ve changed the chemicals. We’ve changed the system 3 times – and we’ll be changing it again in August. So, change doesn’t really phase me much.”
But even as Jenx has grown, we take pride in our friendly environment and strong sense of community. Steve went on to say that:
“You meet loads of different people at Jenx – the social element here is amazing because we’re not just classed as numbers, we’re classed as individuals. You can approach management with any question you like.”
Dan (left) and Steve (right) in the early years of Jenx
Dan Holland is our longest serving employee at 29 years, starting as an apprentice at 17 and has become Production Manager for the factory. He has been around for all the change and growth Jenx has undergone. But even as we have grown, Dan reflected that many things have stayed the same.
“Jenx is a lot slicker now, and the volume of things we do, the amount of people in the building has grown. But there’s still some things that are similar. Some of the processes that we do in the machine shop are still the same. And there’s quite a few people who’ve worked here for a long time.”
As we’ve changed, people have stuck with Jenx, and we believe it is a testament to our supportive culture.
The importance of our work also makes employment at Jenx or Jiraffe meaningful. Dan Holland told us how he felt that every piece of equipment represented a child helped:
“The stuff we do – I know it’s a bit cliché, but it does make a difference. When you’ve got a target to make ‘x’ amount, when you meet that target, you know it’s going to make a difference to the children we help.”
As a company, Jenx is always focused on supporting people to be the best they can be, whether that be in making a difference to our customers or our employees. Melonie Butler, having started in 2006, is now a sewing team leader.
‘‘If I’d worked somewhere else I don’t think I’d have been doing this. I don’t think I would have advanced any further. To do my job I get support – you’re given that chance. The opportunity was there.”
Mel also takes advantage of our elected learning fund, just one of the many benefits available to employees, to take classes in metalworking, nutrition and bath bomb making!
We asked everyone we talked to for any advice for new employees, and universally were told that new starters should get involved, ask questions and not be afraid to hear from different people around Jenx and Jiraffe! Dan explained further:
‘‘Be open, be engaged. If you just come in and you’re in machine shop and just sanding you think the job’s just that. But it’s more than that. And if you ask questions you find out there’s more behind it”
A job that appears simple can be part of a much wider process. Every employee we spoke to pushed themselves in unexpected directions; Steve experimented to get PU started, Jackie moved into design to find innovative ways of sewing products and Mel stepped up to become team leader. Dan pushed himself all the way from apprentice to Production Manager! By providing a supportive, close-knit community and opportunities for advancement, Jenx and Jiraffe can provide a fulfilling job for life. Holly reflected on this when we asked her for advice for new starters.
“My advice would be to get stuck in. We try to provide lots of opportunities for people to engage and develop in their roles, but also there’s lots of other opportunities outside of that. There’s the charity committee, there’s the elected learning fund, there are opportunities to become first aiders or fire marshals.
Any job is what you make of it and we try and provide a fantastic environment for that.”
This blog is part of our 40 stories for 40 years’ series, celebrating our partnerships over the years. Click here to read more blogs in this series.
