Macsween of Edinburgh

Hiring Poles has helped Scottish haggis specialist Macsween of Edinburgh improve the quality and stability of its workforce

Macsween of Edinburgh is a third-generation family business which specialises in making traditional Scottish haggis, the national dish of Scotland.

The company sells around 800 tons of produce a year, mainly to EU countries and blue-chip customers including Tesco, Waitrose, Booths, Harrods and Selfridges.

About a fifth of the 30 staff based at Macsween's factory in Loanhead, Midlothian, are Polish recruits sourced through temping agencies. The company has also employed workers from Spain, Bulgaria, Portugal, Slovakia, New Zealand and Australia.

Jo Macsween, whose grandfather, Charlie, started the business in 1953, said: "The Poles tend to have the long-stay approach. Quite a few have very clear strategies about what they want to achieve in the UK and about wanting to be here for two to three years. Year one is about improving their English, year two is about making some money and in year three they'll make a decision about whether they stay or go back.

"They tend to be prepared to work extremely hard and feel that real opportunity exists by leaving Poland. But they're still committed to helping their families back home, which I think is highly commendable."

Most of Macsween's Polish recruits have been with the company for about a year and started on the production line as packers. However as their English skills improve, Jo Macsween sees potential for promotion to positions such as team leader. "The only thing that stops them is not their ability but their communications skills," she says.

"Communication was very difficult at first, but now we have a greater  number of Poles, they can explain things to each other. Also our staff get more used to working with people who don't have English as their first language. The Polish people are willing to make a lot of sacrifices to make it work. They're polite, well-educated and, in the main, a pleasure to employ. I think they are showing us a great example and make a very good contribution to our economy."

Case study:2006

More information

• www.macsween.co.uk