Bell Bakers Limited

Bell Bakers Limited, based in Shotts, Lanarkshire, relies on workers from several different countries to fulfil its demand for labour and is one of the largest employers in the local area.

The company has three sites in Shotts: Hawthorn Bakery (pie bakery), Dykehead Bakery (pastry and cake) and a distribution depot. Bells currently employ 27 Polish staff, two Slovaks, one Latvian, one Portuguese, one Hungarian and one Burundian in its 180-strong workforce.

The company is rightly proud of its workforce, which has helped Bell Bakers achieve its Grade A accreditation from industry inspection and certification service Efsis for yet another year and maintain its position as Scotland’s number one supplier of branded pies.

"Most of the foreign staff started off with us through recruitment agencies and in some cases travel to Shotts from as far away as Paisley and Govan every day because they are happy here and don't want to move," explains HR Director Ronnie Miles. "Others have been recruited through word of mouth from friends or family."

Radek Nowacki, Bell's Hygiene Supervisor (night shift), joined the company three years ago from Poland and now supervises an all-Polish nightshift team of six. His brother, girlfriend and mother have also joined the company. The company supplies cakes and savoury pies under the Bells and Kirriemuir brands to independent grocers, as well as local butchers and the UK multiples including Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, and the Co-op.

Another Pole, Sylwia Kosiba, started in the packing department three years ago and has now become a member of the Quality Assurance team. "Sylwia is now responsible for carrying out regular checks throughout the bakery on an hourly, daily and weekly basis," Miles explains. "Sylwia has shown her determination to succeed and wants to progress within the company."

Recruits who are still learning English are paired with more fluent speakers who can translate, so communication is never an issue. Some staff are taking formal qualifications, such as Eva Kobylarz, who works in the packing department and is studying an SVQ Level 2 in Food and Drink Manufacturing.

The international recruits work alongside Bell's 147 British workers in roles including packers, bakery assistants, and 'high-risk' functions at the ovens, butchery and boiler-house. Miles says: "We've got standard operating procedures for every operation and everybody has their training record signed off for each job that they do. If someone is struggling, we'll pair them with someone who can translate, so no-one is ever on their own."

Stephanie Rothin, HR Administrator, admits the company sometimes struggles to get staff from the local area who may be interested in doing the shift work on offer. The day shift runs from 6am to 2pm and the night shift from 2pm to 10pm. The international workers help fill this gap, as well as enriching the cultural diversity of the company.

"Our backshift is predominantly Polish but they work well with the British people and they all get on," Miles says. "They often return from their holidays in Poland with traditional Polish food and drink and they'll share it out amongst everybody. There are no divisions - there's a good culture about it.”  Additionally some of the Scottish staff have picked up a few phrases of Polish.

Bell Bakers Limited was set up during the depression in 1931 by Donald Bell, a young craftsman baker who started baking scones in his mother’s washhouse. The business remains a family firm with a number of the Bell family still involved in the Executive Team as well as their Board of Directors.

Case study:2008

Contact

Stephanie Rothin
HR Administrator
Bell Bakers
Hawthorn Bakery
Shotts
Lanarkshire
ML7 5BD

Tel: 01501 820222
Web: www.bellbakers.co.uk
Email: srothin@bellbakers.co.uk