The Retailer Winter edition_2020

workforce

NEWS FROM THE BRC

Spotlight on:

Tamara Hill Policy Adviser – Employment & Skills british Retail Consortium

Tell us a bit about your role at BRC I lead our policy work on employment and skills. This involves influencing government officials and Ministers and helping members understand and interpret the regulatory framework and any incoming changes to legislation. Recently I’ve been working on the Immigration Bill, access to labour and workforce issues, the wider labour market under retail transformation and skills and training policy such as apprenticeship levy reform and T’Levels. Before I came to the BRC I worked at the National Farmers’ Union – I was in the same role so I was already familiar with the policy areas. Since joining my main focus has been to understand the employment and skills policy framework from a retailers perspective. I have also worked at Natural England and, in my earlier career was a Business Analyst at Nationwide Building Society. My policy background, knowledge of how government works and previous experience in a trade association ensures I understand how to work up and deliver on the lobbying asks our members need. We’re in a really exciting phase at the moment and ready to take our Better Jobs initiative to the next level. In 2018, the BRC committed to work with the industry to deliver a strategy for Better Jobs. We’re now looking to maximise the benefit of the industry’s experience and aligned expert insight by sharing good practice, helping retailers to transform what they do and how they do it. A key element of our forward focus will be diversity and inclusion. Workplace diversity is really about creating a respectful, inclusive work environment in which every employee has the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the businesses vision and goals. To celebrate retail and create jobs that are more productive, higher paid, fit for the future and more rewarding for the retail workforce. We’re kicking off a programme of activity with our BRC Learning Live panel discussion on 10 March focusing on future skills, attracting and retaining the best talent and developing a vitally important talent pipeline. With the added expectation of enhanced workers’ rights, and the need to make necessary adaptations to prepare for a post-Brexit labour market, we’ll be following up with a series of roundtables and workshops, with associated guidance notes as key takeaways for our members. What was your background before joining? What are your priorities for the next 6 months? What should members look out for this year?

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8 | winter 2020 | the retailer