Swallow Dental Develops High Performing Workplace
Here at Swallow Dental, we are always looking for ways to improve how we operate. That includes how we care for and nurture our hardworking staff.
That’s why we’ve been working closely with training provider Pro-Development to develop our management team, engage employees and uplift the business in times of growth and change. By taking advantage of funding from Higher Performing Workplaces, we’ve been able to access a comprehensive skills solution.
Embracing Change at Swallow Dental
The last 18 months have certainly been eventful. During the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020, the dental industry completely closed down, resulting in us having to adapt our PPE product range.
More recently, growing sales of bone regeneration material (EthOss) and other dental supplies have helped to increase revenue. All as our Managing Director, Dr Paul Harrison, begins the process of retirement.
In his process of stepping away, Paul has identified potential in the management team to run the business and manage our growing staff base.
“Swallow Dental Supplies genuinely care and are invested in their people. Because they’ve invested in all the right things, it’s had a really positive impact on them becoming a high performing workplace.”
Annie Kilburn, our Finance Manager, describes her leadership journey and how Pro Development has supported the business through this period of growth and change.
“We got to know Pro Development through a free consultation in May through the Strategic Growth Programme.” Explains Annie.
“This led to multiple funded interventions through Higher Performing Workplaces.”
Michelle Mook, Owner/Director of Pro Development, commented: “Paul saw lots of potential in Annie and [Office Manager] Ben Harrison, so this was a great opportunity to develop core talent in the business to help lead and manage going forward. He wanted to invest in them and support them through that journey.”
Pro Development’s support began with an Employee Engagement Programme, which involves an employee survey and helps SMEs to develop a ‘people plan’ through various actions.
“Pro Development’s actions came naturally and really fitted into what we wanted to do within the business,” said Annie. “We’ve seen the difference the survey has made already, there has been a change in atmosphere and an uplift in energy.”
“Swallow Dental Supplies have been amazing at implementing the actions identified in their Employee Engagement Programme,” added Michelle. “They genuinely want to do the right thing so the programme easily fits into their everyday routine.”
Benefitting from Continuing Development
Annie and Ben have been benefitting from Pro Development’s experiential Inspiring Leadership programme, as well as workshops and coaching sessions.
Meanwhile, we have also utilised Higher Performing Workplaces’ funding towards coaching for two members of Annie’s finance team. Annie revealed how the human approach of coaching, compared to classroom training, has been useful for her team members’ confidence and has noticed a difference in both team members already.
Praise for the Programme
Nearing the end of her experiential leadership learning, Annie has a lot of praise for the programme.
“It has felt unforced and I don’t have to remind myself to do the things we’ve learned; it just comes naturally now. It’s been a lot of fun but also a great opportunity for self-awareness and self-evaluation with someone there who has the knowledge on how to change things for the better. The coaching has been a privilege as it has felt like career counselling and when coupled with the leadership programme, it has helped me to become more confident.”
Michelle supports these claims: “The beauty of experiential learning is that Annie and Ben have been physically learning about leadership but in a fun way, meaning the knowledge embeds easily and transitions are smoother. Experiential learning is a great opportunity to observe other leaders and see what works and what doesn’t and offer each other feedback.”
Annie and Ben also participated in a session for a group of managers, which examined conflict, style of communication and how they work together. The Building Teams for the Future workshop aims to make a more consistent management team with trust and healthy conflict.
“Being more honest with each other and having the conversations we’ve had has helped massively. Said Annie. “This means that the non-managerial staff now have more trust in the management team and this extinguishes any ‘us and them’ culture. It’s shown us how a management team getting it right can change the culture in the business as well.”
A Bright Future for Swallow Dental
As members of our team continue to grow, so too does the size of our workforce. Following the programme’s conclusion, we have expanded our finance, marketing and customer service departments, allowing us to further improve the service we offer.
In February, we expanded into new premises in Silsden, West Yorkshire, and have plans to expand further in the not-too-distant future.
Our next steps with the Higher Performing Workplaces funding will be to retake the employee engagement survey to measure the success of Pro Development’s interventions.
Reflecting on her and Ben’s experiences, Annie summarised: “The funding made the amount of support received possible, compared to what we could have invested in without.
“Pro Development are a very ‘human’, personable, small business. Their culture and the way they conducted the training has really helped.
“Coping with the changes Swallow Dental Supplies has gone through in the last 12 months has been made easier by the fact that Ben and I feel better equipped as managers, thanks to the training. We’re now able to guide others through change and reassure our staff.”
Here at Swallow Dental, we are always looking for ways to improve how we operate. That includes how we care for and nurture our hardworking staff.
That’s why we’ve been working closely with training provider Pro-Development to develop our management team, engage employees and uplift the business in times of growth and change. By taking advantage of funding from Higher Performing Workplaces, we’ve been able to access a comprehensive skills solution.
Embracing Change at Swallow Dental
The last 18 months have certainly been eventful. During the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020, the dental industry completely closed down, resulting in us having to adapt our PPE product range.
More recently, growing sales of bone regeneration material (EthOss) and other dental supplies have helped to increase revenue. All as our Managing Director, Dr Paul Harrison, begins the process of retirement.
In his process of stepping away, Paul has identified potential in the management team to run the business and manage our growing staff base.
“Swallow Dental Supplies genuinely care and are invested in their people. Because they’ve invested in all the right things, it’s had a really positive impact on them becoming a high performing workplace.”
Annie Kilburn, our Finance Manager, describes her leadership journey and how Pro Development has supported the business through this period of growth and change.
“We got to know Pro Development through a free consultation in May through the Strategic Growth Programme.” Explains Annie.
“This led to multiple funded interventions through Higher Performing Workplaces.”
Michelle Mook, Owner/Director of Pro Development, commented: “Paul saw lots of potential in Annie and [Office Manager] Ben Harrison, so this was a great opportunity to develop core talent in the business to help lead and manage going forward. He wanted to invest in them and support them through that journey.”
Pro Development’s support began with an Employee Engagement Programme, which involves an employee survey and helps SMEs to develop a ‘people plan’ through various actions.
“Pro Development’s actions came naturally and really fitted into what we wanted to do within the business,” said Annie. “We’ve seen the difference the survey has made already, there has been a change in atmosphere and an uplift in energy.”
“Swallow Dental Supplies have been amazing at implementing the actions identified in their Employee Engagement Programme,” added Michelle. “They genuinely want to do the right thing so the programme easily fits into their everyday routine.”
Benefitting from Continuing Development
Annie and Ben have been benefitting from Pro Development’s experiential Inspiring Leadership programme, as well as workshops and coaching sessions.
Meanwhile, we have also utilised Higher Performing Workplaces’ funding towards coaching for two members of Annie’s finance team. Annie revealed how the human approach of coaching, compared to classroom training, has been useful for her team members’ confidence and has noticed a difference in both team members already.
Praise for the Programme
Nearing the end of her experiential leadership learning, Annie has a lot of praise for the programme.
“It has felt unforced and I don’t have to remind myself to do the things we’ve learned; it just comes naturally now. It’s been a lot of fun but also a great opportunity for self-awareness and self-evaluation with someone there who has the knowledge on how to change things for the better. The coaching has been a privilege as it has felt like career counselling and when coupled with the leadership programme, it has helped me to become more confident.”
Michelle supports these claims: “The beauty of experiential learning is that Annie and Ben have been physically learning about leadership but in a fun way, meaning the knowledge embeds easily and transitions are smoother. Experiential learning is a great opportunity to observe other leaders and see what works and what doesn’t and offer each other feedback.”
Annie and Ben also participated in a session for a group of managers, which examined conflict, style of communication and how they work together. The Building Teams for the Future workshop aims to make a more consistent management team with trust and healthy conflict.
“Being more honest with each other and having the conversations we’ve had has helped massively. Said Annie. “This means that the non-managerial staff now have more trust in the management team and this extinguishes any ‘us and them’ culture. It’s shown us how a management team getting it right can change the culture in the business as well.”
A Bright Future for Swallow Dental
As members of our team continue to grow, so too does the size of our workforce. Following the programme’s conclusion, we have expanded our finance, marketing and customer service departments, allowing us to further improve the service we offer.
In February, we expanded into new premises in Silsden, West Yorkshire, and have plans to expand further in the not-too-distant future.
Our next steps with the Higher Performing Workplaces funding will be to retake the employee engagement survey to measure the success of Pro Development’s interventions.
Reflecting on her and Ben’s experiences, Annie summarised: “The funding made the amount of support received possible, compared to what we could have invested in without.
“Pro Development are a very ‘human’, personable, small business. Their culture and the way they conducted the training has really helped.
“Coping with the changes Swallow Dental Supplies has gone through in the last 12 months has been made easier by the fact that Ben and I feel better equipped as managers, thanks to the training. We’re now able to guide others through change and reassure our staff.”
