ResourceBank was engaged by Brammer UK and Buck & Hickman to set up and deliver
an 
assessment process to assist with the re-structuring of their UK branch network at a management level. A framework of core competencies was developed and, a robust assessment process was designed and deliveredto identify those individuals that had the specific future focused capability needed to drive the business forward.
The challenge
The Brammer Group who were recently acquired by Advent, an international Private equity firm with ambitious growth plans saw the huge potential of Brammer. With cost reduction a priority specific challenge for this project was the alignment and integration of Brammer UK and Buck & Hickman.
Whilst the two organisations complimented each other in many ways, there were differences in structure, geographical footprint and cultures. As well as aligning the Brammer UK and the Buck & Hickman businesses, the project was charged with bringing together the regional sales and branch teams into a single business function.
Implementation
Brammer UK identified they required external support to deliver the project to very tight timescales. One of the key factors in selecting ResourceBank as a partner, in addition to our significant assessment and project management expertise, was our ability to be able to set up a project team to deliver a robust and objective assessment process in particularly tight timescales.
The ResourceBank team, work alongside the Brammer UK HR and Network Management teams to fully scope the parameters and strategic objectives. Job analysis of both the old structure and the ‘new world’ roles was undertaken and a sound competency framework was created which included critical areas such as leadership and commercial acumen. This formed the foundation of the assessment project along side a technical skills framework to ensure a fair assessment process.
The design
The project team devised a unique process that enabled candidates to be assessed for multiple
roles without having to attend multiple assessments. Significant research and development was undertaken to design a process that included ability testing, personality profiling, competency-based interviews and a case study/analysis exercise all of which were fully mapped to the competency framework with appropriate weighting given to each exercise. A robust scoring system was used to enable results to be ranked, this then fed in to an overarching role choice matrix, enabling clear decision making and appointment to role.
The outcome
A team of six experienced assessment consultants delivered 10 assessment centres across 3 weeks. In total, 115 participants were assessed with 80% of roles being appointed internally.
- Full, detailed and personalised feedback reports were provided for all 115 participants
- 1:1 feedback was provided if requested, detailing their overall performance at the assessment centre and / or their personality assessment.
- If successfully placed into a role within the new structure feedback could feed in to their personal development plans.
ResourceBank provided end of day results to the client after each assessment centre as well as a full report breaking down all the candidate management and
assessment centre data. This provided the senior management team with the information they
required to enable the final selection decisions.
The result was the appointments of the best people into the jobs with the required competence, technical experience and skills. The best people for the job!
Reaching out to ResourceBank for help during this time of change was the best decision we’ve made, I have been thoroughly impressed by their flexibility, professionalism and execution of the project, a great result all round.
– Lucy Mitchell, HR Director at Brammer
