6 minute read
Developing community spirit
Martin Stevens chats with Andrew and Jane Black of Chasemore Farm regarding the couple’s innovative approaches to maintaining staff wellbeing by developing a more collaborative workplace culture on the stud
Advertisement
BETFAIR founder Andrew Black and wife Jane have in recent years worked hard to instil a more caring, collaborative workplace culture at their Chasemore Farm in Surrey. Their methods and findings make interesting reading as the thoroughbred industry becomes more attuned to the wellbeing of its staff.
“We wanted to manage the stud in a more inclusive way,” says Jane. “And while we realise that this approach wouldn’t necessarily suit everyone, we have found that for us it just works.”
One of the biggest changes implemented at Chasemore has been making the management structure more democratic and less autocratic. The new focus is on making staff feel part of a community, in which their efforts and opinions matter.
Expanding on why the couple felt it necessary to shake up how the stud operated Jane continues: “We were definitely of the view that a more community style of management would bring out the best in our team and help generate a more caring culture on the farm, for each other as well as the horses. We felt that was really important, and had probably been lacking up to that point.
“In order to implement the new approach effectively, though, we needed a more structured approach to HR, which was what we were both used to in our working lives pre-Chasemore – from Andrew’s experience at Betfair and mine as a solicitor in a specialist employment law firm.
She adds: “I guess having experience of a working environment outside of the industry enabled us to look at things slightly differently and apply some of our corporate experiences to life on the farm. It’s a work-in-progress, and we’re always learning, but for us and for the team at Chasemore it seems to work well at the moment.”
Fortnightly meetings are now held at the stud, attended by key members of staff including Andrew and Jane, resident vet Patrick Sells, estate manager Jamie Lewis, farm manager Jack Conroy and office manager Sophie Watmuff.
“We didn’t want the stud to be run from the top down; we wanted to engender more of a community feel,” says Jane. “All parties can have a say, and everyone is kept updated of events and issues on the stud. If there are any grievances we would rather they were aired than letting them fester, and ultimately losing staff.”
The idea of management by committee would make many curl their lip; who was it who said that a camel is a horse designed by committee? Andrew would usually be cynical too, but he is convinced that Chasemore's modified version is best for business.
“Committees don’t make brave decisions, and invariably the best decisions are the brave ones,” he says. “Committees always take the most cautious route, not necessarily the right one. But it’s not all about getting around the table in meetings.
“Pat might post a video of a horse’s legs, or Jack might point out an important result in America – there’s a constant drip, drip, drip of information. Decisions are informed by all that past discussion and feedback, and hearing different people’s perspectives.”
Staff members are also given regular appraisals and on-site training, with Sells giving talks – Pat’s Chats – on various veterinary matters. Rotas are produced to encourage a healthy work/life balance and regular internal communications ensure everyone has access to appropriate information and advice on maintaining their own wellbeing.
Furthermore, there are two mental health first-aiders on the farm.
“Everyone says in their appraisals they want more training, to learn about the industry and gain new skills, and that’s one of the reasons we introduced Pat’s Chats and why we’re getting behind the TBA’s new TB- Ed online learning platform,” says Jane.
“Sophie is taking a part-time HR course, and training a few staff members to be mental health first-aiders was her suggestion, because those issues were cropping up quite regularly in chats with staff.
“We wanted people to come forward when they have problems, and if they feel reluctant to talk to Andrew or me they can talk to a colleague instead. It works well.”
Fostering a sense of community is one of Chasemore Farm’s new core values and, to that end, group activities such as yoga sessions, a six-a-side football team and a communal vegetable plot have all been introduced.
“We came up with a set of values that we stick to,” says Andrew. “It sounds a bit trendy but it’s very significant for us. It’s signalled a change in how we treat and look at our staff.
“It’s getting a little more involved in people’s lives, too. We want staff to know that if they have a problem they can come forward, and when you invite it, people do come forward, and you find that more people than you might expect are experiencing mental health issues. When we know, we can try to help.”
The new Chasemore Farm workplace initiatives are admirably constructive and even kind-hearted, but they do produce material benefits too. Most obviously, the operation should reap the rewards when it comes to the increasingly difficult task of finding suitable stud staff to employ.
“We want to create an environment in which people enjoy their work, in order to retain our permanent staff,” says Jane. “Like all studs we also rely on seasonal workers, of course, and hopefully word of mouth will spread that we have this community culture with the chance to boost your CV with training, and we’ll continue to attract a higher calibre of stud worker.”
There are also more personal reasons for seeking to improve the workplace culture at Chasemore Farm.
“I think we feel we’ve reclaimed the farm for ourselves a little more,” continues Jane. “Our children are a little older and more independent, so we have more time to dedicate to the stud.
Developing a community spirit and open house at Chasemore Farm
CHASEMORE FARM is striving to become a pillar of the wider community as well as a model employer.
In non-pandemic times it has held open days for local residents, charities and community groups to show what goes on behind the gates of a thoroughbred nursery – complete with tractor tour.
Resident vet Patrick Sells gives a talk on how racehorses are bred and reared, and farm manager Jack Conroy gives an overview of conformation.
The local community is also invited to participate in another popular event hosted by Chasemore: the annual cider pressing in the oak woodland surrounding the stud.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their own apples to be added into the traditional press, driven by Chasemore’s resident nanny mare, a piebald cob called Lassie, under the guidance of Sells. The resultant ciders are sold by a local wine shop, with a percentage of sales donated to World Horse Welfare. All in all, it can safely be said that Chasemore Farm is no ordinary stud... see photos opposite!
Open house at Chasemore Stud
