Winepress - June 2024

Secret to success

One year on, Spy Valley is still going strong with team wellbeing activities

FOOD AND togetherness are the key ingredients in Spy Valley’s ever-evolving programme of wellness activities. Winners of the 2023 Marlborough Wine Industry Workplace Wellbeing Impact Award, the team at Spy Valley have kept up the momentum over the past 12 months.

Spring Pizza Lunch, Monthly Morning Tea, Fish and Chip Fridays, Coffee from around the World and an end-ofharvest Mexican feast have all been on the menu.

“Food is a good way to show you care for people and appreciate what they do,” says Spy Valley managing director Amanda Johnson. “Times have been tough for a lot of people over the past year. We don’t know what’s going on in personal lives so it’s good to get support from colleagues in the work place. And let’s face it, we spend a lot of time at work.”

Spy Valley has a team of 30, including vineyard, winery, and office staff, and Amanda encourages crossfunctionality. “If someone on the bottling line is sick, the finance manager will go and help out. During harvest we shut down the bottling line and they go and work in the vineyard and winery. “It helps everyone understand different parts of the company and builds respect and appreciation for what everyone does. Feeling valued is a big part of workplace wellbeing.

“We’re not a company that writes a wellness policy and then shoves it into a drawer. It’s embedded in what we do. Our collaboration, respect and shared purpose feeds into better communication, good productivity and a healthy fun environment. It’s good for the team and good for the business.”

Staff are always on the lookout for new activities. One idea that came in from left-field was the chance to design a “Spy Structure” that now stands proudly outside the Cellar Door. The materials came from the decommissioned spy base that features in their brand. “Robinson Construction arranged for a couple of our guys to go through the security checks to get on site and pick the bits they wanted, including a radar dish,” says Amanda. The rest of the staff had input into the design and the structure became a fun project.

The 2023 Wellness Award is on display in Spy Valley’s cellar door. “We get a lot of comments about it and it begins conversations about life at Spy,” says Amanda. “It not only builds reputation publicly but also reminds staff of the healthy and caring environment that they work in every day.” For companies not sure about having a wellness strategy, Amanda recommends preparing and sharing food as a good place to start. “Taco Tuesday, banana cake morning tea, pizza lunch... pretty much anywhere there’s food, I know the staff will turn up,” she says.