IMI : Where and how we’re making a difference

Location:

Global

Division:

Global

Date:

26 September 2022

Our commitment at IMI is to inspire a truly inclusive organisation that provides multiple opportunities to grow as teams and individuals. If there's a key element of life here that does just this - and where our values really shine through - it's our IMI Way Day.

The IMI Way Day is a global event, which allows every IMI site and team member to come together for one day to assess and communicate our progress, talk about our purpose, and to do voluntary work in our communities linked to one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We do this to increase teamwork and have a positive impact - and to make volunteering as fun as possible - even while doing some challenging work as we shape a better world for our communities.

Whether it's attending a tree-planting workshop in Malaysia or improving the facilities at a local school in Mexico, almost every single IMI site undertakes some form of corporate community support that connects back to our purpose: 'Breakthrough Engineering for a better world'.

CEO Roy Twite describes the IMI Way Day as "absolutely key" to IMI's inclusive, customer-focused culture. He says it allows the company to "celebrate successes, bring our values to life and to give back to society".

This, in turn, creates a sense of pride in IMI and cultivates a sense of belonging. He says that it generates "incredible organisational energy and employee engagement to grow our business and realise our Better World purpose".

Our contribution to a better world

There's also a crucial training element. For example, we discovered last year through our One Big Voice Survey that people didn't always feel confident about how to respond if they saw inappropriate behaviour. So, a training video, entitled 'Hey, that's not OK', was included for everyone on that topic as part of the day. There's also an update video from our CEO Roy Twite so colleagues can understand their connection to the rest of the organisation and know they are a crucial element in one big team.

To give an idea of scale, some 4,134 employees participated this year, which added up to an impressive 10,000+ hours of 'giving back'. It's bigger than just our local communities too. The world faces significant challenges and our work this year linked to 11 SDGs - 27% of IMI Way Days contributed to 'Life on Land' (SDG 15), 18% to 'Zero Hunger' (SDG 2) and 12% to 'Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3).

Good for people, good for the business

We know that our employees value the day. "The IMI Way Day is a differentiator for our business," says IMI Office Administrator Annette Ford in Newburg, Kentucky, USA. "It really sets us apart from other businesses and all our employees look forward to it every year. Doing good makes people feel happier - and that can only be good for the business."

Annette, who works for an IMI distribution centre, says that this year she and her colleagues marked IMI Way Day by assembling bicycles that had been purchased by the company for a local Boys and Girls Club, an out-of-school care provider.

They'd done the same for their first IMI Way Day in 2013, says Annette, who has coordinated the special day for the past eight years. "We had 30 employees and we did it in teams of two. We took the bikes out of their boxes, assembled them, inflated the tyres and then took them to the club.

"Clubs like these are really important," she says. "They provide childcare throughout the summer holidays. The children are given breakfast and lunch and do fun activities. Then, in term time, they run before and after school for families that work or have other commitments."

Annette says that the club they helped has a park nearby. "The staff take the children to the park so they're able to ride around. I'm sure you can imagine that they were absolutely ecstatic when they saw the bikes."

Connecting to our purpose

Having the opportunity to make a genuine impact on the communities that IMI is based in is a tangible way for team members to live the company's purpose and help create a better world. Roy says: "The community element of our IMI Way Day is all about giving back. It creates a great sense of personal achievement, forges new friendships and fosters teamwork.

"It is hugely important for IMI to give back to local communities, undertaking activities that are absolutely aligned with our purpose. Over the years, IMI's employees have made a very real difference to our local communities - creating safe gardens for children with learning difficulties, helping at foodbanks and organising collections for refugees."

Roy emphasises that the IMI Way Day is also important to him on a personal level. He says: "Over the years I've been fortunate enough to participate in many community activities. It also means I get to spend time with our employees, which I enjoy tremendously."

Small gestures with a mighty impact

Internal research tell us that employee engagement has risen from 70% to 80% over the past year; 88% feel differences are respected and 85% think IMI is a great place to work. Eight out of 10 would recommend IMI as a good employer. Annette says that it's impossible to know how much is down to IMI Way day, but the benefits for those involved are plain to see.

"Employees always look forward to the IMI Way Day," she says. "We're one of the smaller sites but we're one big family. We've only got 37 employees in total, but as I like to say, 'We're small but we're mighty'."

To find out more about life at IMI, visit https://www.imiplc.com/people

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