U.E.B. wins award

Press, 20 March 1982, Page 21

U.E.B. wins award

The annual award offered by New Zealand Chambers of Commerce for the most effective report to the staff published in 1981 has gone to U.E.B. Industries. Ltd. The report of Arthur Barnett. Ltd. of Dunedin, was highly commended and the reports of Alcan New Zealand. Ltd. of Auckland, and Ceramco. Ltd. also of Auckland, were commended.

The executive vice-presi-dent of the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce. Mr A. R. Simm. said the judges commented upon the continued improvement in the effectiveness of the entries. •'The winning entry showed a commendable realism in its approach to' what' it set out to say to its staff. It set out

what the company was doing and the problems which it faced so that the importance of the workforce clearly tied into the progress of the company itself. The staff should feel involved." Mr ' Simm said.

The judges were particularly impressed with a graphic display in the U.E.B. report which they described as a splendid "social balance sheet" and with the warmth of the managing director's report.

The judges of the competition have repeatedly appealed for evidence of industrial relations policies on the part of companies issuing these reports and regretted that, with the exception of

the winning entry and one other, this still did not happen. The judges are convinced that these reports, properly prepared, have great value as a means of communication and more so if they are supported by staff meetings and the use of visual aids.

"The purpose must be to convey a sense of job security and that those in charge of the company knew what they were about and where they were taking the enterjrrise. Only one report this year set out to tell the staff who owned the company." Mr Simm said. All entries will be critically discussed at a. series of workshops, later in the year.