Jack swaps pizza restaurant for Slimming World and takes-away Employee of the Year
A 22-year-old who used to work in a pizza restaurant is beaming with pride after being awarded the title of Slimming World’s Employee of the Year 2018.
Jack Plant, from Mansfield, was presented with the award by Slimming World’s founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE at the annual Slimming World Oscars ceremony.
Jack, who joined Slimming World in May 2016, began his career taking telephone orders at Pizza Hut aged 17. He worked there for one year until a customer recognised his ability to handle calls in a busy environment and offered him a job with a taxi despatch software company. He worked in technical support at the firm for two years before taking his role as Test Analyst in Slimming World’s Digital team in 2016.
I love working at Slimming World, every day delivers a new challenge and I’m always eager to see what we can change for the better for our members. I feel like I could work here forever!
As a Test Analyst, based at Slimming World’s head office in Alfreton, Jack ensures that the organisation’s digital products and services including the website and app meet and exceed the quality of service expected by Slimming World’s 900,000 members, 5,000 Consultants and 350 Head Office staff. He identifies risks, monitors and tests the software and has even travelled to Dallas, Texas, twice with the company to support Slimming World’s US head office and team.
Every year, Slimming World’s Employee of the Year award is given to a member of staff who leads the way in inspiring colleagues with their flexibility, positivity, teamwork, quality of customer service, commitment, support of colleagues and managers, and overall quality of work. Each one of the organisation’s 16 departments – from Marketing and Events to Stock and Distribution – votes for their team’s Employee of the Year. Jack was voted top of his team by his colleagues and then, after being shortlisted from 16 department nominees to a final six, was selected as the overall winner by staff, managers and directors.
Jack will be invited to join Margaret, directors and other high achievers from across the company at a dinner at The Ritz hotel later this year. He says: “I really can’t believe I’ve won, it’s a real honour. When I joined I couldn’t believe how a company of this size can focus so much on their people, supporting and encouraging them to take a step forward, to take people outside of their comfort zone to try new things and through this I feel I have learnt so much in the last two years.
“Before I joined Slimming World I was worried about becoming ‘just a number’ at such a big company, I think that’s the special thing about this place though. I’m not just a number and I’m so happy to have proved myself wrong. We really are one big family here and I love seeing the company grow and the Slimming World family expand with it.
“I love working at Slimming World, every day delivers a new challenge and I’m always eager to see what we can change for the better for our members. I feel like I could work here forever!”
Chris Mellor, Programme and Quality Manager, is Jack’s manager. He says: “Jack is the embodiment of Slimming World’s inspiring culture. His sense of fun and positive attitude makes him a wonderful inspiration to others. He’s only worked here for two years but he’s become such a central part of our team, it's strange to think he hasn't been with us for much, much longer.”
“Jack is always striving for excellence – in the quality of his own work, in how he works to improve himself, and in helping others around him. Jack pushes himself and will consistently go above and beyond the call of duty to achieve these goals. We’re so proud to call him our Employee of the Year.”
ENDS –
Editor’s notes
The annual Slimming World Oscars ceremony takes place in June each year at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham.
Slimming World was founded by Margaret Miles-Bramwell (OBE, FRSA) in 1969. There are now more than 18,000 groups held weekly across the UK and Republic of Ireland via a network of 4,000 community-based Slimming World Consultants, who receive specific training in the role of diet and physical activity in weight management, as well as sophisticated behaviour-change techniques.
Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, Food Optimising, is based on the science of satiety and energy density. Our phased activity programme, Body Magic, eases members into activity until it becomes an intrinsic part of their daily routine. The principles behind Slimming World’s philosophy are based on a deep understanding of the challenges faced by overweight people and a recognition that those who struggle with weight carry a double burden, the weight itself and a burden of guilt and shame about their weight. Slimming World’s programme integrates practical, up-to-date advice with a highly developed support system based on care and compassion, and Consultant training focuses on facilitating behaviour change in a warm and friendly group environment. Consultant training is delivered through the Slimming World Academy. Slimming World also invests in a comprehensive research programme to develop its support for long-term weight management. The group support provided by Slimming World is recognised as effective by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the NHS.
For more information about Slimming World’s approach visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk or call 0344 897 8000.
For the Press Office please email public.relations@slimmingworld.co.uk