Swansway Group head of HR reflects on the challenges of 2020

No one will have navigated 2020 without experiencing significant changes and for most businesses, the need to have beeen guided through every transition with the help of their Human Resources Department has never been greater. As we approach the end of the year, we have been catching up with Sylvia Daniels, Swansway Group Head of Human Resources, on the challenges she has faced in 2020 and what the future holds for Swansway Group.

 “When you start the year you have a plan for what you aim to achieve and have a stable team around you – and this year, that all got derailed. One of our great strengths at Swansway Group though, is our culture of fluidity, which enables us to be extremely reactive. We had lots of changes. And whilst we had to balance so many competing requirements, I had the great opportunity to give my team fantastic development experience, whilst also supporting “business as usual”, - whatever that meant for the business at that particular time.

Communication has been key throughout the year. And whilst stuffing envelopes may not seem like a great use of time, our commitment to ensuring that every member of our staff knew that there was still a company for them to come back to, was extremely important – we were determined that not a single member of staff would “get lost in red tape”. And I am so proud of how we we adapted to the changing landscape.

I really feel that we have shown the industry that we’ve got what it takes to weather every storm and we are in a healthy position to move forwards. We are a collection of very capable teams, with a determination to thrive, whatever the future brings.

Speaking for myself, the value of working for a family business, where ideas are listened to and decisions made swiftly cannot be underestimated, as we were able to make a huge impact, just when we needed it the most, and I will always be very proud of that.”

About Swansway Group

Swansway Group has 23 dealerships and one accident repair centre, from Birmingham in the Midland to Carlisle in the North.  It represents Volkswagen, Audi, Land Rover, Jaguar, SEAT, CUPRA, Peugeot, Honda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, plus operates 5 Motor Match non-franchise locations.

The family dealer group was founded in 2003 by Michael Smyth and is now run by him and his three sons.

For all media enquiries, please contact:Anna Ling | a.ling@swanswaygarages.com   07557433164