Pam Schmid – People Director at Charlie Bigham's – says "feedback from the Great Place To Work survey is central to building our people strategies". Below, she shares more about her first loves (food and happy people), and how this top 20 UK's Best Workplace™ (Large) continues to support all their colleagues to thrive.
What was your dream job as a teen, and are there any aspects of that dream which relate to HR when you reflect on this?
Pam: I spent most days after school hanging out with my Granny (I was very cool!) mainly baking – so naturally, I wanted to open a cake shop. I loved those days because there was always a feeling of joy through experimenting with new recipes and flavours. Food and happy people have always been my first loves! I have never lost sight of that.
What was the turning point that sent you down the path to your current role of People Director? And is there any advice you would give to your younger self?
Pam: Turning points imply that life is a straight line. That’s not really my view of life. If I went back in time to give myself advice, I would say: I always follow my nose for great people and things that I enjoy, and that has always lead me to more great opportunities and fun.
From M&S to Nestlé to Kerry to Graze and now Charlie Bigham’s – why food brands and the manufacturing industry? And what do you think makes Bigham’s, in particular, such a special place to work?
Pam: I love this industry! I love being able to talk to a bunch of strangers about what I do and see people light up when I talk about Charlie Bigham’s. And then people will share their favourite dish, how often they have it, and glow (and usually ask if Charlie is real – yes he is!).
It's a brilliant industry to build a career. You can make impact immediately. You can try something new and learn really quickly. You can see what the business does and people are together, in it to make a product that consumers really love.
We’ve been working with Charlie Bigham’s since 2018. How has your Trust Index survey data been used throughout the years to inform your People Strategy? And are there any favourite features or ways of deep diving into the data that you have found particularly helpful in achieving your people and/or organisational goals?
Pam: We were delighted to rank on the UK's Best Workplaces™ List for the 5th year in a row, which shows Bigham’s values of sustained success and a long-term care for the business and their people.
The feedback from the Great Place To Work survey is central to building our people strategies. We took the feedback very seriously last year that we needed to have ‘MORE FUN’! So built our Love Agenda to create more moments of fun. Yes, there are the summer fun days and the parties, but we also have a Bigham’s Fun Group whom we empower to make their own fun as well as ensuring this goes hand-in-hand with our inclusion work, so we celebrate and respect everyone’s backgrounds and cultures – usually with food!
For several years, your employees have shown that they value the great leadership you have at Charlie Bigham’s. How have you continued to foster strong leadership practices and effective communication strategies across your organisation?
Pam: We have an award winning leadership and management training programme that we continue to refresh and enhance for our people managers. Central to great leadership is the ability to have a meaningful conversation – this is where Bigham’s is different.
Our approach to talent management and development holds these conversations at the heart of what is a genuine, and sincere process with measurable outputs that have tangible impact on the workforce – demonstrating authentic leadership as the model for our leaders in the business to follow.
Meaningful conversations is at the heart of our way of working. Our senior leaders speak to every employee, every month, in Café Briefings. We celebrate our people, share what the business is doing and they are honest, transparent and visible. Every time.
Above: Quarry team making the most of paid volunteering days on the Strawberry Line.
We’re delighted to see your impressive increase in positive employee sentiments around wellbeing, fairness, and an excitement your people feel about coming to work. What were some of the ways in which you have cultivated a culture of fun and fair treatment at Charlie Bigham’s over the last 12-18 months?
Pam: We have always known that Bigham’s is 'a great place to work'. If you are having fun, it’s going to have a positive impact on wellbeing.
However, we have also continued to focus on building a business where people can and do stay for the long-term. We have focused on what this means for reward particularly, with changes to how we assess bonus; we have changed our pension scheme to support our employees to save more for retirement. We have also created an ‘employee hardship fund’ where employees who cannot access help through the usual policies have a place to ask for help. We can creatively look to support someone who is dealing with some personal hardship but in a consistent and fair way. We have always stepped in when someone really needs something – because on a human level, it’s the right thing to do – but now everyone can see they can access this and we can help.
Feeling seen and recognised for great work is another standout area within your Trust Index scores. How have you ensured that leaders at Charlie Bigham’s continue to prioritise formal and informal recognition and appreciation of employees' contributions?
Pam: We have MANY ways to recognise extraordinary performance. We receive nominations every month, which are read out in our comms session, and a King or Queen is crowned (yes, literally!) and they get to eat for free in our café all month!
In our support team, we celebrate extraordinary performance in our monthly comms, sharing how people have made a real difference and yes, they are thanked with champagne.
We also do the small stuff, say thank you to people, everyone is encouraged and empowered to recognise and call out the extraordinary.
Frontline and mid-level managers play a crucial role in cascading and implementing an organisation’s strategy. How do you ensure these colleagues remain informed and are clear on the direction of the business?
Pam: We know that our ‘Team Leaders’ manage 70% of our employees. They are the managers whose teams ensure that all the food is made and packaged beautifully and with real care and attention. They go through quite a rigorous process to get this role, and they receive training and development throughout their journey. But most importantly, we engage with them regularly out of the day job.
In our Quarry kitchen, for example, we have a quarterly Team Leader session talking about business priorities, developing their skills and confidence, and giving them a space to share their views and ideas.
Above: Charlie Bigham's colleagues celebrating their achievement at the 2025 UK's Best Workplaces Awards gala.
Charlie Bigham’s has made the massive jump up 53 places on the UK’s Best Workplaces™ List – from rank 72 in 2024 to rank 19 in 2025. How does it feel to have achieved such an incredible rise into the Top 20 (Large)? And how have you celebrated with your people?
Pam: We feel AMAZING! To celebrate we did what we do! We had celebrations across both our kitchens to say thank you to our people for playing their part, and everyone had a lovely lunch from our Café’s as a moment of celebration.
But, it never stops, there is more that we can do. We continue to look for ways to improve every day.
As a senior leader in one of the Top 20 UK’s Best Workplaces™ (Large), what do you think is the biggest workplace or HR challenge facing leaders in manufacturing and production in 2025? And what should employers in your sector keep top of mind for the next 12 months?
Pam: Technology is moving at pace and we have to keep up to maintain our voice. So having fantastic data and insights from that, but also what will play a key role is enabling our people to grow with the technology opportunities, and to culturally connect people and projects rather than technology being done to people.
The data and insight we get from Great Place To Work survey really enables us to have data led conversations.
Lastly, what is a quote/motto/mantra that you live by which has always been a guiding light in your career or role as a people leader? And where did you first come across this saying?
Pam: To be extraordinary, you have to do a little better, every day, every week, every month – this is in Charlie Bigham’s values and that continued desire to always move forward better is a very positive attitude to achieving great things, one step at a time.
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