A Lesson In Chocolate - what we can learn from the Cadburys takeover by SafarazAli, a story of an acquisition and about company culture by Safaraz Ali

1. A Lesson In Chocolate:
What Can We Learn From Cadbury’s?

2. …but also stunning
treatment of its workers,
built on John Cadbury’s
Quaker values of
equality.
Cadbury is legendary for having not only
unbelievably good chocolate…

3. Kraft backtracked on
promises, establishing an
immediate sense of
mistrust amongst the
workers who had always
been treated with respect.
This is one of the reasons that the Kraft
takeover was so bitterly received…

4. • Pensions
• Five and a half day
working weeks
• Company days out
Cadbury looked after his staff. And what’s more
important is that he was way ahead of his time…

5. How did Cadbury’s generosity affect business?
Cadbury made money and
intended to make the world a
better place while he did it. His
business thrived as a result, and
today Cadbury is the second
largest confectionary brand in the
world.

6. Modern Day Cadburys: Google
• Flexible working as standard
• Generous lifestyle benefits,
including non-conformal office
environments
• Listed as the third most
valuable brand in the world by
Forbes and the number one
employer in the United States.

7. Modern Day Cadburys: Netflix
• Unlimited holiday
• Employees enjoy great amounts of
freedom, and are encouraged to
take risks and innovate without
being bogged down by process.
• Now has more than 54 million paid
subscribers in about 50 countries
and plans to expand to 200
countries by the end of next year.

8. You too can make some small tweaks
to improve your employees’ wellbeing
and commitment to their job…

9. • Cycle to work schemes
• Help with paying for
childcare
• Health insurance
• Gym membership
Benefit Schemes

10. • Don’t wait until you’re
forced into it by new auto-
enrol pension rules.
• Set up a pension scheme
to show your employees
you care about their future.
Help your employees out with their pension

11. • Provide a few snacks and an
espresso machine
• Take employees for breakfast
once in a while
• Company days out
Treat your staff

12. • By being invited to share their ideas, employees will feel
empowered to make suggestions that could help the company
function better, thus improving engagement.
• You need to show your employees that their opinion matters.
Make sure your employees have an outlet
for their ideas…

13. @SafarazAli
Is your business
innovative in the
way you look after
your staff?