Xcite West Lothian Leisure is a charitable Leisure Trust with 250 staff and c.£13m turnover. Every penny is reinvested to provide the opportunity for residents in West Lothian to live a healthier, happier, longer life.
The organisation was faced with projected losses of £1.85m for 2024-25 due to still recovering from COVID, rising energy and inflation costs, compounded by a further planned loss of c.£1m in the subsequent 3 years because of a reducing management fee.
Significant change was needed if the business were to survive; doing nothing would have resulted in being insolvent within 18-months.
The leadership team, led by our CEO, embarked on a strategic re-think to focus on rationalisation and growth as its key strategy using a ‘Must Win Battles’ Framework to ensure survival.
This framework took the leadership team on a reprioritising, planning and implementation process that was both intellectual and emotional ensuring our people were at the heart of any decisions with a particular focus on:
• Setting and sharing a compelling vision
• Solutions focused
• Supporting teams through change management
• Strong and consistent engagement people plan
• Agility and entrepreneurial mindset
One year on we are continuing to work towards achieving financial success as a result of ‘what’ we did, and also ‘how’ with a critical focus on our people.
Key outcomes include:
1. Efficiencies through rationalisation of three facilities
• Zero compulsory redundancies
• 100% migration of affected swim clubs
• 88% migration of the Learn to Swim Programme
• 4% increase in usage
2. Innovation through new business development to grow the business:
• Reprovision of an under-utilised indoor bowling hall creating a gymnastics and martial arts coaching arena
• Reprovision of an underutilised studio to become a new HIIT Studio
• Reprovision of an underutilise studio to create a trackman golf simulator
• Development of West Lothian’s first indoor Padel Court
3. Investment in our People:
• Re-induction of all staff introducing our new digital learning platform
• Implementation of our first People Survey
• Creation of our first organisational Employee Forum
• Creation of new Service Standards supporting staff in their roles, developed in collaboration with customers and staff
4. Social Value:
• £12,904,357 before Must Win Battles
• £14,418,022 post Must Win Battles
To celebrate success of retaining and growing much valued staff and services; we are planning an annual staff event including awards, reviewing our recognition/reward scheme as well as staff benefits and hope to celebrate with UK Active through the 2024 Awards.