Case study 1.2 People philosophy behind Rhino Foods The founder of Rhino Foods, Ted Castle, believed he knew what a good company should look like and, early on in the company's history, wrote into the...

Extracted text: Case study 1.2 People philosophy behind Rhino Foods The founder of Rhino Foods, Ted Castle, believed he knew what a good company should look like and, early on in the company's history, wrote into the Purpose Statement a vital Employee principle: The employees and families of Rhino Foods are its greatest assets. The company's relationship with its employees is founded on a climate of mutual trust and respect within an environment for listening and personal expression. Rhino Foods declares that it is a vehicle for its people to get what they want. This fundamental principle of encouraging empowerment has been put into practice in a number of ways. The teams of production employ- ees make their own decisions about production, manufacturing, distri- bution and even recruitment. When business fell away in the early 1990s, employees went out in teams to negotiate additional work with local employers, hiring themselves out for temporary periods with a continuing guarantee of a job at Rhino, helping the company to avoid making redundancies. The company makes sure that any promises it makes are always carried out in full. Source: Flynn (1996)