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'Racing has an image problem and we
have to do something about it. Society has changed and we
must change our approach'
By David Ashforth
Courtesy The Racing Post
AT the entrance, the sign does not
say 'Adlestrop Stables' but 'Welcome to Adlestrop Stables'. It is
a small indication of a conscious determination by Richard Phillips
to create an environment attractive to visitors - and to those who
work at his jumps yard in the beautiful Cotswold village that bears
the stable's name.
Phillips is changing the way he manages his staff; not for reasons
of high principle but to make his business more successful and to
train more winners.
'The vast majority of trainers are good employers,' he says, 'but
we could be better. One of the biggest problems in racing is getting
suitable staff, and with more racing, it is getting harder and harder.
We are old fashioned, and we need advice.'
Phillips is receiving it from Michael Caulfield, who made a considerable
mark as the Jockeys' Association's chief executive before setting
up as a performance and training consultant.
'It's not free,' Phillips is quick to point out, 'but Michael has
been a stable lad, which is an advantage, and he has advised me
on how I can do things better. I am going to try to get a reputation
for being good to work for. In the past, I haven't necessarily had
that.'
In an industry that has struggled to establish a positive identity
in the labour market, reputation and word of mouth are important.
'Racing has an image problem,' says Phillips, 'and we have to do
something about that. Conditions were bad, but they're not bad now.
There are people out there who don't know how well we pay staff
compared with other equine fields.
'People end up at the British Racing School by accident, as a fluke.
There needs to be a better system so that people who may be interested
in working in racing know where to go.'
During the summer, Caulfield persuaded Phillips to place a carefully
worded advertisement in the Racing Post. The advert invited enthusiastic
and talented people to join a young and committed team, to help
provide winners. Successful applicants, the advert declared, 'will
be given every chance to maximise your potential and improve in
areas including riding, stable management and involvement in every
aspect of training high-class racehorses'. They would receive first-rate
wages and accommodation.
'It was an invitation to join a modern yard where we would make
people better at what they did, appreciate and reward them, and
it would be exciting,' says Phillips. 'We got a very good response,
and took on two new yard managers.'
THE next step was to make newcomers welcome. 'There's been this
terrible idea that, because we've had it hard, they should have
it hard,' he says.
'I have had a reputation in the past for not being a good man-manager
but Michael is now there as a go-between. He rides out here every
couple of weeks and is always on the end of the phone for staff.
If people have a problem, or are homesick, I encourage them to see
me, or Michael.'
Last year, working with Caulfield, Phillips introduced an appraisal
system, which required staff to assess their own performance in
areas such as capability, punctuality, team player and so on.
'They were really positive about it,' says Phillips. 'People like
to be asked and they were self-critical and very accurate. They
identified problems in some work relationships and it made my job
easier. There was closer contact and it gave me the chance to get
across the fact that I want to be better at what I do.'
Phillips told staff that he wanted to know if there was something
wrong, and they told him - he never praised anyone, he swore a lot,
and he mumbled. 'I've got better,' he says, not altogether convincingly.
Copying Flat trainer Mark Johnston's example, Phillips has divided
his yard into smaller units, with the emphasis on teamwork and shared
responsibility. There are three main yards, each with an identifying
colour - dark blue, light blue, and red.
'It was the one good thing that came out of having the virus last
year,' says Phillips. 'We split the yard into smaller teams and
found that people enjoyed it. They felt more involved. Each yard
has a yard manager and each team manages its own situation.
'Like a headmaster and his teachers, I lay down the syllabus and
they put it into practice. They work from 6am to noon, and from
3.30pm to 5.30pm but shouldn't be working outside those hours. They
know what to do and when to do it, and control when they finish.'
Each team has a weekly meeting, with a monthly meeting - attended
by Phillips but chaired by Caulfield - for the whole staff. Staff
have all been issued with waterproofs, with richardphillipsracing.com
figuring
prominently. On the website itself, each team member also figures
prominently.
'We want to develop a sense of identity and belonging,' says Phillips,
'but it is not all about pandering to the staff. It is about making
them better at their jobs, raising standards, and thereby attracting
good staff. Without good staff, you can't make good horses. I want
my staff to be as good as possible, to train more winners. It is
about discipline, and self-discipline.'
He and Caulfield are developing a code of conduct, which details
daily tasks and explains why it is important to carry them out properly.
Mucking out and tacking up, riding out and haylage, temperature
taking and rules on smoking are among those covered.
PHILLIPS used to resent losing staff to the British Racing School.
He now has a more positive attitude. 'I used to think, why have
I got to lose someone for six weeks when they could learn here,
without causing the problems that are created by them being away?
I was quite negative.
'Trainers thought it was a waste of time because students did fewer
horses at the BRS than in the real world. It has improved and it
is partly our fault for not getting more involved.'
Adlestrop Stables is traditional in having staff who combine yard
work with riding, rather than specialised yard staff and work riders.
It is important that staff ride well, and Phillips now employs former
champion jump jockey Richard Dunwoody to coach them.
'Young people need to be taught the principles of riding well before
they sit on a racehorse and ride shorter than Lester Piggott,' says
Phillips. 'I have employed Richard as our riding coach, to make
monthly visits. If someone has a problem with their riding, they
can discuss it with him, and we have a video of Richard riding that
staff can watch.'
Joline Saunders, Phillips' personal assistant, videos staff riding,
to help Dunwoody work with them to improve.
'I want people to regard this stable as a place where there are
good riding practices,' says Phillips. 'Riders need to be able to
educate the horses properly, and that means riding properly. Richard
was generally impressed by the standard of riding here but it doesn't
mean it can't be improved. It is about being professional.'
Not everything has changed, or conforms with the Donoughue Commission's
recommendations. Staff still have only every other weekend off,
with their weekend off starting at Saturday lunchtime; and overtime
away from the yard is still paid at the rate of the government's
national minimum wage.
Phillips has considered the idea of a 'floating' member of staff
who could be slotted in to enable others to have more time off,
but says: 'Saturday morning is a work morning and staff wouldn't
want to miss that.
'For staff who are motivated, and enjoy their job, I don't think
weekend working is a big problem. What is important is that, when
they are off, they are off, and aren't asked to 'pop in' to do something.'
THE stumbling block to higher overtime rates seems to be Phillips'
reluctance to raise the cost to owners of sending a horse racing.
'Money,' he says, 'was hardly mentioned in our appraisals, and the
fact that we live in a lovely environment, and enjoy a very healthy
existence, with free staff accommodation in cottages that City stockbrokers
would like to live in, and council tax paid, counts for a lot. The
staff have to look after the properties, and we have to respect
the staff.
'We don't give sufficient recognition but we are getting better.
Society has changed, and we have to change the way we approach things.
You cannot tell trainers, most of whom are good employers, what
to do. It is their business but you have to have a system for offering
'Brilliant atmosphere and we all have
a voice'
DI CULL, 23 and enthusiastic, has been at Adlestrop for a year,
and works in the 'red' yard with the young horses.
'The atmosphere is brilliant,' she says. 'We have our little scraps
but the people in my team are really nice - it hasn't always been
like that in other yards I've worked at.
'Appraisal is a really good idea. It gives you the chance to say
what you want to - what's good and what's bad. There's another one
soon and I can't wait! There are things I want to say, points to
get across.
'Before the last appraisal, one issue was the time for pulling out
with a lot. No one was sticking to it but that has become a lot
better. In this yard, we stick to our times, pretty much spot on.
'Jim Tully is our yard manager and I really like the way the system
works. We discuss everything. We all have our opinions and we are
asked for them - we have a voice. Richard Phillips will ask Jim
what he thinks, but anyone can put a point to the yard manager and
I definitely feel involved. When Jim is off at a weekend, we discuss
and help each other. It's a bit more responsibility.
'At other places, it seems the younger people have to do the extra
work, whereas here it is more equal. There is a bit of competition
between the yards. We've got new riding gear and the yard looks
smarter.
'Richard Dunwoody's been my hero, and to have him here to talk to
us, and to be able to contact him, is absolutely brilliant. He said
we rode pretty well.
'Richard Phillips gets stressed out sometimes - we do, too - but
most of the time he is pretty fair with the staff, and entertaining.
Does he ever praise us? Not enough! One side of him is strict -
the other side, you couldn't ask for a better boss.'
'A yard must be founded on discipline but not ruled by fear'
By Michael Caulfield
I HAVE known Richard Phillips for more than 20 years and although
we are good friends, my involvement with his training operation
is strictly professional.
He remains ruthlessly ambitious and has built a successful business
from nowhere. He admits on these pages that, at times, he may not
have been the best man/woman manager, and because he had experienced
hardship in his career, others should also have it hard.
Discipline is the cornerstone of any successful yard but reward,
incentive and praise must also be prominent. I hope that by working
with Phillips it will help him install all four of these ingredients
and improve his self awareness in terms of his behaviour.
I didn't intend to end up as a consultant to Phillips' business.
But having ridden out at Adlestrop last winter when the yard was
disrupted by illness and injury, it became clear to me that the
whole culture and mood of the yard could be improved, including
Phillips'.
Having been involved in other sports and businesses during the past
year, I suggested to Phillips that changes could be made that would
benefit his staff and his business. The ideas are not new science.
They are a combination of what I have seen from the football academies
at Liverpool and Middlesbrough through to the English Institute
of Sport and the stables of Mark Johnston.
Phillips didn't hesitate to become involved and, consequently, I
believe his staff are working more effectively and enjoying their
work. But, I believe we haven't scratched the surface in terms of
how successful the operation could be.
I have learnt that in any operation, those who cause the most unrest
in a team will draw the energy from the others. Such are the standards
laid down at Adlestrop that if any member of staff fails to maintain
the required standards of behaviour, it is the staff themselves
who will ensure that the member of staff improves or seeks employment
elsewhere.
I hope Phillips is building a yard founded on strong discipline
but not ruled by fear. The mood of the business will be determined
by Phillips and maybe he is now more aware that his behaviour, reactions
and the way he communicates with his staff is vital at all times.
The sceptics will say it won't make the horses run any faster. But
if his staff are working well and given sufficient trust and incentive,
Phillips can then concentrate on training the horses and improving
his business.
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