Sternfenster has won a Gold Investors in People (IIP) Award – putting it in the global top 23% of all IIP-assessed businesses.
“It is a real reflection of the hard work and investment shown by our senior leadership, and also by each and every colleague who has stepped up to the plate and developed their role within the business,” said MD Mike Parczuk.
“People are the most important thing in any business. Without them, we are just large factory with lots of nice machines and big lorries. Our focus over the last two years has been to make sure that we have structures and processes in place so that every person – whether they’re on the shop floor, in the offices, or out in the field – understands what’s expected of them.”
Sales director Nathan Court added that by setting personal professional development goals for all Sternfenster’s colleagues creates an environment where the ultimate winner is the customer.
“It’s all about empowering the wider team,” he said. “At the core of everything we do are our Family Principles: a set of values and that shape and underpin our actions, behaviours, and attitudes in helping us achieve our Company vision.
“Our colleagues are assessed on a regular basis to make sure that their goals are being attained and that’s all within the framework of trying to achieve our wider vision. And we know when it works because we hit our key performance indicators, and you can only do that when you have everybody across the entire organisation pulling in the same direction.”
A training and development framework details what is expected from Sternfenster’s employees, and what they should expect from the company, and it is this two-way dialogue that allows interaction with suppliers and customers to shine according to Customer Service Manager Sam Cannon.
“The teams I manage – the quoting team, the batching team, the Starglaze retail team – all communicate directly to people from outside the business,” she said. “Our IIP Silver Award helped to win and retain quality colleagues, which makes us better as a company and improves the service we offer our customers.”
