| "Each and every person employed on our sites, whether directly or indirectly, is acting as an ambassador for our company." |
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Company Background
Thomas Vale Construction was established over 150 years ago by a young Victorian engineer Thomas Vale. The first of the company’s many projects was to construct the unique cast iron bridge spanning the river at Stourport-on-Severn. The bridge still stands and sports the cast iron shields on each spandrel which form the basis of the Group’s corporate identity. Thomas Vale Construction is part of the Thomas Vale Holdings Group and employs a direct workforce of just over 500 people, and has nearly 80 active construction sites throughout the UK. The business was first recognised as an Investor in People in 1998 and since then has been reviewed against the Standard every 18 months rather than every three years.
The Challenge: Involving Employees
The company is growing fast and in 2006 saw turnover increase by 28%. As well as its own workforce, the company employs subcontractors which can boost its total staff numbers by up to 2,000 people. Bill Munn, Best Practice Director says : "Each and every person employed on our sites, whether directly or indirectly, is acting as an ambassador for our company. We succeed or fail on the quality of the service we provide to our customers. It is vital that everyone working on our sites is focused on ensuring that they give 100% customer satisfaction in order to support the reputation that we have for a quality, value for money service."
Bill continues: "In order to ensure that our suppliers are able to deliver the quality that we and our customers expect and deserve, we have established what we call ‘Partnering the Thomas Vale Way’.” He adds: “We are very selective in our choice of supplier and they need to be able to demonstrate to us that they have appropriate policies in place for health and safety and environmental performance, and they are committed to training their staff. At the end of every project we do a 360 degree assessment with all of our partners across ten criteria.”
Thomas Vale has its own training company which helps integrate the supply chain. Before working with a supplier they encourage them to have achieved recognition as an Investor in People, as well as achieving other Standards such as ISO 14001 and ISO 9001. The company is committed to ensuring consistent standards throughout the company and its Managing Director Tony Hyde personally presents a two hour talk to every new employee joining the firm.
The company also takes its Corporate Social Responsibility seriously with a monthly meeting attended by at least three board members. Employees are provided with an average of 4.8 training days per year - much higher than the industry average. Anonymous staff surveys are regularly conducted which give everyone the opportunity to put forward ideas and concerns, and these are sent direct to the Managing Director.
Responses are summarised and sent to the relevant Directors. Bill Munn explains: "We have chosen to have our Standard reviews every 6 months, as we feel it keeps our eye on the ball. It ensures that we continually review the effectiveness of activities relating to staff communication, and it helps drive our training programme and ensure it is focused on our business needs.It also helps us keep abreast of good practice and new developments in the Standard."
The Results
Bill comments: "We believe that adopting the Investors in People Standard principles has helped us maintain and strengthen the unique culture and values amongst both our employees and partners throughout years of rapid growth and change." Thomas Vale’s financial results have been strong, and they have been awarded a number of prestigious industry awards - including the 2006 Building Awards Contractor of the Year for the seventh time in ten years. The company has also been named in ‘The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For’.
Bill adds: "The Investors in People Standard helps underline our integrity, giving clients the opportunity to work with reputable contractor.” He continues: “Importantly, the Standard not only helps us with recruitment but also provides clear development and personal progress plans for younger employees."
Bill Munn is clear: "A business will only succeed if its people are committed to the company. If you value and listen to your people and give them the support and training they need, just watch your business grow!"
