More than a people thing!

Emplas has achieved Investors In People (IIP) status, something Group HR Director, Alison Markham argues translates directly into customer experience.

“We want to be the ‘window and door fabricator of choice’, it’s there in our strapline. If we want that, we also need to be the ‘employer of choice”, explains Alison Markham, Group HR Director, Emplas.

She continues: “It’s our people who drive innovation, our culture, standards of service and product quality. Who we employ and how we support their growth, directly translates into our offer to our customers.”

Rigorous assessment

Emplas Group became one of a handful of window and door companies to achieve Investors In People at the beginning of February. The work involved to achieve IIP accreditation started in June 2023.

This not only encompassed Emplas and its almost 400 employees but also 60 team members at Padiham Glass Ltd , the group’s inhouse IGU business; Acorn Aluminium Limited , and almost 40 employees at T&K Home Improvements .

The assessment was based on a confidential organisational-wide survey; leadership presentations; interviews with 50 employees chosen at random; and documentary evidence from Emplas’ HR team against nine separate indicators.

These included leading and inspiring people; living organisational values and behaviours; empowering and involving people; managing performance; recognising and rewarding high performance; structuring work and building capability; delivering continuous improvement; and creating sustainable success.

“For each of the nine indicators there are three themes or categories in each”, Alison continues. “You only need to miss one of those 27 themes and you fail the assessment. The fact that we had to achieve that target across the Emplas group as a whole, also increased the stakes.

“The assessment is also about much more than the people and cultural piece. It looks at your journey as an employer. Where you have been and where you intend to go. Training but also your values, your governance model; your KPIs as a business, your growth; accreditation; innovation; your commitment to sustainable business practice.

“It’s a comprehensive assessment of your organisation.”

First time success but grounded ambition

Emplas achieved the accreditation on its first-time assessment, assessors highlighting the company’s commitment to be an ‘employer of choice’, as noteworthy, alongside consistent year-on-year growth.

The assessment also highlighted the lead Emplas has achieved in digital transformation including EVA, the Emplas Virtual Assistant and customer portal. This recently saw it introduce real-time delivery tracking, two-hour delivery slots and 20-minute push notifications ahead of arrival.?

The assessment also highlighted Emplas’ extensive accreditations, underlying organisational stability and commitment to invest and to continuous improvement, which it said contributed to a ‘collective optimism across the group for the company’s future and the commitment of its people to continued success’.

While passing the Investors In People assessment at the first attempt across its wider group represents a significant achievement, Alison remains grounded about the outcome.

“To achieve IIP is a recognition of how much progress has been made over the last two to three years, and the commitment that the senior leadership team has made to our people strategy. We’ve grown significantly but still retain a very strong service-led culture”, continues Alison.?

“It’s very important that as well as celebrating what we have achieved, we now look at those areas where we weren’t quite as strong and make and embed changes. It’s important that we consolidate what we have, before moving forward and not just wallpaper over any gaps.”?

Employee advocacy and shared values

As part of the IIP assessment employees were asked a series of questions about their roles, organisational values and culture.? This found that 95% of respondents said that they understood what was expected of them, and the part they had to play in achieving the group’s vision.

The survey also found that employees were encouraged to use their initiative, communication was good and they were encouraged to perform to the best of their abilities. The poll also revealed high levels of trust in the leadership team and a confidence that the business had an effective plan for the future.

Employee IIP survey sentiment

‘The business as a whole is about growth through being the best quality provider of our windows and doors.’ [common sentiment]

‘Acting with integrity builds trust with customers, and trust builds relationships and gets us repeat business.’ [common sentiment with customer-facing people]

‘The main value for me is quality and doing a good job.’ [common sentiment on the shop floor]

‘Feeling trusted is one of the reasons I like working here.’ [common sentiment]

‘The company has certainly invested in me to upskill and develop my career.’ [common sentiment]

‘The whole business has collaborated to develop and make EVA successful.’ [frequently mentioned]

Multi-million-pound investment programme

Growth and continuing investment in both its people and infrastructure also contributed to Emplas’ IIP success.

This has already included the move into additional purpose-built manufacturing space which will ultimately house Emplas’ expanding composite door offer, new product lines, offices and additional warehousing.

This will also trigger a second strand to Emplas’ strategy, including changes to its manufacturing lines to accommodate new machinery and to further optimise production.?

Alison explains: “We’ve had to be able to demonstrate growth, innovation and investment as well as delivery against our organisational KPIs.

“It’s a much bigger organisational and evidence-based review, encompassing investment, performance and governance - you have to be able to substantiate everything.”

A better business

So why go through the IIP process? “It allows you to benchmark. That includes how you’re performing internally but also where you are against the wider industry and other companies.

“We want to be the fabricator of choice. We do that by recruiting and retaining the best talent and that means understanding areas where we need to be better and our strengths.”??

For more information on Emplas visit www.emplas.co.uk , email [email protected] or call 01933 674880.