INDUSTRY NEWS
A new attitude for the new year ?
We ’ ve all met our fair share of ‘ old school ’ management styles in our careers , across every industry . Now , when we attend any event , read any trade magazine , talk to any fabricator or installer ; it ’ s never long before the conversation turns to staffing and skills . It seems that finding the right people for the job – and keeping them – in fenestration has never been so difficult , but could it be time for a new approach ?
Howard Trotter , Business Manager , at Shelforce argues that you don ’ t need the right person for ‘ the job ’. Find the right person , with the right mindset , give them the skillset they need , and the rest will follow …
First and foremost at Shelforce , we try to create a business environment where everybody can be the best version of themselves . This requires a clear vision of where we need to be and where we are . And we built the culture based on where we ’ ve been .
When I joined the company , we had to strip the business right back . We had to drastically pare down the team to less than 20 . It was a tough decision but the only way Shelforce could survive . When you ’ re working with such a small team , it has an obvious impact on processes but it also gave us the opportunity to start a new culture , nurture it from within and get stronger together .
Since then , we ’ ve used the following training principles to guide us a brand and a business , but more importantly , allow every employee to thrive – both professionally and personally .
• Learn one process or operation at a time fully before moving to the next . We want every employee to have not only competence but full confidence in every task . We take the time to show them how to do something , and show them what the best looks like in productivity and teamwork . But , we also adjust our training methods depending on the ability of the trainee , tailoring it to their experience and expertise .
• Each of these processes and operations feed into the Skill Matrix . We display a Skill Matrix in the factory so that everyone knows who can do what , and it ’ s also a bit of healthy competition !
We want every member of staff to learn every process but again , the primary goal is that they master each process 100 % in both skill levels and output , before they take on more .
• We want employees to not only understand , but live our culture of passion , commitment and teamwork . This is the thread that runs through all of our endeavours – especially when it comes to training and skills . In my mind – you can ’ t help employees be the best versions of themselves without those three core values .
• We include employees in the business , in that we want them to understand how we are performing financially ; our success and how every person is a part of that .
• Part of this is through measurement . Everyone in the team knows what a good production day looks like . And we use the football analogy a lot because we are big sports fans at Shelforce . Our KPIs are like the scoreboard , and we all need to know at every moment of every
day what the score is when it comes to output , quality and delivery .
• Likewise , to wear the Shelforce shirt , you have to win it ! There ’ s ‘ competition ’ for every job role but there ’ s a shirt for everyone who wants it and deserves it . These points are not only for our everyday operations , we have used them to build a legacy . We have created an understanding of why we need to strive to be the best with relentless ambition .
It is also important that we are emotionally intelligent and are strong enough to be honest with each other when any of us are not performing to our best . We do this by isolating the nonproductive behaviours from the individual and not making it personal , we want to build confidence not destroy it .
We know there are too many people that can ’ t get employment because of a lack of positive role models both in terms of people and businesses . Disability doesn ’ t mean no ability .
www . shelforce . com
14 FEBRUARY 2025 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM