It was a journey to become an Investors in People company and on December the 16th 2009 they underwent their assessment. They were successful and the assessor is to recommend Haines to the IIP panel to be awarded IIP status early in 2010.

Investors In People is a worldwide recognised accreditation. Achieving the award is something that everyone at Haines is extremely proud of. But what does it tell you about the company and what does it mean to all Haines Clients.

First of all the motivation behind working towards the award is a desire to be at the forefront of the Decorating and Construction industry. Haines is a company with a vision for the future. There is a desire to provide a first class product that is second to none and represents total value for money. To operate in an environmentally sustainable way, to invest in its workforce, their Health and Safety, their well being and in their training. Finally Haines want to ensure that every customer they work for will want to work with them again.

This is the vision of Haines Painting and Decorating Ltd.

The Changes.

The journey to becoming an IIP company has meant many changes. IIP is about business improvement pure and simple. IIP is a tool that has enabled Haines to develop it's management processes, ensuring that Haines is a company on the road to continual improvement. We are a company who see the value of our workforce and we want to invest in their future.

Some of the developments within the company have been;

Identification and creation of job descriptions, with appropriate personal competencies. The development of Haines Mangers competencies. These are then used to evaluate the performance of all our staff so that areas for development can be identified.

Planning training - Identification of training needs within the workforce. Needs of the workers and of the company. Training plans drawn up with allocated training budgets.

Training consists of external courses providing industry recognised qualification. In House training. We have an experienced trainer qualified to design and deliver bespoke training to our workforce.

This provides the opportunity for ongoing and continuous improvement in the management skills of our top managers and foremen.

Qualifications now held amongst our workforce are;

• Business Improvement Training for top managers.
• Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme.
• IPAF.
• PASMA.
• Emergency First Aid at Work.
• NVQ level 2 decorating skills

Evaluation of training - All training is evaluated to ensure that it provided a cost benefit to the company. The evaluation process also helps to identify how the performance of the workers and the company as a whole is enhanced. The benefits to the customers are also identified. Opportunities for increased work volume become apparent as Haines are able to provide their customers with a highly trained workforce.

Induction - Design and implementation of new induction processes. Full induction is provided to all new employees as well as to those within the company who need to carry out work that may be different from their usual job description. For example; within Haines there is opportunity for development and advancement for our workforce through our 'Acting Foremen' position. Employees who have a desire to advance and improve have the opportunity to apply for a position as a temporary foremen. They are provided with classroom based training, covering areas such as;

Planning works and setting SMART objectives. Managing staff and providing constructive feedback. Completing relevant paperwork, including the keeping of foremen's diaries. Evaluating performance both of workers and of themselves. Quality control, and so on.

They will be placed with an experienced foremen to learn the role first hand and will be closely supported throughout their time as Acting Foremen.

Client Satisfaction Questionnaires - We now ensure that at the completion of every contract we seek honest feedback about our performance. We have seen many benefits from this process and as part of our journey of continuous improvement we have been able to design and adopt some new improved practices directly as a result of this valuable feedback.

Others;

• Introduction of regular company Newsletter - providing regular updates of what is going on within the company.
• Vehicle information folders - containing company policies and any other relevant information so that it is always available to our employees.
• Group text messaging - used as a method of getting important information to all employees instantly.
• Monthly Management Meetings - to review all ongoing contracts and progress of business objectives
• Bi annual full team meetings - To ensure all employees are provided with a chance to be involved in the progress of the company.

This list is not exhaustive but we hope provides an insight into the the company that you will find beneficial. We are always happy to talk to past, existing and future clients so please don't hesitate to contact us. You can find all our contact details here.

Find out more about Investors In People