Decision Magazine profiles Sapphire as an example of good values

As part of our commitment to demonstrating our company values, our Managing Director Luke Haughton was approached by Decision Magazine to discuss the core values that both Sapphire and the wider ATW Group operate by.

Sapphire’s embedded values

Luke spoke at length about the embedded values that form our core team responsibilities – the DIALS. Standing for Deliver, Initiative, Appreciation, Learning & Support, these values are lived by every employee, influencing behaviours and guiding decisions.

Sapphire takes pride in these values and continuously appraises the staff through these values. Every quarter, each employee takes part in a short appraisal, evaluating how well employees have aligned with the company’s values.

A discussion takes place on how well they’ve delivered on their goals, if they’ve shown initiative in their work, appreciation for their colleagues, a willingness to improve their knowledge and a desire to help as part of a wider-reaching team.

“Values aren’t just pretty words but what we live by at Sapphire Balconies – and for that to happen, they must be embedded”.

This system helps to identify strengths and areas for improvement, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development. Luke expanded on this, saying:

“At times in their life, someone may have a low score and not have the motivation to change, and if they are in that position we provide honest feedback and offer one-to-one support to help them turn the corner.”

Impact on our business performance

Speaking with Decision Magazine allowed us to demonstrate how living by company values can positively impact various aspects of the business.

Quality, employee retention, productivity and profitability have all seen a boost thanks to our core values.

Luke went on to mention:

“Values have to be demonstrated appropriately by the company not just at staff. So, for example, we show our appreciation by providing free lunch from the fridge and there’s a quarterly bonus scheme based on profit and celebrating our quarterly achievements.

The customer might well trust your product, but are the people on the shopfloor just focused on their specific task, the part they’ve been making? As part of our learning management system, we produced a timeline video of the entire process, a step-by-step journey of the balcony from design to installation, with imagery of families, using and enjoying what we have produced.

Then people feel more of a sense of ownership, wanting to contribute to the quality of what they are doing, not just because they are following the accreditation requirements. Living by values means a company always wants to see where improvements can be made.”

At Sapphire, we’re honoured to be a part of a team that fosters growth.

The embedded company values help each and every one of us to make our mark on the balcony industry, from innovation in marketing to new approaches to sales and even a friendly approach to supply chain management.

We’d like to thank Decision Magazine for taking the time to talk to us about DIALS. Our company values make us what we are and we’re glad to have been able to share them.

Learn more about our company culture below: