Kevin Stanley, Managing Director and grandson of the company founder, says that their business is all about people – not products. He believes the difference between the Stanley Group and many other firms in the same line of work is that they have made a concerted effort to equip their staff with the personal and technical skill needed to consistently produce a first-class building job.
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The Stanley Group knows there is more to being a successful building business than just turning up to a work site and hammering in some nails. The company was founded in 1927 and 75 years of experience has taught them the importance of training, communication and having fun.
Kevin Stanley, Managing Director and grandson of the company founder, says that their business is all about people – not products. He believes the difference between the Stanley Group and many other firms in the same line of work is that they have made a concerted effort to equip their staff with the personal and technical skill needed to consistently produce a first-class building job.
“Our company has always placed a huge emphasis on training. We invest in training every single year. I don’t think you can afford not to. That was why we kept training apprentices when a lot of our competitors stopped. The long term aim of our training strategy is to lift the skills of people within our company so that they can take up new responsibilities. It can take up to ten years develop a good senior site person so we would rather bring people up through the Stanley Group than hire them in at the last minute,” he says.
“As well as the technical skills, all of our staff are encouraged to interact with each other and with clients. We want them to be able to add some value and customer service to the process rather than just turning up and doing their tasks. Obviously, this is better for the client but it also keeps our staff interested in what is going on around them. It creates motivation and encourages them to think of ways to work smarter and faster. When the staff see that their suggestions are acted on, that builds a bit of personal ownership in the business,” Kevin says.
A key to making that happen is Project 500k. The aim of the project is to find ways to work more efficiently in order to save 10% of the company’s wage bill. Kevin says that one of the most important aspects of Project 500k is to reduce the amount of reworking they have to do. “Reworking is the technical building term for fixing mistakes. It happens on every site to every company. What we are doing differently is that we are measuring the amount of reworking, being honest about how it happened, fixing it and then learning from it so we don’t do the same thing again.”
When working on multiple sites, communication can be challenging. The Stanley Group has developed a range of formal and informal strategies to ensure everyone from the Board to the apprentices get the information they need.
“At a formal level, we have structured team meetings right down the site level. It is a two-way deal. Builders can send queries back to the Board. More informally, we have a staff newsletter which is effective at getting messages out,” Kevin says.
“We have moved to ensure that relevant information is easily available to staff, customers and sub-contractors. Through Project Collaboration, all the information on a particular job is hosted on a website. Clients can access it to check the construction programme or see photographs of the work. Sub-contractors can check the schedule to make sure they plan their work properly. The contracts, plans, variations and payment schedules are up-to-date and in one place thanks to this technology,” says Kevin.
Keeping current is tricky in the ever-changing building environment. The rules and regulations are constantly changing and companies must ensure they meet all the technical, local and legislative requirements. “We wanted one person at the top who knew the answers. The Stanley Group appointed a systems manager to answer any questions about legislation, regulations, production and quality control. It has been effective,” he says.
Building can be a hard and high-pressure job. However, the Stanley Group says thinks it should also be fun. Kevin says that means encouraging staff to use their sense of humour. “We have a very active social club running. Work teams will go on trips or tours. It is good to hear a bit of laughter on a site. We have to keep it within boundaries but having a fun environment encourages people to come and work for us and then to stay with us.”
At a time of major skill shortages in the industry and intense competition for labour, Kevin credits the fun environment as a major factor in their low staff turnover – a rarity in the building industry.
“At the end of the day, we are in business to make a profit. The industry is small so if you don’t do a good job you won’t get repeat business. To be around as long as we have, you have to aim at getting 9.5 or 10 out of 10 every time. The Stanley Group is not the cheapest but we are very good value for money. We have great people backed up by modern technology, lateral thinking and a sustainable product,” concludes Kevin.
Stanley Group
Phone: 07 881 9000
www.stanleygroup.co.nz
