#NCSW Service with Respect Day

We are proud to be supporting National Customer Service Week 2022.

Today focuses on Service with Respect Day and we spoke to Dianne Anders in our People team about the importance of respect in the workplace.

Respect is vitally important for everyone in the workplace. Being valued and treated respectfully helps to promote a positive working environment in which we are all fulfilled, engaged and motivated to deliver the best standards of customer services.

At Carpenters Group we appreciate the role everyone, in each different team, plays in the success of our business. All colleagues are there to provide (internal or external) excellent customer service and we all strive to achieve this. Respect plays a big part in ensuring our colleagues feel their professional knowledge and unique characteristics are valued whichever part of the business they belong to. We have our intranet ‘thanks’ system which colleagues can let a person, and other know, that they’ve done a great job and a colleague with consistent 5 star client reviews are rewarded.

In a world where we rely on email communication it is so important we treat our colleagues and clients in a way we would want to be treated ourselves. We should consider the tone of our emails, consider whether a face to face discussion would be more appropriate, maintain a professional approach and think about the content and medium for communication.

At Carpenters Group we recognise that no one person has all the answers and to innovate and remain at the forefront of our industry we must collaborate. With collaboration inevitably comes discussion and debate. When debate is entered in to we recognise it should be done a respectful way, where others have the psychological safety to voice different opinions, with the aim of encouraging solutions and making progress. If people are afraid to speak their mind, creativity is stifled and employee engagement quickly evaporates. Employees, managers, senior leaders must listen, engage and respect others’ views to create a positive and productive culture.

Lack of respect for others is not tolerated at Carpenters Group and we work in an environment where differences are celebrated.

There are many small things we aim to do, to encourage a positive and respectful environment:
• Remind ourselves to say thank you more often.
• Consider how you respond if someone has an opinion that is different to your own.
• Do you make the effort to say good morning / good evening to people?
• Do you take the time to really listen to others?
• Is email really the best form of communication for some things. Consider picking up the phone / face to face meetings.
• Is this communication one I would like to receive?
• Am I being guilty of unconscious bias?
• Am I being fair?
• Do you make others’ feel valued.

Respect reduces stress

We have Wellbeing Champions to ensure our employees have a first port of call for any issues they may need support with, as well as all employees having access to Medicash where they can access counselling, receive financial and legal advice as well claim back expenses for some wellbeing treatments. Reducing stress is important for the health of all our employees at Carpenters Group and by providing an in-depth support network we know that this will help anyone going through a stressful situation. By caring and providing our employees with benefits which are important to them shows they are respected and valued.

Our business is built upon respect, developing and strengthening relationships, and recognising the benefits others’ skills can bring to the table. This is what makes Carpenters Group a business we are proud to belong to.