a
publication
30 min. update No. 5 Autumn 2012
4
Business = Personal 12
The Big Bang has a new leader
Win
8
a weekend in
Are you
Berlin for two
15 Ideas@work 16 Learning by looking in the rearview mirror 18 a good workplace
Ta ho ke m m e e
motivated?
Inside
Charlotte Gullach Büttrich Chief Editor for Fittings editor@fittings.nu
Business = Personal
... in the Dutch mountains
4 12
What motivates me ...
CE Big Bang strategy has a new leader CE has a new MD: Patrick Headon
15 16
Ideas@work
18
What is the secret of a good workplace?
21 22
Ideas@work
24
Fittings Quiz
The 3rd man
Learning by looking in the rearview mirror
We deliver while you sleep
Learning menu Training and courses offered
8
Are you motivated? We want to know how engaged you are
USEFUL NUMBERS Tobler CFM Wasco
+41 44 735 50 00 +352 4995-1 +31 88 099 5000
OÄG +43 50406 0 DT Group +45 39559700 Wolseley +44 118 929 8700
In this issue we report on the Employee Engagement Survey (EES) conducted earlier this year. I must admit that when I saw the results my own personal motivation took a dive. One of the questions related to Fittings: I read Fittings often - agree or disagree? 7.5 out of 10 colleagues from ÖAG and Wasco agreed, but in Tobler and CFM this number was only 6 out of 10. This means that 4 out of 10 people do NOT read the magazine often. Truth be told, I had a hard time not taking this personally. Imagine, you are selling products but six out of ten customers say they are not interested. Or you deliver what you think is a great service and your customers tell you that they don’t really want it. Like everybody else, I want what I do to add value and for it to be relevant to my colleagues in CE. And what can be more relevant than building bridges between our businesses,
sharing good ideas and experiences, reporting on how we’re doing and how our business priorities are developing? Or so I thought. We were simply not performing well enough, I concluded. After a frustrating night of head spinning worries, I had a revelation. The majority of all CE’s do read the magazine - often. Considering the fact that Fittings has existed for less than two years, that we send out only three issues a year, the results are a good starting point. There’s always room for improvement and development. The figures and facts in the EES are a snapshot of the general perception right now. And if we only improve a little on all aspects, we will take a giant step forward and create an even better workplace.
Happy reading You can write to Charlotte at editor@fittings.nu Feel free to share your ideas and comments – both positive and critical.
Fittings issue 5 · Distributed September 2012 · Fittings is the employee magazine for Wolseley CE staff in Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. Publication by Wolseley CE. Circulation: 2,300. Available languages: English, German, Dutch, Italian and French. Editorial responsibility: Wolseley CE/Charlotte Gullach Büttrich. Journalistic production and project management: Radical Communications/Patrick May. Design and layout: Appetizer.dk/Simon Johnsen. Photography: Martijn vd Griendt, Günter Wohlschlager, Peter Lous, Claudio Bruni and Jacqueline Made. Print: CoolGray. Editorial committee: DT Group/Charlotte Gullach Büttrich, editor@fittings.nu; Wasco/Sacha Büchele, s.buchele@wasco.nl; Julia Rees, Julia.REES@oeag.at; Tobler/Jacqueline Made, jacqueline.made@toblerag.ch; CFM and Wolseley CE/Tobias Roser, tobias.roser@wolseley.com
Happy people
Advertorial
are a blessing for business! Happy people! Let’s face it – they are twice as much fun as their unhappy counterparts. Happy people are more creative. Some people even claim that happy people are more productive.
S
elf-proclaimed Chief Happiness Officer Alexander Kjerulf* is one of those people. “Rock-solid prioritisation, tracking time, structured calendars and realistic to-do lists all support productivity. But the number one booster, which is an underestimated factor, is happiness at work. That rocks!” “Happy people have more and better relationships at work,” Al-
“A great place to start is to notice when a colleague does a good job. BUT ... don’t stop here. Let them know! Tell them you are impressed by the way they handled that particular situation. If you’re not used to paying compliments, it might feel awkward at first. But I promise, you will get used to it. No need to overdo it either. Tell and move on. No big deal. Keep on practising. At some point it will feel perfectly natural.”
exander explains. “They work better together with colleagues, customers are more satisfied and as a result, they sell more.” It is impossible to be constantly happy but that does not mean that you cannot influence your level of happiness. You can be your very own Chief Happiness Officer. “It is all about acknowledging that you can actively take responsibility for happiness in your workplace.”
“Do something nice for your colleagues. Like bringing them a cup of coffee when you are getting some. Bring cake for no reason whatsoever. Ask your colleague how his or her weekend was. How their holiday was. Ask them how they are doing. It means a lot that you take an active interest. It will improve the atmosphere at work. Don’t forget the grumpy colleague in the corner. He might be the person in greatest need of attention.”
“Provide world-class service. A better service than your customer actually expects. It makes you feel great. Dare to come with a smart reply. Dare to give your customers an experience. Give your customers extra advice even though they did not ask for it. There’s a lot of workplace happiness to gain here. It’s a matter of repeatedly doing this until it becomes a natural part of your job. It will make your job so much more fun. Instantly.”
*Alexander Kjerulf is the author of the bestseller ‘Happy Hour is 9 to 5’.
Fittings 5 · 2012
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Busines =
l a n o Pers ... in the Dutch mountains Twello is a quiet, distinctive town with less than 14,000 residents, located in the east of The Netherlands. Founded in the 13th century, the name Twello means double forest. In other words: welcome to the countryside. The busy capital city Amsterdam is more than 100 km away. Twello is not the most obvious choice in which to establish a business selling heating and plumbing products across the entire country. But this is where a simple plumber by the name of Geert van den Belt chose to establish his wholesale company in 1970. And the name of that company is Wasco.
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Spotlight
ss d van Herol elt den B
“I
t might not be obvious,” says Herold van den Belt, Wasco CEO and son of the company’s founder. “But from a logistics perspective, with two main highways connecting the entire country in our backyard, it’s definitely not a bad choice.” The fact that the Van den Belts live here might have helped as well. Let’s start this story with a short visit to the nearby city of Apeldoorn and one of Wasco’s 26 branches and hear what senior branch manager for the Northern Region Paul Mölder has to say: “We exist for our customers. Wasco is one of the four big players in a small market. Construction has stagnated because of the recession and the market has declined. So competition is fierce.”
Being slightly mad helps! Paul is a veteran. “When I started 26 years ago, we were thirteen, maybe fourteen people. During my job interview, Geert explained to me that it would help if I was a bit mad. Betty van den Belt, Geert’s wife, was doing sales, just like me. When
it being picked up,” Paul laughs. Phones ringing are a luxury these days. “The current business environment requires us to be pro-active, more aggressive,” Paul says. “In spite of the tough market, we still have a lot of loyal customers. The number of projects though, has decreased. As a result, so has their business
You either love or hate working here she was around not a single phone was allowed to ring more than three times. She’d say: ‘C’mon Paul, pick up. There’s a customer waiting on the other side’. Now 26 years later, I still cannot handle a phone ringing more than three times without
1970 Wasco established by Geert van den Belt
with us. Every order is a battle. Our competitors try their best to get their hands on our customers offering sharp prices.
More on next page
2000 2002 Wasco Energy Centre (WEC) is established
Wasco acquires Saris BV + Wolseley acquires Wasco
2007 Wasco acquires Kopex BV
Fittings 5 · 2012
5
oeve Roy B
Continued
Thanks to the excellent customer relations, our customers double check with us before they order. This allows us to match the price or increase the service and thus keep the business.” “At the same time, we have intensified the battle for new customers. We have a succesful approach with small and
The impossible is possible Paul is 100% certain: “We offer the best service in the market. The people working in the branches, have been installers or plumbers themselves. They’re experts. And they are committed to serving our customers. Everyone is. Therefore, at Wasco, the impossi-
y. Customer relations is ke My dad paved the way s he was great at relation medium-sized installers and plumbers. It is our job to know their business and anticipate their needs. When they order a sink, they most likely also need other stuff like mounting bolts and a faucet.”
ble is possible. On a Saturday morning a customer calls the branch. He needs a boiler immediately. Panic. We don’t have the boiler on stock. Of course in the warehouse in Twello but they’re closed. We call Herold. Ten minutes later he shows up with the
key. Twenty minutes later the customer leaves the branch with the boiler in his car. It’s not just a good story. It’s typical of the culture in our organisation. Short lines, engagement and a little bit
So what about those
Dutch mountains?
The Netherlands is 323 metres. There aren’t any. The highest point in sea level. ‘In the Dutch Mountains’ below lies Twenty percent of the country d The Nits. The song even made is the title of an 80s hit song by a band calle l window into the Dutch smal a is song the Austrian charts in 1988. The n, not afraid to make fun of culture – a proud and hard-working natio themselves.
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Fittings 5 · 2012
of craziness - that is Wasco in a nutshell.” Next stop, Het Onderdeel. This add on to Wasco, initiated in 1991, is the markets’ preferred supplier of heating, plumbing, gas and oil fuel spare parts. Here we meet Roy Boeve, product manager. “Het Onderdeel was looking for a new colleague for their 11,000 m2 warehouse,” says Roy. “My dreamjob? Not really. I needed a job. I applied and when I got the job I promised myself to move on as soon something better turned up. That was 18 years ago.”
Spotlight
The facts Family feeling Roys’ story is not unique: 26% of Wasco employees have worked here for 10 years or longer. “You either totally love it here and stay forever. Or you hate it and leave. Having been here for so long, I’ve developed a nose for picking who stays. It’s a hectic environment and our way of working where the customer is king, requires flexibility. On top of that, you need to believe in the company. We have literally everything installers need, from boilers to clothing. Whether it’s in stock or not, regardless of the brand, whatever our customers need, we get it. This gives us a huge advantage on our competitors.” Roy has seen Wasco develop from a small company sending twenty packages a day to the fantastic company it is today. “We’re more than
360 people and it’s impossible to know everyone. But the sense of family hasn’t changed. We’re here for each other and our customers. If a colleague has a problem, we all have a problem. When the warehouse is lagging behind on fulfilling orders, then everyone stays to help and make sure the customers get their orders in time. It has always been like this and it’s great to see that after all these years, in spite of the fact that the organisation has become so big, the spirit is still here.” “We’re proud to work for Wasco,” says Roy, “Around Christmas we sometimes get cards from customers with €50 included to buy a couple of beers for the guys in the warehouse. We stand for something and our customers appreciate that. When Wasco be-
Headquarters: Twello Branches: 26 Showrooms: 4 Employees: 368 SKU’s: 25.000 Revenue: 220 million (2010/2011)
came a part of Wolseley, it didn’t stop being a family business. The lines of communication are short. The door to Herold’s office is always open. We don’t have that many rules here. You have to be able to read between the lines. That makes Wasco an exciting and dynamic place to work. We’re doing well too, despite the market situation. We’re at the good end of the scale. That contributes to my motivation as well.”
The difference
ölder Paul M
Back at Headquarters in Twello, CEO Herold van den Belt is studying the results from the Employee Engagement Survey. “We have a great team. It fills me with pride when people say they are proud to work here. That motivates me. We are the number one in spare parts, number three in heating and in sanitary we’re in the top five. There is still a lot of growth potential. For ex-
ample in sanitary.” “Customer relations are key,” says Herold. “My father paved the way. He was great at customer relations. I think the fact that Wasco started as a family business and in a sense still is, plays a significant role, also for customers and suppliers. We have a lot of customers who have been with us since the very start. Our initiative with junior salespeople is an important step to create new customer relations and gain marketshare. Considering the Dutch market with a few big players fighting for a piece of a smaller cake, suppliers are becoming increasingly powerful and dictating prices. Our strength is that we know our customers very well and because we have a dedicated group of people, prepared to go the extra mile both for Wasco, and for our customers. It makes all the difference.”
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Are you
? d e t a v i t mo
’s e CEo e t y l n e emp m e 12 g a g n e rvey 20 su 8
Fittings 5 · 2012
?
Development
Employee Engagement Surveys (EEC) try to measure to what degree employees are engaged (involved) in the company because engaged employees are more likely to produce outstanding work and they contribute to customer loyalty, which in turn has a positive effect on the company’s bottom line. We want to know how engaged you are. An impressive 1,600 colleagues (80%) participated in CE’s first ever EEC. Read what you and your colleagues answered!
E
ngagement, motivation, loyalty, satisfaction. It all adds up to this: are you happy to work here and will you do your best? “By surveying the level of engagement we’re taking the temperature of the workplace,” says Tobias Roser, CE’s HR Director and responsible for the survey. “The results indicate what the employees feel about the company and the organisation. On a strategic level, it helps us prioritise those elements that need to be improved in order for employees to be happy about their work
place. On an operational level, it helps line managers to understand what they need to improve in order to increase their teams’ satisfaction, motivation and loyalty. Ultimately, the results show top management which teams are performing well and where things are going wrong.”
Good grades The survey among other things produces a so called Employee Satisfaction Index (ESI) - a grade
100
79.1 77.8 76.9 70.2
60
More on next page
Now what?
Wolseley has been
conducting Employee Engagement Surveys for some years now, with good results. This is the first time the survey is conducted in CE. The plan is to repeat this every. “The results of the survey are being discussed on all levels in the organisation,” Tobias says. “Initia-
ESI sbycbuosinreses unsits
tives for improvement are being developed. For example, Tobler decided upon three initiatives; including improving the information flow in relation to objectives, direction and large projects, employee development and collaboration between the various departments. The other business units have devel-
People are satisfied with their working place
oped similar initiatives. During bi-monthly statement meetings, we follow up on the progress of these initiatives. What is important is that there’s a systematic focus on the quality of our employees’ work place.” In the next issue of Fittings, we will take a closer look at improvement initiatives.
Fittings 5 · 2012
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I want my job to be
Continued
of some kind - expressing how satisfied staff is working here. The index is based upon the sum of all answers, taking importance into consideration. This means that factors that are considered more important for our satisfaction,are weighted heavier in the calculation of the index. The overall rating in CE varies from 70 to almost 80 out of a total rating of 100. “You can safely conclude that this means that people in CE in general are satisfied with their workplace,” says Jens Damgaard from Analysegruppen, an external company hired to conduct the survey. “It’s the teams that score
50 or less, you need to worry about. CE has only a small percentage that scored low.” “The ESI corresponds with the temperature of the workplace,” says Tobias. “It shows how we’re doing as an organisation. But we have to be careful. An ESI can easily be misused. For example, you cannot use it to compare different business units because important parameters like differences in culture and organisational maturity aren’t taken into consideration. What is interesting is the results that shape the ESI. These are concrete and tangible, so we can act upon them. Which in the end, leads to a better ESI obviously.”
meaningful People are motivated by different things. But whether we prefer working directly with customers or behind the scenes in a warehouse, we all want our work to be meaningful. But what makes a job meaningful?
To start with, the work we do must make sense. We must know what’s being asked of us and be confident that we have the competencies and the resources needed to do the job. Secondly, the work we do must have a point. We must be able to see how the small tasks we do contribute to the company. Finally, the work that we do must benefit a greater good; we must be able to see how our efforts help others. Is your job meaningful? According to the survey: YES. There’s room for improvement (there always is). For example, training and time to complete the job (competencies and resources) but in general we’re very satisfied with our working situation.
Can I be honest with you? Imagine your favourite restaurant gets a new chef but you are not very happy with the food. Your favourite waiter asks you whether you liked the food. Will you tell the truth?
70% of people do not like to have a direct confrontation and they will either lie or dodge the question. This means they don’t give the chef a fair chance to improve and adapt to your taste. It’s the same with this survey. By not sharing exactly what you think or feel, you are simply contributing to the status quo.
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You might want to say something that might upset your colleagues or your boss if they knew it came from you. That’s why an EES is 100% anonymous. Firstly, your answers are received and stored on an external server (propriety of Analysegruppen). Nobody in CE has direct access to this server. Another important decision made to ensure your anonymity,
is that managers with a team of four or less employees, do not receive a specific team report. There’s no way anyone can be singled out. For the survey to work properly, it is important you are honest about your working situation. It is the only way forward if we want to improve and develop as an organisation.
ESI score
by employees
Development tage of Only a small percen they employees indicate ving a are dissatisfied by gi . score of 50 or below
Satisfied Not satisfied
The results of the Employee Engagement Survey reveal a number of areas that can be improved. There are differences between how staff in the different business units prioritise, but they agree upon most areas.
What can be better – needs fixing
ed: Areas that can be improv (random order) Employee development (prioritised by all units) Growth opportunities within the organisation (all units) The sharing of knowledge and experience (prioritised by all units except ÖAG) Knowledge about Business Unit objectives and strategy (Tobler and ÖAG) Collaboration between departments (prioritised by CFM) Relation with Wolseley (CFM) Time to complete my work (ÖAG) Job training (Tobler) Ownership and joint responsibility (Wasco)
What is good – leave alone Areas that we are positive about: (random order) Our own commitment towards our job and our workplace (prioritised by all units) Job tasks encourage us to do our best (all units agree) We feel we add value to our customers (prioritised by all units except CFM) We have clear objectives enabling us to do our work well (prioritised by all units except CFM) Our job tasks challenge us professionally (prioritised by ÖAG and CFM) We feel well informed about our companies’ objectives and strategies (prioritised by Wasco only) We have a clear idea of the companies’ values (prioritised by Tobler only) Job training (prioritised by ÖAG only) Good relations with our managers (prioritised by CFM only)
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CE’s
Big Bang
strategy
has a new leader
CE has a new MD: Patrick Headon. But who is he? What are his plans? What can we expect from him? And why is Ole Mikael Jensen leaving ‘already’? In an exclusive interview both executives talk openly about their plans for the future of CE.
Meet Patric Heado k n
H
e’s rather tall and slim too and maybe a little pale considering the season. “The latter must be a heritage from my Irish parents,” says Patrick Headon, the newly appointed MD for CE. “I was born and raised in England but have lived in Switzerland for the past 14 years. I have three kids, growing up in this funny mix of Irish, English and Swiss. I like the dynamics of different countries and cultures. In my job here, there’s plenty of that, as I’ll be working across cultures and geographical barriers.”
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Patrick took over from Ole Mikael Jensen in August when Ole Mikael succeeded Steen Weirsøe as CEO for DT Group, following Steen’s retirement. CE will, as before, report to the DT Group so Ole Mikael will follow developments in CE closely. “The timing couldn’t have been better,” says Ole Mikael about the succession. “Patrick is the man with the experience and competencies to take the Big Bang strategy to the next level.”
Flexibility & efficiency Patrick’s experience including positions at eBay
might give us a clue as to what his focus is going to be. “In part ,yes. But I also have experience from retail and consumer goods, which I believe are also relevant for CE. The internet will continue to impact our business. It is an efficient way of doing business
Ask Patrick nail the basics: To succeed we need to deliver on time, the right assortment,an d collect send a correct invoice the cash and what’s more, people like it. Moreover, online businesses provide us with excellent customer insight because we can track their behavior. In CE we’re already Wolseley Europe’s best practice for on-line B2B sales. But we can take it a lot further.” There are three main objectives the new MD has to achieve: 1) beat the budget, 2) improve customer satisfaction and 3) improve employee engagement. “The budget is not going to be an easy one,” Patrick says. “We’re operating in an uncertain environment. Many economies in Europe are struggling. We have to be prudent about increasing our costs. The keywords here are efficiency
and flexibility. Using the resources we have in an even smarter way, building flexibility into contracts with our suppliers and flexing rewards more in line with performance. But we must keep developing and experimenting. I’m a big fan of trying things on a small scale, with small investments testing what works, and implementing fully where the idea proves itself.”
Prioritise what adds value It hasn’t exactly been a slow start for Patrick. When visiting the business units, his first objective was to make sure that each unit had the right leader. “People are key to success. We are lucky to have strong, experienced leaders in Tobler and Wasco. In CFM we appointed a new MD: Cedric Faivre. It became clear that we needed to make a change in ÖAG as well. In order to make faster improvements in profitability and speed up decision-making, I decided to take on the role of MD in ÖAG on an interim basis - until we have identified the right person to run this business permanently.” This means that at the moment Patrick has a double role. How will he
balance this? “In ÖAG the management team has taken on more responsibility and two members in particular will drive operational decision-making. I am very grateful to their support. And as far as CE is concerned, I will prioritise to the bone. I think it is a healthy exercise because it forces us to focus on business critical issues and what really adds value to the businesses”.
Impressed “I have had a fair chance to get familiar with the business units,” Patrick says. “I am impressed by the people. They are engaged in what they are doing. Extremely friendly too. We have some great businesses with strong market positions. The relationships we have with customers are amazing. Some of them go back 25 years or longer. The trick is not to get too settled and to keep on questioning how we work together. At times we can be too service minded and offer low profitability customers levels of service we cannot justi-
More on next page
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Continued
fy. It’s almost as though we’re afraid of charging customers for the great work we do. If the customer perceives our services to be valuable, he/ she is willing to pay for it. All in all, I have a real good feeling about the business. I feel privileged to enter a company where people issues are high on the agenda and where a lot of useful approaches, like employee engagement surveys and evaluation tools, are already in place. This really surprised me in a positive way. The people agenda is critical to our success. All these tools make my job easier.”
Patrick. “To succeed, the first thing we need to do is to nail the basics. Making sure we have the right assortment offering good value, deliver products on time, invoice correctly and collect the cash. Get that right, and then we earn the right to advance to the next tier, where the key objective is adding value to custom-
of We have a great group yees very engaged emplow ght, and if we all pull our enei we can make it happ Three tier rocket “In essence we have a simple business. We have got customers in need of products and services. We have got suppliers pushing products. We are in the middle - balancing demand and availability while adding service and insights”, says
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ers. Excellent examples here are the Innight service Wasco (see Fittings page XX) offers to their customers (see Fittings page XX) and the technical expertise available to customers at Tobler’s regional centers. The third and final tier, is about redefining our business e.g.
which products do we offer, how do we sell them (e.g. via internet) and to which customers - to stay ahead of our competitors. We need to continuously challenge our business model.” “We are well on our way,” says Ole Mikael, who likes to describe his own role to be the one of a change agent. “We bumped into a few unpleasant surprises – profitability below our expectations (Austria), selling the business in Italy - but the overall picture is a positive one. We are far more synchronised today than three years ago. We share best practices, good ideas and experiences, we conduct customer and employee surveys, we have a shared strategy for sourcing and shared sales initiatives like Sweet Sixteen. We have accomplished a lot. We all can be proud. We have got a fantastic business and a lot of
the things we’re doing in CE today, I can copy and paste into DT Group.”
No thanks to gossip “The strategy and the framework we have to deliver within is fixed,” says Patrick. “I love working in a team to achieve targets and objectives. We have a great group of very engaged employees and if we all pull our weight, we can make it happen. What I truly dislike is people not saying what they really think. My door is always open and there’s nothing you cannot tell me – as long as the intention is to help improve our businesses. So please be open – diverse views will get us to a better result. We can debate, we can even argue - but once we have made a decision we need to all align behind that decision and make it happen.”
Ideas@work ork ard where we shaivreisidioneas.s w @ s a Ide on-exclusive whitinecbluoding the Noordn icwhdether your
ing an introduction to the company, the range of products and solutions with ins and outs and pictures as well as contact details of the main contact persons. “The brochures are popular, also among colleagues with no direct customer contact,” says Markus. “People want to know what we’re selling. We have four main product categories, so we also have four monthly partners - and four brochures. For each category we have developed a binder. This way staff can save the brochures and use the bind for reference purposes.” Andreas Zottler, Sales and Marketing Director of Vogel & Noot, a leading supplier of radiators, underfloor heating and chimneys and part of the Rettig ICC group, had no
t ’n Fittings f the divisions not dependen truck. The idea , o is a ry ll a a e m id o e fr abin of On the contra c th f e o th ty r li o r. The qua e boardroom t science eithe an easily be th c e office is ave to be rock ble ideas that a h doesn’t ractical, applic p we love others. y copied b
ÖAG turns suppliers into partners
T he rd 3 man Our success is built on a three-sided platform: customers, staff and suppliers. We have a tendency to put a lot of energy into gaining the loyalty of staff and customers, while suppliers often are taken for granted. In 2011, ÖAG introduced a programme called ‘Partner of the Month’ - focusing on the third man: the supplier.
“W
e’re creatures of habit. We will happily recommend suppliers not necessarily because they have the best solution but because we know them,” says Markus Wögerbauer, Marketing Director at ÖAG. “The ‘Partner of the Month’ should break this habit. The idea is to exclusively focus on one supplier for an entire month: create a product brochure
for staff, posters and flyers to increase visibility in all branches, write articles in our employee publications (circulation: 900) and customer publications (circulation: 15,000), create exposure on our website and develop relevant sales campaigns together.”
Product training for staff The product brochure is an informative publication (eight pages) provid-
doubts that the programme would deliver value to their business. “It makes sense to use resources to educate staff. There have been a lot of changes in staff in ÖAG lately. At the same time, we have introduced new products and solutions and not every sales person within ÖAG necessarily knows this.Therefore the timing could not be better for us. The fact that it is exclusive, is an appealing factor as well. Often in initiatives like this you drown in all the adds from other suppliers.”
Long-term investment Participation in the program is not free. There’s three different levels suppliers can choose from. “We have a small marketing budget for initiatives like these”, Andreas Zottler explains. “We decided to be partner of the month twice in 2012. We haven’t made a traditional business case where we look at the investment versus the extra sales the initiative generates. However, we’re confident that it is a good investment. Not for the short term maybe, but for the mid-term.”
It works ÖAG’s internal figures show that we bought substantially more (approx. 20%) from Vogel & Noot after they participated in the programme. This is a clear indication that staff promoted Vogel & Noots’ solutions after seeing the brochure, flyers and newsletter.
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15
g n i n r a e Lby
the rear mirror
rearview mirror
looking in the
Ton Roeterdink
Sales Left Wasco 24 August after 26 years of service
Negative thinking will lead to negative consequences “I was hired by Geert
van den Belt,” says Ton. “Sometimes I was asked to keep young Herold van den Belt busy when his parents were busy. We switched roles though at some point,” Ton jokes. “Most of my time at Wasco I worked in the ware-
house. The past ten years in sales. A huge change. Never regretted it though. I’ve had a fantastic time. Wasco has always been good to its employees. This is not the first time we have experienced a crisis. However, I’ve never experienced one so extreme. In times like these, it is more im-
Denise Peiffer
Protect CFM’s “I was the th
ird generation from my fa mily to work at CFM,” says Den ise. “CFM was a natural choice . The company has a solid reputation. In Luxembourg CF M stands for quality and se rvice. I started in the warehou se. A big advantage becaus e I became
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Fittings 5 · 2012
portant than ever to stay positive. Negative thinking attracts negative consequences. Put your shoulder to the wheel and keep existing customers. I retired to my family and a little farm. I have a couple of animals and they will keep me occupied. But it’s hard for me to let go of Wasco.”
Sales Left CFM in May after 21 years of serv ice
reputation familiar with th e products I was selling. Ei ght years ago, I moved to the branch in Esch . Those were go od times. I thin k it’s difficult for young people to get into CFM . The standard is high and there’s a lot they have to re late to. Times are tough. But we still have
our good nam e and we shou ld cherish it. Han g in there, better times will co me again. I miss CFM. Fo rtunately it’s nearby and I vi sit the branch from time to tim e.”
Resume In ancient cultures the elderly were respected for their wisdom. Now science proves these cultures right. Older people tend to be less impulsive because they are less reliant on immediate gratification. So in general, an older person will take more time to carefully consider their actions and perhaps even improve the quality of their decisions. We decided to visit four retirees and share their insights with you.
Beat Krähenbühl
Teamleader Left Sixmadun in March after 42 years of service
Trust your people to do their best “I started as a service
technician and there have t been many changes,” Bea we , ing inn says. “In the beg only had oil and gas installa l nica cha me ng uiri req tions, d know-how. Today, you nee . ing mm gra to know about pro en tak was dun When Sixma
Helga Ableitinger
t of over by Tobler, the amoun to ed anc adv I ed. work increas the for der Lea m Tea e becom ple service group - seven peo re we we , end in 1980. At the l stil is ad rklo wo 13. And the en increasing. Stay calm. Wh bea customer calls in panic cause his installation broke
dedown, it doesn’t help to be a fensive. Stay calm. There’s d rne lea I der solution. As a lea . ple peo my t trus to that I have , nts poi ng stro ir the on us To foc can y the give them freedom so opdo a good job. After three e tim was it d ide dec erations, I life to re mo re’s The ve. to lea than work.”
Sales Left ÖAG in August after 40 years of service
Business is about relationships “It’s been a long time but it doesn’t feel that long. ÖAG has been like a family,” says Helga. “I’ve spent more time here then at home. I started in the warehouse. Moved to sales. I’ve been here 30 years. In the beginning, people called in their orders. Then came the fax. Now email. This of course is the future and I certainly can see the benefits. Person-
ally though, I felt that the contacts I had with customers had a different character. I would be tempted to say somewhat less personal. Today you can find all products and information about them in our computer system. Getting familiar with what you are selling like this, is of course great. But if you ask me, it’s not the same as touching the products. You
get a different relation with the products. If it was up to me, I would simplify things. Focus on personal relationships even more than we already do. I have not planned for what I will do with my time now I am retired. I know I will focus on my grandchildren. And of course, occasionally visit colleagues here at ÖAG.” Fittings 5 · 2012
17
n Roma ck ö Rothb
What is the secret of a
?
good workplace
Having someone to share football results with Earlier this year, CE conducted an Employee Engagement Survey - sending out more than 2,000 questionnaires including 55 questions to all employees. A staggering 1,600 questionnaires were returned. As a result, we know for example what teams within the different business units score high on engagement. But what is their secret?
“I
f you ask me,” Chistine Scharrer from ÖAG says, “It’s all about team spirit. We have to be able to rely on each other. It is aslo important to know where we are going. So the big picture needs to be clear to everyone. Last but not least, feedback. How are we doing? Acknowledgement for what goes well. Direction and support for what needs changing. Of course, leadership in this respect is important too because leaders need to facilitate all this.”
Excellent 18
Fittings 5 · 2012
Development It’s your workplace too – take responsibility results Christine Scharrer is proud on the results from ÖAG. “Last year we started an extensive change project. The objective of this project was to identify our strong points and focus on them. Normally big change projects make staff feel uncertain and they are likely to be more critical about the organisation. Part of the explanation is that the entire change project had a bottom-up approach. This was not a bunch of leaders in a closed room coming up with changes, this was the entire population of ÖAG contributing to what really needed to be prioritised.” For Christine Scharrer there’s no doubt that this survey has value for the organisa-
ine Christ er r r Scha
tion. “It gives staff the possibility to - anonymously - share their sentiments about their working environment. It can take some of the pressure off an organisation. The next step of course is to actively work on the issues the survey has identified for us. In my opinion, this is a shared responsibility. Everybody has ideas and can contribute to a better working environment. A lot of issues staff address are concrete and therefore relatively easy to work with. We found out that a lot of apprentices don’t read the employee newsletter. We also found out that the reason for this is that employees are not sure whether it is OK for them to read the employee newsletter during working hours. This is what I mean with shared responsibility. If there’s something you don’t know, ask your manager.”
When nothing goes my way Roman Rothböck works in the same department as Alfred Amon. He too praises the excellent working atmosphere. But he also has a critical note. “The past months have been hard,” says Roman Rothböck. “There have been organisational changes. Redundancies too. Saying goodbye to colleagues is never pleasant.”
R
oman Rothböck has worked for ÖAG since 2009. But all in all he has 12 years of experience in sales. “I love the contact with customers. Good relations with customers and colleagues is what motivates me. There’s a very positive atmosphere in our department. Informal I would say. We help each other. Sometimes you run into a day where nothing seems to go your way. On those days it is extremely important that you have the support from your colleagues.” “What demotivates
me is if the phone doesn’t ring. Then time passes slowly. Too slowly. Do I think there’s enough development opportunities within ÖAG? I would be happy if there were more I guess. But it has to be relevant. I would be unhappy if I was sent to a sales course to learn how to talk to customers. Of course I am never too old or too good to learn something new. But I know how to talk to my customers. So that would be a waste of time.”
More on next page
Fittings 5 · 2012
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Continued
Through thick and thin “Today, I’m actually looking forward to going home,” says Alfred Amon teasingly. “It’s 30 degrees in the office and even opening the windows doesn’t help.” Alfred Amon has 40 years of experience in the industry. The past 12 years he’s been working in sales for ÖAG. “I love working here. We’re a fantastic team. When things are tough, someone tells a joke and then the tension is gone again.”
A
nd things certainly can get tough. Customers can be demanding. “Ha ha. Yes, indeed,” says Alfred Amon. “Everything is urgent and patience is not something they have the most of. People can call us until six in the evening and we deliver their orders the next day. To be able to do this, we need three colleagues to stay here until six in the evening - every day. If we didn’t do it, we wouldn’t be num-
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Fittings 5 · 2012
ber one in Austria.” “We’ve been working together for quite some years and we know each other well. I wouldn’t call it best friends but it’s close. It is important that the atmosphere is good. We support each other through thick and thin. At the end of the weekend, we look forward to Monday morning and being together and talking about football. We all support different clubs, so it can get loud. What can be improved? I honestly wouldn’t know.”
They still had my toolbox Money is not everything. It is one of those sayings you can find really maddening. However, Massimo Lepore, service technician at Sixmadun, Tobler, has found some truth in this saying. “I thought the grass was greener on the other side, but it wasn’t. Not for me at least.”
“O
ne of my colleagues left to work for a competitor. One day he called me and convinced me to follow his example. The work was the same but the salary was higher. Having a family with two kids, salary is not unimportant," Massimo explains. “So I gave in and left Sixmadun. After ten years. Big mistake. The work was more or less the same, the salary was higher but the conditions and the atmosphere, I wasn’t prepared for. “After half a year I called my old boss at Sixmadun and told him I made a terri-
ble mistake. I asked if I could have my old job back,” Massimo explains. “To my surprise, he said ‘yes of course’. My surprise was even bigger when he returned my old car and my toolbox to me. I was gone for half a year and he still saved it. This told me how valued I was. There’s no price tag for that. Also the way of working here. I just love it. We all have our own area with customers that we serve but there’s a lot of freedom in the job. We have to do our job but nobody tells us how to do our job. You are very independent. You get the freedom to do as you see fit. That motivates me.”
Ideas@work ork ard where we shaivreisidioneas.s w @ s a e Id n-exclusive whitecbluoding the Nordicwhdether your - in t on ’ no Fittings f the divisions not dependen truck. The idea o is from all ty of the idea r the cabin of a On the li o r. The qua e boardroom t science eithe as that th e e office is ave to be rock l, applicable id a h doesn’t we love practic thers. o , contrary y be copied by il s a e n a c
Night delivery increases productivity of customers by 10%
We deliver while you sleep Every night a small army of TNT vans and lorries deliver supplies directly into the vans and cars of Wasco’s plumbing and heating customers. So when they leave their homes in the morning, they don’t have to waste valuable time picking up supplies. Instead, they can directly drive to their customer and generate invoicable hours.
“T
hey easily save an hour or an hour and a half which with their hourly rates means €45 €65 extra income,” says Nico Kerk, Wasco’s logistics manager. Customers can order their supplies on-line. Orders registered until 17:00 hours
areprocessed the same evening and delivered between 23:00 and 07:00 hours in to the customers’ vans. Return orders will be picked up at the same time.
tivated team,” says Nico. “We knew that our competitors would copy the service as soon as they found out about it, but by putting the bar high enough, it is difficult for them to get anywhere near our level of service.” Feenstra in Drachten employs 70 installers. Mient Kingma who is responsible for logistics and purchasing, is a huge fan of Wasco’s service. “The service works perfectly. All our vans are equipped with standard supplies. Our installers let us know what we need to replenish and/or if they need specific products that are not part of the standard equipment. We send the order electronically to Wasco and the same night TNT delivers the supplies directly into the vans of our installers.”
The bar is high
No clue how they do it
“It’s an ambitious service, but we have a mo-
“What they do is so impressive. Especially in
the winter, when the roads are slippery,” says Mient Kingma. “They hardly every miss a van and if they do, it is often because the van is not parked at the agreed location. What can be improved? I honestly wouldn’t know. I don’t know how they do it. Everything I order is always confirmed and it’s all done electronically. Also the invoices. I wouldn’t know what to do if we had to go back to the old situation.” “Thanks to the Innight service we save so much money, you wouldn’t believe it. In the area where we operate, distances between customers can be quite long. Our installers are expensive. We want them to drive and work for customers and not drive around looking for supplies. Disadvantages? NONE!”
Fittings 5 · 2012
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There’s no excuse for not developing yourself
B
g n i n ar Lem enu
e tag s k ac SS PA
Take a peek into the machinery of your organisation and get a better understanding of why and how things happen. Fittings has a backstage pass, and we’re happy to share the backstage pass with you.
When people are your most important asset (they are responsible for customer service) you better make sure you hire the right people AND you develop the people you have. We identified the amazing range of training and courses available.
Tobler Day
NEW
Welcome day for new employees. (1/2 day)
Product training Product Management organises a variety of info meetings and courses related to products. Target audience: sales staff, Sixmadun service technicians.
Technical Service Training Internal training focusing on the technical aspects of products. Target audience: Sixmadun sales and service.
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Fittings 5 · 2012
Health & Safety
NEW
Training in basic H&S principles. Target audience: all staff. (1/2 day) (New)
Sales training Target audience: sales staff, engineering consultants. Improve communication and sales skills. (2 days /1 complementary day)
How to deal successfully with clients The workshop addresses marché employees who aim to improve their competence in direct sales and customer contact over the phone. (2 x 1/2 day / 1 complementary day)
Communicating effectively with clients This workshop is designed for service technicians. The objective is to gain more confidence in daily contact with clients. (2 days)
Leadership for Professionals Managers of service groups Sixmadun learn how to motivate staff and how to delegate work effectively.
Interview Skills Training Workshop where participants gain experience in conducting a structured job interview and evaluat-
ing candidates effectively. Target audience: staff conducting recruitment interviews. Duration: 1/2 day.
Management by objectives - MbO Course focusing on MbO. Target audience: managers. Duration: 1 day.
Managementtraining Practice related workshop with the objective to change personal impact. Target audience: managers from all levels. Duration: 6 days
Backstage
Introductionary workshop
Apprentices training cycle
Health & Safety: Ergonomics, Work-Life-Balance (with our company doctor), fire prevention – brought to you by our internal fire brigade, safety issues concerning your specific working place
• • • •
SAP Training Information about how to use SAP in an efficient way. Target audience: new employees. Duration: one week
Sales training Communication training Social skills training Anti-stress training & coping strategies • Facility visits • Product training
Internal MS Excel and MS Outlook Training Starting fiscal year 2012/2013, on demand
Detox-programme for smokers ..for employees who seek a healthier life style
Welcome day for new employees: (duration: 1 day)
Wasco is passie (passion) Developing the entrepreneurial spirit of branch managers, duration: 5 days
Product training Product Management, partly in conjunction with
suppliers, organises various information events and courses in products. Target audience: sales employees and branch managers. With an e-learning tool, knowledge will be examined.
Sales expertise (in development) Sales training for sales representatives (3 days) and jnr. sales representa-
Identifying potential TAPS (Talent CE uses an advanced tool called ction) to Sele and Assessment for Promotion tools is The e. stag y earl an at l ntia identify pote en new scre to d use be rather new and will initially for existing ful use also is tool The tes. job candida colleagues in Huemployees and at the moment
First aid courses Comfort Roadshow During the "Comfort Roadshow" our employees of the Category Management Private Label present new products of our private label to the branches all over Austria.
Leadership development Two-day workshop in small groups for everyone who has recently gained managerial responsibility or will do so in the near future.
tives (2 days) covering: making an appointment (Sweet Sixteen) (1 day), developing effective communication skills, how to deal successfully with clients and their potential resistance, how to recognise buying signals, the 7 steps sales model (1 day) and follow up Expected availability by the end of 2012
Various external individual courses on demand - such as language courses, etc.
Internal information events Optimising communication and processes on demand - to better understand needs of specific departments, e.g. controlling
Leadership training In development
Health and safety Forklift certificate, on the job training and bedrijfshulpverlening ??
Specific and dedicated personalised training/education On demand.
man Resources are looking into how this tool can be used in the most efficient way. In essence, it is a 30 minute consultation helping staff to identify career opportunities within the company and doing so supports individual development and organisational advancement. We will soon write more on TAPS in Fittings.
Fittings 5 · 2012
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The winner of the Gaggia Titanium is Mario Dolejschek, from Kontinentale in Austria. Congratulations!
How well are you informed about what is going on in CE?
Answer the questions below and ... We offer you the chance to enjoy a getaway to a truly unique city. The prize includes the flight and hotel based on full pension.
Win a weekend in
Berlin
Whether you like history, culture or nightlife, Berlin is the perfect destination. Although the German capital is a sprawling metropolis, the extensive network of transport makes it easy to get around in. Berlin offers you the chance to immerse yourself in a different world. From modern skyscrapers to large zoos, Berlin is truly a world-class destination.
1
What does
EES stand for?
a European Energy Standard b Employee Engagement Survey c Eastern European Safety-board
2
for two
Where
3 What did does Massimo Wasco’s Lepore Paul get back? Mölder work? a His toolbox b His car
a Graz
b Apeldoorn c His job c Twello
4
What are Patrick Headon’s
main objectives?
a Beat budget, improve customer satisfaction and improve employee engagement b Find an MD for ÖAG, lower costs and develop new markets c Improve employee engagement, lower costs and consolidate sourcing activities
5
What is ÖAG’s
initiative called to improve relations with suppliers?
a Supplier of the month b Operation joint sales c Partner of the month
Send your answers before 8 October 2012 Use the coupon below or send your answers by e-mail to: magazine@fittings.nu The winner will be announced in the next issue of Fittings.
a 1: 2: 3: 4: 5:
b
c
Name: Address: Postcode and City: Country: Phone: E-mail: Employed at:
Send this coupon to: DT Group Att.: Charlotte Gullach Büttrich Gladsaxe Møllevej 5 DK-2860 Søborg Denmark
YOU MUST PAY TAX ON THE PRIZE. ENTRIES NEED TO BE SENT TO DT GROUP, ATT: CHARLOTTE GULLACH, GLADSAXE MOLLEVEJ 5, DK-2860 SOBORG, DENMARK OR E-MAILED TO MAGAZINE@FITTINGS.NU. eNTRIES WITH ALL CORRECT ANSWERS WILL BE PICKED RANDOMLY. N0 CASH ALTERNATIVE.
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