Progressing People, Supporting Staff and Developing Diamonds
Our staff are crucial to everything that we do, so how do we support the Soljet crew?
Finding, recruiting and keeping talented, qualified staff is one of our main priorities as a business. In a competitive construction market finding the best talent can be tough but we work to a 10 point model to make sure our staff are the best on offer
- Training and Qualifications
Sometimes we pin our hopes on the idea of a new employee “hitting the ground running” and can quickly overlook what additional training and qualifications our staff may need
We encourage our employees to share feedback during informal meetings or chats with senior management and other colleagues to ensure they have the opportunity to talk about their own needs.
That’s why each year at Soljet we offer all staff the opportunity to attend courses and gain additional qualifications paid for by the business to ensure everyone has the opportunity to progress.
- Make a connection
The priority for us is always looking after the person first. We’re building a culture at Soljet where a member of staff is far more than just a number but someone who buys into who we are and what we do.
We encourage all employees to make connections when they first start working with us to help better understand our ideas and their opinions and then taking action based on any suggestions.
- Career Progress
Personal Development meetings can sometimes be viewed as a necessary evil but we see it as an opportunity to assess your contribution to Soljet as well as your own professional development.
Yes we address concerns or problems inside or outside of work but they’re there as a tool to reinforce all the good work that’s been done to date and as a marker for future progress. We set objectives, targets and look at the journey ahead both inside and outside of work and how we’re going to get there together!
- Personalised Development Plans
Pointless exercise right? Not here, we use our PDP time to develop bespoke solutions for individuals. We see too many one-size-fits-all approaches where we ignore what’s best for the person and their progression.
We want to get the most out of our investment in an individual and want them to get the most out of us! We base our PDPs on someone’s specific skills, strengths, career goals and opportunities within Soljet.
- Staff Meetings
Whether it’s in a fancy boardroom or next to the site kettle each chat we have with our people is of the same importance. We want to understand what’s best for our staff and if they have any suggestions for other areas of the business including finances, technology, products, industry developments and regulatory issues.
- Departmental Rotations
With the majority of our workforce made up of Engineers or Operatives we like our people to see the bigger picture and understand different areas of the business.
It’s important that our staff see how other departments work and we actively encourage all of our staff to become active in other areas of the business. Our site teams are regularly in the office working with non-site staff.
- Mentoring and Networking
We know the importance of experience and want our people to benefit from the knowledge and information we have access to through our connections. We provide opportunities for our staff to learn from the experiences of senior company managers, industry leaders or individuals we feel can make a difference.
- Virtual training
New to Soljet we are now operating an online platform of learning through our online portal system. Here we can introduce engineers to documents and information they would need before starting work for Soljet.
All of the information is online and can therefore be accessed remotely, it’s made our induction process 100% more efficient and means staff can begin their journey quicker than ever before.
- Industry Organisations
We work closely with the ECA, Construction Line and other construction governing bodies. All employees can therefore access their respective seminars and workshops, mentoring and networking events.
- Stay and Exit interviews
We understand that no job is typically forever and people move on. We think it’s important to care for our employees long after they’ve finished working for us and keep an eye on their development. We are about our staff and we care about our people so even when they’re not in Soljet colours
Well-designed development programs improve employees’ knowledge base and technical skills; develop managerial and leadership abilities and maintain an overarching focus on interpersonal skills.
This might sound like a lot of work, and even when it’s implemented it will take effort and commitment to keep effective employee development going. They payoffs though are happy, engaged employees who are more productive and more effective. Well worth the effort when you look at it like that.
