We have six new guiding principles that define how we need to behave as a business every day to become the business we want to be.
For Schlam, these principles are lines in the sand that will not be crossed. They determine our behaviours and are qualities that we search for when hiring new people to join the Schlam team.
In this article we will be discussing the principle Stronger Together.
Individually, we’re all pretty capable but when we pool our resources, we’re capable of taking on the world.
TEAMWORK
What is the value of teamwork in the workplace?
It takes many forms, including greater workforce efficiency and productivity, increased innovation, higher employee morale, and improved retention. And all those things can translate to real, bottom-line benefits.
Here are the key reasons why teamwork is so essential to Schlam.
- Teamwork is efficient work
A vital pillar of the industrial revolution, a foundation of modern civilisation, was the division of labour. And that’s just another way to say teamwork. Employee teamwork enables us to:
- Split complex tasks into simpler ones, then work together to complete them faster
- Develop specialised skills so that the best person for each task can do it better and faster
In a nutshell, teams make work more efficient. That can lead to better productivity, reduced costs, greater profitability, and many other benefits.
- Teams self-monitor
When one person does a task alone, they have total autonomy — but if that person starts to work slowly or ineffectively, who will set them straight? Nobody, that’s who.
In teamwork, many people have responsibility for the same goal. Most significantly, teammates observe and depend on the quality of each other’s work. When one team member’s performance dips, the others have the knowledge and motivation to help them improve. Without management intervention, effective teams can often regulate their own performance.
- Teams innovate faster
For any task or problem, there are usually countless solutions. When one employee tackles a project, they might think of a few different ideas given time. But when a team tackles a problem, the project benefits from multiple perspectives, skillsets, and experiences all happen at once.
A team approach can therefore lead to faster, deeper innovation.
- Teammates learn from each other
Imagine you have a workforce of ten engineers all working in separate rooms. Each engineer works to their own strengths and suffers from their own weaknesses, with nobody to teach or learn from.
Now put them all in the same room, on the same project. Working together, the same group soon learn each other's strengths and correct each other's mistakes. And everyone's performance improves as a result.
- Teamwork promotes strong working relationships
Finally, when employees work together and succeed as a team, they form bonds that can turn into trust and friendship. It’s human nature. And it’s great for your organisation since employees who like and trust each other are more likely to:
- Communicate well with each other
- Support and motivate each other
- Work cooperatively
It’s little wonder successful organisations value teamwork so highly.
STICKING TOGETHER
Another perspective of our Stronger Together principle is loyalty.
We’re lucky enough here at Schlam to have numerous employees who have been with the company for up to ten years. In fact, earlier this year, Julie Nyatsambo and David Browning celebrated their fourth anniversary with the company. And Nathan Sievwright crossed the five-year mark.
But the length of services is not the only measure of loyalty.
The definition of a loyal employee is a person who has worked for your company and has always focused on the success of the company.
Perseverance, Dedication and Leadership
Employees work for both the company and themselves. When a worker does their job with all their might and is coming from a genuine place, they are loyal to themselves. Almost everyone has had a moment when they slacked off when the boss wasn’t looking. In some cases, that behaviour could’ve been detrimental to the company and the employee's motivation. That can develop into a habit and become a big problem pretty quickly.
Genuinely dedicated people will always go the extra mile because they already have that natural drive in them. They don’t just see the task as just a job to get done. They see it as an opportunity for advancement. A loyal employee will almost always have the natural motivation to do their best and try to get things done as efficiently as possible.
Inquisitive and Ready to Learn
It is always a beautiful thing to see someone who is eager to advance and learn more about something they are passionate about. With so many new advances and improvements happening globally, it is important for an employee to stay updated and be willing to adapt to the changes. If you notice this in a person, this is a huge sign of dedication.
COLLABORATION WITH CLIENTS AND THE COMMUNITY
This principle extends beyond the workplace and into how we work together with our clients and the community.
In April 2021, we worked with Newmont Australia’s employee-led Business Resource Group called the Moorditj Koodas, in consultation with Newmont’s AHS Project team to design a Hercules dump body to celebrate Aboriginal culture on-site.
The design was created to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land in which they operate, show their support for their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team members, and create a visual statement and commitment to reconciliation.
Visit our IDEOLOGY PAGE for more information on Schlam's principles.
