Disrupting The Traditional Manufacturing Culture For A Better Employee Experience
When we first established DAC over ten years ago, we wanted to do things differently. We had the desire to disrupt the industry and tackle the ongoing issues that meant customers were left short by outdated systems and expensive products. However, our commitment to driving change doesn’t end there. We are committed to continuously challenging traditional industry norms and building a diverse community that is fit for today.
Building diverse teams
Traditionally manufacturing has been a male-dominated industry, often portrayed as middle-aged white males set in their ways of doing things how they’ve always been.
However, that’s not what we are, and we know that to do better, we must continue to challenge this stereotype.
We recognise the different skills and abilities different people can bring to our organisation. This is why we’re committed to employing people of all ages, ethnicities, genders and backgrounds.
But we know that there are countless biases and privileges that can prevent people from different backgrounds developing the skills to do the job they want. That’s why we hire our team based on attitude rather than just the skills that they have – skills can be trained, but attitude is more challenging.
Investing in continuous improvement
Our core value is that of continuous improvement. We strive to instil this in every aspect of our business, from the manufacturing process to the customer service we provide, and this also includes our employees. We try to encourage a culture of continuous improvement – something may be good, but it can always be improved.
One of the main ways we ensure that we’re continuously driving change is by investing heavily in our team. As a member of the DAC team, it’s unlikely you’ll find yourself bored as with a wide availability of training and upskilling, there’s always something for everyone to learn.
This commitment goes across our whole organisation; even our CEO Yan Phoenix recently completed a ten-week Lean Manufacturing course alongside the rest of the team.
Encouraging collaboration
We never want our management team dictating processes. Our teammates on the floor or in the office are the ones doing the job day and therefore are best placed to let us know where we can make improvements in our processes. We empower everyone to feel confident enough to bring their ideas to the table. Often their ideas can provide significant improvements that save us thousands, which we can then invest back into the business or pass on the savings to our customers.
However, the key to this is to create an environment where we can challenge ourselves and others, and it’s important to build a safe culture where everyone can speak out.
Regardless of what department our team works within, we’re committed to empowering them to speak out and improve what we do and ultimately improve things for you, our customer.
Coaching rather than managing
There’s a million and one reasons why people come to work, and we want to make sure that we appeal to each of those reasons. We want to ensure that one of those reasons is knowing that they can improve themselves.
At DAC, we like to know what drives our people and get the best out of everyone. Our operations manager has recently completed a degree through DAC, which has enabled him to learn new skills regarding business management and social intelligence, learning how different people respond to different approaches.
We don’t treat every employee with a one size fits all technique, but rather as individuals. We also help our teammates be the best possible versions of themselves and offer (and encourage) as much training as possible to help them achieve their goals.
Fostering a sense of camaraderie
We want to make sure that everyone is pulling in the same direction. In other organisations ten or 20 years ago, departments could often be found pulling in different directions. At DAC, we’re leaving that in the past where it belongs.
With everyone, including upper management, completing courses, we demonstrate that we believe in the training that we do and show that everyone is in this together. We don’t just decide that the workers on the floor should do training without also undertaking it ourselves. We see the value in making sure that we are working as a team.