Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Buttle’s, the independent builders’ merchant based in St Albans, has been recognised by Investors In People (IIP) as a great place to work.
Formed in 1919, Buttle’s has branches in Leighton Buzzard, Enfield, St Albans and Kentish Town.
Fran Boast, Head of People and Development, said: “The Investors in People accreditation reinforces to our customer base that Buttle’s takes the time and energy to invest in our people, recognising that our teams are fully trained and highly engaged to provide outstanding service to our customers!”
In recognising Buttle’s commitment to its team of 60 employees, Investors In People said: “Buttle’s handled the pandemic well, which was evident in terms of their management support and understanding for the differing situations that their people were facing, by working together to find ways to balance working and managing caring responsibilities during challenging times.”
A bespoke management development programme was launched by Buttle’s titled ‘Rockstars’ which has been designed and delivered in conjunction with The Builders Merchant Federation. On the programme, Buttle’s identified team members who were already demonstrating high potential to progress within the business and those who would benefit from further personal skills development to enable this succession.
Rockstars combines tutor led workshop sessions and self-guided learning to embed management tools and techniques, with each rockstar having a business mentor to support their development.
In June 2021, Buttle’s teamed up with the Frank Bruno Foundation to become their official corporate sponsor, with the added intention of raising awareness of the issues the foundation is tackling across the construction sector.
Working in partnership with the Foundation, Buttle’s has provided access to mental health and wellbeing training and support, including offering fitness sessions and nutrition guidance.
To be eligible for the IIP We Invest In People accreditation, Buttle’s employees completed an employee engagement survey with key personnel also interviewed about company protocols and practices to demonstrate a cross section of roles within the business.
The IIP report added: “Your people feel things have really improved for Buttles in the past few years, and credit you as leaders as being instrumental in making those changes happen. People appreciate your transparency, and like the personal touch you show in your communications with them.
“People told us they feel Buttles provides a service superior to competitors, with many speaking about the practical level of product knowledge and great customer service as differentiators.”
“You’ve set a solid foundation for your expectations of managers through your Rockstars development programme. It’s a great way to bring a consistent level of skill across your management team, and benefits are already being felt by those going through the training.”
