1. Our business
1.1 Ethical conduct
As a wholesale provider of UK manufactured woven goods and an importer of goods manufactured in China, DHJ Weisters Limited has a responsibility to act as a good corporate citizen all around the world. At DHJ Weisters Limited we recognise and perform the obligations we have towards our people, investors, customers, suppliers, competitors and the community as a whole. We believe our reputation, together with the trust and confidence of those with whom we deal, to be one of our most valuable assets. In order to keep this reputation and trust, we demand and maintain the highest ethical standards in carrying out our business activities.
All of our employees are required to abide by our ethical policy, which outlines DHJ Weisters Limited’s core values and approach to doing business. The protection of our reputation is of fundamental importance, and employees are aware of the disciplinary implications of breaches of policy. The policy helps to uphold the reputation of our company and staff, and maintains public confidence in DHJ Weisters Limited.
Our people are encouraged to promptly report any potentially illegal, improper and/or unethical conduct that they become aware of at their workplace or in connection with their work. We believe we have an environment that enables our people to raise genuine and legitimate concerns internally. However, in the event that our people believe their reporting to line management may result in harassment, victimisation or undue distress, they may contact Caroline Weisters if they require support in reporting matters. Caroline Weisters will provides an opportunity for concerns to be investigated and will ensure appropriate action is taken to resolve the matter effectively.
1.2 Customers
We strongly believe that integrity in dealings with customers is a prerequisite for a successful and sustained business relationship.
We operate a highly effective and efficient organisation, focused on meeting customer objectives. Our aim is to provide products and services which give fair value and consistent quality, reliability and safety in return for fair reward. We operate policies of continual improvement, of both processes and the skills of our staff, to take best advantage of advances in technology. This safeguards our operations for the future, ensuring that we continue to add value to our customers’ businesses.
This is underpinned by a consistent approach to the way we conduct our work. To cater for the wide variety of work we do, we aim for a balance between flexibility in the way we operate and tight control to consistently meet customer expectations.
We have clear and strong lines of communication which allow us to respond quickly and efficiently to customer and market requirements, and our customers receive a consistent service across geographies, industries and technology areas. Our sales effort and delivery capability are aligned in order to ensure that we can successfully and consistently deliver what we promise.
1.3 Business partners and suppliers
DHJ Weisters Limited aim to develop relationships and improve networking with business partners and suppliers based on mutual trust. We believe one of our major strengths is our approach to alliances and partnerships with suppliers.
DHJ Weisters Limited has made a long-term commitment building on our market position in woven textiles to stimulate the creation and implementation of new products. Our clients appreciate the ability for DHJ Weisters Limited to offer woven goods using state-of-the-art technology, strong customer relations and deep industry knowledge and experience, combined with the capacity to implement and deliver value-added solutions on time and within budget.
1.4 Environment
DHJ Weisters Limited believes that, by their nature, our operations have a minimal impact on the environment. However, we acknowledge that there are inevitable environmental impacts associated with daily operations. We aim to minimise any harmful effects and consider the development and implementation of environmental standards to achieve this to be of great importance. As such, we strongly encourage the internationally established 3 Rs:
- reduce
- re-use
- recycle
In the course of our operations we seek to identify opportunities to reduce consumption of energy, water and other natural resources. We also strive to re-use and recycle where possible and dispose of non-recyclable items responsibly, thereby minimising our impact on the environment.
It is anticipated that by adopting simple, environmentally friendly initiatives, the company will raise this awareness amongst its customers and the wider community.
The company regularly reviews its environmental policy to ensure that it reflects changes in regulations and best practice. We aim to continually to manage the impact of our operations and develop initiatives to improve our environmental footprint. The majority of DHJ Weisters Limited’s emissions originate from the use of electricity, gas, water and waste. We are taking steps to expand on the 3 r’s initiative and will include:
Reduce:
raising awareness through targeted communications to help our staff, and their families and friends, reduce energy use at home, as well as at work improved powering down of our Darwen & Macclesfield facilities overnight and at weekends, encouraging reduced business travel and use of telecommunication technology. We are constantly upgrading of our office equipment to fewer and more energy-efficient devices.
Re-use:
- replacing, where possible, the reliance on disposable items with re-useable items
Recycle:
- switching to solar power sources of electricity to complement the national grid supply
- improving our recycling
•As we work to ensure that our operations will result in a cleaner environment, we intend to maintain the continual improvement of our products, processes and services.
2. Our employees
2.1 Realising potential
"The DHJ Weisters Limited Values" are based upon a number of important principles and capture qualities that each employee is encouraged to embody as an essential part of our success:
- Expertise
- Assure quality and drive innovation
- Listen to learn from each other – champion continuous improvement
- Be accountable – keep commitments
- Customer Focus
- Share our vision; share our passion
- Strive for our customers profitability and satisfaction
- Be a trusted global partner
- Respect
- Think and act as a team
- Optimise the value of our global community
- Deliver results and celebrate success
Developing our capability, delivering value to our customers on a global basis and securing long-term profitable growth is founded on releasing the potential of our employees.
We actively support the development of our staff in a number of ways including formalised employee development discussions through appraisal programmes for personal and professional development.
2.2 Communications and employee satisfaction
DHJ Weisters Limited recognises that, as a rapidly changing, knowledge-based business, communication is a critical ingredient for success. We place emphasis on both formal and informal communication. The Directors have a key role to play in communication. The Directors are accessible, encourage collaboration and the development of ideas that contribute to business performance and continuous improvement.
2.3 A meritocracy
As a well-established forward thinking company we embrace diversity and respect for different cultures and local requirements. Employees of both genders, from different nations, cultures, ethnic groups, generations and backgrounds contribute in delivering both information and ethical products to our customers.
Employees have a clear understanding of how they contribute to the business and have clear personal objectives, aligned to the business strategy and objectives
Career pathways that identify key capabilities and behaviours at different competency levels across core career paths
Personal development, training and succession planning to support personal growth
Annual reviews of performance that drives decisions about pay and career progression.
2.4 Health and safety
We aim to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for all our employees, outside contractors and visitors, not only on DHJ Weisters Limited premises, but also for those staff and contractors working at our Macclesfield site. The company aims to comply with all relevant legislation or regulations, and best practice guidelines. We also liaise with staff regarding our policies and practices so that we can continue to maintain a healthy, safe and enjoyable environment.
All accidents, and incidents are reviewed at the quarterly health and safety meeting, along with lost time incidents, accident forms, RIDDOR reportable occurrences, health and safety trends etc.