As part of our series of blog articles speaking to employees who have been working at The Sash Window Workshop for over 15 years, this week we met with Mark and Helen who work in our office in Bracknell.
Mark – Surveyor
Mark is one of our longest serving employees, having started working with the company 26 years ago. He originally joined the company as one of our installers, fitting the windows and doors that we manufacture into our customers’ homes.
Mark was a fitter with the company for 20 years, before moving departments to work in the office in the survey department. He then switched roles again, spending two years as an installation supervisor, before moving back to the survey department to work as one of our surveyors, visiting customers who have placed orders to ensure that all measurements and details are correct and ready for manufacture.
What has been the biggest change in the company since you started?
The Sash Window Workshop has grown considerably since I started. When I started, there were just a handful of employees, whereas now there are around 90! The improvements in technology have also made a big difference, ensuring precision in manufacture.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I enjoy the different aspects of my role. From a young age, I was always interested in carpentry and buildings and, prior to working at The Sash Window Workshop, I completed an apprenticeship with a local joinery workshop and was self-employed doing various carpentry work, so being a surveyor at The Sash Window Workshop is the perfect job for me!
Helen – Operations Manager
Helen started working as a Personal Assistant to the Chairman and Managing Director, along with being the sales administrator for The Sash Window Workshop, 18 years ago.
Since 2005, Helen has been promoted several times within the company from being the installation administrator, to business process manager, and now she is a member of the senior management team with a large team of employees reporting to her.
What did you do before you worked at The Sash Window Workshop?
Before working at The Sash Window Workshop, I worked for another window company for a few years. I also previously worked with horses, something that I still enjoy, and I have two horses of my own.
How has the company grown since you started 18 years ago?
The company has grown substantially. When I started, we were based in a smaller workshop nearby. As the business grew, we moved to 4 Kiln Lane, where our office and joinery workshop are still based. We also recently expanded to have an additional workshop and a new showroom in the building next door.
There is also a lot more machinery in the workshop than when I started. The processes within the company have also become more streamlined and the general staffing levels have increased.
How have the roles in the office changed?
Today all the office work is done on computers, whereas historically everything was paper based. Any messages and correspondence from customers would have to be written by hand and filed in the customer’s folder.
If a customer called to ask a question about their job, you would then have to search through their folder, which could have lots of paper notes in it, to try and find the information to answer the customer’s questions. This was very time consuming.
We also used to have to photocopy all the signed contracts that we received from customers, whereas now we can just press print on the computer when we want the printed version.
With the time saved from having everything in one place on the computer, we probably have fewer admin employees now than we used to, but we process a lot more orders than we did previously.
What do you enjoy most about your role working at The Sash Window Workshop?
I like the family ethos and values of the company, along with Richard Dollar’s (our Managing Director) passion for the company. Everyone works as a team to achieve company goals which makes it a good company to work for.
Contact The Sash Window Workshop
To find out how we can assist you with replacing or draught proofing your timber windows or doors, contact us today on 01344 868 668.
You may also be interested in:
The Sash Window Workshop’s Longstanding Employees: Sales Team
The Sash Window Workshop’s Longstanding Employees: Manufacturing
The Sash Window Workshop’s Longstanding Employees: Installation Team
