Leading DRP by Dale Parmenter Managing Director of DRP Group

Leading DRP

Dale Parmenter, Managing Director, DRP Group

We hear in businesses everywhere ‘our people are our most important asset’, but how many actually believe that? How many would put the team first, ahead of the customer?

At the DRP Group that is exactly what happens. The company unashamedly announces to clients with its mission statement that the DRP team will be put before the customer.

There is, however, method in the perceived madness of the company putting the team first. It’s the team who, after all, are the frontline of the business and who, in turn, make the customers their priority.

At the DRP Group the 56 strong team are everything, and made to feel so continually. They are made up from different ages, backgrounds and skill levels. It’s the way the business engages with the team that is so unique.

‘There’s nothing magical in what we do at DRP...’ says Dale Parmenter, MD, ‘...we have our arguments just like any other family or organisation. In fact we probably have more. I’d be worried if we didn’t, this gauges the passion in the business. Passion, Belief and Trust are our key values, based around a promise of ‘anything’s possible’. Every team member has to buy into this or they’re not a DRP person and never will be.

The strength of the DRP team was bourne out by recent industrial relations research carried out by Warwick University that placed the DRP Group at the top of the ladder in our marketplace when it came to engaging with its people and creating an environment for openness. DRP also recently passed its IIP reassessment with flying colours by actually doing nothing for the assessors, who just saw the business on a normal working day.

The company is extremely open in its approach, nothing is hidden away and everyone understands what’s happening and is fully onboard with the vision and goals.

Dale says, ‘In the current economic climate it is more important than ever to involve and communicate with the team. Times like this can be incredibly stressful for a team, however it can easily be made into something very exciting and the ‘Dunkirk spirit’ kicks in - it’s our company against everyone else.

If a company gets this right they will see accelerated growth, improved efficiencies and productivity. If a company gets it wrong then disaster looms’.

The DRP Group’s openness and total inclusion includes weekly operations and sales meetings where everyone is included, quarterly conferences and social activities. There are very few checks on the team, forms and procedures are kept to a minimum, and trusting the team is key.