Values
In order for the company to achieve success, we must have a sound set of beliefs on which to base all policies and actions. The most important factor in our organization’s success is faithful adherence to these beliefs. To meet the challenges of a changing world, our employees must be prepared to change everything about the organization except those beliefs as we move through corporate life.
Our Company
We are the neighborhood supply house.
We treat our customers with the best service and pricing we can offer. Our emphasis is on the higher service we can provide in terms of timeliness, responsiveness, availability, ease of special orders, and ability to provide information. Our people are friendly and easy to work with. We compete on our knowledge and competence, and not on price.
We work as a team to accomplish common goals.
We strive for a cooperative work environment that supports individual contribution as well as team effort.
Our branches conform to uniform expectations and standards of behavior.
Hirsch customers should reasonably expect to find similar items at similar pricing and with similar service at any Hirsch store they frequent.
Our goal is customer loyalty.
We target repeat customers. Our customers rely on us to have the material they want when they want it at consistent pricing. If we do not have material available, our customers expect us to make extra efforts to obtain that material at the least inconvenience for them.
We treat our customers fairly.
We reward customers for volume purchases on individual items and for their overall volume. At the same time, our profits compensate us for the hard work we put into keeping the right material in stock, and the excellent service we deliver to the customer.
We accept the need for change and seek constant improvement in our operations.
We support individual initiatives and risk-taking in pursuit of this improvement.
When we are unable to fulfill customer expectations we do not offer excuses, but pursue future solutions. To prevent service failures, we establish procedures, measure performance, and monitor results. We regard service failures as serious matters.
Our People
Our people are motivated to deliver the highest service possible to the customer.
All of our people’s efforts, whether sales related or non-sales related, stem from this desire to exceed customers’ expectations, not their manager’s. Our employees want to do well by the customer – if not, they don’t belong at Hirsch.
We attempt to do it right the first time, and every time thereafter.
We tolerate mistakes as opportunities to learn. At the same time, we frown on mistakes that are unnecessarily repeated.
Excellence is expected in everything we do.
We believe that employees should pursue all tasks with the objective of accomplishing them in a superior way. We take pride in the quality of the products we carry and the manner in which we support our customers.
We promote from within. Whenever possible, we fill managerial positions from our ranks.
In doing so, we take care to include for consideration and not overlook qualified people whose present job may make them less noticeable to other employees. We fill a vacancy from outside only when we cannot locate one of our own people who has the capacity or the professional or technical skills which may be required by a particular assignment.
We trust our people.
Our people want to do well by the customer and the company. If we provide the right environment and training, they will succeed.
Our Management Style
We improve performance through accountability.
Management is both a responsibility and a privilege. This privilege has to be earned over and over.
We lead by example.
Managers are expected to devote more time to their duties than their subordinates. Managers have to abide by the same standards which we set for employees in regards to providing notice of sick time, vacation leave, etc. Managers should work more for our people than our people work for our managers.
Managers provide leadership in the form of goals, tools, training and feedback.
Managers are like Coaches, not Drill Sergeants. We are expected to share information and knowledge with our employees. We have a responsibility to develop our people not only for the company’s benefit, but also for the greater good of society.
We offer both positive and negative feedback to our subordinates and peers.
We are not afraid to confront our subordinates and each other with honesty and candor as long as we believe a positive outcome can be achieved by confrontation. We do not lose our tempers. We strive to be firm and fair. We do not criticize our subordinates in public display.
We strive to be considerate and understanding of our people.
In supervision, we try to lead, not drive; request, not command. We believe that when this attitude prevails it helps us gain the cooperation of everyone to work more efficiently and attain higher standards in everything we do.
We set accomplishing company objectives above our personal objectives.
Our top priority as managers is what is best for the company, first. We do not use the company’s resources to achieve personal agendas. We do not attempt to improve one division’s results if it will have a greater negative impact on another division. Decisions are made only after considering what is best for the company, and managers must place their personal disagreements aside once a decision has been reached.
Our Character
We have fun at Hirsch.
Hirsch’s culture is based on high performance and high enjoyment. Performance and team morale are equally important. We believe fun at work increases productivity, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction.
We insist upon integrity in our people.
We present our company honestly to employees, customers and vendors and in turn expect them to be honest with us. We believe in every employee’s personal responsibility for doing the right thing.
We respect the worth of each person in our organization.
We strive to support our people in achieving their personal objectives in line with their contribution at Hirsch Pipe. We believe that managers and co-workers should respect the rights and dignity of each person in the organization. We encourage individual growth.
We invest in long-term relationships with our customers, employees and vendors where all parties feel they mutually gain. We have a long-term perspective.
We take risks, trust and support individuals based on this loyalty.
We value diversity and differences of opinion.
At Hirsch, diversity and inclusion are core values and hallmarks of our culture. Our branches and offices are places where people from all walks of life can be themselves and feel respected and accepted. Diversity and inclusion give us a competitive advantage in business but, most importantly, make us stronger and happier as a team.
We all share the tangible rewards of Hirsch’s success.
We seek to compensate our people at levels above industry averages. We offer individual and team based incentives as well as generous benefits and a company sponsored profit sharing plan.