Working with Constructing Equity on testing the Plumbing Industry Maturity Model (PIMM) caused Leemark Fire Protection to reflect on which areas of the company still performed well and what needed attention. It’s the ‘health check’ the company needed after doubling in size in the last 3 years due to the construction of Melbourne’s tunnels.
It was a small family business – but growth was ahead
Only a few years ago Leemark Fire Protection was a small family run business. Victoria’s Big Build changed all that. Leemark now have double the staff and are one of Australia’s leading fire protection companies. Christine Sullivan talked about how using the PIMM gave them time to relflect on how far they had come.
“The experience for all of us was fabulous and working with Dr Valerie Francis and Radhika Chugh allowed us to identify where we needed to improve. When Leemark was a small company and everyone knew what was happening every day – who was on what job and where.”
Applying the PIMM show how much the business had changed
In a smaller company, the majority of decisions are the responsibility of one or two people – in Leemark’s case it was Directors Brooke Andradi and Leigh Sullivan.
“By applying the PIMM to Leemark we could see where we needed more policies and procedures in place so not all decisions are the responsibility of the two directors. It showed us we needed to make changes to some people’s roles to share the workload and the responsibilities.”
The five pillars of the PIMM – Support, Development, Work Design, Value and Agency – are each an element of workplace inclusion.
How conversations lead to solutions and increased inclusion
The conversations that came out of applying the PIMM with Constructing Equity helped Leemark identify the areas of the business that needed changing to meet the needs of a business that had grown rapidly.
“It showed us that some roles needed to expand or change so small but important tasks don’t get overlooked. We had an issue recently when the women’s toilet was not delivered to a site and the women had to go off-site to find a toilet. By changing our procedures we can make sure every job has the right equipment.”
Christine Sullivan said that the experience had been very positive for staff as they really enjoyed explaining what their responsibilities were and what they do day-day. The process also highlighted how everyone at Leemark can contribute to support the work of building inclusion.
There is a place for everyone in this industry. Let’s build it together.
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