It’s all about the staff

By Shaun Inguanzo
ALLSTAFF Air Conditioning has won the Premier Regional Business Award for 2007.
The Dingley-based company specialises in large scale air conditioning solutions for a variety of facilities such as shopping centres and hospitals.
Allstaff is considered a market leader in large-scale air conditioning, with more than 250 employees – of which 200 work at the Dingley factory. It has offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra,
But if Allstaff Air Conditioning was a sporting team, people would be harping just as much about its success off the field, as when it performs on the field.
Behind the scenes, Allstaff has undergone several management buyouts.
But it has retained its friendly culture and therefore most of its staff, including general manager Frank Wiedermann, who helped start the company some 31 years ago.
Mr Wiedermann said staff had been so loyal that over the last two years he had handed out a total of seven gold Rolex watches to people who had worked at Allstaff for 30 years.
“We have also got a lot of people who have been here for 25, 20, 15 years and so on,” he said.
“Our awards start from 10 years service.”
Mr Wiedermann said the company was strong in all of its nominated categories, including Service Excellence and Innovation.
But the strongest, he said was Employment.
The people at Allstaff, he said, were committed and well skilled, and always had a say in the direction of the company.
“We have a very open management policy, and no strict regime,” he said.
“People are included in a lot of decisions the directors make.
“We not only listen, but we move forward with what they (the staff) ask of us.
“We think also that the high level of staff retention means people are happy to work in this environment.
“Some are lured by dollars elsewhere, but we’ve had people coming back saying it wasn’t worth leaving this environment for the extra money.”
Mr Wiedermann said Allstaff was also on the path to enhancing its corporate and social responsibility by looking at ways it can reduce its impact on the environment.