We have developed, with input from our people, our Vision, Values and Principles, around which we have sought to build our corporate culture. We regard these as important markers for our past and necessary for our continuing success. We will emphasize each in the induction process, through our individual and company objectives and through other internal and external communication media. We will use our Vision, Values and Principles systematically to strengthen the corporate culture and sense of identity and ownership among our people.
VISION
Our Vision sets out our fundamental purpose for existing, our reason for being.
Asteral's vision is to be the world leader in managed equipment and related services in healthcare. Through our services we will help our customers prosper and provide great patient care. We will earn their loyalty through consistent high performance driven by the integrity, teamwork and innovation of Asteral’s people.
VALUES
Asteral has a clearly defined set of Values that underpin all our activities. We are proud of our company values and are committed to delivering them consistently. Five core values have been identified and along side each is a short account of what matters most.
1. Excellence
We will seek to be excellent wherever possible in line with our company objectives. We will seek to continuously improve. We will strive to be the best provider of managed equipment services and work to the highest standards in the marketplace. We will implement and adhere to our internal processes and procedures better than other managed equipment service providers. We will seek to develop everyone to excel and to fulfill their career aspirations where this can be achieved in line with company goals. We will focus on results and making a fair return for our services. Economic growth and shareholder return are essential for us to succeed.
2. Respect and Dignity
We will treat all our people fairly and with equal respect, consideration and dignity. We recognize that enjoyment at work and productivity go hand in hand. We will differentiate between people by the reward package that we offer. We will not tolerate “blame” or a culture of undermining.
We will seek to create real equality of opportunity. We will be an inclusive organization, which actively removes barriers that may discourage members of any minority group from joining us. This applies to the way we conduct ourselves in our day-to-day work as much as it does to our recruitment and promotion procedures.
3. Accountability
Individuals will be personally accountable for reaching their goals, which will be in line with the company's goals. Individual members of staff will be given the opportunity to negotiate and agree their performance levels and targets. We want to spend as little time as possible supervising people. We want to give every employee the maximum opportunity to use their own initiative in organizing their work. Individuals should be open to reasonable challenge and should look at such as an opportunity to demonstrate the value they add personally.
Safety will be never compromised to attain another goal. We understand that our services are used ultimately in the treatment of patients. We will ensure that quality standards and processes to achieve such standards are in place and are robust. We will ensure that all employees are provided with the appropriate training and support to safely and effectively perform their duties.
4. Openness and Trust
We will have transparency, openness and trust in decision-making and communication. We will keep people appropriately informed. We will have clear processes for two-way communication. We will act ethically in all matters.
We will encourage teamwork and expect standards of behaviour to include co-operative and harmonious relationships between colleagues and between managers and those whom they manage. We acknowledge that every member of staff is vital in helping us meet our goals.
5. Learning and Developing
We will seek to learn from all that we do. We will be a learning organization. No-one in the company is too senior or too experienced to learn. We are interested in the suggestions and input of all our people at all levels. We will not always agree with or take up a suggestion but we will always explain why when we do not. We will always strive to acknowledge the source of useful ideas. We will encourage innovation and the development of leadership throughout the company. We will develop and where appropriate recruit from within.
PRINCIPLES
Our Principles provide the core culture of the company we are building. Five core principles have been identified.
1. Our company is our own
People are a priority; communication (especially listening) is vital; acts of thoughtfulness and selflessness occur; and being involved is acknowledged and appreciated.
2. Everything we do matters
There is an acknowledged importance of processes and procedure; quality control safeguards are in place; there is a willingness to challenge conventional thinking while paying attention to detail, and training as necessary is undertaken.
3. We surprise and delight
We look for genuine opportunities to do the positively unexpected for our co-workers and customers. We recognise that such opportunities can be found opportunistically or can be planned and can be most effective when remedying a mistake.
4. We embrace resistance
We recognize that there may be an opportunity to strengthen a relationship when presented with negative feedback from a co-worker or customer. When errors are made we take unequivocal responsibility and follow up swiftly with corrective action.
5. We leave a positive mark
We understand what we can do to contribute to our communities and to society as a whole. We take seriously our obligations to all of our stakeholders by developing a reputation of integrity so that there is trust with employees, investors, customers, suppliers and their communities.