Swietelsky Rail is living and breathing their company values

Family, integrity, respect and excellence. These are the four company values NSW-based rail infrastructure maintenance provider, Swietelsky Rail Australia (SRA) live and work by. 

After a refreshed leadership team was established at the beginning of 2023, one of their first actions was to develop a new set of company values which would be synonymous with SRA’s purpose and align with their company goals.

Incorporating the feedback of the team in the selection of the values was an essential aspect of the process. Director, Technical & Risk, Gary Holden said it was important to them that everybody in the team had a say in what mattered to them.

“We didn’t want to have words that meant nothing to our team,” Gary said. “We wanted values that are not only written but lived and embraced. And so, it simply made sense to ask our staff what mattered most to them as they would be the people working towards each value.”

The four values were decided after a company-wide workshop and vote, where staff chose which values were most important to them. While each value is stands on its own, family was recognised as the most important value.

"Family represents the company’s focus on being a family-orientated business,” Gary continued. "We understand that our team don’t live to work, they work to live and support their families."

Beyond the personal aspect, the value of "family" also symbolises the SRA team as a cohesive unit, highlighting the mutual support that exists within the workplace, where everyone is dedicated to assisting one another.

The next value, integrity, is built around owning their actions, and speaking up when things are important.

Respect focuses on respect towards co-workers, clients and suppliers. Their team is transparent and truthful and believe everybody has a voice worth hearing.

Excellence is about performing at the highest level and delivering superior machine performance each and every time.

Managing Director, Anne Modderno says because SRA’s operations are so unique, they wanted a suite of values that was equally matched.

“We are a separate international branch of an Austrian-based company, so it was important to establish ourselves as our own unique entity here in Australia,” Anne said.

“Our business is designed specifically to service the Australian rail market, and our people are the key that enables us to deliver for our clients.

“So, we wanted to ensure we had a suite of values that were important to our team, as they’re the ones living and breathing the, while remaining relevant to our Australian principles.”

SRA’s operations are built around working safely and effectively, and Anne believes each chosen value represents safety in its own way.

“Family largely focuses on everyone returning home to their families at the end of the day, safely, and looking out for each other in the workplace,” Anne said.

“Integrity is about owning our actions, and speaking up when things aren’t appearing safe. Respect is about creating a safe inclusive working environment for all staff and excellence is built by performing every operation safely.”

SRA is proud of their chosen values and can happily say their team doesn’t just talk the talk, they’re all walking the walk and representing their values daily.

“We are driven to take care of our people, because they take care of our business,” Anne said.

“By establishing our new set of values, developed by our people for our people, we are creating a culture where our people feel seen and genuinely represented within SRA.”

To learn more about SRA and their values, head to their LinkedIn.