Our Values in Action

Our Values Our values show up in the work we do For every Northstar colleague, in every role and location. This fictional gallery example uses invented stories and situations to show how values can look in everyday work. Explore a value, recognize a colleague in the Recognitions app, or prepare a story of your own. Choose a value to explore These short descriptions are illustrative examples. Confirm Northstar’s official value language before publishing. Customers First Listen for what the customer needs next. Make the next step clear. Safety Always Pause when a task or condition seems unsafe. Raise a concern through the applicable local process. Own It Follow through on the next step you own. Tell the right people when plans change. Better Together Share context another team can use. Include perspectives from different roles and locations. Recognize a colleague When you notice a specific action that reflects a value, tell the colleague what they did and why it mattered. No app link or recognition workflow is assumed by this sample site. Open the Recognitions app in MangoApps to send peer recognition. Its access route depends on your company’s MangoApps setup. Share a values story Use the sample guidance to prepare a specific example. The story-submission route must be confirmed before launch. Share Your Story See what to include and what Northstar needs to confirm before collecting stories. Value: Customers First A clearer next step can make a difficult moment easier Illustrative story: at a fictional Northstar service desk, a colleague listens to a customer explain that a delivery is missing one item. The colleague checks what is known, explains the next update point, and records the open question for the team handling follow-up. This is an invented example, not a report of an actual Northstar event. What this value can look like Fictional examples for discussion; use the applicable local process and authority in real situations. Listen before offering a solution A fictional branch colleague repeats the customer’s request in plain language before checking available options. Confirm the issue and the outcome the customer is asking for. Ask a clarifying question when a key detail is missing. Make the handoff understandable A fictional operations colleague gives the receiving team the order reference, the open question, and the promised next update time. Share only the context the next person needs. Tell the customer who will follow up and when, if that is known. Close the loop A fictional support colleague checks that the agreed follow-up happened, rather than assuming the handoff finished the work. Confirm the next action has an owner. Update the customer when the answer is available. Illustrative employee story excerpts Customer service colleague I checked which item was missing, then gave the customer a clear time for our next update instead of asking them to call again without a plan. Fictional example Northstar (fictional) Frontline team colleague Before I passed the request on, I wrote down what the customer had already tried so they would not have to start over. Recognize customer-focused work Name the action and its effect when you recognize a colleague. Use the Recognitions app to recognize a colleague who listened carefully, made a handoff clearer, or followed through. Value: Safety Always Safety belongs in everyday decisions Illustrative examples, not Northstar safety policy Every work setting has its own hazards, controls, and reporting routes. The situations on this page are fictional examples, not instructions or a substitute for training, site procedures, or an established way to report a concern. If you see a hazard or believe a task may be unsafe, follow the applicable local safety procedure and speak with the designated supervisor or safety contact for your location. Do not continue a task you believe presents an immediate danger. Everyday actions in these fictional examples Notice and raise a hazard A fictional warehouse colleague sees packaging partly obstructing a marked walkway, pauses nearby movement, and raises the concern through that site’s established reporting route. Describe the location and condition clearly. Use the local procedure for reporting and follow-up. Pause when conditions change A fictional field colleague notices weather has changed the planned work conditions and checks the approved procedure with the responsible supervisor before proceeding. Stop and reassess when the conditions differ from the plan. Follow the relevant training and site controls. Help a coworker get the right support A fictional office colleague sees a coworker struggling to move a heavy box and helps them find the equipment or assistance specified by their workplace procedure. Do not improvise a lift or bypass a required control. Use the approved equipment and ask for help when needed. Illustrative employee story excerpts Warehouse colleague I stopped the handoff long enough to point out the blocked walkway and used our site’s reporting route so the right person could address it. Fictional example Northstar (fictional) Field colleague The conditions had changed from the plan, so I checked with the responsible supervisor before starting. Recognize a colleague who looks out for others Keep recognition specific, and do not share sensitive details about an incident. Use the Recognitions app to recognize a colleague for a thoughtful safety action. For hazards or incidents, use the applicable local safety reporting route. Value: Own It Ownership means making the next step clear Illustrative examples for employees in different roles Taking ownership does not mean doing every task yourself. It means being clear about the next step you can take, following through on commitments, and telling the people affected when a plan changes. The examples below are fictional. They show everyday behaviors, not a formal Northstar performance standard. What taking ownership can look like Follow through on a commitment A fictional office colleague agrees to send a revised schedule by Thursday afternoon, checks the figures, and shares it with the people who need it. Record the agreed next step and due time. Let affected colleagues know if the timing changes. Raise an issue early A fictional frontline colleague notices a planned handoff may be delayed and tells the next shift before the change affects its work. State what is known and what remains uncertain. Name the next person or role that needs the update. Share what you learned After a fictional inventory count needs correcting, the colleague records which check caught the discrepancy so the team can discuss whether the checklist needs an update. Describe the correction without assigning blame. Use the team’s agreed process for changing shared guidance. Illustrative employee story excerpts Operations colleague I could not meet the original time, so I told the receiving team early, gave them the revised estimate, and confirmed who would update the customer. Fictional example Northstar (fictional) Office team colleague When I found the mismatch, I corrected the record and shared the check that helped us catch it. Recognize someone who follows through Describe the action and how it helped work move forward. Use the Recognitions app to thank a colleague who owned a next step, raised an issue early, or shared a useful learning. Value: Better Together A good handoff makes room for every role Illustrative story: a fictional team at two Northstar locations coordinates a service change. A frontline colleague explains what customers are asking in person; an office colleague shares the revised schedule; the receiving team checks that the handoff is usable on its shift. The example is invented and does not describe an actual Northstar event. Small actions that help teams work together Share knowledge another team can use A fictional service colleague adds the common customer question and its confirmed answer to the team’s existing shared guidance. Use the agreed home for shared guidance. Include the date or context needed to judge whether the answer still applies. Include frontline experience A fictional planning group asks a frontline colleague to test whether a proposed handoff works during a busy shift before finalizing its own working plan. Ask for input before a decision is settled. Explain what changed, or why a suggestion was not adopted. Help another team succeed A fictional office colleague sends the receiving team a concise status note with the open question and the next action, rather than forwarding a long thread without context. Put the request or decision needed near the beginning. Make the receiving role and timing explicit when known. Illustrative employee story excerpts Frontline and office colleagues The evening team told us which detail was missing from the handoff. We added it to the note, then checked that the next shift could use it. Fictional example Northstar (fictional) Service colleague I shared the customer questions we heard at the counter before the team agreed on the updated explanation. Recognize teamwork Thank a colleague or team for a specific action that helped others contribute. Use the Recognitions app to recognize a colleague or team for sharing knowledge, including another perspective, or making a handoff easier. Share Your Story Share one specific moment A useful story helps a colleague picture what happened and why it mattered. Pick one value and one moment Choose one of the four values and describe a moment when you or a colleague showed it at work. Include the key details Include: What was happening The action someone took What changed or became clearer afterward Keep it concise and respectful Avoid private customer or employee information, confidential business details, and sensitive incident details. Use the right route for safety concerns If you are describing a safety concern or incident, use the applicable local reporting route rather than this story page. Prepare a story These steps help you draft an example; they do not submit it. Choose a value Select Customers First, Safety Always, Own It, or Better Together. Describe the moment Write what happened, what action was taken, and why it mattered. Use a role rather than naming someone unless you have permission. Check before sharing Remove sensitive details and confirm you have permission to share any identifiable story, image, or quotation. Recognize someone directly For peer recognition, use the Recognitions app rather than treating this sample page as a submission form. Open the Recognitions app in MangoApps and follow the recognition options available in your company setup. This template does not include an app link. Before collecting stories This sample site does not submit or publish stories. Before launch, Northstar must confirm the story-submission route, accountable owner, review and consent process, and how employees will hear what happens after they submit. If the route is a MangoApps Form, connect the approved form through the Forms app; no form or connection is configured here. Confirm the official value descriptions and the examples’ fit across locations and roles. Review this site when the values, story process, or related guidance changes. The fictional stories on this template are examples only; replace them with approved content or remove them before publishing.