whats your resolution ?

2017, what will it bring? and what will you promise to yourself to achieve, it's a great chance to start a fresh and turn over that new page for the next chapter in your life. My home life brings challenges with my daughter, in the past even to get her to go to school was a daily mountain to over come.  She suffers from Turners syndrome and is on the autistic spectrum.  Over this past year, I have had to think outside the box to achieve the goal I was aiming for, a child with learning difficulties has made me realise that everybody is an individual and we all have different attitudes and behaviours that can be a great asset.  Also, that what is easy for one person can be a massive challenge for another. 
By carrying out my role, I have learnt the best ideas can come from very small beginnings and that you are only as strong as your weakest link.
How many times do we react to what occurs on our bus and subsequently react to how we behave. A simple customer question of what number bus are you? should not be over looked; the individual may have not used the service before and might be looking for reassurance; they may be short sighted or you may be the only person they get to speak to all day.   Never forget how important all individuals are to us, at this challenging time. To keep  passengers travelling we need to go the extra mile we need to make our service one that people want to return to.  If you want that feel good factor then try starting in small steps- smile and greet all the passengers.  See if you notice a difference in them and more importantly in yourself. Begin to recognize that you are making a difference to yourself and others.

Christmas Charity Week 2016

Please get involved in the charity week event. I have seen lots of Christmas jumpers today!  its great when we all pull together.   and within the past couple of years we have built upon this and now all participate as a team across Essex. Colchester & Clacton  (who have previously raised large funds) lead the way and every penny counts, so thank you to everyone.

 

 

  Have some fun before xmas day and help raise a smile to one and all.

  Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year 

How to currently purchase Bus and Train tickets

Just in case anybody has missed the messages that have been posted on the notice boards in depots at the moment this is how to get discounted bus/rail tickets 

please note you must have six months’ service with FirstGroup to benefit from these offers.

How to buy your Bus tickets

 Please write to us at: Bus Travel Offers, FirstGroup plc, 395 King Street, Aberdeen, AB24 5RP.  You will need to include the following information:

·        Employee Name and National Insurance Number

·        Email address

·        Employing company e.g. First Manchester

·        Number of FirstWeek tickets required (you can request up to 20 tickets between 1 April and 31 March)

·        Name and address you want the tickets posted to

·        Cheque/postal order made payable to FirstGroup Holdings Ltd

 FirstWeek tickets cost £6 each plus a P&P charge of £3 per order.  For example, if you request five tickets, the cheque must be made out for £33 (£30 ticket cost and £3 P&P). Please note, cash will not be accepted.

 Rail offers

To purchase your tickets, please call 0845 557 1182 between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You will need the following information:

·        Employee Name and National Insurance Number

·        Employing company, e.g. First Manchester
·        Lead passenger name (you or your spouse/partner)
·        Lead passenger travel pass number
·        Number of adult tickets required - A maximum of four tickets per lead          passenger is permitted (two if travelling on TransPennine Express between Scotland and Manchester)
·        Number of child tickets required
·        Date/s of travel
·        Rail network travelling on (TransPennine Express, Hull Trains or Great       Western Railway)
·        Credit/Debit card for payment
·        Email address

 Day rover tickets cost £6 per adult/ £3 per child, with under-fives travelling for free. You can purchase 48 day rovers to use on Great Western Railways or TransPennine Express and eight Hull Trains day rover tickets, with up to four people on each of these. The scheme year runs from 1 April to 31 March and allocations will reset on 1 April. The lead passenger must be the colleague or their spouse/partner, and must always accompany those travelling.

 Once your request has been received and validated you will be emailed a printable ticket.

Please give as much notice as you can. Tickets can be booked 30 days in advance. We will try to process your request within 48 hours, but during busy periods this may not always be possible. Please note, we cannot process requests over the weekend.

Employee Director Forum/Xmas event

On Friday 21st October I attended the Employee Forum in London alongside 12 other EDs, 10 from First Bus and 2 Eds from our rail division. It's a real opportunity to air views to the Executive Leaders of our company. There are two forums a year and it is a chance to raise any questions that employees might have, via myself,  to the Directors of First Goup PLC.
It also paints a picture of where we are heading as a company and gives the Executive Directors a chance to question us on any concerns they have about how colleagues are being engaged and communicated to, within all our operating companies, making sure that colleagues are being treated fairly and consistently.
The meeting was chaired by Mick Barker who is the First Group Employee Director, at lunch we spent time with representatives of Prostate Cancer UK.  They are very keen to help all first colleagues with materials so if you are organizing or involved in a PCUK please contact me and I will point you in the right direction.
Secondly, with this in mind  I'm pushing and promoting some Christmas Jumper days; wear something seasonal event.  The full details will be released very soon. Last year, lots of colleagues got involved and it was a chance for us to really engage with our customers and raise some great cash for various charities.

 Lastly, I will be in Chelmsford  Depot On Friday 2nd December for a Collision task force meeting I am working hard on how we can report near misses. All the best ideas arise from the colleagues who do the job. Ideas such as, a report card, a book near signing on desks or perhaps an email address.  Small thoughts can always develop into great problem solving ideas. The most important aspect would be to get the problem solved before it becomes an incident.  I will also be in the canteen on Friday so if you have any Ideas on how to keep all our colleagues safe then please drop me a message or have a chat with me.

Get ready for winter the nights are drawing in

The clocks have now turned back and historically our driving conditions can be tougher as driving in the winter is very different than during other times of the year.  Adverse weather and longer periods of darkness  4 pm now!! makes driving more hazardous. Sometimes conditions can be extreme, as we have found out over recent winters, with prolonged periods of heavy rain and floods.

This means that we need to adapt the way we drive, and be one step ahead of the weather.

Different weather conditions create different hazards throughout the Winter and in different areas of the country at different times.  A single journey may take us into very different weather, road and traffic conditions, so we need to be prepared for each one.

The following tips may help you cope better with the various seasonal weather hazards. However, as we all know, many of these conditions can occur at any time of year:

Prepare yourself

•  Know your route, know your hot spots, know your hazards
• If raining, increase the gap 'leave yourself an out' slow down
• If foggy, do not tailgate and ensure lights are fully working
• If there are extreme strong winds, use  caution if buses are sent out, Canvey  winds from the Estuary can be noturious alongside Mersea island
• In low sunshine, make sure that your blind is in the correct position

• Beware of black ice, It’s nearly impossible to see this crystal-clear glaze, but you can spot it when your headlights reflect off the road at night. where the sun can't hit it  so you should slow down and report any spots to your supervisor who could alert others.

If I was going to summon up one message it would be "LEAVE AN OUT"  action this and you will keep yourself, your colleagues and your customers safe.

Movember 2016

It's that time of year again, Movember is nearly upon us, and men and ladies all over UK Bus will be supporting our company charity

                             PROSTATE CANCER UK.

Our fathers, partners, brothers and friends face a health crisis that isn’t being talked about.  Men are dying too young.  This is our company charity tackling men’s health on a global scale, year round. Today, we are addressing some of the biggest health issues faced by men; prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention.

In the last 13 years they have funded more than 1,200 men’s health projects around the world.

By 2030 they aim to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25% and we can help with this by being aware. 

So if you want sign up to MOVEMBER or MOVE-VEMBER then follow the below link.

https://uk.movember.com/

I have signed up to 'MOVE-VEMBER' and will be challenging myself to move every day in November. If you want to sponsor me then click on the link which takes you to my 'Mo' space page.

                                https://uk.movember.com/mospace

 

Help us stop men dying too young.
 Join the movement.  

  

last year lots of colleagues got involved in Movember, give it go!! If you need any help with anything relating to our company charity then do not hesitate to contact me through the usual channels

Ant

A smile costs nothing

As this week is customer service week I thought that smiling would be a good subject for discussion. Tim O'Toole asked how to get 110,000 people to simply generate a smile, we all have the power to make that happen.  It is a well known fact that frowning causes more wrinkles than smiling and we all want to fend of wrinkles! What would you prefer to see a frown or a smile at the start or end of your day? Communication can sometimes lose its way in modern society and we often take the little things, like a smile, for granted.  after all, a smile offers politeness and a good level of customer service.  It tells our customers we are striving to deliver good and friendly service.

Research suggests that smiling, forced or not, can have a positive effect, reduce stress levels, and make everyone around you feel better. Happy days!

 Smiling is an easy way to boost your mood, be healthier, feel better, and help us to be viewed as more approachable. Whenever you’re in a stressful situation or are feeling down, put a grin on your face so you can take advantage of the many benefits it brings.

I have to admit, I am a smiler which many who work with me may have noticed. I must confess that my wife has told me to wipe my smile off of my face, several times.  For example, when I accidentally cut through the internet connection or the time when I was painting the kitchen table and fell back, cracking her oven door. But, I cannot help but smile. 

A valued position

It is now two years since I have been in the honoured position as Employee Director for Essex. And what a great experience it has been and continues to be.  I feel it has enabled me to help all employees. We at 'First Bus' are fortunate in that we have employees on the board to aid in the corporate and local decisions, at a leadership level.  This level of employee involvement  provides invaluable information which could be over looked if this were not the case. I see the role growing and greatly impacting upon all colleagues working lives.

One only has to look at how employee disengagement amongst other companies has sometimes resulted in serious problems.  Appointing a staff representative to break down the divisions and resentment, that has been building over time, can be a critical move in keeping a team operating and highlighting areas that hold the most challenges.  Even Theresa May is a fan and the ED role has been brought to the attention of MPs who clearly wish to see the model developed in other UK companies

This was my manifesto back in April 2014:

If I am nominated for Employee Director I will do my very best to consider the needs of all staff and promote a healthier and more positive
work environment.

 As a driver and cover inspector I have the opportunity to understand the running and delivery of the transport service, which will enable me to deliver fair subjective decisions to benefit all.

Here are some areas I would consider to ensure success:

·         Safety of drivers/vehicles/modernisation

·         Areas of improvement

·         Communication amongst staff

·         That all employees are important

·         To be a good listener

·         To promote benefits to the company

·         To ensure employees feel confident

·         To work negatives into positives

·         To ensure the success of First 

·         Honesty

   I am satisfied I have helped to achieve all of the above, and have seen huge changes in 'First' via investment and the way we operate our businesses.  The one aspect that still stands out strong for me is that we all can play a part in business progression, without every single one of us working towards a collective goal full success cannot be achieved. More of us now are, within our own roles, ensuring success by using key values.  for example, safety awareness, team work and showing good listening skills, along with other core values.  "We succeed through teamwork" look at the recent Baton competition  for some fine examples to back this up. 

    I will continue to have 'safety' at the forefront of my mind and listen and represent colleagues at all levels. 
    In late October, I shall be attending the 'Employee Director Forum' if you wish to ask a question to Tim O'Toole, Giles Fearnley or Adrian Jones then please let me know.

   Please feel free to contact me through the normal channels where feedback is always valued.

How to notice a notice board !

Notice boards are often overlooked as communication tools.  Questions like, how many will see it and is it in a populated position? Should always be considered.  On my Essex travels I have seen some positive points of displays and some that have good basics which would very much benefit from some extra input. After all, how many of us have looked at a noticeboard and just seen a blur of images.all of us!

How to make your notice board be an effective communication tool:

·         keep it simple
·         Encourage use of expiry dates, if not up-dated employees will not bother looking
·         Creative repetition can be an important thing when trying to embed an important message
·         Use interaction which can create a sense of being in a community-something you don’t get through email.

How we communicate can have dramatic effects on work performance and once up, remains a free source of communication.  Although, remember to up-date.  Notices that reflect upon employee progress can motivate and encourage employees to strive and accomplish their goals.

When I look at a notice board I want to be clear with what’s new and what is coming up.  I like to be in the know with current policies and up-dated when something has changed.  Those of you that know me , know that I like to be busy and in the loop.  A canteen is an excellent area for a notice board as most employees use this facility at some point during their shift.

Busy notice boards can lose their power of communication:  Human brains take less in if something is visually too chaotic.  We have to look at information and do something with it for the information to transfer from our short term to long term memory.  By doing something I mean, ask a question, go over it, jot it down or even have a conversation with someone else. For those notice boards that have cobwebs on, dust off and make a cuppa, then recycle and up-date.

Don't leave it this long!

Next week I will be available in Chelmsford on Thursday and Friday and contactable via the usual channels.

The importance of patience

My Blog this week focuses on a behaviour, 'patience'.  Firstly, let’s look at patience.  We all have days when we feel less patient.  For example, endless queues, things breaking, plans being changed which can all  make us all less tolerant.   Someone once told me ‘don’t fret about things you can’t change, use your energy for the things you can’.  After all, patience is the level of endurance we experience before negativity.    Patience is seen as a decision making problem, involving a small benefit in the short term and a more substantial reward in the long term.  An example of being impatient is road rage which within a transport environment can often be witnessed. 

A positive solution is to pinpoint triggers that may be of influence and this can flow into work and home life, which benefits everyone  There are many benefits to being patient.(ask my wife).  A major one is it can reduce your stress levels and improve your health.  We all have seen the fast car overtake only to be stopped by a traffic light.  This action did not get the driver to one point quicker, if anything the driver ended up more frustrated.  Think about the tortoise and the hare.

BE PATIENT, it saves lives.

The patience shown this week by colleagues in temperatures in excess of 30 degrees which has been truly  outstanding.  Drivers and Engineers all working together to keep the wheels in motion.

#firstbusbaton Photo Competition

Hi everyone,
                     I just wanted to let you all know about a competition that is running until
Sunday 18th  September so get your entries in as soon as possible. We're celebrating great teams across 'First Bus' with a photo sharing competition. It doesn't matter how big or small the team is, just give it a go! One of our biggest strengths across Essex is how well our teams work together. 

The #firstbusbaton photo competition aims to do just that!

TO ENTER

1.    Take a photo of your team in action – be as creative as you like (be safe too!) Special cardboard batons are being sent to Depots and offices – try and grab one to use in your pictures if possible.

 2.    Upload the image to your Facebook, twitter or Instagram account. Include the #FirstBusBaton so we can find your image. You can also email your picture direct to the organisor  alex.fenwick@firstgroup.com

 3.    The Images will be shared on betterjourneysforlife.com so you can see your team mates and colleagues, as well as others from right across the business.

 4.    Your teamwork images will be judged based on how well they depict team work and how creative they are. The Top prize wins a contribution of up to £1,000 for a team led event. 'First Bus' MD, Giles Fearnley, will spend a day working with the teams featured in the best three images.

If anybody wants technical help in sending the image, I am happy to help.

 Next week I am in Clacton on Monday 15th August and then in Chelmsford for the remainder of the week..

Be-Safe update

Hi Everyone,
              I thought I would update everybody with 'Be-Safe' and where we are as a company and  how we are getting on in Essex. Nearly, all of UK Bus have now completed the training program, with currently Manchester and Eastern Counties receiving training which only leaves Scotland East and Cornwall left to complete. Across First Group, all companies have completed or are intending to complete the process.  A version will even be developed for rail colleagues due to the benefits the programme has seen and will continue to see.

It takes time to change a culture but over time we are starting to see an improvement in our safety results. I would encourage everyone to have conversations relating to be Be-Safe or any safety related issues in your depot.  Once behaviours are embedded they become instinctive, we are all safer if we instinctively perform our duties safely.  Let's make 'Be Safe' a way of life and see safe behaviours increase within work environments.  Remember, some awareness of safety, when performing certain tasks, can filter through to our outside world when not in work.
I am always available and am more than happy to go through the basic principals so just come and ask me and I will endeavour to share the knowledge I have. Also, talk to your Line Manager or Supervisor as they would welcome any input that you have, after all most of the workable and effective ideas come from the colleagues that action the day to day duties in their role -whether that be operations or engineering.

We need to recognise colleagues who not only demonstrate consistent safe behaviours but also carry out their role effectively and benefit others alongside them.  Be-Safe creates a strong team ethos and begins to break down any of the barriers that may exist between colleagues.

I would welcome any feedback  regarding our safety culture. Have you noticed a new approach?  Do you feel that there is enough relevant information?

Be-Safe opened my eyes to all the positive behaviours that are carried out daily.
 The picture below demonstrates this:

• Steering wheel cover in place 
• Safety steps being used
• Pit barriers in place
• red fault sticker in place
• housekeeping maintained