Diverstity, Equality and Dementia friends

Hi all,
         I want to focus upon diversity and equality. 

We live in an ever changing society with individuals being different ages, race, religions, abilities and personalities.  There are many social parts to our days, such as breaks,  where sometimes discussions such as politics and religion may crop up.  It is important we all consider our use of language during these conversations and remain respectful of others.

 

 

My next topic picks up on equality and rights for people with Dementia.   Dementia Friends is about changing the way people think, act and talk about Dementia.  Recently, I completed a short course with Dementia Friends in the hope that I could go on to use my knowledge and filter it into the depots by helping to highlight difficulties, change perceptions and suggest helpful support to empower our drivers to consider passengers with Dementia and similar conditions.

 

• Dementia can affect thinking, communication and everyday tasks, as well as, memory.  Some people may need extra time and a friendly smile ( we all need a friendly smile)
• Spatial awareness can be hindered so stepping on and off the bus may present as more of a challenge
• Someone may have difficulty remembering where they are going.  Helpful, polite responses, pointing out well known stop points may trigger recognition
• Dementia is a disease of the brain that can affect young adults as well.  This condition can be very frightening and isolating so a helpful and pleasant bus ride can make a big difference in whether a person has confidence travelling on public transport.

The Most important aspect is to be patient and be understanding-it is you that can make a difference to anothers life.



 

Whats your goal?

Hi all,
          How important are goals in life and work?  Well, if we don't have a goal or think we need a goal then we have no destination.  Next steps  are goals and keep our minds active & alert. ' You can spend your whole life running up and down and not achieving anything'. I resolve this  by constantly setting goals via an achievable list, simple but effective.

Top performers, world-class athletes set goals, anybody can.  That’s because when you set goals, you have a vision to work toward. You ensure that you are pushing yourself to get the best results, rather than resting on your laurels and waiting for things to happen.

Goals can create a focus and even small goals can have a positive result.  Achieving something and crossing it off my list gives a feeling of accomplishment.  Examples being, running a certain amount of miles, walking a specific distance, cycling, eating more healthily, being more polite, driving using SMITHs, starting a course; the list is endless.
If you set a goal, you are accountable to yourself. Working hard to achieve things is great for self esteem and positive thinking.  When I started my blog, my goal was to complete a certain number of articles a week and to get a certain number of hits a month, this made me accountable for my own targets.  Doing so, helped me grow my blog very quickly.
Negativity can bring people down and having nothing to look forward to can be a contributing factor. Set your goals around things you enjoy and allow time for worthwhile activities.  All these ideas then filter through into other areas of life and in turn can make goal setting less challenging.

Last but not least, goals ensure that you get the best out of life and that's probably the best reason of all!

 



at the start  only 55 miles to go !

 

 

Goal completed London to Southend bike ride

First work colleague, working as a team.

Why we celebrate success

Excellence awards & why we celebrate

 

For the last 3 years, we have celebrated outstanding teams and colleagues who have been recognised for consistently demonstrating our core values. These colleagues act as role models for us all and  create the positive environment that we all enjoy to work within.

All the time we are seeing how a business develops by means of 'reward and recognition' which is essential if we are to succeed to the next level.

The ultimate companies are the ones where the staff feel personally part of that company, that's why it's essential we engage our teams with this concept.  Ultimately, this is achieved through recognition, respect and acknowledgement of a job well done.

This leads me to our excellence awards 2017: 

The awards recognise outstanding achievement where First Bus people have excelled over the last year; gone above and beyond and done a fantastic job.

They  recognise people and teams who live the company’s values: committed to customers, dedicated to safety, supportive of each other, accountable for performance and setting the highest standards.

Anyone in First Bus can nominate colleagues for an award across 15 categories. The nomination process couldn’t be easier: pick a category; nominate a colleague or a team; write a few words about why they should win; and click submit.

For each nomination received, First Bus will donate £5 to Prostate Cancer UK.

For more details and to nominate visit firstgroup.com/excellenceawards

 The 15 First Bus Excellence Awards 2017 categories are:

Apprentice of the Year Award	Leader of the Year Award
Community Award	Quantum Leap Award
Customer Excellence Award	Safety First Award
Depot of the Year Award	Support Colleague of the Year Award
Employee Engagement Award	Sustainability Award
Engineer of the Year Award	Team of the Year Award
Heroes’ Roll of Honour	Young Manager of the Year Award (aged 35 or under)
Innovation and Change of the Year

If any colleague needs a hand to complete a nomination then I am more than happy to help.
The Entries close 21st July 2017 and the awards will be in the first week of October at  Reading football club.