Disability awareness

Hi All, 

On Friday 22nd of April I spent a day with the Training School incorporating disability awareness training (discussed below). Also, this was an excellent opportunity to chat to new drivers about the company, development and expectations. The training was at Colchester where Dave Snell, Driver trainer, guided 2 trainees with a small amount of driver hours through the challenging 70s route. The route from Colchester to Chelmsford is quite a task, as many of you know, moving from duel carriage way to single lanes through the Essex countryside, but the trainees did superbly well and gained in confidence throughout our journey.

The time spent with Phil, who is partially sighted, and Annette who is partially sighted and has hearing impairment was a great exercise. Both of their dogs Sula and Nan assisted them through the experience and their relationship and skill working together was inspiring. They really had an insightful knowledge which they shared very well enabling us to comprehend what it is like to undertake a journey on public transport with a disability. Both Phil and Annette explained to us that communication is the key to making the journey safe and enjoyable. They often travel throughout the Essex area and rely on all of us, to enable them to access activities and essential tasks. There are many different types of disabilities which need different support and intervention.  The more educated we are as drivers the higher our service standard will be.  Sometimes it is only a simple task that can make a huge different to someone's journey. Acting professionally and courteously whilst striving for a high standard, when putting the customer first, should be  at the forefront of our service. I am sure all the attendees will show the correct attitude to vulnerable passengers and deliver a safe and skilful service.

I have learnt so much, for example, I now know the difference between guide dog harnesses.  For supporting the sight impairment luminous green is used and for supporting sight and hearing impairment red and white squares are used.  Finally, a hearing only dog has it stated on the jacket.

Below is a picture of the course trainees alongside Annette and Sula , Phil and Nan

if you want to chat about any of the above or any other subject then please contact me via the usual channels

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME

Hi All,

          I am letting you know about the "Employee assistance program" 

At first glance it has a tremendous amount of help and information and may be a great help to employees who need advice and an independent ear to listen.

 It's free to use the service which is great and I believe it can be a extremely useful to us all at a time of need.

 If you have any questions please contact Myself or your local HR colleague in the first instance. 

The EAP is a free, confidential service available to everyone working at First. It is there to provide guidance and advice on a range of subjects; from bereavement and financial support through to general health and well being and counselling.

The EAP is provided by Aviva. The current website details are as below follow the link to access:

The website address is   www.eap-carefirst.com

The username is lifestyle1234 and the password is carefirst 

You can also find the contact details on the First My Rewards website (www.firstmyrewards.com) 

You can also access the EAP 24 hours a day via the dedicated phone-line. The number is 0800 015 5630 and is free to call from a landline or mobile phone. 

The EAP is one of the many free benefits available to colleagues across First Bus. If you have never accessed the service before, please spend a few minutes exploring the website; there is a wealth of information and support tools available that may be of interest.

If you are at all unsure about any issue just stop and talk to me in a depot and I can help you access the site.

Excellence Awards update

NOMINATE NOW AND RAISE FUNDS FOR PROSTATE CANCER UK!

More than 400 entries have been received so far from across the UK! Which is nearly half way to last years total nominations of 1100

Colchester Depot have created a couple of outstanding displays 

Jackie is very creative !!

Chelmsfords foyer has the bunting up and are  highlighting the awards. I would recommend to anybody that its easy to nominate, after all its the opportunity we get to really celebrate a team or individual that really deserve that recognition
 The deadline for entries closes in just over three weeks.

For every nomination received Prostate Cancer UK will receive a £5 donation from FirstGroup. So far we've helped raise more than £2,000! 

To complete a nomination just follow the link.  Each cat has an explanation to aid completion just type in between 75 and 300 words on why they deserve to win, its a simple as that.

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

Entries close 15 April 2016

Thank you to all those colleagues in Colchester, Hadleigh and Basildon and Chelmsford who purchased Prostate Cancer UK  badges . we raised £62.50  and I am currently awaiting a new batch to sell.

Drive Green and SMITHs

Wherever I go nothing conjures up more passion and debate than the 'Drive Green' system which is  very beneficial.  The strength of feeling indicates to me how serious colleagues are about their Job role and the responsibility that goes along side it. Remember we are responsible for other peoples safety and lives, we have a very important role within the community.
   It's been here for a few years now and in my opinion, its value far outweighs any misdemeanour's.
It definitely improves my driving. For example, when I check my score and get data feedback on any incidents I have received I register  any improvement points.  I ask myself how could I have improved, what factors played a role.  It prompts me to alter my driving style to what can only be deemed customer friendly.
We are only human and not machines so it's inadvertent that on occasions we get an amber flash (or red if its deemed necessary).  But in the bigger picture I believe it gives a fair indication of my driving style and patterns that develop.
      The reason I am raising this, is 10 weeks ago I had a conversation with a fellow driver he had a high red or amber score for months.  We sat down and looked through the details of his run and we discussed a few pointers on how to lower his score. For the last 4 weeks, he has been in the top 10 of the depot drivers with a score below 5.   What a tremendous result he has achieved! The difference in his own approach is truly outstanding.  He now feels better about himself, better about his driving, more relaxed while driving and not stressed.   Keeping himself and his passengers safer and more comfortable is a constant element.
If you want to chat to me about 'DRIVE GREEN' please do so.  I will be more than welcome to advise or have a constructive debate about any issues or input you have.
Secondly, I would like to alert you to a great video that has just been released. This is a campaign based around the 'SMITHS' principals.  It's a really powerful video and colleagues that have seen it have benefited greatly. It's a real life scenario and James deserves our up-most respect for sharing his story with all of us.  Over the next few weeks the campaign will be running so keep your eyes open for the stories that drivers will be sharing.

Each of the videos promote safer driving and highlight the Smith System’s key principles:

Key 1 – Aim High In Steering
Key 2 – Get The Big Picture
Key 3 – Keep Your Eyes Moving
Key 4 – Leave Yourself An Out
Key 5 – Make Sure They See You


To watch the first video which features James, a driver from Larbert

 follow this link:
https://channelfirst.wistia.com/medias/6qjk7ltmbg

I will be in Hadleigh Depot  on wednesday 9th  and will be in Chelmsford Thursday 10th AM and Colchester PM

London To Southend bike Ride 2016

After last years half marathon we are taking another challenge as an Essex Op Co and entering this brilliant fundraiser/charity event in aid of 'The BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION'. Therefore, we want as many colleagues to join in as possible. It should be a challenge but it is definitely achievable and we all get to stop at a pub for lunch!

It only costs £20 to enter, all the money is going to the BHF

 I will also be setting up a just giving Team Page for colleagues who want to be involved in raising additional funds. 

 

When: Sunday 17th July 2016 between 07:00 - 09:00              Where:  Victoria Park LONDON to Prittlewell park Southend  52 miles of outstanding cycling from the East End of London to Southend. We are not racing and will be stopping at points for lunch and a pint!  There are even two Trains Specially run by Abelio leaving Southend and getting you and the bike to Stratford Station where it is a short ride to the start- unless you have the ability to cycle  into London and then back out again to Southend  which 3 of our colleagues are intending to do!!                                     Sign up early by going to the website: https://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/events/bike-rides/london-to-southend-bike-ride My self and Neil Taylor, at Hadleigh Depot, can answer any questions you may have, we have quite a few weeks to practice and get ready for action so join in get fit and raise some cash.

Safety as a Personal Core Value

I was walking my lovely rescue dog with my wife and daughter and while on my walks I often see drivers  and  sometimes even stop and say hello at a bus stop if time allows! So it is with particular pleasure that I want to tell you this story.
  I saw a driver carry out 'PAWS' whilst I was on my walk, an elderly customer boarded and I watched as the driver waited and used his mirror until she was safely seated. He then pulled away at a safe speed and merged into the traffic flow without incident. To say I was proud of my colleague goes without saying everybody knows how passionate I am about safety, so to see a shining example, for us all, I had to congratulate him.
So here in lies my dilemma  perhaps I wasn't going to see this driver for a week or so and wanting to seize the moment I completed a safety commendation on my phone. I felt he deserved to be congratulated for leading by example and showing others how it can be done.

I finally caught up with the driver on friday and I hardly had to say a word as soon as I said "I was walking my dog..." my colleague to his absolute delight (and mine) recounted the whole episode to me!
So he wanted to keep the customer safe, So he chose to use Paws, So he has Safety as a Personal Core Value!
we chatted for a couple of minutes and i'm sure he will recount the story to other colleagues.
It would be brilliant if we could all sing from the same hymn book and we all put our selves into the shoes of vunerable and old passangers.  Afterall,  we will all get old one day, am I wrong?
We have the power in our hands to act safely, only you can choose to take the correct option 'self and peers' are great sources of Safety Behaviour. If I make a mistake ,we all do from time to time we're only human afterall,  I give myself constructive feedback.What could I have done differently? We' ve all been there, but by turning it into a positive I learn from my mistake.

   Murphy, assistant safety rep and bus spotter

BE-FIRST conference

Hi all, yesterday I participated in the Be-First Conference, UK Bus, Rail, Greyhound,Student and Transit and Group Support Colleagues from across First Group were all in attendance. The day was hosted by Tim O,Toole who is our First Group Chief Executive.
In the morning we concentrated on "Our vision and values":

Our Vision -what we want to do:
"To provide solutions for an increasingly congested world..keeping people moving and  communities prospering."

Our Values -how we need to work:
"Committed to customers"
"Dedicated to safety"
"Supportive of each other"
"Accountable for performance"
"Setting the highest standards"

For me, what resonated more than anything else was how customers have got to be at the heart of everything we do, whatever our aim is the customer should be the focal point for us.  Let's look at some simple actions to make our customers enjoy their travelling experience more:

• A smile as the customer gets onto the bus can mean so much and impacts not only on them but also on how you choose your attitude and you may well have a great and safe day simply by this easy action.
• Waiting for a vulnerable person to sit down, letting them know that their safety is important.

We all do a good job so let's take time to improve even more and make every journey great.

I would encourage anybody to share any ideas that will benefit our customers and subsequently our company.  After all, the front-line is at the heart of our business and from here is where we succeed.

The afternoon session was dedicated to "Be-Safe" this will be part of our safety behaviour transformation over the coming months.The absolute target being to make safety for all and everyone of us our Personal Core Value.  We had presentations from all sections of our business and it was good to know that we all have a target of reducing injuries and incidents.

Next week, I will be at the Essex Safety Meeting, and the week after I will be representing Essex colleagues at a "Collision Task force meeting and also a "Your Voice" update meeting to make sure we are all heading in the right direction. So please, do not hesitate to contact me about any issue that you may want to bring to my attention.
Your Views are very important and it is my task to make sure they are heard.