Chelmsford Run In/ BE SAFE

On Wednesday 11th of November  I spent the evening with the Chelmsford VQO team
I really enjoy meeting colleagues from sections of our business that have a huge impact on our day to day working lives.
Mick Crowle and his team work tirelessly so that all our fleet are fit and ready for service the following morning:

• Pressure washing is carried out everyday what a difference this makes- the walkways were clean and really reduced the risk of slipping
• All First Aid stations were replenished and available
• Mick's team ethos is evident 
• PPE was worn by  everyone and maintained to a high standard (Anna must use a high temperature wash!)
• Engineering staff followed procedure and spoke to VQO team leader when they needed to move any buses as required. 

Chelmsford run-in really impressed me from all angles everybody took safety seriously, a big well done from me and thank you for having me 

If you haven't already seen this message than I think its really important that we all take note my catch phrase is "BE SAFE" and the below message encapsulates all tat we need to be aware of however unlikely it could happen so  ............................. Stay Safe and Secure 

"In response to the terrible incidents in Paris on Friday, the advice from the Government and Police is to carry on as normal whilst taking sensible security precautions. 

It is important we all do what we reasonably can to keep our passengers and ourselves safe. There are two key messages we need to follow:

· ‘Be Alert Not Alarmed’ – as we continue to carry out our daily duties it is important we follow our security procedures and apply our security training
· ‘See Something, Say Something’ – if we see something suspicious we should report it (see contact numbers below)

If you notice anything suspicious, please report it by informing your line manager or call the National Counter Terrorism Hotline – 0800 789 321. In an emergency, dial 999.

Please remember to play your part in making us all more safe and secure.
if you're unsure about any of the above points then  speak to a supervisor  or your line manager.

YOUR VOICE RESPONSE RATES

Hi 
I have  great pleasure in announcing the completion rates for Essex and also the amount of  money that we have raised for 
Prostate Cancer UK.


           YOUR VOICE 

	paper	online	Total	Headcount	%	amount
Basildon	4	152	156	185	84	£308
Colchester	1	154	155	191	81	£309
Hadleigh	5	130	135	168	80	£265
Chelmsford	10	233	243	312	78	£476
Braintree	4	29	33	54	61	£62
Clacton	13	25	38	70	54	£63
Essex	37	723	760	980	78	£1483

• Colchester also raised £309 for Essex Air Ambulance
• Chelmsford  UNITE Branch also matched donation of
•  £476  for Prostate Cancer UK. 

TOTAL RAISED in Essex =£2267

This is an outstanding contribution from us all and we will now wait for the next stage of the process . All the surveys will be analysed and the results communicated in December, before  action  plans are finalised and agreed in early 2016.

Secondly, I will be visiting Chelmsford Depot on November 11th, in the afternoon I will be in the Bus station and in the evening will be with VQOs witnessing the Chelmsford run-in.

Employee Director Forum and Your Voice 2015

On 16th of October I attended the Employee Director Forum, there are two forums a year and it is a chance to  raise any question that employees, via myself, may have to the Directors of
First Goup Plc.
It also paints a picture of where we are heading as a company and gives the Company 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.
These are the members of the Forum including our colleagues from The rail division (see below Picture). The meeting is chaired by Mick Barker who is the group Employee Director

Secondly, we are nearly at the end of "Your Voice 2015" and I am glad to report, that as of today, we have  4 depots who are over the 75% completion rate and so far we have raised

OVER £1500 for Prostate Cancer UK in The Essex Area.

This means at present we have 750 colleagues who will be placed into the raffle to win one of the prizes- £500, £250 or £100 of love to shop vouchers. It's not to late to complete the, simply follow the link  www.yourvoicesurvey.com and enter the password  VOICE2015,   The finishing date is Friday 30th of October.

Over the last 3 weeks, I have met more colleagues than in the past year! so please stop and have a chat with me me next time I am visiting your Depot. 

Your Voice Schedule

We have had a really great start to the Your Voice 2015 Campaign. I can honestly say I have enjoyed meeting so many colleagues over the last few days it was a real challenge but one that I am very passionate about. It's our  one chance to have our say and a make a difference to our daily working experience.  we have already raised over  £750 for Prostate Cancer.  Many thanks to all the colleagues who have completed the survey so far.
On Monday 12th we will be in Basildon Depot, on the 13th Colchester Canteen and on the 14th Chelmsford bus station

 This was on Monday at Chelmsford Bus  station Debbie "Bake off" Knight! created a superb Chocolate cake and lots of "your voice" cup cakes  as you can see they went down very well!

On Wednesday we visited Hadleigh and at present they are in the lead with a 53% completion rate
If you want to complete the Your Voice survey  on line then use the following link
www.yourvoicesurvey.com-remember £2 donation for an on-line  completion, £1 for paper version

Colchester Quayside Depot

On Thursday 30th September it was the official  opening of the new Colchester Depot I was lucky enough to attend the ceremony. In Attendance were quite a few local stake holders and it was good to hear  how  being a bus driver really does put you at the heart of the community and how valued our services are to the communities of Essex.
The site mirrors the new Town centre offices, travel shop and staff rest area. It is a real pleasure to see colleagues working in state-of-the-art facilities. With the new buses due at Colchester very soon, I am sure that the foundations previously laid will go from strength to strength.
    Like every one else,  I was shocked when I heard and saw on the news that a Colchester driver had been seriously injured in an incident that occurred whilst he was in service. The fact that so many colleagues  have shown concern for his well being and the speed of his recovery makes me proud. First Essex are supporting his family and I am glad to report he is now in a satisfactory condition.

On a final note as next week the "Your Voice" surveys go live in depots. I shall be aiding colleagues in completing the survey. You will find me in the following depots on:

Monday 5th Oct Chelmsford
Tuesday 6th Oct Basildon
Wednesday 7th Hadleigh
Thursday 8th Oct Colchester
Friday 9th  Oct Clacton  am/ Braintree pm

A competition  is running for each depot if they achieve over 75 % completion rate - prizes of £500 £250 and £100 are up for grabs.

Clacton/Colchester visit

I shall be visiting Clacton depot on Thursday 24th September between the hours of 06.00 and 09.00.
After which, I will then be moving on to Colchester Haven road  between 10.00 and 12.00 hrs. Please come and have a chat with me about any issues.

"Your Voice" survey  will   be returning very shortly to us all.
Between 5th and 30th of October we're asking everyone who works at First Essex to tell us what they think.

EVERY COMPLETED ONLINE SURVEY GENERATES A £2 DONATION TO PROSTATE CANCER UK  and every completed paper survey generates a £1 donation.

I'm sure  we can raise a fair amount of cash which hopefully will make a difference to the lives of people living with prostate cancer.  Just simply complete the form.

more details to come soon keep your eyes peeled in depot for updates.

WE NEED YOU !

The UK Community First Committee are seeking a new member for Essex

Could you help the Committee promote a culture of charitable giving throughout FirstGroup, provide direction on charitable giving and community investment policy and champion our Charity of Choice partnership in our company?

The UK Community First Committee act as a strategic advisory board for Community Investment across FirstGroup. The members lead on the development of the UK Charity of Choice partnership including selection process and fundraising plans. They review our community programmes such as matched funding, volunteering and payroll giving to ensure our employees are getting the most out of these opportunities and report back to their local Boards on progress.

We would like to hear from you if you believe you have the time and skills to offer this role. Employees from all types of job roles and levels are welcome to apply. This is a high profile position

Committee members should have the following attributes:
 Ability to think strategically, and the ability to make sound judgments and decisions with regards to the UK Community First Programme
 Effective oral and interpersonal skills, including the ability to persuade and influence, together with negotiating skills
 Ability to act as an effective ambassador for the UK Community First Committee, together with ability to engage with and manage a diverse range of relationships
 Ability to operate in a team environment
Expectations of Committee members
 Undertake community investment training as required
 Act as the lead in charitable activity in their local operating company with full knowledge of our Community Investment Strategy
 Attend meetings and teleconferences as requested with prior approval from line manager
 Actively contribute to discussions and decision making
 Approval from line manager to undertake duties as a Committee member is granted.
Commitment required
 The members commit to an 18 month term from the date of the first meeting they attended. After that time the vacancy will be advertised to employees of the exiting members’ operating company. Members are allowed to put themselves up for re-election. The existing Committee members will democratically vote the new member onto the Committee
 Meetings will be held six times per year (minimum four), the requirement for additional meetings will authorised by the Chair and announced at least one month in advance. The Secretary will organise all meetings and communicate dates/times to all members and guests in advance giving as much notice as possible. Teleconferences will be held for the majority of meetings with a minimum of two face to face meetings to be held in London

The existing Committee members will review all applications and democratically vote the new member onto the Committee. The successful person will be invited to join the next meeting (scheduled for October 2015 in London).
If you are interested please contact myself  for an application form or you have any questions