Group Update – COVID-19

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May 4, 2021 | |
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Dear all,

For the first time in many months, I had the wonderful privilege of having a business meeting with someone outside the company – we met outside and whilst cold it was in many ways a breath of fresh air. On my journey to the meeting, I noticed the following message on the train…“we are almost there, don’t stop now!”. A simple but powerful message that can relate to many aspects whether related to safety protocols, social bonds, finding ways to connect and understanding the needs of others. I have therefore kept this update to reflect these thoughts...

With a variety of topics included in my update this week, click on any one of the headlines below to take you to that article:

 

Best Regards,

Jane Beeston

Chief People Officer

 

Employee Assistance Programme…

Realising the differences in needs that we all have, was the main reason why the company was keen to ensure everyone across the group has access to an employee assistance programme (EAP). For those people who don’t already have access, we are launching the platform from 1 May.

An EAP is a confidential support service that we pay for via a third party to help you solve a wide range of problems and challenges in your lives at no cost to you. As it is a third party, you can have confidence that no details of your discussions will be shared with Colart as the third party provided is governed by the highest international standards of confidentiality and privacy.

Of course, we would really want you to talk to your line manager if you have any problems so that we can help directly. Whilst our focus is always on internal communications, we understand that sometimes this is not always possible.

Keep talking…

We understand that maintaining our internal communications and social bonds whilst we are working remotely requires a lot of effort. This of course is heightened when the workload is high and we are all focused on “getting things done!”. In a separate communication, Dennis has talked about how we should use certain rules to prioritise our workload and whilst doing this it is important that we keep talking and sharing so that we do not fall into silos…. "my team is great but it’s everyone else"…that’s Colart of the past that we do not want to meet again.

As much as you can, we ask you to pick up the phone or walk over to talk to someone (if you have the opportunity of course recognising social distancing!) rather than sending an email.

We need verbal conversations as that is the best way to remove misunderstanding or misinformation. It is very clear that the workload is high and demands are great but if we speak with each other to support and understand, it might remove some blockages.

Testing ourselves…

Building understanding is something that Hayley Griffiths and her H&S colleagues from Kidderminster have tried to do when they organised sessions for everyone on-site to understand the value of rapid lateral flow tests as a further way of protecting ourselves, our colleagues and our families. You can check out the details from Hayley’s post on the wall.

This action is also something that has been replicated in Northern Europe where the team have chosen to extend the Germany requirement for lateral flow tests in the workplace to the rest of the business unit in other countries. This action really shows the collaboration of the team and respect for each other.

Promoting inclusion…

Reflecting on the need to appreciate the perspective and lens of others, this week we ran a diversity and inclusion workshop for the leadership team across the group. This workshop was facilitated by an organisation called Chickenshed - a theatre company that has worked to break down social barriers that exist around exclusion in all its forms.

This workshop is the first step in our commitment to build an inclusive culture and we know the next step will be to ensure the involvement of people across the business so that we do not just look at diversity and inclusion from the perspective of leadership. We really believe that listening to other voices through the creation of Diversity and Inclusion Councils is key to creating an inclusive culture. Your local HR business partner will communicate shortly the plans for building these councils in addition to the ambitions for the business. If you are interested in joining or have any questions, please talk to your local HR team.

Remote induction…

We had another remote induction session for all new starters last week on the subject of Art and Science with Steph Nebbia and Cris Cosgrave. During the session, attendees got to play with some of our materials and I encourage you to check the recording of the session out. Listening about our materials in terms of their science and history is so interesting and I always learn something new: link to the recording.

If you have had a chance to watch all the induction videos available on the intranet, please do give me your thoughts and feedback – what more can we do to improve understanding about the different activities across the business.

Keeping to the basics…

We cannot stress these basics enough and here’s a reminder:

  1. Work remotely for those who can, only attending the workplace for the purpose of maintaining connectivity and collaboration for up to one day per week (for at least the short term)
  2. For those who cannot work remotely, you should continue to come into work as normal whilst aiming to avoid using public transport.
  3. When in work (whether factory, warehouse, or office) follow the clear safety protocols that are in place to protect everyone’s health and welfare.
  4. Take responsibility for keeping to the safety disciplines in terms of handwashing, wearing face masks and maintaining physical distance…. Hands, Face, Space.
  5. Business travel is still not acceptable unless authorisation has been obtained in advance.  If you do need to travel please ensure you wash your hands before and after your journey, maintain social distancing and wear a face covering over your nose and mouth for the duration of your journey.
  6. Take responsibility for yourself and others.

 

Our mantra…

As always, please STAY SAFE – please follow the basics outlined above and any advice from the government in your country.

Finally, remember we want every voice to be heard…so please keep talking to us and this includes telling us if you are struggling in any way.  You can use all routes available to you:

1.     Your line manager

2.     Your local HR Business Partner

3.     The Q&A platform on the intranet