Dialogue - Autumn 2015

Dialogue In this edition:

Autumn 2015 • Vertas Making the
Difference Awards
Foreword
• Round the table sessions
Welcome to the really appreciate the efforts you have gone to • Your Voice – Staff Survey
autumn edition in ensuring this transition was a success. • New website and social media
of Dialogue. • Electronic tablets rollout
We have a jam- Our busy period has not ended there, with • Human Focus update
packed newsletter new acquisitions, joint ventures, contract • New Wins/Mobilisations
this quarter with mobilisations and the launch of our first ever • HSQE Update - Winter Weather
many company staff awards; we are looking forward to a • IEM/Easilife/Verse update
developments and busy few months in the lead up to Christmas • Staff Benefits
and beyond. • Events Corner
100 wordsnews to update you on.
All the best,
I would like to take this opportunity to say a
massive thank you to all staff for embracing Ian Surtees
our change to Vertas, the last few months have Group Managing Director
been very busy and the executive team and I

Vertas Making the Difference Awards

We are glad to announce the launch of our recognise the significant contribution that Colleagues Champion
very first staff awards - Vertas Making the an individual has made to Vertas, its This award recognises a Vertas employee
Difference Awards. clients and customers. who has consistently supported work
colleagues and is always there to help others.
The awards are taking place on Friday 26th Innovation
February 2016 and will be an opportunity Recognising the vital importance that Inspiring Leaders
for Vertas to truly recognise its staff and innovative ideas and creativity play in Vertas This award recognises our Inspiring leaders
celebrate service excellence. to our clients, staff and customers. who develop and motivate their teams to
deliver service excellence in their chosen
There are countless members of staff across Going the Extra Mile speciality.
the organisation who consistently show This award recognises an individual who has
dedication to their role in a variety of ways; gone above and beyond to provide service Specialist of the Year
whether that is through great customer excellence or support to colleagues. This award seeks to reward and recognise our
service, innovation or working hard as a team. service specialists who innovate and develop
Customer 1st their area of expertise for the benefit of Vertas,
We have developed the following categories Customers are our life blood - this award its clients and customers.
and criteria. We encourage you to visit our recognises a member of our team that has
webpage at www.vertas.co.uk/awards for provided exceptional customer service over Lifetime Achievement
more information. a sustained period of time and who has This accolade is to recognise a member of
demonstrated a ‘customer first’ culture. our team who has consistently strived to
Team of the Year develop their service area, their team and add
Looking for teams that demonstrate going Sustainability value to the organisation in its many guises
the extra mile to improve the way they work, Sustainability is one of Vertas’ core values
for example to increase client satisfaction or because not only is it the right thing to do for Further information regarding the awards
deliver improved service standards. our planet and our environment, it can have will be sent to you in the coming weeks.
business efficiency benefits too. This award Visit www.vertas.co.uk/awards to find out
Employee of the Year recognises where ‘sustainability’ has been put more.
Our staff are our primary asset in delivering at the heart of our Vertas way of working.
service excellence - this award is designed to

Dialogue AUTUMN 2015

Round the table sessions

At Vertas we encourage openness and honesty to visit head office, meet support colleagues
along with two way feedback. To support this and put faces to names!
we are launching quarterly ‘Round the Table’
sessions where our Board of Directors and Nominated staff will be formally invited and
Senior Leadership Team chat with colleagues refreshments and lunch provided and of
from each region; gaining valuable feedback course travel expenses will be reimbursed.
and ideas.
Actions from the sessions will be collated
Each quarter 20 colleagues from a region will and where necessary assigned to an
be nominated by their managers to attend appropriate person for remedy.
a session. Each quarter’s session will be for These actions and outputs will be fed
a different region and we want a good cross back to all staff.
section of staff to be nominated by their
managers. The sessions will be held at Beacon The first session is being held on
House as we want to encourage our colleagues Tuesday 20th October for the South Region.

New website and
social media

As you will now hopefully have seen, the new
Vertas website is up and running. If you haven’t
had a chance to look yet, please visit
www.vertas.co.uk and send us feedback using
the ‘Send Feedback’ tab in the bottom left
hand corner of the screen.

The new website will be our shop window
into all the services we provide, news about
the company and detail on how we’ve helped
businesses, schools and other establishments
with their FM requirements.

We have also been putting a lot of work into
developing our presence on social media, we
are encouraging all of our staff to sign up and
follow us on Twitter. Our Twitter handle is
@VertasFM, you can view our profile at

www.twitter.com/vertasfm

New Business Won Staff Benefits

Hethersett Academy and Cromer Academy – Have you signed up to the staff benefits
Catering scheme yet? If not, visit
£250k contract at two schools in Norfolk, beating www.vertasstaffbenefits.co.uk and register
national competitors during a hotly contested with scheme ID 3600.
tender process. The sites are part of a larger Trust
who have been delighted by the work we have Many of our staff members have already made
done at their other sites such as Jane Austen Free some great savings with the benefits on offer.
School and the quality and professionalism of our If you don’t yet have a card please contact
management team led by Liam Swift, Regional [email protected]
Head of Services. Both schools will go live in
Taverham High School – Catering January 2016.
£250k contract in Norfolk; beating national
competition. The client is already delighted with Violet Hill Care Centre – Cleaning
the service we are running and is happy for us to £100k contract at Violet Hill House in
showcase the site by inviting prospective clients. Stowmarket, the site is run by StowHealth and
Taverham’s success is a result of an engaged and has multiple tenants under one roof. This is the
pro-active new catering team led by Amanda, first health-care contract in the Vertas portfolio!
Chef Manager who has completely embraced
the new Vive ethos.

Dialogue AUTUMN 2015

Electronic Tablets Grand Open House event

We are glad to announce that the electronic We are inviting all staff, clients and various Please RSVP to Katie Seager by
tablets for Heads of Kitchens have now been stakeholders to our new headquarters at calling 01473 265866 or email
rolled out to each of our school sites. The tablet Beacon House in Ipswich for our very first open [email protected] and let her know if
rollout is another step in our bid to improve house event. you have any dietary requirements.
communications with our frontline staff.
Since moving to Beacon House in September We look forward to welcoming you to our new
The tablet will open up an avenue for us to we have worked hard to create an office abode!
communicate directly with school staff regarding space which keenly promotes our values
all company news and developments, thus of sustainability, integrity and agility. We feel
allowing you to update your respective members the new office lends itself to our direction
of staff. with Vertas and supports our aim to provide
excellent services to our customers.
We can expect to hear from us about corporate
news and updates relating to new contracts, job The event will allow you a chance to visit our
vacancies, company changes, upcoming events new office space, meet your colleagues and
and much more. network with a glass of bubbly and a fresh, locally
produced buffet; prepared by our very own.
This will also open up a channel for you to
communicate directly with us, if you would like to Date: Tuesday 3rd November 2015
provide any feedback, comments or suggestions
relating to your job role or Vertas, please email Time: 3pm – 6pm
[email protected]
Location: Beacon House, Landmark Business
Park, White House Road, Ipswich IP1 5PB

Your Voice – Staff Survey

To allow our business to continue making It is imperative that you as a Vertas member of The survey can be completed at
improvements for staff, it’s vital that we staff fill in the survey with truthful and heartfelt www.surveymonkey.com/r/
understand exactly how our staff feel within answers, this is a great opportunity to let us vertasstaffsurvey15
their roles, teams and in the wider business. know what you think and feed into some real
change for the business. There will also be hard copies of the survey
This has led to us to develop ‘Your Voice’, a staff available. Please request this from your line
survey which aims to get straight to the point. We must stress; this survey is anonymous. Your manager or by emailing HR at
The survey will be fifteen questions and will name will not be taken and your survey will not [email protected].
take approximately five minutes to complete. be traced back to you.

IEM/Easilife/Verse update

Did you know that the Vertas Group is equipment. IEM has a great track record
now made up of multiple companies? of ensuring the equipment on our sites is
We have recently been busy seeking out running smoothly, so we are very excited
opportunities for our business to grow to have them on board to manage the
and improve – this has resulted in us maintenance of our assets across the
purchasing two local companies. business.

Easilife Cleaning Services Ltd, an Ipswich- We have recently launched Verse Facilities
based cleaning company has recently Management Ltd, our new joint venture
joined the Vertas Group with their expertise company with St Edmundsbury Borough
in commercial and office cleaning. Easilife and Forest Heath District Councils.
will provide another dimension to our
cleaning service, allowing us to build and The new company began operating on
develop our skillset in this area. 28th September and will provide soft-FM
services to West Suffolk House, The Apex
Our most recent acquisition is and 30 other venues and establishments in
IEM Caterquip Ltd, an Ipswich-based West Suffolk.
catering equipment company who
specialise in supplying, installing and We welcome all of our new colleagues to
maintaining all makes of catering Verse and wish them every success in
their roles.

Dialogue AUTUMN 2015

HSQE Update Winter Weather

The colder winter months are fast approaching, • Grit paths and driveways before it snows, • Wear more than one layer of clothing –
so we need to start thinking about how we this helps prevent ice forming several thin layers instead of one thick
can safeguard ourselves during the inclement layer can provide better insulation against
weather such as ice, snow and heavy rain. • Reduce your driving speed, be aware of the cold
road conditions and don’t take any risks
Inclement weather can cause hazards such as • Keep your energy levels up; eat regularly.
trips, slips and falls, poor visibility and exposure • Plan your journey; avoid small country • Drink hot fluids and eat hot foods
to extreme cold. roads and lanes
• Be proactive – Watching the weather,
• Roads and pathways can be very slippery; • Vehicle pre-use checks must be carried planning and being prepared can help
take care when walking or driving out; fluid levels and tyre pressure protect your health and prevent hazards.

• Sensible shoes should be worn, enclosed to • Avoid prolonged exposure to cold and Please contact [email protected]
prevent the foot getting wet and cold, with a damp environments for further information.
good solid sole and grip to prevent slips
• Wear warm clothing; thermal clothing
such as vests and base layers and
waterproof clothing

Human Focus update Events Corner

Have you accessed your training details on Vertas has been busy supporting some key
Human Focus yet? local events; such as the Suffolk Fire and
Rescue Awards, Suffolk One’s 5th Birthday and
On this system you can access details of all the opening of Woodhall Primary’s outdoor
your training records. learning area.

Please check your profile and ensure we have Suffolk One - Vertas’ secondary school catering
the correct details for you and you have a brand, Vive had great success at the recent
current photo displayed. You are able to upload celebration of Suffolk One’s 5th birthday. The
a current photo yourself online once you click catering staff at Suffolk One baked the cake and
on the upload photo section and follow the put on a BBQ for the staff, students and visitors.
instructions provided.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Awards - We proudly
To access Human Focus, follow these steps: attended this year’s Suffolk Fire and Rescue
Awards which recognised the commitment of
• Type www.humanfocus.org.uk into your our fire service in protecting our community.
internet browser
Woodhall Primary outdoor learning area
• Fill in the empty ‘Organisation identifier’ launch - Vertas’ Grounds Service recently
field with ‘hfe04424’ created a brand new learning play area
for children at Woodhall Primary School
• Fill in the empty ‘Person identifier’ in Sudbury. The area is now open and has
field with your employee number (e.g. received praise from the children, school staff
3000066) and local community.

• Fill in the empty ‘Your password’ field
with Summer15 (this is case sensitive)

• Click on ‘Log-in’ button

You can then click on ‘Upload Training Record’
and this will display all training recorded for
you on the system.

We welcome your feedback

If you have ideas for our next Winter issue in
January 2016 contact Lloyd Jones with your feedback.

01473 260936

[email protected]