Living with Covid, Conversations Week & Platinum Jubilee Grants
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Published 1 Apr 2022 in Phil's blog
I start my blog this week by thanking my guest bloggers and fellow colleagues, Craig Fish from Travel and Amelia Crews from Utilities. It was fantastic to hear from both of you, and reading the comments, I found both blogs really interesting. If you missed either blog, you can read Craig’s blog here and Amelia’s blog here.
In wider news, today sees the latest Government ‘Living with Covid’ guidance released. With cases varying across the country and globally, we are continuing to follow guidance and have slightly adjusted our own policies and procedures for colleagues. Please take a look at what this means for us all as colleagues here. One point to highlight is that from today, all free symptomatic and asymptomatic testing will be removed (Lateral Flow Tests and PCRs) for many unless eligible, but for our colleagues, our Healthcare business can provide testing at a discounted colleague rate, at cost price. You simply have to log into the website to see the discount available, click here to find out more.
If you have any additional questions on the guidance, you should speak to your line manager in the first instance or the HR advice line on 01926 516469 for more support.
Site visits
This week as part of our Executive meeting, the team and I had the chance to visit a dozen different sites in the Gloucester trading area. That gave all of us a chance to speak with many familiar and new faces across Childcare, Travel and Food Retail, & to hear how they have been performing recently and the many exciting plans going forward. We also heard at the Executive meeting from the EmbRACE group about both their work so far and their plans going forward around creating awareness of different ethnicities and cultures and promoting an even greater inclusive environment at work for us as colleagues. They’re doing a great job, and I’d like to thank all of the team involved for continuing to drive this important work.
Your Co-op Conversations Week – Join in online
There are many ways our members can learn more and influence key decisions within the Society. They can be at events like our upcoming AGM or a Half Yearly Meeting, but another opportunity is at our Your Co-op Conversations events. This month, from 25-28 April, we will be hosting the Your Co-op Conversations Week; where you can learn more and ask your own questions to our partners and speakers each day. During the week we will cover topics from living more sustainably to helping us define our brand for the future; so I encourage you all to sign up and book your place today. These online events are exclusive for our members & to book your place click here.
Platinum Jubilee Grants
Supporting our communities is at the heart of what we do and to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June, we have a number of special local grants on offer. Dedicated to the Queen’s 70th anniversary, if you are part of, or know of a local group that is planning to host a community event to celebrate, we are interested! The grants will be open from 4 April – 13 May and are a way of bringing our communities together with cultural events, street parties, picnics and community celebrations related to the Platinum Jubilee. Eligible groups may apply for up to £150 of funding which will be distributed in Co-op Vouchers and redeemed at a local Midcounties Food Store.
Let’s hope for some warm weather to accompany the celebrations in June! Click here for more information.
Celebrating Long Service - 35 years for Jayne Palmer & Linda Freeman
This week I was glad to attend the celebrations of long-serving Support office colleagues, Jayne Palmer & Linda Freeman. Both have been with the Society for 35 years and incidentally started work 35 years ago on 23 March in the same West Midlands Food store! Read a little history on our fantastic colleagues below:
Jayne Palmer, HR Advisor, Warwick history:
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Jayne started with West Midlands Co-op in March 1987 working at the Handy Bank but also in-store at Hawks Green Food
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In 1997, became the Training Manager in Food
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In 2001, appointed to Group Manager in Food (similar to a District Manager role today)
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Later in 2001, Jayne moved to HR and became HR Manager
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In 2002, became the People Support Manager in HR and at this point the merger happened with Oxford, Swindon and Gloucestershire Co-op
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Following the merger, Jayne became an HR Advisor and has stayed in this role ever since
Linda Freeman, Accounts Payable Assistant (Homeworker), Finance, Warwick history:
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Linda has worked in Accounts Payable for 20 years of her service. She started out in a West Midlands Food store doing checkouts and has also worked in Travel
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For the last 11 years, she has been a home working colleague but always makes the effort to join the team at Warwick using her own personal taxi (her husband also works in the Property team).
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She just recently taken the opportunity to get involved with the new IFS upgrade and has already provided some brilliant feedback, guidance and ideas.
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Outside of work, Linda has 2 grown up children and 2 grandchildren. She loves to Travel where her favourite destination is Tenerife!
An incredible history for two of our colleagues. I would like to say well done and congratulations for all your hard work and dedication during a time you have seen many changes.
Finally, Ramadan starts this weekend for millions of Muslims across the globe including a few of our colleagues. I wish them all the best during this auspicious religious celebration. If you would like to learn more about it, read our dedicated colleague story here.