Induction Pack

Induction pack

Background information

Starting a new job is exciting, and sometimes daunting! We want you to have a productive and enjoyable career with the practice, and we are committed to providing you with the support and encouragement that you need to do this.

“Ideal” is Cundall’s induction programme, which begins here, shortly before you arrive for your first day.

The aim of this pack is to provide you with some key relevant information about the practice that you can read before you start, and a tailored induction programme that will meet your specific needs during your first three months with us.

We would encourage you to read through this pack before you start, and we hope that it will give you some useful information about the business. We have scheduled some specific appointments for you for the weeks after you join us, and we hope that these will help you to settle in quickly.

Your line manager will contact you during your first month to check that you are settling in, and to see whether you need any more information or support. HR are always interested in employees’ views, and so do take this opportunity to give us some feedback (good or bad) about your induction.

Office locations

UK and Ireland

Belfast

Unit 2, College House, Citylink Business Park, Albert Street, BT12 4GB

Birmingham

4th Floor, Cathedral Court, 15 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2BH

Bristol

Clockwise, Finzels Reach, Counterslip, BS1 6BX

Dublin

2 Dawson Street, D02 VK75

Edinburgh Exchange Place

One Semple Street, EH3 8BL

Glasgow

20 James Morrison Street, G1 5PE

London

One Carter Lane, London, EC4V 5ER

Manchester

Fourways House, 57 Hilton St, Manchester, M1 2EJ

Newcastle

4th Floor, Partnership House, Regent Farm Road, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3AF

Australia

Adelaide Kaurna Country

Level 1, 89 Pirie Street

Brisbane Turrbal Country

Level 6, 25 King Street

Bowen Hills, Brisbane, QLD 4006

Melbourne

Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Level 14, 500 Collins Street

Melbourne, Vic 3000

Perth

Whadjuk Noongar Country

Level 2, 585 Hay Street, Perth, WA 6000

Sydney

Cammeraygal Country

Level 6, 99 Mount Street, North Sydney

NSW 2060

Asia

China - Hong Kong

7th and 8th Floor, The Hennessy, 256 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

China - Shanghai

12/F Platinum Tower, 233 Taicang Road

Huangpu District, Shanghai, China

Singapore

111 Somerset Road Unit #07-20 111 Somerset, 238164

Makati City, Manila

5F, V Corporate Center, 125 L. P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City 1227, Philippines

India

Bengaluru, Raheja Paramount 138 Residency Road, 6th floor (Unit 601) Bengaluru, Karnataka

Europe

Romania - Bucharest

11 George Enescu Street, 7th floor, 1st district, Bucharest

Spain - Madrid

C/ Virgen de los Peligros, 3- 40 A 28013, Madrid

Poland - Warsaw

Cundall Polska Sp z o. o. Ul. Chmielna

19 00-021 Warszawa / Warsaw

Poland - Warsaw

Cundall Poska Sp. z o.o.

Powstańców Śląskich 5 p.810 53-332

MENA

Qatar - Doha

P.O. Box 16046, 3rd Floor, Ghanem Business Centre, Salwa Road, Bin Mahmoud, Doha

UAE - Dubai

Office 3201, 32nd Floor, Marina Plaza, Al Marsa Street, Dubai Marina, PO Box 215459

Riyadh - Saudi Arabia

Sharik Cafe Riyadh - Quartz Center, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Road, Al Aarid District

Who we are

Cundall was founded in Newcastle over 40 years ago. From day one, our goal has always been to work with likeminded clients and project partners to create and deliver design solutions that exceed expectations.

We are known throughout the industry for our high level of client service, commitment to continuous professional development and continued investment in the future.

We are a dynamic business, growing organically, and truly independent.

From the outset, we have maintained a tradition of delivering excellence.

There is no doubt that our people are Cundall’s strength. Professional integrity and the commitment of inspired, motivated people are all vital to our success.

We like people to get involved, be empowered with responsibility and be given the space for creativity to develop. We have built our reputation for pushing boundaries to get the best solutions for our clients by sharing this dynamic, inclusive approach and enthusiasm with other consultants and collaborators.

Our people

We have ambitious plans for the future, and we will only achieve these through the talent, hard work and dedication of everyone who works in the business.

Our ultimate aim is to build a sustainable business, and so we are committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best and the brightest, across all parts of the practice.

We aim to provide an environment where people will want to stay for the long term. One where they will be confident that they will get the support they need to become real experts in their field, to flourish professionally and personally, and to grow their own career.

A key part of our strategy is to work with our people to develop a culture of continual development, in which each and every individual is given excellent support to help them to reach their full potential. “Ideal Start” is the beginning of that process.

Understanding our business

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand the nature of a new business if you have never worked in that particular field before. Our aim is to give you a basic understanding of what we do.

Our business is to provide high quality advice and expertise in the design of mechanical, electrical, structural and civil engineering for buildings and other construction projects. Our firm provides these services solely in the interests of its clients, having no commercial attachments to any contractor or manufacturer.

The work that is undertaken can range from site surveys to the engineering design of offices, factories, hospitals, university buildings, schools, and leisure centres. Indeed, there are very few building types for which Cundall have not had involvement.

We are primarily designers, we prepare design drawings, specifications and contract documents so that contractors can bid competitively for the construction and installation work. Once contracts are placed, Cundall normally inspect the works to ensure that they are in accordance with the drawings and specifications we provided.

What we stand for

At Cundall, we believe that we will only achieve our goals if we behave in accordance with a set of guiding principles. We have a strong set of values which lie at the very heart of our firm, shaping our culture and influencing the way that we run our business, support our staff and serve our clients.

We think differently, going beyond what our clients expect to design solutions that they love. We invest our time, effort and talent in research and development, which benefits the wider industry and society, as well as our own business.

Striving to make every project outstanding, and better than the last one. We learn from our successes and our failures, and from each other. We commit to continuous self-improvement, through training and knowledgesharing, and we implement and follow robust systems and processes to help us deliver excellent work.

Building amazing teams. We talk to each other and help each other out, sharing our knowledge and expertise. We give and receive honest feedback, we build and maintain great relationships, and we have fun working with our colleagues, our industry peers and our clients.

Operating within a strong moral code, sticking to our promises and always giving our best to our colleagues and clients. Meeting deadlines and turning up on time matters to us, and we do our best to help others deliver on their priorities. We have difficult conversations when we need to; saying what we mean, and meaning what we say. We care about each other, and we are courteous and kind in our actions and our words.

Induction arrangements

Induction

Your induction marks the beginning of the relationship between you and Cundall. We believe that the importance of getting it right cannot be underestimated. Information that you gather during your first few weeks with the practice will provide the foundations on which you can build throughout your career.

We have therefore included in this pack some information on general aspects of your employment, together with some of our Policies and procedures. It also includes some information about key elements of your induction, which we will go through with you once you join us.

You may choose not to read all of the information in this section before you join us, but we would encourage you to do so during your first few weeks with us. Further information and our comprehensive Employee Handbook, which contains all of our employment policies and procedures, will be available to you through our Intranet, once you commence your employment with us.

Induction policy

Induction training plays a vital part in our staff development arrangements. We are committed to ensuring that all staff receive appropriate training and support during their first few weeks of employment and beyond.

We aim to ensure that staff induction is dealt with in an organised and consistent manner, so that staff feel settled in their new post and working environment quickly, and so that they can contribute effectively to our business at an early stage in their career. This induction policy sets out our commitment in this regard, and provides some guidelines for managers and staff.

The HR Department are responsible for making induction arrangements for new staff, and line managers share in the responsibility for delivery.

Induction arrangements aim to address the following specific points:

‚ A checklist for employees to use during their induction. A timetable of key appointments during an employee’s first few weeks.

‚ A meeting between the employee and their line manager to agree objectives following their induction.

‚ A formal review of the employee’s induction by the HR Department.

IT induction

Information technology acceptable use policy

‚ Use of the Practice’s IT Systems is granted subject to the terms of the IT Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP). The AUP contains clauses regarding the use of computers,Internet, e-mail, login accounts, remote access tools, telephones, mobile telephones, voice mail, removable storage devices, data protection and more.

‚ This forms part of the Practice’s Employment Policy and can be found on the HR site within Dr Johnston, our Intranet.

‚ You should have already signed it to say that you accept and will abide by those terms during your employment.

‚ Staff who fail to comply with the AUP may be subject to disciplinary action.

Accessing IT systems

‚ To access the Practice’s IT Systems, you must use your own account. The username for your account normally takes the form of your first initial and surname, separated by a dot, for example j.bloggs.

Your account will be created in time for your first day of employment, and you will be granted appropriate access rights for your role. Your email address will normally be your username followed by @cundall. com, e.g. j.bloggs@cundall.com You will be provided with an appropriate desktop or laptop PC.

Applications

Cundall invest heavily in up to date IT Software. We take care to ensure that your PC is stable and operates as efficiently as possible by managing security, updates, software installations and licensing for you.

‚ In addition to the latest MS Windows and Office software, your “standard build” Cundall PC will contain a number of other productivity tools including PDF creation software, CAD viewers, collaboration software and tools specific to your discipline.

Applications can be installed from the ‘Cundall Application Catalog’. This contains hundreds of applications which will install on your pc, some are free, some are licensed and require approval.

IT security

Do not share your login and never give your password to anyone else (apart from IT if required for troubleshooting).

IT security training is available and mandatory, please ask your team, or IT for details.

‚ Always Lock your screen when away from your PC.

Never let any non Cundall employee use your Cundall Laptop or mobile device.

Do not sign up to personal websites with your Cundall email address (please use your personal one).

Getting help

Guidance regarding the use of the Practice’s IT Systems can be found on the Dr Johnston IT site under “User Guides and Documents”. You can also find instructions here for using the Service Desk Portal, in case you run into problems and need to request assistance from the IT team. For assistance with use of Engineering applications, it may be necessary to consult with your discipline lead.

If you experience major loss of access to systems or applications and need to speak to someone urgently, please call the centralised IT helpdesk on +44207 438 1700.

‚ Finally, if you have any suggestions or comments on IT systems and services at Cundall, please raise them via your local representative on the IT User Forum.

‚ You can find more information including a list of representatives on the appropriate section of the Dr Johnston IT site.

Sustainability

Sustainability is fundamental to Cundall. We will provide our clients with practical advice and solutions which: reduce the environmental impact of buildings, and provide better spaces for the people who inhabit them.

We do so while providing safe, comfortable and healthy workplaces for our employees and believe that all employees play a key role in achieving our social and environmental goals.

In terms of our own carbon footprint, we have been monitoring and reporting it since 2012, when we became the first consultancy to be endorsed as a One Planet Company. We strengthened this in 2018 by becoming the only consultant to have a science based target (SBT). In 2020, we obtained the Carbon Trust certification, ensuring carbon neutrality across all scopes.

To this end, our Sustainability Policy confirms that we will:

‚ Develop and encourage solutions to improve the environmental performance of every project we work on, by considering practical ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy and water consumption, natural resource depletion, waste to landfill and pollution.

‚ Develop and encourage solutions that provide better spaces for people through consideration of daylight, comfort, glare, internal air quality and connectivity to nature.

‚ Provide our staff with the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to deliver practical environmental solutions through a strong commitment to training.

Provide environmental leadership to the building industry through an active contribution to research and development, presenting at conferences and seminars, lecturing at universities and participation in key industry bodies.

‚ Reduce the environmental impact of our own operations by managing our energy and water consumption, encouraging use of cycling and public transport, recycling waste as well as launching our internal office fit out guide and sustainable procurement policy..

Implement and maintain our ISO14001 Environmental Management system in all offices.

‚ Report transparently on our environmental and social performance each year and make this freely available on our website.

‚ In line with our commitment to staff development and in support of our overall sustainability objectives, we provide to all employees the opportunity to enrol in our Cundall diploma. With 10 modules, each lasting one month, the course

is designed to cover the core sustainable design topics and give participants a broad understanding of issues, trends and solutions required to educate partners and clients.

‚ We report on our progress against our sustainability objectives at an individual level through our annual appraisal process and, organisationally, with the publication of an annual Sustainability Report.

Our offices are designed with sustainability and wellness principles at their core. We have volunteer “SusTeams” in every office improving our daily functions and taking responsibility for improvements such as the purchase of renewable energy for the office, reducing office waste e.g. crisp packet recycling pilots (with Terracycle), the making of ecobricks and participating in the practice’s Mental Health First Aid program.

The dedicated Sustainability Site on our intranet, Dr. Johnston, provides full details of our approach to sustainability, together with training and reference materials, our annual Sustainability Report and sustainability news from the construction and property sectors.

Health and safety induction

Health and safety policy

The partnership seeks to conduct the practice in such a way as to minimise the risks to the safety and health of everyone concerned. The partners consider that all accidents and incidents causing, or having the potential to cause injury or damage, are avoidable and that the achievement of safe working requires the active cooperation of all.

Overall responsibility for health and safety rests with the Partners who will:

‚ Provide and maintain healthy and safe working conditions, taking due account of all statutory requirements.

‚ Provide appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision to enable staff to perform their work safely and effectively.

‚ Ensure facilities exist to enable employees to consult the Partners on health and safety matters at reasonable times.

‚ Ensure that advice and assistance is available to staff and Partners in order to maintain a healthy and safe working environment.

‚ Make available the necessary protective equipment.

Health and Safety

All staff carry responsibility for safe practices within the limits of their functions and are accordingly expected to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of others affected by their acts or omissions at work. It should therefore be clearly understood by all employees that they owe a duty of care to themselves and the people with whom they work. It should also be remembered that employees are liable for the same penalties as the Partners if they do not comply with the relevant act.

To this end all staff should:

‚ Work safely and efficiently

‚ Adhere to procedures and codes of practice designed to secure a healthy, safe work place

‚ Use protective clothing, equipment and safety devices and meet their obligations under the Act

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 clearly defines the contribution all employees are required to make by the exercise of care in all their actions.

Any hazard or practice that is outside the capability of the individual to rectify should be brought to the attention of the Health & Safety Manager.

Any safety concerns should be brought to the attention of the H&S Manager.

Warren Dodds, CDM Manager

0191 213 4521

Fire prevention and procedures

In this section, basic information is provided on Fire Prevention.

There are many causes of fire which all employees should be aware of. These include:

‚ Deliberate act

‚ Carelessness

Burning rubbish

‚ Poor housekeeping

‚ Electrical faults

‚ Misuse of electrical installations

The awareness of the danger from fire is important and staff must familiarise themselves with the Emergency Procedures notices displayed in the office.

Should the alarm activate whilst you are on Cundall premises, then follow the office Emergency Procedures which are displayed in common areas and report to the designated fire officer at the nominated assembly point.

Remember - you are responsible for ensuring that any visitors you are entertaining evacuate the building with you - do not leave it up to someone else!

The practice operates a good housekeeping policy as an important facet of a fire prevention policy and whilst we can provide the lead, the cooperation of all employees is necessary to maintain acceptable standards.

Please refer to the staff handbook on Cundall Intranet for further information.

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Accident prevention

What is an accident? The definition of an accident is: “an unplanned, uncontrolled event which has resulted in, or could have led to physical injury or death, damage to plant, equipment or the environment or some other loss”.

Cundall understand that at times accidents within the workplace may happen. Therefore, it is company policy to provide all employees with sufficient information, instruction and training to ensure that they can carry out their tasks with minimum risk to their own or other people’s health and safety.

We recognise that all accidents have a cause and an effect. A cause can generally be controlled. An effect, is as a result of luck. Therefore we have highlighted within your H&S induction the contributory and the causes of accidents for you to familiarise yourself.

Contributory factors to accidents in the workplace are:

‚ Lack of training

‚ Workplace layout

Poor working environment

‚ Unstructured working practices

‚ Lack of maintenance

‚ Lack of guidance

The factors that can cause accidents are:

Poor design

Poor housekeeping

Personal protective equipment

Prevention of most accidents in buildings and on construction sites is possible if proper thought is given to potential risks and relevant precautions are taken. It is our policy that all staff must ensure that the following procedures are considered when working out of the office environment.

Obtain permission from site owner or agent

‚ Follow site safety rules

‚ Request onsite safety induction from the Site Supervisor

‚ Use designated walkways

‚ Ensure PPE is worn at all times

‚ Report any problems

Tell someone at the office where you are going and what time you expect to return

PPE equipment can take many forms including:

‚ Gloves

Hard hats

‚ Protective footwear

‚ Eye goggles

‚ Harnesses

Cundall provides staff with overalls and protective hats for site visits and expects that all employees wear appropriate PPE when conducting site visits.

First aid

First aid is defined as:

“The first help given to someone to prevent injury or illness from becoming worse”.

At Cundall we have designated first aid officers whose responsibility it is to take charge of a situation involving illness or accident. They are not responsible for administering first aid in the event of injury or accident, but will contact the appropriate emergency services where necessary.

First aid boxes are provided at each office. Their location will be pointed out to you during your Health & Safety Induction on Day One of your employment by a member of the HR team.

It is Cundall’s policy that any medicated items will not be prescribed or distributed to any member of staff in case of allergic reaction.

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Poor lighting/ventilation

Fooling around

Ignoring health and safety rules

Health and safety summary

Health and safety is an important part of any organisation in looking after the well-being and welfare of its staff. At Cundall, we pride ourselves on the outstanding level of training our new employees receive within their first few weeks.

This information has been provided to you so that you can familiarise yourself with our Health & Safety policies and procedures even if you have been aware of similar ones in your previous organisation.

In summary, remember:

‚ You have a legal duty to protect your own safety and that of others.

‚ Follow the advice of safety notices.

‚ Report any safety concerns to the H&S Manager.

Don’t undertake tasks that you have not been trained to do.

‚ Do not enter restricted areas without authority. Keep access routes clear.

‚ Maintain good housekeeping standards.

In the event of fire, raise the alarm

Do not carry out any electrical repairs yourself.

‚ Wear personal protective equipment provided when necessary.

Above all - be safe and report any concerns to your Health and safety Manager.