Yello! #17 - DHL Employee Magazine

Yello!

THE FUN

The team using laughter, teamwork and togetherness to set new targets: P16

How we made sure happiness hampers hit the spot

INSIDE: JAKE’S LEGACY WINS DHL’S GOT HEART AWARD: P10

AND: FROM KYIV WITH LOVE: ‘I COULDN’T BELIEVE THE WELCOME’ P14

Welcome

heatwave of the Summer so I hope the weather has cooled a little by the time you read this. This scorching summer edition of Yello! makes me particularly proud as it contains articles on two of our incredible colleagues who entered the inaugural DHL’s Got Heart initiative.

Emma Dixon from Customer Service and Dan Evans

Emma shortlisted out of 94 worldwide entries and

wonderful charity work they do are both heartbreaking and inspirational, so please make sure you read them.

There’s an update on IMPACT opposite and an article on our new Limitless Growth strategy which shows how Happy Employees provide Better Service which creates Happy Customers and leads to More Business Success.

Our site focus visits a resurgent Leeds and our ‘Operation Mum’ feature shows what happens when we all pull together to support our customers. But there’s a lot more to enjoy in this edition, so why not have a read (and don’t forget the sunscreen if you’re outside!)

Contents

04 Five things…

… happening at our Ryton Hub that show we’re listening.

05 A hug for Henry

four-year-old earns global DHL’s Got Heart recognition.

06 Mum’s the word

Find out how our entire UK Operations team pulled together to save the big day.

10 Talking is priceless

The friendship that touched hearts to leave a lasting men’s mental health legacy.

11 Dan’s the cuppa king

The driver who always goes the extra mile for his customers.

12 Meet your team

From diving with sharks to meeting Stallone: say hi to the

15

Check out your brilliant World Safety Day pictures.

16 White rose wonders

The honest feedback turning the tide at one of our sites to put

19 Peter’s soccer secret

How our departing Chief football club from bankruptcy.

20 Win… A Bose SoundLink

Flex water-resistant bluetooth speaker for those picnic days.

QR codes

Don’t forget! Whenever you see a QR code, scan it with your smartphone camera app to view additional content or videos here and online.

Payroll Lottery winners

3

March: Nicole Gooch – Operations Clerk, Newcastle – £551

April: Steve Gaulton – Supervisor, Leeds (nights) – £559

May: Harry Monk – Site Manager, Hounslow – £551

Congratulations to our Payroll Lottery winners: The Payroll Lottery is just £2 a month to enter, with half of your contribution going to the monthly winner and the other half to charity.

5

To be in with a chance to win, email payroll_ecsuk@dhl.com with your name, location and payroll number.

What’s YOUR lightbulb moment?

Help us make an IMPACT

If a family member insisted on leaving the lights on or turning the central heating up to 30ºC every day, there’s a good chance you’d have something to say about it. Over a day or two the cost wouldn’t be too painful, but spread it over a year and you’d be facing a hefty but avoidable energy bill. Avoiding costs and cutting unnecessary waste is where the new IMPACT programme network across all our sites… led by you!

Making wide-ranging and sustainable cost reductions at your site will make us more

“We’ve had a really busy couple of years during which our costs have increased VP – Operations Scott Laird. “We have to be competitive on price in what is a really competitive market and that means managing costs carefully.

“Because we’ve been a lot busier, we’ve been reacting to get the job done and haven’t had time to change our infrastructure or how we operate to meet new volume norms. IMPACT

He adds: “Our service levels have to creep in and that’s where we want our Drivers, warehouse operatives,

supervisors, and managers – in fact everyone – are invited to have their say in the IMPACT

Scott says: “We’ve all experienced rising increases in many parts of our operation that money as if it were our own money.

“If a driver thinks there’s a better way to optimise routes, sites can look at it, make an IMPACT

Here’s how the six-step process will work…

“No ideas are bad ideas because they will come from people doing the job day in, day out. We are up with the industry best, but the next challenge is to do way. Because if we want to achieve our growth ambitions we have to

Scott Laird Vice President – Operations

Are you interested in making an IMPACT?

challenges. Have your say on making your site even to get it Right First Time Contact your line manager and tell them you want to make an IMPACT.

Canteen redesign and wellbeing support on the menu

With the new Coventry Hub inching closer to next year’s opening date, a new site opened in nearby Rowley Road and our existing Ryton hub underwent a canteen makeover following feedback in the Employee Opinion survey

WELLBEING

“The extra space created when Coventry moved to Rowley Road has helped, and we’ve also appointed two Wellbeing Champions at Ryton who will lead Listening Groups so we always keep in touch with what people here are thinking and feeling,” says Process Manager Jagraj

Bains

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDERS

“We have four new additions to our team, (l to r: Nigel Bourne, Madalina Stircu, Elisandra Zanfra and Jomona Akter), trained to help people who may be struggling with issues such as stress or

We have six in total at Ryton, which shows how much we value our colleagues,” says Jagraj.

CANTEEN FACELIFT

“The canteen has been turned into somewhere you’d actually want to sit and have some good food rather than rush in and out of. It’s now a nice location for our warehouse teams and the 300 drivers who arrive there each night,” says Head of Operational Support Richard Wenham

MEANWHILE... AT COVENTRY HUB

Six months of testing and analysing every one of the new mechanised system’s 3,400 parts is underway to ensure it’s Right First Time

The new mechanisation, which started to arrive on site in June, will provide the business with an extra capacity of 60,000 items per hour on top of our Ryton hub’s 24,000 parcels per hour.

Richard adds: “We are making good progress and are fortunate to have great teams at Ryton and Rowley Road site who are keeping the operation running smoothly. That’s why we’re also investing there.”

FIRST CHOICE

“We’ve appointed a First Choice champion to make sure we’re all engaged and happy so we can ensure our customers are too,” says Jagraj.

“Hayden Lincoln (above) will be very visible and always updating PD boards to keep everyone in the loop.”

L to R Sebastian Paeßens, Charlie Dobbie and Pablo Ciano visit the Coventry Hub

heart DHL’s got...

Two of our amazing colleagues were shortlisted for a global award in the new DHL’s Got Heart competition, with Customer Services Quality Manager Emma Dixon narrowly pipped to the grant by Operations Clerk Dan Evans.

The DHLeCS Got Heart award celebrates our everyday

Lovely legacy

Emma’s story

Henry’s wish The youngster wanted all his toys

Operation MUM

An accident that closed a main road as the clock ticked down to one of the most important celebrations of the year brought out the very best in our teams.

Ryton Operations team warning of

it became clear we had a problem. The frustrated driver was carrying Spencer beauty and food treats destined for mums around the country on driver exceeded his tachometer hours and the Ryton night shift completed their sort. The situation looked bleak.

But what happened next shone a light on the incredible people from top to bottom in our teams around the UK and their total commitment to our customers.

“It was a sequence of events that make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. All our sites joined in to ensure every General Manager Customer Operations Dave Woods

Bethan Crocker Senior Key Account Manager

“It was a military-style operation with everyone playing their part. It showed how working As One Passion and a Can Do Right First Time against all the odds.

“It made us all incredibly proud to work

For all the mums out there (l to r) Saturday Imagbovomwan, Matthew Radymska, Steven Manning, Mohammed Hasan Tamasar, Waqaas Tamasar, Kristers Nadrickis, Mustapha Trawally Juwara, Frank Tejeda Medina, Lee Holligan and Jabar Malik

Saturday star The night shift had no problem staying on to get the sort done

Friday March 17

9.30pm – The linehaul driver bringing a lorry. It looks like a serious accident. 9.30pm to 10.15pm – Assessments of what is on the pallets are made and

time. “At that point I was speaking with

manage his expectations. We were also in constant contact with the driver in case the road reopened,” says Bethan.

Saturday– the day before Mother’s Day

Early hours – The two-lane road is due to reopen, but the driver’s legal driving time has run out, so a relief driver is sent to take over the delivery.

4am – The night shift team who have already worked through the night are asked by Senior Operations Manager Darren Twigger if they could stay on to play a critical part in the process. All agree without hesitation.

4.35am – Operations Manager Lee Holligan sends an all-sites message to managers letting them know about the situation and to expect updates.

5.35am – CEO Peter Fuller makes the decision to recover all the goods and emails all Operations Managers that we

5.45am strategically located sites around England and Scotland are mobilised and heading towards Ryton or pick-up locations.

kicked in. It was quick and decisive and from then on, everyone was determined that no mum would be without their present on Mother’s Day,” says Bethan.

7.30am a series of meetings led by Head of Network Operations Gary Hope spell out

liaising with the teams and reporting back to the customer. To hear about all the movements and how everyone was pulling together was just amazing.

Scotland that we didn’t know about at to devise a plan to get them there.”

8.22am – All the hampers have been scanned, consigned and allocated to sites ready for collection or consolidated them we’d worked through the night to get their deliveries to where they should

be. They were extremely relieved and very grateful,” says Bethan.

9.30am – Every van is on its way back to site with the cargo, aiming to get as many as possible to their delighted recipients by mid-afternoon.

10am

leave Ryton, exhausted but proud that they will bring smiles to the faces of breadth of England, Scotland and Wales.

Mid-afternoon – Almost every hamper is with the families of mothers ready for the following day. Drivers at sites where they arrived too late agree to deliver them on Sunday morning.

Mothering Sunday

An army of devoted mums are spoiled by sons and doted on by daughters… thanks to YOUR

99%

Thanks to you, we made 98.7% of deliveries that

Dave Woods – General Manager Customer Operations

Team together Three, the magic number, and (below) Frank Tejeda Medina

Dedicated Matthew Radymska (above) and Kristers Nadrickis (below) helped get the job done

AS ONE… FOR MUM!

How the entire business made it a memorable Mother’s Day

Carlisle

“We arranged for the Scottish drivers to arrive at the same time as the trailer from Ryton.

Operations Supervisor Joe Little (right) led on loading and getting the deliveries for Carlisle area covered with our drivers. When the trailer arrived we had everything sorted”

Simon Reay, Site Manager

Exeter

“Saturday manager Scott Sears was determined we’d deliver and we were delighted so many of our employed and service partner drivers gave their free time, some doing double runs, to ensure mums got their gifts. Our new Driver Nick Bodnar (below) stepped up to run the trunk to collect and return the freight, helped sort the consignments into routes and then took a delivery route himself. What a team player”

Steven Philp, Site Manager

Newcastle

“One trunk from Ryton stopped at and York, and then got to us with local and Teeside parcels. Site and operations managers organised vehicles to collect and run freight

drivers were waiting to deliver to customers. Everyone responded so professionally to play a part in this important recovery and did our brand proud. It was a challenge but we smashed it”

Tunbridge

“Our Operations Supervisor Aaron Ingham (left) and Warehouse Supervisor Mark Dowsing (right) worked closely with our last leg drivers to make sure scores of mums on our routes got their products for Mother’s Day on time”

Sam Blake, Site Manager

“There’s something very special about a business that can truly put itself in the shoes of every customer. This

Bethan Crocker, Senior Key Account Manager

Drew Mackay, Regional Site Support Manager, Pictured below (centre) with Operations Manager Davie Rowell (left) and Backshift Manager Peter Hocking

LOOP Get in the

If you’re happy at work, there’s a good chance you’ll provide a better service. And if you do that, it’s highly likely our customers will be happier too.

That’s the basis of the DHL eCommerce at the heart of our new Limitless Growth strategy. Because if customers love what we do and tell others, we’ll be more successful as a business.

And that’s good news for all of us, says DHL Parcel UK CEO Peter Fuller “To make it work we have

he insists. “That means giving all our teams the right tools and environments

And that’s why the business is investing heavily in new sites, the Coventry Hub and aligning pay to ensure people, service

a necessary part of why we all come to work. By doing so we can grow as a business and our people can grow as

“We are spending on new infrastructure to create more jobs and we

The new strategy, which was launched kind for eCS, will dovetail with and

Happy and engaged

countries to ensure we continue to grow our reputation for and sustainable.

“Investment in equipment, facilities and people… will make the job more rewarding. We will do everything we can to make your

Once in place and embedded in the way

– which will also be reinforced as part of

Because the strategy depends on you, mantra to apply to colleagues for career

we need people to be happy and engaged in line with the strategy. The best way to do that is sometimes to develop as an individual either by progressing within the business or by learning new things.

hearing more and more about, is very simple. It starts and ends with happy colleagues, because without you none of

“Investment in equipment, facilities and the things that rewarding”

And if we

out more at:

for awareness

Dan Evans thought his best mate was emerging from a dark place after a string of events that sent him into a whirlpool of depression.

The pair regularly chatted about Jake’s battle with poor mental health, and one 20-minute conversation convinced the DHL Operations Clerk (inset) that his six months earlier, but on this call we had a really good laugh and he looked a lot

and we even planned to go axe throwing that weekend.”

But the following day Jake’s mother called to say he had taken his own life –

even in the middle of the night, for as was devastated, with questions spinning completely out of the blue,” he says.

Fragile

really brought it home to me that mental health is such a fragile thing that we need to talk about far more openly.”

to have a good time”, says Dan, but was hit for six when his father died suddenly.

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT!

Chat… it’s priceless

Wynne, chose ANDYSMANCLUB as their charityafter hearing Dan’s story. The team are now running football scratch card games and a sponsored Ninja Warrior event, and hosting a talk by representatives from the charity – promoted by set a £500 fundraising goal, but if awareness means one person stops to ask a friend if they’re okay and it saves a life, that’s priceless.”

“Everyone agreed that Dan’s charity would be something we could run here and hopefully spread to all our sites around the business. It’s such an emotive issue we decided it had to be

Andy Cotton – Operations Supervisor

on top of him one by one and he went downhill, but he’d often come to me for a chat. He was such a laugh and always so

Dan is using his grief to ensure the tragedy leaves a lasting legacy across our sites by promoting ANDYSMANCLUB weekly peer-to-peer support groups for men over 18, which are free to attend.

the life and soul like Jake, but they could be struggling. That’s why it’s vital to talk.”

main competitors. The survey’s results, gathered in 20-minute phone calls, also gave us the highest Net Promoter Score and revealed customers were most likely to recommend us ahead of the rest. That’s down to the Passion, Can Do and Right First Time attributes you’ve shown when working As One to set us apart from the pack. The results will help us better understand how we are positioned in the UK market against our competitors on key customer interactions.

Be KIND...

WE’VE DONE THE DOUBLE

DHL Parcel UK has achieved a prestigious Great Place to Work

our friendly driver Daniel is always happy to help his customers

Driver Daniel’s simple message to us all

Ddidn’t think he’d done anything special when he nipped to the shops for some milk so an elderly customer could have a cup of tea.

And he thought nothing of it on another cold and blustery winter morning when he arrived with a parcel and a smile to light up the 89-year-old woman’s day.

But without realising it, our had delighted the pensioner and her daughter so much, they wrote in to sing his praises.

Susan Miller told how the father-ofone was a perfect ambassador for the business because he’s “always happy and helpful” to her and her elderly mum.

Her email was a surprise to the 33-year-old, who insists: “It was very nice, but I don’t think I did that much. That’s just the way I’ve been brought up… to treat people as you’d expected to be treated yourself.”

Daniel always tries to leave each customer with a small act of kindness wherever he can… even if it’s just a smile.

Susan says: “If a driver comes to my house and they’re miserable and just leave or dump the parcel without saying hello, it’s a bit of an empty experience.

“But Dan’s always polite and happy,

“I really couldn’t ask for any more from Daniel. He’s been a joy since he joined us. He’s a genuinely natural bloke who always puts interest in them as people and cares about how they are”

Peter WhittakerSittingbourne Site Manager

even when it’s bad weather. He takes time to talk to my mother and checks she’s okay. He even popped to the shops to grab some milk when she couldn’t get out.”

It’s all part of the job for Dan, who says: “You see lots of lovely people and if you can make their day better with a smile, chat or a small act of kindness, that’s great. It won’t be the last nice thing I try to do that’s for sure.”

In his spare time Dan’s a mean golfer, having played the same course as fairway legends Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomerie as a 19-year-old on the pro-am circuit.

He adds: “These days I play for enjoyment so the golf ball reward Peter Whittaker got me will come in handy.”

The response rate was 85% – 21 percentage points up on last year, so thank you to everyone who took time to complete the survey and provide such valuable feedback. Our Trust Index score of 75%, based on your responses to 60 statements in the survey, increased by a respectable six percentage points from 65% in 2022 to 71% this year.

The fact we’ve kept our Great Place to Work accreditation proves that the work we began last year with the survey is starting to have an impact. This external survey acts as a great temperature check as we prepare for our internal Employee Opinion Survey.

The two work together as a continuous improvement tool to ensure DHL Parcel UK becomes an even greater place to work.

READ THIS!

The DHL UK Foundation is launching a new initiative with reading charity Bookmark this Autumn, and you can get involved. If you can spare an hour a week to help a primary school child improve their reading, we want to hear from you. Your time, split into two 30-minute sessions over six weeks during school hours, could help a young person gain read, and in themselves. contact

Don’t worry –

ambassadors Meet your

The new team Programmes even closer to you…

Aformer driver, night manager and ECG chairperson are part of a new hand-picked team Programmes to the next level. They have been chosen because they epitomise the Can Do, Passion, Right First Time and As One attributes of DHL Parcel UK. All underwent a rigorous interview process for the

“The team will breathe life into all managerial, supervisory and leadership. They will drive best in class and cultural change because being a Great and Safe Place to Work is critical for our success,” says Head of CES and Talent Kim Ives

“As brand ambassadors they’ll be highly visible, facilitating all elements a coaching and feedback culture where everyone feels they belong because happy, motivated people will help deliver excellence for our customers.”

She adds: “All of them are a huge asset, supporting, motivating and embedding Limitless Growth strategy and being a Great Place to Work for all.”

Check out…

Programmes such as 21st Century Manager, Coaching for Success, Leadership Essentials and Train the Facilitator and Building Great Employee Relations – to ensure colleagues can develop and grow.

Lloyd Hadland

“Helping our people grow in whatever role they play will help them have their best day, every day”

“I’ve been with the business 15 years and seen many changes, so becoming part something I couldn’t pass on. Having spent the past 18 months going through Supervisor journey made me want to help colleagues understand how Leadership

by being focused on our values of Respect and Results. Within that we can be results oriented and leverage strengths using our heads and hearts, and focus on clear priorities and be positive about challenges, uncertainty and change with our guts ”

FASCINATING FACT: When he’s not playing cricket or golf exploring the marine life. On his last trip he came face to face with three sharks!

each other”

Driver, actor and voiceover artist Kevin has moved from his main role behind the wheel to take up this high-

“It’s a huge opportunity to people who work for us, to help them grow and develop while truly living the attributes. The training has taken me outside my comfort zone, but I needed to change things for a new challenge in my life, so it’s been exciting in a scary way.

I think we’ve been chosen because, as individuals, we believe in the attributes. We’ve been told the best way to help share them is to be our authentic selves.

The intensive Facilitator training courses taught us how to help the people on the Programmes get the most out of them by steering conversations, so it’s an interesting skill to learn. The aim is to encourage people to learn from each other rather than us teaching them.”

FASCINATING FACT: Kevin was an extra in Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey, and played Billy Elliot’s dad in the hit musical for a year.

Manager, Ryton

Manchester

Kevin Walsh

“The aim is to encourage people to learn from

“After my CES experience I wanted to share more about DHL with everyone out there, so they appreciate what a brilliant company this is”

“The attributes are simple and make sense. They’re clear, which helps people buy into them”

“It suited me then, but I wanted something new. I had an interview with Kim and her was amazing. The culture has changed so much since I was last here.

show colleagues that if they do something

Time for their team, which helps grow that feeling that we’re all working . I’m going to be booking people onto the courses, arranging hotels

materials, and so much more.”

FASCINATING FACT: Natalie is a huge Disney fan, got engaged at Disneyland Paris and honeymooned at DisneyWorld in Florida.

“The courses give skills to people they might not actually realise they had or could develop, to help them further their careers in the business.

I started my Facilitator development in January and it’s a steep learning curve, but we’ve all been brilliantly supported by Kim and Lloyd.

The aim is to make sure

the answers for themselves, because in many cases they are more experienced in their areas than we are.

It’s an exciting time and I’m so proud to be playing my part who has attended goes back raving about.”

FASCINATING FACT: Jody has broken both arms twice jumping from trees, and her leg once while skiing. If she falls now, she keeps her arms clear.

“The Programme was full of things I could do

back at my site”

on the CEM 21st Century Supervisory Academy, which has been rolled out to all countries. After lockdown my invite came for the second one and I was wary. But I was completely blown away by it. I learned the importance of a feedback mechanism, which was well received when I returned to Leeds , and how to motivate people.

took us to a new level. I want to make a cultural change, so this role will let me help others take the same route I have.”

FASCINATING FACT: Leeds United and outdoor adventurer Steve met Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was a young bodybuilder.

FROM UKRAINE WITH LOVE

Asthe sun rose over Kyiv, Yevhenii Hlushenko was woken by his brother frantically shouting “the war has started” down the phone.

Within minutes he’d packed a case of clean clothes and was driving away from the Ukrainian capital with wife Ira and their six-year-old son Mark.

“In those moments everything changed. Our lives, our son’s education, my job, my wife’s career,” says Yevhenii.

Speechless

He’d been a senior data analyst handling logistics for a national wholesale grocery delivery service, but with his career on hold the priority was safety.

After heading for his home city of Smila 250 miles south, it soon became clear that nowhere was safe.

Yevhenii said goodbye to his family after putting them on a refugee train to Hungary and then England, where Ira’s sister is a UK citizen. Fast forward six months, af ter helping with logistics and

witnessing “things I never thought I’d see”, he was allowed to leave the country.

“We are a close family, so it was hard to be apart. I didn’t tell my son I was coming to England, so when I knocked on the door of their new home in Milton Keynes at night, he was speechless,” he says. “I’ll never forget his face when he opened the door. He burst into tears… and so did I.”

An uncertain future awaited until Yevhenii got a role as Warehouse Operative at our Milton Keynes site.

Five Minutes with…

Project Director Julia Hoskins

How long have you been at DHL Parcel UK?

Where were you before?

What does the move entail?

What are you most looking forward to?

Your passion outside work?

“I’ve always worked at management level, but the team at MK have been so welcoming and the job has given me another view of how a logistics business works,” says the 37-year-old.

“I’m improving my English and because of my experience with supply chain product data, operations and working

He’d love to return home but adds: “Life is good here, the people I work with are so friendly – and we are together.”

Last book you read?

When are you happiest at work?

Favourite band?

Dinner party guests?

Thank you all Yevhenii is so grateful for the incredible welcome from his DHL colleagues

EVERY DAY Have a safe day

Dozens of sites got creative – from putting the elf into elf and safety to a Star Wars theme, to celebrate World Safety Day at the end of April. The winning site, Crawley, was awarded an engraved voucher for a site treat.

,

, says: “We were thrilled to see so many entries, all reinforcing the message that working in a positive and safe workplace will maintain our safety culture and reduce accidents.”

Visit the social wall and scroll down to 28 April to see more pictures from your site

Safety

Devon where

of one hand hammered

Scan to watch Leeds depot

Scan to watch Swansea depot

Steve Taylor

“When I applied for the Site Manager role here at Leeds, the problems weren’t sugar-coated. They’d just had a really tough Peak that highlighted some issues.

I started out as a postie and ended up as an area manager with Royal Mail before moving to one of our rivals for just over a year. My time there still sends shivers down my spine.

Two months before I began here, Ethan Clarke had been made Operations Manager and Lee Davies the Area Manager, and they’d already started ringing the changes.

Morale was low. Some of the team had curled up into a ball and accepted what was happening, so we started listening in ‘clear the air’ sessions which quickly turned into conversations that ended with: ‘Right, how are we going to improve it?’

People were honest and open – they could even have a moan – and as managers, we listened to their views and tried to act on them.

Finding out what people wanted to know and not just what we wanted to tell them had to be the starting point. None of us wanted to tell bulk drivers how to do things because they know their jobs inside out.

So we listened to their concerns and told them: ‘We don’t know how to be the best driver – that’s your job – but if we could help you do your job better would that be good?’

to come with us, but now we have a team who are truly As One, act with Passion and have a fantastic Can Do approach.

As my team set up processes, structures, policies and standards, engagement quickly grew. We got a Great Place to Work award and started saying: ‘This is where we want to go.’ My team were brilliant at getting everyone on board.

Celebrating success

A few months later the Employee Opinion Survey showed a 20% improvement year on year, and we felt we’d got our people’s hearts and minds.

There was still a bit of dread about the approaching Peak, but that went well, and we saved a lot of money by not needing extra resource.

I honestly can’t take any credit because the hard work was done by the team here. Leeds was struggling, and only by talking to people and getting them to join us could we turn it round.

The Employee of the Month award hadn’t happened for ages, so we brought that back and started celebrating people’s success. That positivity, especially when things are challenging, is a powerful motivator.

Reward and recognition through the PD Boards has led to smiling faces and the site is now clean and tidy. When I came here there was rubbish

everywhere and that’s not an environment anyone wants to work in.

We’re also focused on developing people, supporting them and getting them on the CES Programme, we piloted a new Health and Safety process and brought in a First Choice champion. We’re always open to ideas on how to do things better – there’s always room for improvement.

We spend 70% of time at work so we want it to be fun because you have to get joy out of coming to work. People who visit now say it

It’s a tribute to every single person here.”

“We’re thriving now. Steve and Ethan have created a connection and trust, and we know what’s expected. Their trust makes every challenging day go smoothly. We feel appreciated and know our voice will be heard”

Natalia Hristova Site Administrator

Together As One Martin Salmon, Alice Broderick, Natalia Hristova, Steve Copeland, Tony Smith, Sam Kershaw, Rick Eastham, Carol Morris, Brendan Hullah, Charlie Deighton and Steve Taylor

Business Continuity

Expect the unexpected

Whetherit’s roadworks or public

Erica West always tries to look into the future.

It’s not that she possesses mystical powers, but our Business Continuity Manager (inset) wants to be on top of every possible threat to our customers.

“We have to keep an eye on anything means anything from the Tour de France coming through Yorkshire or a serious accident,” she says.

“If we know about issues in advance we can work around them, reduce disruption and be resilient. And even if we don’t, we can prepare for possible scenarios.”

That’s where YOU, our experts on the ground in the vans, warehouses and operational support, can shape the best way to work.

Erica is touring sites to raise awareness of the importance of having a plan B –and to urge colleagues to help mould the strategy. She sees business continuity as “a big puzzle with lots of inter-related pieces held together by a nice shiny ribbon” and insists getting it right means:

increased resilience

fewer disruptions

safer and happier colleagues

“Enhancing our preparedness for any eventuality and having people ready to swing into action if it happens is a key part of what I want to achieve,” she adds.

The coming months will see Erica

Continuity Management System across sites and the support function, upskilling instant response teams and developing new digital tools to provide advice.

“We can’t handle incidents without our people on the ground, so when I’m out and about I want to hear their suggestions so we can give sites the processes and tools to minimise disruption if it happens,” she says.

“I want an open culture where people can come to me with ideas. Whether they’ve been in the business 10 years or 10 minutes, they may have suggestions on how we can work even better.”

The Business Continuity hub on Smart Connect gives advice and guidance as well as signposting colleagues to Incident Management Training courses. She adds: “We’re all in it together As One so if we have the tools to overcome issues, we can tackle any challenge.”

EMBEDDING

Everyone needs to understand the plan and know what to do if something unexpected happens, so this stage is about awareness, training, communication and engagement.

IMPLEMENTATION

This is when our people are trained to communicate swiftly unexpected happens that might threaten our service.

POLICY AND PROGRAMME

The rules and plans that help the business prepare for unexpected incidents.

DESIGN

When plans are drafted to tell us what to do if something unexpected happens and people practise using them. This is

are most important and need to keep working, and make a plan to ensure that they do.

VALIDATION

Where we make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to do, and how to do it even better if there’s a next time.

The ‘crystal ball gazer’ forecasting the future to protect our customers

peoplePride in our

Celebrating our loyal long-servers in style

he left his homeland too as he helped save a football club in his native Denmark from bankruptcy, to ensure 400 children could keep playing the game they love.

Kokkedal Football Club 30 miles north of his home city of Copenhagen led to a change in the club’s values, making it a place for players of all abilities to grow.

“Teamwork and spirit has always been important for me in this company or my role as coach for a football team,” says Peter, who joined DHL Parcel UK in 2018.

Long-servers

30 years

David Forster Carlisle

25 years

Paula Lyons Commercial

20 years

Ian Edmondson Transport & Linehaul

Derek Hollyhead Greenford

Justin Rogers East Midlands

15 years

Nicola Jackson York

Katherine Newton Commercial

Severino Rodrigues Thames Valley

Mike Riley Teesside

Irmina Brzuzy Ryton

Tony Hammond Ryton

Teamwork and spirit are key

Peter Krohn, the man who has made

20 years, is a strong believer in teams, showing respect and having fun.

After leaving his native Denmark 15 years ago he is now heading home to his family undecided on his future plans. But he vows not to return and do nothing.

That will be no surprise to colleagues at the three DHL business Units and six countries where he’s been Chief Executive

“Numbers have always been close to my heart and I’ve never left a country before we were in plus,” he says.

“I’m grateful to my team in Ryton and Slough. We’ve made big changes and I’ve enjoyed every day together because we’ve been ‘one team’ with a clear goal, good at celebrations and having fun.”

Peter’s spell in the UK coincided with the culture change from UK Mail to a DHL company, the approval for Coventry Hub, streamlining of the business and improved results, but he insists: “We’re not where we want to be yet.”

‘We are a family’

He adds: “I’m proud of having been part of building the house and it is now up to you deliver the promised EBIT. Remember customers and makes for a happy CFO.”

His old football club’s motto – “We are a family that has fun together, develops together and stands together through thick and thin, good weather and bad” – could easily apply to his time at DHL.

Anna Roman Runcorn

Kevin Hussey Oxford

Patrick Littrean Milton Keynes

Helen Stevens Milton Keynes

Dean Tunnah Manchester

Claire Webster Leicester

Rwakasihi Marembo Leicester

Gary Gibson Leicester

Isaack Mbonea Greenford

Terence Rich Exeter

Donald Howie

Robin Fleat Eastleigh

Fariid Naasor Docklands

Stephen Palmer Croydon

Massamba Mukoko Croydon

Rizwan Hussain Stadium Point

Barbara Piotrowicz Stadium Point

Kieran Judge Stadium Point

Matthew Mclean

Paul Halpin

Brian Player

“Without good people and the right attitude you don’t have a business. No one does business with a company – they do it with people”

Win!

Make your beach days and picnics perfect with this waterproof speaker from Bose. Its trebles and deep bass surface. The SoundLink Flex is waterproof, so it keeps on

and even connects to your smart phone for calls. To enter, email your answer to the question below, along with your name, to yello_ecsuk@dhl.com, or by text to 07860 021367

How many Mother’s Day hampers were stuck

IT TAKES SECONDS!

Just email your answer and your name to yello_ecsuk@dhl.com or text 07860 021367 CLOSING DATE: 25 August 2023

MELISSA’S GOLDEN PALACEMOMENT

When embarked on the Duke of Edinburgh

and still at school aged 14 when she began the Bronze with a gruelling trek through Gloucestershire with a heavy rucksack.

Six years on, after being delayed by the pandemic, she’s now been to Buckingham Palace to collect the prestigious Gold award from the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward. Her Silver and Gold expeditions through Oxfordshire pushed her to the limit and prepared her for life in DHL – where she’s now an HR Co-ordinator at Ryton

“It took me three years to complete but it taught me never to give up,” she says. “I learned a lot about resilience and teamwork and how digging in with others gets the job done.” She was joined by her dad at the garden party and had the “best tea and cake”, said hello to the Prince and even made the Royal instagram feed.

MR BLUE SKY TAKES TITLE!

Paul Stewart’s Lads on Toure won the DHL Fantasy Football title in a nervy

Right Royal fun: Find out how our teams joined in the Coronation Day fun, what’s happening at your site or just share good news and best practice. Not tried it yet? Simply download Smart Connect and sign up using your DHL.com email and

address, please ask your site manager for your own login details. Any questions? Please contact Charlotte.Bowler@dhl.com

Congratulations to Matt Cox,a Graphic Designer based at Ryton, who won a Ninja Air Fryer in the last edition’s competition