The Chevron Group’s employee newsletter Winter 2021
Christmas Jumper Day! More photos inside…
What a year!
How the Chevron Group has met 2021’s challenges head on
INSIDE Living life to the full
Winning ways
Chevron Green Services
Joe Matthews and Jamie Bowen share their transplant stories
New contracts and even more awards
The latest developments from the newest part of the Chevron Group
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Welcome Message from Tim Cockayne
It feels like Groundhog Day! Last year I wrote to you and spoke about the impact of COVID-19 on our business. This year, I’m writing to you and it’s still a big discussion point. It’s hard to believe we’re ending 2021 almost as we ended 2020, with COVID-19 still bringing uncertainty and challenges. And added to the challenges from the pandemic, there’ve been other outside factors which have had a significant impact on our business in 2021 – inflation, rising costs of fuel, the fall-out from Brexit and global supply chain issues. These have all combined to make the past year difficult for our businesses. However, in typical Chevron style, we’ve faced these uncertainties and met the challenges head-on. We’ve won new contracts, acquired new businesses, taken on new employees and put the Chevron Group in a really strong position as we move into 2022. The new contracts we’ve secured have been phenomenal. We won Cadent Gas early in the year followed by Severn Trent Water, we renewed our Wessex Water contract and Class One is rolling out BT’s ultrafast broadband service in Scotland. All of this gives us real strength in the Utilities sector and of course we won the SDF contract which give us secure work with National Highways for six years. Contracts are won on reputation, past performance and ability to deliver and it’s the fantastic effort from every single employee in our business, from our operatives through to our support functions, that enables our Bid Team to submit award-winning bids. Delivery of these new contracts will be a key focus in 2022. We’ve appointed a new Chief Operating Officer, Chris Woodroofe who will be responsible for the operational delivery of the business and ensuring that we can operate safely and in the most efficient way possible. He plans to launch Voice of the Employee as a way of speaking to our operatives across the business to understand the challenges we face and to look at how we can improve operations.
“In typical Chevron style, we’ve faced these uncertainties and met the challenges head-on.” We will also need to recruit more operatives and have already started a major recruitment drive. We’ve appointed Louise Cope as the Group’s new HR Director. Louise will lead the recruitment drive but we need your help. If you know anyone who would be suitable to work for Chevron, please let the HR team know. You could earn yourself up to £750 through our Refer a Friend Scheme. During the year, we also welcomed Chevron Green Services and Chevron Green Consultancy to the Group which expanded our soft estate and arboriculture services. You can read more about them in the magazine but they’ve also secured new contracts including SDF which is phenomenal. Digital Services continues to be a top priority for the Chevron Group. HRS has developed products and technology which will reduce carbon emissions for Chevron TM and our clients. With collaboration across the industry, there’s real opportunity to make a significant impact to our carbon footprint and play our part in protecting the planet for future generations. There’s no doubt that 2021 has been challenging but I’m looking forward to 2022 with enthusiasm and optimism. It will be busy and no doubt there will be new challenges but I’m fully confident that with the team of people who work within the Chevron Group, we will deliver. Tim Cockayne CEO
Jamie Bowen (right) with his donor (left)
Living life to the full Joe Matthews and Jamie Bowen share their transplant stories In September we held a Spotlight Session which focused on organ donation. We featured two of our employees - Joe Matthews, from the Sign Shop in Retford and Jamie Bowen, our Head of ESG. Their stories were so inspirational that we make no apologies for telling them again. At 19 years of age, Joe was living his best life. He was fighting fit and was on a rugby scholarship in America, looking at a future as a professional rugby player when his life changed. He suffered a cardiac arrest and only survived thanks to an organ donor who gifted him a new heart. That was 15 years ago and Joe has gone from strength to strength. He has taken part in the World Transplant Games and is a self-confessed fitness junkie.
Amazingly, Jamie’s new kidney came from a friend who stepped up to donate his living organ. With tests confirming a match, Jamie was given his second chance at life and, post-COVID, has put his hiking books back on and is enjoying life on the peaks across Wales. Joe and Jamie have shared their stories to raise awareness and to encourage you all to talk to your loved ones about organ donation.
At the beginning of 2021 life was good for Joe, his wife and two beautiful boys until history began to repeat itself. In April, they were given the devastating news that four-year-old son Kit also needed a new heart. Kit has since had his transplant and is on the road to a full recovery thanks to a wonderful organ donor. Jamie Bowen, our Head of ESG, has worked for Chevron for over six years. Fit as a fiddle, Jamie was an avid hiker and had even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Out of the blue, Jamie was suddenly faced with a new reality when his kidneys stopped functioning and he needed a kidney transplant. Placed on the transplant list, Jamie was facing a very uncertain and frightening future. He has described this time as ‘a silent death row’ as he waited for a call to say they had found a match.
Joe Matthews with Kit and his younger brother Monty
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Winning ways Contract news What a year it’s been. The Chevron Group has secured a number of major contracts recently. New contracts with Cadent Gas, Severn Trent Water and the BT R100 roll out in Scotland, combined with the renewal of our Wessex Water contract has positioned Chevron TM as a key player in the utilities sector while the National Highways SDF contract provides secure works for six years. Chevron Green Services have also been named as a preferred partner on the National Highways framework as Primary Provider of highways soft estates services in areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 & 9. This is the largest ever contract win for Chevron Green Services.
These contract wins are the result of the tremendous effort and teamwork which exists across the Group. From senior management to our operatives who deliver for our customers every single day, through to our support functions, we all play a part in building the Chevron Group’s reputation which brings repeat business and attracts new customers. We all deserve a massive well done for a job well done!
Chevron heroes
We say constantly that our people are the best in the business. These aren’t just words. We genuinely believe this but it is always nice when people outside the industry acknowledge our people.
Highways Heroes
At the beginning of December, six of our operatives, Martin Derrick, Chance Dickens, Lewis Brown, Chris Adams, Wayne Stillwell, and Paul Gardener got dressed up in black tie and headed to London where they were presented with Highways Heroes medals. Each of these medalwinners have saved a life or supported a vulnerable person while they have been working a night shift. Unfortunately, our operatives are facing these challenging situations more and more often and this is just another level of service they provide over and above their normal TM duties and we couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations to all!
EMAD Community workforce award
We were delighted to have received the EMAD (East Midlands Asset Delivery) Community workforce award in October. This award is given in recognition of the continued demonstration of the combined EMAD Values of Safety, Customer, Delivery and People, by Chevron TM operatives who work on the EMAD framework. They have been fully committed to this framework since day one and have constantly delivered the EMAD and Chevron values. Stuart Abram our Bid Director was delighted to accept the award together with Ryan Harrison and Alistair Goodsir. “This award is a tremendous endorsement of our operatives and shows the level of commitment they have given to this framework. I want to congratulate each and every one of them. They have done Chevron TM proud.”
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Every day’s a school day… Keep an eye out for the Academy Roadshow Each day we learn something new. Mostly, it’s general information which we hope will be useful at some point in the future. But at Chevron we want to ensure that our colleagues have the opportunity to learn something that will help build a long-term career with us. Which is why we launched the Academy, our online platform where you select courses to help you learn and develop. Over the past few months, our training team, led by Claire Brough, has been bringing the Academy Roadshow to depots around the country. These roadshows, which will continue in the new year, are designed to help you understand the Academy platform so that you can get the most out of it. They’re also a great opportunity for you to give us your feedback so that we can ensure that we are providing the courses and learning opportunities that you have requested.
At the roadshows we’ve held already, we have reminded colleagues that: Training on the Academy is free You can do Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint courses on the Academy Using the Academy will help you progress within the Chevron Group We have also listened to what you want to see on the Academy and are working towards providing: More operationally-focused courses Shorter courses Video-led courses Courses which will help on-road colleagues progress into office-based roles We want to hear more from you so keep an eye out for the Academy Roadshow coming to your depot in the new year.
FUN AND GAMES If you want to have fun with traffic management cones, contact Jason Winterburn, Glen Hughes and Josh Lorpin at our Warrington depot. They joined Costain Group at a careers event at Ashton Community Science College in Preston to give pupils an insight into life as a traffic management operative. Rather than a long-winded classroom talk, the guys took traffic lights and cones to the school and created a few fun games for the pupils to play. This helped get the pupils interested in what Chevron TM does and the key role we play in keeping road workers and road users safe.
School leavers are our employees of the future and we were delighted to give them the opportunity to find out more about a career that could better suit their skills, capabilities and attributes.
A massive shout out to Jason, Glen and Josh for coming up with fun ways to engage the pupils. We hope to see some of the Ashton Community Science College pupils working at Chevron TM in the future.
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The future is here
HRS Retford (left) and the Highways UK exhibition
How HRS and Chevron are driving digital change
of working is seldom easy and hence it is important to work together, not just between HRS and Chevron TM but across the industry.
10 years ago, HRS was set up by Roger Poeth and James Jarret following the death of a road worker in Lincolnshire who was killed by a vehicle which breached a closure. Both Roger and James believed that digital technology could be used to protect road workers and ensure that they go home safe to their families after every shift. And so they developed the Intellicone® Incursion Prevention and Warning System which is now considered best practise.
HRS has delivered a range of roadshows for clients to showcase what digital technology can do and they plan to hold more of these roadshows next year. They also plan to visit our depots to speak to operatives and understand the challenges you face in putting out digital products.
Fast forward 10 years, and HRS and Chevron TM are working together to drive digital change throughout the industry with a range of solutions that will help reduce carbon emissions, create safer roadworks and better inform road users. Developing and deploying new technologies to improve existing ways
The traffic management industry is slowly but surely moving towards digitalisation and HRS in partnership with Chevron TM is leading the way. We need your help to make it happen! To find out more about how we can help reduce the carbon footprint of our industry please read our white paper “Modernising and De-Carbonising our Industry” on the HRS website.
Protecting our planet It’s no secret that our planet is facing its biggest ever challenge and that governments, businesses and individuals need to do what we can to slow down or stop climate change. The Chevron Group is playing our part. For example, we have installed LED lighting across our depots and offices, and we harvest rainwater. Obviously, because of the nature of our business, we can’t totally eradicate CO2 emissions but we have signed a partnership with a charity called ClimateCare to offset unavoidable emissions by supporting projects that decarbonise grid electricity in India and protect a vital carbon sink in the Gola Rainforest National Park in Sierra Leone. Chevron Green Services and Chevron Green Consultancy work with
Planters at Ashley Heath; Jamie Bowen and Stephanie Berwick (left) clients to manage their green spaces and create sustainable environments, while HRS has developed Intelliframe® and Intelliframe® Lite which can help clients reduce CO2 emissions. We recently announced our commitment to set science-based targets and are currently finalising our net zero strategy, which will be published in 2022. Our ESG commitment is led by Jamie Bowen and Stephanie Berwick but they need the commitment from
everyone across the business to play their part. Geoff Maxted and a few of his colleagues at Ashley Heath had an innovative way of recycling. They turned obsolete equipment into planters and created beautiful floral displays around the depot. Not only did they reuse and recycle, they created little flower beds for bees and other insects. Well done to Geoff Maxted and the team at Ashley Heath. Small steps can make a big impact.
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GETTING TO KNOW…
Chris Woodroofe CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Class Act Class One Traffic Management joined the Chevron Group at the end of 2020. We caught up with Managing Director, Mike Healey to find out how things have been going north of the border. “It’s December again and the Christmas holiday is almost here. What a year it’s been. It’s been busy and challenging but the Class One team has risen to the occasion and we’ve got through it with aplomb. “The changes we faced due to COVID-19 restrictions have been difficult and the new Omicron variant reminds us that the COVID-19 issue will not diminish any time soon. “We have challenges in recruiting to the team due to Brexit and we are servicing the last of the Scottish Water contract. “On a brighter note, Class One’s integration into the Chevron Group is well underway and we are seeing the benefits of being part of the larger group, particularly with access to digital services through our collaboration with HRS. “Our current contracts are running well. The Edinburgh Tram project will be completed in late 2024 and we have also
just secured further work in Edinburgh for Balfour Beatty on the CCWEL Cycle Lane project. As our Scottish Water contract comes to an end, we are seeing strong growth in our contracts with Morrison Telecom and Morrison Power, which is great news for our continued growth and job security. “We have also been happy to support Morrison M Group Services who have been collecting cash to provide toys for children whose parents have been struggling this year, a situation many of us find ourselves in from time to time. We hope 2022 is a better year for them all. “We would also like to wish Jimmy Smith a speedy recovery. He is making great progress after a recent heart scare. We hope to see him return to work in the new year. Finally, I would like to thank all our wonderful staff, particularly our people on the road working in all weather around the clock. We could not do what we do without you. I salute you.”
What attracted you to the Chevron Group? I was keen to stay within the Transport sector but outside of Airports. I liked the fact that my Chevron role is much more commercial in nature and is across the UK rather than all on one site. In any new role, the culture of the organisation you are joining is really important and I knew from very early on that that the culture of the Chevron Group was absolutely consistent with my values. Is the Chevron Group similar to Gatwick Airport? Yes and no. As I said in my first ChrisInConversation video, one similarity is that, in both organisations, frontline workers are doing difficult, manual work, outside in all weathers and at unsociable hours. There is also contact with the general public in circumstances when they are in stressful environments and need careful engagement. What changes do you plan for the Chevron Group? I think there are a number opportunities for us as a business. I’d like to understand better how we use our vehicles and, as such, have started a telematics trial in Newport depot. Looking across the entire business, I definitely think there is more we could do in terms of sharing ‘best practice’ across our depots. There is also a real opportunity for depots to work better together to deliver our work as efficiently and effectively as possible. What has been your biggest challenge to date? To date, one of my biggest challenges has been getting out to see as many depots in person as possible. So far I have visited 11 depots, so am averaging one per week, but there are still a number that I haven’t visited – a definite target for 2022!
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Chevron Green Services It has now been eight months since Chevron Green Services and Chevron Green Consultancy became part of the Chevron Group. We caught up with Dan Taylor, Operations Director to find out how things have moved on.
to us and the forecast from National Highways is that it will be a lot of work.
“Since the acquisition we have won work with CPS on the M25, the M&R contract in Area 12 (North East) and SDF (Scheme Delivery Framework) in the South East, South West and the Midlands. This is mostly due to us having access to the Chevron Bid Team. They have vast experience of tendering for major contracts and the SDF contracts would have been out of our reach without them. These SDF contracts will run for six years, and we will be working directly with National Highways for the first time. Any of their major schemes containing soft estate works will be coming
“With the award of these new contracts, we have the confidence to invest in new plant. We have recently put orders in for three new JCB Fastracs with orbital sidearms and front flails. These will be with us in spring next year. We have also added to our workforce. James Curtis is our new contracts supervisor in Area 6&8. Dean Matthews is our new Contracts Manager covering the M25, M40 and various contracts in the area and he has been joined by Matt Dawson as Contracts Supervisor.
“The re-branding to Chevron Green Services and Chevron Green Consultancy is complete and our name is also being pushed out through social media and industry shows. Recruitment has also become easier with our name being associated with Chevron but the rapid growth in recruitment is still our biggest challenge going forward.
“Matt Smith will be our new Contracts Manager in Area 9 starting later this month. Tobias Franke has joined as Operations Coordinator helping out across the business. Simon Longstaff has joined as our new Contracts Manager in Area 12 assisted by Scott Chipchase as Contracts Supervisor and Lewis Clayton as Supervisor. I expect there will be more additions in the near future, and we will introduce them to you as they come on board. A very warm welcome to the new additions and congratulations to those who have been promoted.”
Working in collaboration with WJ Group WJ Group has been providing temporary markings for all of our major schemes for over 20 years. In 2020, we decided that the time was right to begin to formalise our collaborative relationship with an accredited ISO 44001 relationship. By doing so, we are positioning ourselves as industry leaders, ready to meet contract demands and drive further industry initiatives. The collaboration will further enhance our working relationships and ensure both companies can
deliver the best possible service to our customers. It will also support future learnings across both companies and enhance our existing relationship. Stuart Abram, our Bid Director is leading this collaboration, supported by a team from across the Chevron Group who are focused on areas including Sustainability, People and Efficiencies. The ultimate aim is to create a mutually beneficial collaboration with WJ Group which will allow us to strengthen our position when tendering future works and
learn from each other, particularly in relation to the operational phases of a project, whether this is in relation to temporary markings, TASCAR systems, CCTV or Stop Vehicle Detection systems.
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Chevron Green Consultancy Chevron Green Consultancy became part of the Chevron Group in June but what exactly does this business do. Martin Osman, Consultancy Director explains. “Chevron Green Consultancy is a division of Chevron Green Services. We are a small team of currently nine employees and a substantial supply chain of specialists, covering the whole of England and Wales. “The team consists of myself as the Consultancy Director and my specialisms are in arboriculture, landscape management, habitat management and Highway Asset maintenance. I oversee 2 teams – Arboriculture, managed by Carol Castlo our Arboricultural Manager, and Environment, headed up by Ruth Frith our Environmental Manager. “The Environmental team is mainly based in the South. Their expertise include environmental
Festive Fun
as says it’s Christm There’s nothing We y! Da r pe m Ju as quite like Christm as ray of Christm had a fantastic ar for our Christmas ow clobber on sh the Class One Jumper Day. Even act! And of course dog got in on the n to help raise sio we used the occa the Children. We money for Save llecting food and have also been co l food banks and toiletries for loca al! been phenomen s the response ha s ne who ha Thanks to everyo , we are making er th ge To donated. s don’t go hungry sure that familie this Christmas!
assessments, protected species management and surveys, wildflower/grassland management and monitoring, flora and fauna surveys/monitoring/ management as well as planning and BREEAM assessments, air quality, and all things environmental. “The Arboricultural team is based in the East Midlands and the neighboring counties and is responsible for all things trees and landscape. They conduct surveys from drive bys to in depth tree condition assessments, hedgerow surveys, scrub and habitat management specifications and mitigation prescriptions for habitat improvements and precise species management. “Both teams manage our full network of operations for a variety of clients including National Highways, councils, developers and planners, private companies and government organisations. Current works include woodland management plan surveys in 6&8, Ash Dieback Surveys in Area 3&4, and we’re finishing Dormouse surveys in Area 4 and Obscuration Surveys on the M40.
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What you say…
“I am lucky to do a job that I thoroughly enjoy and to be surrounded by some amazing people both within Chevron and outside who have helped me along the way.” Alastir Goodsir, Contract Supervisor
We have been out and about talking to colleagues across our depots. Here are just some of the things they say about working in the Chevron Group… There are lots of things I love about my job but the main one is working with such wonderful people. Everyone throughout the business is friendly and helpful. We have such a good team at Leeds, it makes it a joy coming to work.” Nicola Ellam, Northern Region Administration Manager
“The staff in the office are a pleasure to work with and are very professional. We are like a family.”
I am super proud of the way my team and depot run as a small, close-knit family. We always deliver against all odds and champion the Chevron core values – Humour gives us the edge, We lead by example and we Champion our customers.” Mike Fenner, Depot Manager, Thatcham
Allan Underwood, Supervisor Tring
Things they say… Championing our customers is at the heart of our business. We work every day to deliver for our customers so it’s always a pleasure when they take the time to tell us what they think. This is some of the feedback we have received from our customers… We were looked after by Gaby from Finedon depot who delivered an excellent service from start to finish. He was interactive with the event team so I was confident that we were safe and ready.” Race Director, Northampton Half Marathon. “I would like to place on record my thanks for the help and assistance you have given me in regards to the annual Service of Remembrance. This has always been of great assistance to Finedon Town Council and me, and helped ensure that we complied with current Health and Safety regulations. It has been a pleasure meeting you and your staff. Please accept my thanks to you and all your staff.” Mr Ray Ogle, former councillor for Finedon Town Council
Lyn Radford-Grout and Darren Ellison, providing traffic management services at the Cazoo St Leger Festival
Paul’s work on a number of the SMP Alliance, Stop Vehicle Detection (SVD) schemes in the Midlands region has been second to none. His ‘championing our customers’ and ‘lead by example’ approach has delivered excellent results in what is at times a challenging environment, given the works are safety critical. When phoning the SVD TM Lead for updates, I’m only ever told one thing ‘Please clone Paul Rowton’. I can’t say much more than that, other than what a great way to start a 10-year framework.” National Highways Project Manager Top man...even gave me his jacket and offered me some fudge. Kindness all the way!” Competitor at Outlaw X Triathlon speaking about Richard Lobley from Retford depot
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CONTACT US If you have any news stories, want further information on any subject or have any queries, please contact our Marketing & Communications Team brand@ChevronTM.com
It’s not the Six Nations but… We played like it was! In September, we gathered up a team of talented rugby enthusiasts, captained by Jack Simons, our Digital Marketing Apprentice to represent Chevron TM at the Balfour Beatty Touch Rugby Challenge 2021. Jack was joined by players from our South East and South West regions including Chris Davis, Dan Hunt, Matthew Harris, JayJay Whitehead and Jack Vanbeers-Green who put in a tremendous performance and came
third, conceding only one try in the tournament. The greatest result was for Balfour Beatty’s chosen charities – Heathrow Community Fund, Heart of Bucks (Green Futures) and Groundwork – for whom £10,500 was raised. Fantastic effort from Team Chevron TM and a big thank you to Balfour Beatty for inviting us to take part in their fundraising event.
Fighting Fit The Chevron Group, once again, took part in the WE+ fitness challenge competing against teams across the Work Zone Safety Group, from Ramudden, AVS and Fero. Competition was intense but particularly among the Chevron Group teams. In a closely fought battle to the end, it was Cone Rangers, led by Lisa Killinger, our Group Head of Marketing & Communications who came out on top! “In it for the Swag”, led by Louise Cope, our HR Director came in a close second. Louise topped the leader board as the individual with the most exercises per week!
Scan Me
Over the past year, the marketing team, led by Cristina Dobrin and Jack Simons, have visited many of our depots and attended many events and have captured loads of photos of our employees having fun. Scan the QR code to see our Chevron employee album! You might be in it!
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See you soon…