CSG Huddle Connect 1

ISSUE 1 | April 2022

connect-the-dots – bringing together information from different places.

What an end to the year!

Hi all, the past few weeks have been exceptionally busy across CSG as we close the 2021/22 financial year and open the new year in style!

At the end of March, we completed the £15.9m acquisition of Bowerhouse Solar II Ltd, a company that owns and operates a 94-acre solar farm in Somerset, housing 39,000 solar panels and generating green electricity – a major step forward for us in terms of customer experience, commercial growth and of course – social and environmental value.

We also announced the exciting news that four new brands will join CSG over the next few months – HR Select, Employment Check, Kent Teach and Staff Care Services – which will form our new HR Services division. This new division, alongside our hugely successful recruitment businesses, will ensure CSG can take a full and holistic People Services offer to market.

Speaking of Recruitment, earlier in April we confirmed and announced our latest joint venture win with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council – our first partnership outside of Southeast England, and a service that is due to be live in the Autumn this year. We wish the mobilisation team the very best of luck in getting this new business set up and ready to operate!

I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Huddle Connect, which is packed with information and news from around the Group. Over the next couple of weeks, we will begin to release the shortlists for our upcoming Summer Awards – best of luck to everybody who has made those lists and we hope to see lots of you at the event in June!

Thank you for all of your hard work and ongoing commitment, and have a great May…

Matt Johnson, CEO

What’s Inside eLearning at your fingertips 2 IT Security Awareness

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Project Reach

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Interview with Social Values Team

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Star Performer

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Comms Team

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CSG Social Media

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Meet Zoe

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Awards Summer Party

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We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.

If you have a story, a success or information you want to include in May’s huddle connect, please email comms@csltd.org.uk.

eLearning at your fingertips John Bowden, HSEQ team

COMING SOON – Safety Awareness Courses As part of the eLearning and safety awareness, we will be soon introducing the next set of H&S training starting with Electrical Safety.

Now that we are WFA (Working from Anywhere) it is even more important that we routinely check our electrical equipment for visual signs of damage whether it be at home or in the workplace.

You will all be familiar with the Access eLearning courses and this is a polite reminder that the Five Core Skills courses that have been set for everyone need to be completed by 4 May.

Every year countless injuries are reported because of accidents relating to electrical faults and bad practices. 10-30 people are killed annually and around 200 people suffer serious burns resulting in skin grafts disfigurement and even in some cases amputations.

Of course, the groups most at risk from electrical accidents are electrical professionals, construction workers and engineers. Even so, it is vital to remember that anyone who uses or works with electrical equipment is at risk of harm, injury, and death.

Any modern office or workplace relies on electricity. It is therefore vital to follow electrical safety precautions to prevent you or your colleagues from becoming part of these statistics.

If need any assistance on how to find Access eLearning courses, please contact John.Bowden@csltd.org.uk.

NEW PLATFORM LAUNCHING CES are now up and running and actively completing its modules to help us become as safe and secure as we can be within our business.

IT Security Awareness

Soon it will be your turn as we are rolling out the platform for all employees. We’ll sending out a welcome email just before we launch the platform but as a heads-up lookout for an email from CybSafe that looks like this.

Jenny Colquhoun, Operations Services Manager

Be our strongest link.

As a reminder, CybSafe is our new online IT Security Awareness Platform which will help us to develop our security skills and habits and it has some great tips to help keep both your work and home environment safer.

Lookout for an email from CybSafe like this.

If you have any queries relating to CybSafe, contact Jennifer.Colquhoun@csltd.org.uk.

Important: If you have any concerns about data security or you think there is something suspicious about an email you have received, either call the Service Desk on 03000 410750 or log a ticket on Service Now. 2

on the image Project Reach [Click to see the video ]

After months of planning and construction, Project Reach has been completed!

Project Reach was one of a number of projects in the works throughout the past year, one that aimed to grow the capacity and opportunities for an already extraordinary warehouse. Project Reach has reached it’s aim to make improvements, constructing a mezzanine floor to utilise empty space and increase capacity, allowing for 4,500 new products to be added for delivery to the customers, as well as opening up the possibility for more platforms to be added.

While no doubt many warehouses are seen as a large, empty boxes, the KCS warehouse is very different; with solar panels for clean energy, 97% of waste being recycled, and a water collection system. Our warehouse is a shining example of an eco-friendly building.

Interview with Social Values Team

Maxine Kerley, Olivia Gill, Kathleen Reid, Radmila Stembridge Social value is no doubt a phrase you’ve heard a lot recently, and for good reason, social value is important in a lot of ways to both CSG and our people, but what exactly is social value? Well by definition it is a set of values and views held by a company and its people that influences what choices are made within the company for the sake of bettering anything from the environment to communities and individuals. However, while a dictionary definition is great, what does social value mean to the people of CSG? Who better to answer this than the members of the newly formed social value group within CSG! [Social value means] giving something back to the community at large and contributing to making a difference to society, to local communities, to the things that matter and bring us together as people.

Maxine Kerley I see social value as an area of focus that has massive potential to deliver benefits to customers, suppliers and us as service providers. When delivering goods or services we should be able to act smarter and be able to provide additional value to our customers and communities under the broad headings of Environmental Benefit, Social Benefit and Economic Benefit. Kathleen Reid The social value group is a collaboration of people from within CSG brands to establish the social values of CSG, ensuring the company stays true to its responsibility to give back to our communities. In a time where problems seem to become larger by the day, we want to make sure every action we take does some good, and this team will be vital in finding ways we can push this company in a good direction.

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We love it when we win a new bid; project or contract. The growth of CSG and all its brands is on a spectacular trajectory right now. And that comes down to each and every contribution we all make.

Sometimes our people do extraordinary things in the course of their contribution, and we want to celebrate your rockstar performances when this happens.

CSG Social Media LinkedIn

Belinda Scorey Graphic Designer

Beth Adams

Social Media Coordinator

Kieran Warner

Content & Copy Coordinator

Hello, we’re the CSG comms team and we are interested in what’s happening in the group and want to share and communicate all the successes and wins.

We have a new dedicated email comms@csltd.org.uk you may already have seen a couple of emails from us, so keep an eye out as you will be seeing much more very soon!

Have you ever opened an email on Outlook and sighed because it’s just as dull looking as the rest?

Are the emails you get from your supermarket or favourite clothes shop more exciting than the ones you’re receiving from us?

The likelihood is that the answer is going to be ‘yes’ to at least one, if not both of those questions. We have come up with a solution for this… Mail Chimp! For those who may not have heard of Mail Chimp or received an email from us through them, Mail Chimp is a service for creating email campaigns. It is mainly designed for companies to let customers know about sales and promotions however we are using it internally to make the information we deliver to you more engaging and exciting.

So, if you see an email drop into your inbox from ‘no-reply@ comms.csltd.org.uk’, do give it a click. We know there have been concerns surrounding security however please rest assured that these emails are safe to open and view.

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You know that they say… It’s not what you know, it’s who you know and they are absolutely right. The easiest way to find new opportunities is through people and LinkedIn gives you a way to connect with “the who”.

At CSG we like to use LinkedIn to show how amazing it is to be part of the group and to encourage people, great people, to join us. We love sharing what our brands and people are saying as well as raising awareness about various causes.

Instagram Instagram is a platform filled with pictures and videos featuring content from wellness tips to funny cat videos. For us, Instagram is like a ‘Team sheet’ or ‘Family Album’. We enjoy nothing more than shouting about our amazing people’s work from the rooftops. Whether it’s a achievement, an exciting project, or something you’d like us to support, we want to share it all!

Linktree A direct link to all our social media accounts and our website plus interesting articles all in one, handy place.

Meet Zoe

Zoe Murray is the Commercial Improvement Manager within the new Commercial team. We asked her all about her role and what matters in her life.

This is what she said…

What is your role at CSG and how long have you been in it?

I joined CSG six months ago.

My role as Commercial Improvement Manager sits within a new corporate team that is looking at outward-facing projects across the group. Since joining I have been managing the wonderfully complex and challenging MiSK project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Project Centurion and am currently on the steering group for Project Slide Puzzle, the AWR refurbishment.

Project Centurion, which focused on our recruitment for key commercial projects across the divisions, has led us to start a new Talent Acquisition function for the group. The TA function will sit within Commercial and be responsible for finding the best talent to support our goals. This will include proactive recruitment campaigns targeting passive candidates, enhancing our

candidate attraction methods, improving our candidate journey, and maximising our relationships with agency partners. Getting CSG to be seen as an employer of choice is high on my agenda, there’s so much to shout about so it’s a wonderful opportunity.

Is working with CSG different from working with other companies you’ve worked with?

The thing that has really impressed me with CSG is just how many talented people are in the organisation and how there is a real sense of collaboration to achieve ambitious goals. Since I have joined there have already been some radical changes, it makes me so excited to see what the future brings and to be part of it.

What did you want to be when you were growing up and how did you end up where you are today?

I wanted to be the guy on Art Attack when I grew up, or maybe Challenge Aneka, I still would do that to be fair I was never entirely sure what I wanted to do career-wise, it felt like a huge decision when I was a teenager, so I studied the subjects I loved and went from there. I fell into the recruitment industry and learnt everything I could, took every course and opportunity to develop and enjoyed success. I am a strong believer in the phrase ‘hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard’ – attitude and passion will take you far.

Do you have a favorite quote or saying?

‘Version one is better than version none’ – it reminds me that it doesn’t need to be perfect to get started. Our idea of perfect today will be wildly different in five years’ time, so don’t stress about the small stuff. It’s better to get things going and improve later, than be crippled by perfection.

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Do you have any pets, and if not, what would your ideal pet be?

I have two dogs – a Frenchie called Prince & a Boston Terrier called Ralph.

What is your proudest moment or achievement?

My proudest achievement is my 3-year-old daughter Matilda.

She is kind, funny, caring and a beautiful soul; it’s a joy to be her mummy.

Work-wise a very proud moment was being invited to a reception at 10 Downing Street to celebrate ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’, at a previous company. It was the result of a lot of hard work and a period of significant growth, it made me reflect on how far I’d come.

Do you have any interests most wouldn’t know about you?

I love all things arts & crafts and teaching myself how to do things via YouTube. I made a Christmas wreath for home a couple of years ago and ended up getting some orders and selling them on Instagram. I’ve hung up my glue gun for now, but I do love making things and being creative.

What is your favourite place you’ve ever been?

It’s hard to pick a favourite, but I loved Sri Lanka. We visited the Pinnawela elephant sanctuary which was beautiful and a day I will always remember.

What’s your favorite book or movie?

Forrest Gump is just the perfect movie, it makes me laugh, it makes me cry and is a classic.

version one is better than

version none

FAQ’s

Q What time do I need to arrive?

A Between 4-4.15pm, Awards will commence at 4.30pm.

Q Do I need to book annual leave to finish work early to attend?

A No-one is expected to take leave to attend the event.

Q Can I bring my partner?

A The event is only for employees of CSG. Q Will I need to buy food and drink?

A Tokens will be provided for two drinks and for one of the food options. There will however be a bar open throughout the event within the tipi.

In less than 9 weeks’ time, CSG will hold its first ever Annual Awards and Summer Party.

Q Will my dietary requirements be catered for?

A We have ensured that all the dietary requirements that we have been notified of are catered for by one of the vendors on the night.

The event, being held in the grounds of the Great Danes Hotel in Maidstone, will see hundreds of CSG employees together for the first time in over two years. It is an excellent chance to celebrate the success of the last year, and to thank our employees for all their dedication and amazing work.

Q Will you pay my mileage for attending the event?

A If you live over an hour away from the venue then you can seek permission from your divisional director to either claim back the mileage or to have accommodation paid for you at the venue.

The awards will commence at 4.30pm and will be presented to mark some great achievements across the business, and to recognise some outstanding members of staff. Once the awards finish staff will be able to grab a bite to eat from the Pizza Company or The Village Chippy before dancing the night away!

Q What time does the event finish?

A Midnight Q Is the event being held on grass?

A The tipi will be on the grass and will have flooring however it is likely to be uneven ground (stilettoes may not be the best idea!)

Q What is the dress code?

A We did not set a dress code however, we believe the majority are going for smart casual.

Employee Choice Award your vote counts!

Got a question, drop us an email at comms@csltd.org.uk

This is your chance to put forward an employee who you believe deserves recognition. A member of staff (not necessary within your team or even division) that you believe goes above and beyond.

When making your vote please provide the reason for your nomination.

Don’t miss out!

MAKE A NOMINATION

It is set to be a great night and we hope to see lots of you there. If you would like to attend.

Please note that if you try to vote more than once we will take your first nomination.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP 6