In The Loop April 22

lo p in the

April 2022

Tandem People Magazine

Tree planting at Leighton Hall Page 23

Page 8

Page 20

An interview with Dave Briggs

The importance of carbon to life

Contents Brand update.............................................. 03 Internal promotions................................ 04 Durham Savings launch......................... 06 Meet the team.......................................... 07 Hidden talents........................................... 10 TGT................................................................. 13 Bonus.............................................................. 14 Ask Exco........................................................ 16 ESG Impact.................................................. 18 ESG monthly stats.................................... 19

The importance of carbon to life..... 20 Energy reduction....................................... 22 Volunteering activities........................... 23 Dragon boat race...................................... 27 Health and wellbeing.............................. 29 L&D promotion......................................... 30 Ramadan....................................................... 32 Easter............................................................. 34 Announcements....................................... 36 Top performers......................................... 39 Your extra mile.......................................... 42

P o l l i t t & Ta n d e m

Brand Update With the help of our creative agency, we're working on our new Tandem Group visual brand identity.

We're hoping to be ready to share something with you very soon.

! e c a p s s i Watch th

Internal Promotions

Oplo and Tandem Please join us in Congratulating Caleb, Phillip, Cameron, Leah and Kelsey in their new roles!

We are excited to announce the internal promotion of Caleb Haley to Systems Analyst!

Caleb has been with the Systems team since November 2020, joining us as a Junior Systems Analyst. Caleb fast became an asset within the Application Support function and is the front man when it comes to dealing with BAU tickets.

Phillip Eastham has been promoted to Specialist Support Team, Team Leader!

Phil has been with Oplo for almost 4 years now. He started off in the Personal Loans collections department and recently jumped into a new role on the Specialist Support Team. With his wealth of knowledge and experience, Phil has secured himself the team leader position on this department which is very much well deserved. Well done, Phil!

We are excited to announce the internal promotion of Leah Leeming to Homeloans Team Leader.

Leah joined us in December 2020 as a Completions Assistant. Since joining Leah has been an invaluable member of the team, consistently achieving whilst taking on additional task and helping support the new members of the team. Leah has excellent knowledge of the department and is now ready for a new challenge leading her own team, sharing her knowledge and best practises.

We are excited to announce that Cameron Schofield has been promoted to Service Desk Team Leader!

Cameron has quickly established himself in the company and will take responsibility for managing BAU on the Service Desk. He is the primary point of contact for incidents and requests for the Blackpool, Durham, and Manchester Offices, and managing our 1st line Service Desk Engineers, Kyle and Lewis.

Sarah Wiggin will continue to be the escalation point for any issues.

We are excited to announce the internal promotion of Kelsey Fryett to Underwriter!

Kelsey has been a member of the Customer Service Team within the consumer division since early July last year. She joined us as a Customer Service Advisor and has been instrumental in driving the team ever since. Kelsey has excellent knowledge of the department and is now ready for a new challenge.

New starters

Welcome!

We’re h ir

ing!

If you w informa ould like any tion on the role availabl s e, pleas e e m ail recruitm ent@ myoplo .co.uk

William Banks Underwriter Consumer Lending

Layla Worthington Completions Assistant Mortgage Lending

Kelly Whitworth Admin Team Leader Mortgage Lending

Ceri Hodgson CRM - CF Car Finance Servicing

James Gardner Underwriter Consumer Lending

Christina Bunting CRM - PL Consumer Servicing

Chris Bromage Delivery Manager IT Change Delivery

Huraira Fayyaz Underwriter Consumer Lending

Barry Edwards Underwriter Consumer Lending

Scott Geyer Underwriter Consumer Lending

Tamsin Kentfield CRM - CF Car Finance Servicing

Brogan Reid Underwriter Consumer Lending

Sabastian Knight Junior Developer IT Change Delivery

Adam Thornborough Underwriter Consumer Lending

Lee Collier Customer Relationship Manager Consumer Servicing

Caroline Shepherd Senior Developer IT Engineering

Matt Clare Junior Financial Crime Analyst Operations

Charlene Pearson Completions Assistant Mortgage Lending Jade Sharp Completions Assistant Mortgage Lending

Durham Savings Launch “ I am really excited that we were able to transition Savings to our in-house team at our site based in Durham. This project was started as soon as the Tandem and Oplo transaction completed in January, we were able to quickly pull together a project team that consisted of our Oplo, Tandem and Allium colleagues. I have been particularly impressed by the collaboration and speed at which we were able to bring savings on-line and the dedication shown by those involved. The team in Durham have done a fantastic job in balancing the priorities of maintaining Car Finance Servicing and Collections, as well as providing the necessary support and training on the new product to all colleagues on-site.

The benefits of having Savings managed in-house, is that it puts us in full control of our Customer Journey and allows us to quickly and effectively manage changes, this will in-turn benefit both our customers and colleagues. We transitioned all customer email and live chat around 3 weeks ago, pleasingly we have already received some positive customer feedback, including our first 5 star Trust Pilot review! We are all really looking forward to the continued growth of customer deposits, which in turn will help provide further lending.”

Ajay Mitha

Managing Director of Group Servicing

Mfit the new Tandem

Senior Leadership Team!

Each month we'll be introducing members of our senior leadership team so you can find out a bit more about them and their business area.

This month we're introducing...

Dave Briggs Managing Director for Car Finance

An interview with

Dave Briggs Managing Director for Car Finance

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m 54 years old and I live in Cardiff with my wife Amanda, my 11-year-old daughter Sophie and her best friend, our 4-year-old Cockapoo Millie. I was born in Belgium and brought up in Essex before relocating for work down to Kent, again up to Cheshire and then down to Cardiff where I’ve lived for 11 years now.

I’ve worked in motor finance pretty much all my life, 3 years with Mercantile Credit, 10 years with Wagon Finance / First National Motor Finance and the last 22 years with Carlyle Finance / MotoNovo Finance before joining Oplo in February this year.

I’m passionate about the motor finance industry and love that after *ahem years I still learn something new every single day, I absolutely love it and can’t imagine working in any other industry!

Highlight so far of working for Oplo.

It’s really exciting for me to join Oplo and Tandem at such an exciting time and to be granted such a fantastic opportunity to lead our expansion in motor finance. I love the purpose and values of the business and how they disseminate throughout the group and are really brought to life for our customers and our people. They really do have true meaning. I’ve been so inspired by

everyone I’ve met in the business. The culture is truly outstanding and absolutely sets us up for success!

Favourite thing to do in your spare time.

With my playing days far behind me, I’m a keen Sale Sharks and England rugby fan which makes for some fun times for an Englishman living in Cardiff, especially around 6 Nations time!

Unfortunately, Manchester is a bit of a trek for me now, so I don’t get to go to many of the Sale home games. I do manage to hook up with my ex-teammates for a few of the away games every year, my favourite trips being to France or Ireland. As a family we like to escape to our holiday home in Pembrokeshire for most weekends and enjoy time-out in the countryside and on the beach.

Describe what your business area does and anything you want the rest of the business to know.

We’re currently finalising the business plan for the car finance division with a planned relaunch of the business in the summer.

There's a huge opportunity for us to become a major player in the point-of-sale motor finance industry. We’ll be recruiting a team based in Cardiff, and across the UK, to appoint and service more car dealer and broker relationships to sell our products to finance vehicles for our customers. We’ll be differentiating ourselves and providing our dealer and broker partners a compelling proposition to partner with us ahead of our competitors, the likes of Santander, Black Horses, MotoNovo, Close and Oodle and delivering industry leading levels of automation and outstanding service standards to maintain and grow those relationships. I’m 100% confident we’ll succeed in our mission.

s i th h c t a W space!

Tandem's Hidden Talent Lee Sinvula

Banking Operations Specialist - Operations Team

When did your interest in planes begin?

It started when I was young, I was born in Zambia and when growing up we lived near Lusaka international Airport. I would see many airplanes flying over and I've been told many stories from family that I would always run outside when they’d fly over and be absolutely fascinated.

When we moved to UK, my mum noticed my continued passion for aircrafts so she bought me flight books and magazines so I could continue learning. I read about the Wright brothers who were the first individuals to fly a plane and all the different types i.e. commercial, cargo, fighter jets and WW2 planes etc.

Where did you train to become a pilot?

In secondary school, we lived near an army barracks in Reading. I had always seen many young kids dressed in army cadet uniforms, so when I turned 13, I decided I wanted to get involved and enrolled into the Royal Air Cadet Corp.

I attended every Monday and Wednesday evening, we were taught different skills on how to fly a plane,

plan your route, perform pre-flight checks and understand all red warnings on the flight instruments. I also learnt survival skills like knowing what to do when a plane went down. We were also educated on the specific air crafts we would eventually be flying which was exciting.

Whilst at the cadet corps I got my pilot license alongside my shooting license.

One of the reasons I took this route is because the royal air force cadets was much cheaper than attending flight school which would’ve have cost £40,000+.

What was involved to obtain the license?

I had to log at least 2-4 hours every month of flying time which meant on average flying two weekends per month over a period of 5 months. This was done at the RAF Benson located in South Oxford.

Other training elements included learning how to use a parachute as well as understanding using visual navigation techniques as some planes didn’t have digital navigation instruments available. I also remember whilst training, we sometimes had to use Falkland’s War equipment and uniforms which were incredibly old, tattered. This meant that there was a scramble to the front of the queue when sergeants would announce that new uniforms had arrived.

I finally got to do a 40 – minute solo flight over Oxford with a qualified pilot grading my flight similar to an instructor on a driving test.

What do you enjoy the most about flying?

Piercing through clouds is thrilling.

The satisfaction of getting a perfect landing. Feeling a sense of calm in the sky. It’s a niche skill.

Aviation is about learning and expanding your knowledge and planes are continually evolving there is forever new things to learn.

s d u o l c h g u o r th g P iercin is thrilling.

Oplo's Hidden Talent

Graham Austin-King Home Loans Approvals Underwriter

Hi Graham, I believe you have a hidden talent, could you tell us more?

I’m an author, I’ve been writing and publishing books since 2014. I write mostly epic fantasy novels like A Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, though I’ve written other things which are closer to a combination of X-men and Jason Bourne.

How did you get into writing?

I’ve been writing since I can remember. I decided to give it a serious go when I was at home with my youngest son. He slept a lot which gave me time to write.

I wrote a couple of truly awful children's books first, and then decided to give a novel a go. Five books, one award, and bestselling sales in four countries later, here we are.

How often do you write new novels?

As long as it takes. That might sound like I’m dodging the question but, really, it’s not something that can be rushed, and it’s unique to the person. I try and write something every day when I can, just so I don’t lose the thread, but obviously it takes longer than when I was writing full time.

If you could have any words of wisdom for any future novelists, what would they be?

Don’t try and edit as you go. Accept the fact that your first draft is going to be utter rubbish, but trust in your ability to polish it into something worth reading.

Where can people find your books?

Probably the easiest thing is to google me or look me up on Amazon. All of my books are available as eBooks, the paperbacks can be ordered into any bookshop, and all but one are available on Audible too.

Introducing Tandem's TGT What is it?

Our Thursday Get Together, better known as 'TGT' is a weekly forum at 4:30pm which usually follows the following

•

Guest host - covering their journey up until they joined the organisation / their experience so far at the bank and a little about their interests

•

Recognition and celebration of birthdays / anniversaries / new joiners that week

•

Topical updates from around the business (functional / org level updates)

•

Hot topics (thematic / seasonal / 'hot' items)

•

Key people focused items (e.g. engagement / D&I / well-being / recognition / H&S / plugs for social events and Lunch & Learn)

•

Shine (peer-to-peer feedback)

•

AOB

Who's invited?

TGT will be extended to all colleagues in May and invites and timings will follow soon!

Who presents?

A mixture of people, as stated above, we always have a guest host to kick off proceeding. The functional / org level updates are usually presented by a member of the leadership team but increasingly more and more members of each function are getting stuck in. Naturally, the People Why does this take place every week?

We're fortunate enough to work in a fast-paced organisation and there's often tonnes going on to grow the business, create more benefit for our customers and provide amazing development opportunities and fulfilling experiences for our employees. There's always fresh information to share and this allows us all to remain connected with the evolving business and each other whilst building How did this all start?

This is a forum that has existed from the inception of Tandem. It's evolved overtime but it's become somewhat of a staple and 'tradition'. Feedback from employees over the years has helped shape TGT

Bonus

Bonus Principles and New Performance Management scale A key focus of the Integration Programme and a core pillar of our People strategy is to establish a ‘One Bank’ Performance Management Framework and related Bonus Incentive Scheme.

Launched in April, the new Performance Management Framework (PMF) applies to all colleagues and will ensure a consistent approach to measuring performance across the group. By implementing the PMF, all employees are now eligible to participate in our new all-colleague bonus scheme which is directly linked to both your individual and our wider business performance.

The PMF is based on colleagues working towards a combination of Quantitative (volumes, measures, numbers, deliverables) and Qualitative (quality, culture, behavior, teamwork, values) KPIs. It fully assesses colleague contribution and of course, rewards them for the different levels of achievement and success that we see against objectives.

The diagram below summarises the consistent and simple approach and importantly, its alignment to the overall business scorecard.

A ‘one bank’ incentive framework

The framework of WHAT you can earn, how and when

+

A ‘one bank’ performance framework

The framework of HOW we will assess performance and link to reward

+

A ‘one bank’ application of the business scorecard

The importance of the wider business goals in what we seek to do

=

A ‘one bank’ approach to reward, performance and alignment to the business scorecard

Some other key points?

Objective Setting: All colleagues are required to set quarterly objectives and should have confirmed their Q2 objectives with line management in April. Strong objective setting is a key enabler in performance and bonus achievement and will enable colleagues to align their own goals with overall strategic objectives.

Quarterly Performance Review: All colleagues will have a quarterly review with their manager to review performance against agreed objectives and agree a rating that best describes the period. These sessions are a great opportunity to receive feedback, recognise strong performance, and identify development areas for the next quarter.

How Will I Know My Bonus Opportunity: All senior leaders have received a briefing on the scheme and what % of annual salary is available to strive for as well as frequency of payments. Please do ask your manager for more information if you are not yet aware of the opportunity!

?

If you have any questions or queries regarding the new Bonus and Performance Framework, please reach out to your line manager or any member of the People Team.

Ask Exco Thank you for your continued enquiries into Ask ExCo. Below are some answers to most of the themes and topics asked in recent times. Our plan is to use In the Loop, and maybe one TGT each month, to respond to the very latest Ask ExCos. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email us!

Could you please provide information as to why many pay rises have been less than half of the rate of inflation after we were told on many occasions that Tandem has now become very profitable?

Our pay award process this year was an extremely difficult task. As a new bank, we are only 3-4 months into our journey and as yet, we have not become "very profitable" as the question suggests. We are progressing well and hope to have a great first year as a combined business which will help with our new 2022 Bonus model as well as future reward. As a result, our 2022 pay process was difficult but we felt that team managers were able to best distribute the pay pool to reflect priorities locally.

What is the growth in Cardiff going to involve? Is savings coming to Cardiff as well as motor finance?

We have recently moved our Savings Administration work from an external outsourced supplier and now based it fully within our offices in Durham! The team there have completed several weeks of training and a considerable amount of planning and as at last week, the new team are live and assisting our customers! We also have exciting plans to expand our Car Finance teams out of Cardiff and Dave Briggs, MD of Car Finance, is busily forming his recruitment plans to help us do this.

When will all new job roles be advertised internally across all sites to ensure everyone has visibility of the roles that are available?

At the moment, the respective teams in London and Blackpool are managing localised recruitment but we do intend to share all roles, probably on a weekly basis, in the very near future!

If basic salaries increase as a result of the benchmarking exercise that was discussed when will this take effect? If paid in April will this be backdated to February?

No, we did not intend to backdate our pay awards for 2022. All agreed rises will be effective this month, April.

What is the plan for front line operational colleagues to integrate and create relationships with other sites? Will site visits be allowed?

Great question! The first quarter of 2022 has been intense for all colleagues as the new business took shape. As we move forward through 2022, we expect to see many more opportunities for colleagues across the bank to work with colleagues and visit our different sites.

The business update in February didn't include savings? Is there anything coming up for savings?

Hopefully you will have heard a little bit more on our Savings plans in recent weeks but we'll look to provide a more detailed overview of our future plans and strategy from Ben Mitchell and team in the weeks ahead.

When will further detail of org charts and reporting lines be shared? We've not had any further information since the Senior Leadership was confirmed on 21 January.

The first quarter of 2022 has been about 'putting the bank' together and allowing teams to settle down a little into new structures. Over the next few weeks we'll look to share the very latest organisational design so all colleagues can see how we are shaping up for the year ahead.

There was all this talk last year about using a 3rd party to try and get an industry pay comparison.

Did we manage to carry out the industry wide pay comparison research that was promised? Do we know what the results were from this research and the outcomes/Tandem's next steps and actions? Can you share the results from the pay comparison you've done? I've been at Tandem for many years now and its always the same story, we are now profitable and still the pay rises are so minimal.

Pay benchmarking data is a tool many companies use as part of an overall assessment on pay and reward. An exercise to benchmark roles and salaries for former Tandem colleagues was completed early in 2022. We intend to undertake a similar exercise for former Oplo colleagues over the next few months to provide us with a full understanding for all our roles and geographies. Benchmarking data is rarely shared widely in any organisation but rather it is used to help shape future reward planning. That is how we have used the data this year, and it is a key data feed into our bonus and benefits plans for 2022. We will continue to use such data, and lots of other insights, on market trends to provide more understanding on the whole organisation.

Is there consideration of setting up IT service desk support for Allium Cardiff? We currently have an IT consultant who is not Cardiff based. Hardware, and equipment have been managed and set up by colleagues within the Operations and Underwriting teams.

Our IT and broader Tech and Data teams, under Mark Akerman, are looking at how we prioritise our 2022 'tech' objectives as well as maintain our 'business as usual' services as effectively as we can, such as Helpdesk facilities as per the question. We can share more plans on that over the weeks ahead as Mark and his teams finalise priorities and actions as well as continue to recruit for prioritised areas of expertise.

Is there official COVID guidance from Tandem and what about any plans to start returning to the offices a bit more? Should I now expect to be visiting the office more often after almost 2 years at home?

At the moment, we have lots of examples where two policies exist on the same theme regarding our various HR policies, including our approach to working arrangements during and post COVID. As part of our integration planning, we are looking to combine as many policies as we can into one version for all colleagues. With regards to COVID, we, of course, want all colleagues to remain safe and follow guidance if testing positive. We are also reviewing our approach to using our offices more in the months ahead and we will share plans here as and when agreed.

Ready to make an Impact Everything you need to know about our environmental initiative

ESG Monthly Stats Tree Planting

18,918 trees purchased since February 2021 from Trees for Life and Leighton Hall. We have planted 30,000 of our overall 3-year agreement with Leighton Hall ahead of schedule in March 2022 as part of our volunteering event.

15 of our people have a monthly Direct Debit to Trees for Life and an extra 4 people donated a one-off purchase

Pawprint

226 people signed up with average score of 12.6 tonnes co2

EV Scheme

10 electric cars on the roads saving 47,761.84 co2 emissions per annum

Bike2Work Scheme

4 people signed up

The Green Deal

36 members, 49 eligible rewards for redeeming

Swap Shop

81 items donated, weighing 37.4kg

GiveAll

10 people total monthly donation £147

ESG

The importance of carbon to life Carbon is the basis of all life on Earth; we are made of carbon; we consume carbon and our economies. Our homes and our modes of transport are also built from carbon. Whether these life forms absorb carbon to help produce food or emit carbon as part of respiration, the absorption and release of carbon is a key part of all plant and animal life.

Man-made carbon dioxide is derived from burning coal, natural gas and oil to produce energy. Whereas biological carbon is in the air as CO2 and is used by plants/photosynthetic organisms to create organic matter, which is then eventually returned to the atmosphere as CO2.

Carbon has many benefits to our planet: • It helps to regulate the Earth’s temperature • It makes all living life possible • It is a key element in the food that sustains us • It provides a key source of the energy that fuels our economy However, the substantial build- up of carbon and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is trapping heat and contributing to climate change.

Human activity is producing too much CO2 in our atmosphere which is having a devastating impact on our planet. As a result, the carbon cycle is becoming overloaded. The UK government has set a target of net zero carbon by 2050.

What exactly is 1 tonne of CO2?

• The average emissions of one passenger on a return flight from Paris to New York • Driving 3,728 miles in a diesel car • 121,643 smartphones charged

The amount of CO2 a tree will offset depends on many factors, such as the type of tree, where it is planted and the amount of room it has to grow. On average, one broad leaf tree will absorb in the region of 1 tonne of carbon dioxide during its full life-time (approximately 100 years).

The UK’s nearly 3 million hectares of peatland store three times as much carbon as forests.

Whales accumulate carbon in their bodies during their long lives. When they die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean; each great whale sequesters 33 tonnes of CO2 on average.

Seagrass captures carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests and, even though it only covers 0.2% of the seafloor, it absorbs 10% of the ocean’s carbon each year, making it an incredible tool in the fight against climate change.

ESG

Facilities Energy Reduction Our motto is a fairer, greener bank, the way we act internally has a reflection on how we are portrayed externally.

As we all know, the cost of energy is at an all-time high. Just as you would do in your own home, we are looking to take precautions where possible to reduce paying extortionate prices and in turn reduce our carbon footprint.

By reducing your thermostat by 1 degree can reduce your bills by 3%.

As a business, there are no caps on what energy companies can charge us and at present, we are paying 48 pence per unit.

By reducing the office heating from 25 degrees to 21 degrees it can save us £920 per month.

We must also think of the damage we could be causing to the world around us. You should all now be familiar with PawPrint, this website helps you monitor your daily habits and how you can reduce your carbon emissions for a better future for our children and grandchildren.

Click here to sign up Pawprint-app and then to our group Pawprint: Community If we all played our part, we could make a huge difference.

ESG

Volunteering Activities A huge thank you to everyone that visited Leighton Hall Estate in March to take part in our creation of Tandem Wood. Our people assisted in planting 30,000 trees that we purchased and will continue to pay for over the next 2 years - we just got a fantastic head start on our carbon capturing by planting early.

Holly Wadeson We asked the attendees what they thought of the day: “Had a great day planting trees. Beautiful setting and weather at Leighton Hall, what better way to spend the day giving back to nature, enjoying the sunshine, scenery and company.”

Joanne Coey

“I had a great time at Leighton Hall, it was really rewarding to get 300 trees planted. A lovely day out making a positive impact on the environment and meeting new people!”

Alex Paul

“I had a brilliant time. It was great to meet colleagues from across the different offices and work together on an ESG initiative that’s going to make the world a better place. Alongside planting trees. I learnt a lot about the current state of forestry in the UK and the government ambitions to increase tree coverage, something I was unaware of before. Hopefully, we get regular updates on how the forest is doing over the next few years so we can see the impact of the work we did and the wider Tandem forest of 30,000 trees.”

Josh Coxall

“Thank you for your support and the opportunity for us to set the benchmark with 150 trees planted at Tandem Wood! A great team effort.

I would recommend it to all the teams within Tandem Bank – for us being a new team it gave us the platform to have some fun. It was competitive between the sales teams, and we got to spend quality time in the fresh air getting to know one another – that said there was a serious message to the day which was articulated beautifully at the briefing in the morning, it will get you thinking about the environment and how delicate it really is.”

Paul Stewart

ESG “Thank you so much for organising the day, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Leighton Hall and came away having learned an awful lot about the environment and my new team. I ached afterwards which has got be a good sign!

I’d encourage anyone to attend in the future, a hugely rewarding day outdoors in such a beautiful environment. It was certainly good for the soul, and it was great to spend some quality time with my new team and meet colleagues from the wider business too. Thanks again!”

Dave Briggs

“I learnt a lot! Besides the weather being a bit funny, I walked away feeling very in touch with nature.”

Sana Khalid

“Thank you for organising a great event, it was brilliant being able to get to know some new people – all whilst having such an important message at the centre of it. A fantastic day!”

Ben Standish

“I never realised what a sense of achievement and self-gratification planting trees can bring you. Very grateful to Oplo for this experience. I will be doing more days like this!”

Jessica Elliott

“It was an enjoyable experience, and I could see everyone around was enjoying themselves too. It was good to meet some of the guys from Tandem too.”

Sam Howarth

“It was a great day irrespective of the very damp weather, it was great to contribute to such a worthy cause.”

Andrew Hurst

ESG

The Christie Charity Dragon Boat Race We will be heading to Sale, Manchester to compete in a dragon boat race to raise vital funds for The Christie in Manchester.

Each dragon boat holds 17 people. 1 person will act as the drummer at the front of the boat to make sure all the paddlers keep time, and you can swap who gets to be the drummer for each race, meaning everyone can get a piece of the action.

Pitched against a host of other teams, you will battle the lake and take on other local businesses. We have a limited number of boats available for this amazing event so please let us know if this floats your boat!

Please help us fundraise and feel free to come along and cheer us on!!

Click here!

Sunday 8 th May 2022

We have our team!

Captain - Catherine Dunbar 1. Sarah Chieffo 2. Phillip Eastham 3. Carnan Dawson 4. Ellie Turrell 5. Sara Evans 6. Michelle Newton 7. Lewis Butterworth 8. Helen Travis 9. Kelsey Fryett 10. Cameron Schofield 11. Michelle Mills 12. Alan Adams 13. Joanne Coey 14. Christopher Whittaker 15. Andrew Hurst 16. Amber Fordham

Health and Wellbeing How connecting with nature benefits our mental health A study of 20,000 people, by Mathew White of the European Centre for Environment & Human Health at the University of Exeter in 2019, found that people who spent two hours a week in green spaces such as local parks or other natural environments, either all at once or spaced over several visits were substantially more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those who don’t.

Which nature ideas could I try?

• Take a walk in a green space.

• Eat meals outdoors. Have a picnic in a local park or sit in a garden if you have one.

• Watch the stars. Use a stargazing website, app or book to help you recognise

different stars, or simply enjoy looking at the night sky. Give your eyes time to adjust, as it can take about 20 minutes before you can fully see stars in the dark.

• Exercise outside. Run or jog through a local park or do yoga outdoors. You could try it by yourself or look for classes in your local area.

• Go on a litter picking walk in the park or on the beach.

• Volunteer for a conservation project.

• Find things you can see, hear, taste, smell or touch. For example, grass under your feet or the feeling of wind and sunlight.

L&D Promotion of Courses for Q2 2022 We are delighted to share with you the Learning and Development Calendar for Q2 2022 - our first across Tandem Bank. Our programme has a clear focus, to help you achieve your career goals, explore your career path and of course, Power your Potential - to be the best you can be in your role at Oplo.

Customer Experience programme along with our Vulnerable Customer programme.

You will see over the next three months there is a jam-packed schedule of courses and programmes that have been designed to help you develop a high level of competence, confidence and knowledge in your role. Some of you will recognise the topics whilst others are brand new initiatives that we are excited to deliver across Tandem.

In the prospectus, you will find details of all the training and development we intend to provide this quarter, to help you develop a level of competence, confidence and knowledge in your role. This is particularly important for our business as we work in a regulated industry, and training and development is very important to us. However, you will also see details of a much wider set of courses and programmes for your personal and professional development through 2022. I’m hoping many will appeal to you and your own ambitions and desire to improve and progress here at Tandem.

For some teams, certain courses and programmes will be mandatory to attend, we will be in touch soon with details of how and when to attend these sessions e.g. Complaint Handling,

You will also notice we are working with external providers to deliver even more specialist training across the group from Apprenticeships and MS Office trainers and much more.

Take a look This is also a great opportunity to introduce our Learning and Development team for those who have yet to meet them. I have been the Training Manager here for 6 years now and work alongside Kanchana Thatmee, our Training Support Administrator, whom I know many of you will be in contact with soon to arrange attending your training sessions. We are also thrilled to have the hugely talented Andrew Rios-Hall join our team from our Cardiff Office.

We are also delighted to be expanding our L&D team and are in the process of finding our next L&D Legend!!

Finally, click here to see specific dates and locations to register for any programmes or sessions that you are interested in. Some of these sessions are hugely popular and fill up quickly. Wherever possible we will add extra sessions to meet demand. Please feel free to contact us if there’s any specific topics or areas of development you feel we should be considering at Tandem, now or in the future or if you just want to find out more of what we have on offer.

Best wishes,

Nicolette

Ramadan What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar and lasts around 29-30 days, depending on when the crescent moon is visible. During the holy month of Ramadan, millions of Muslims around the world endure a period of daily fasting from sunrise to sunset – the biggest act of religious observance of its kind and one of the five pillars of Islam.

By refraining from life’s pleasures – eating, drinking and sexual relations, Ramadan is seen as an opportunity for spiritual growth in which one becomes more conscious of God. However, the idea of Ramadan goes

beyond staying away from food and drink, it is a period of reflection, devotion, generosity, and sacrifice. Through hunger and thirst, one can experience what it is like for those less fortunate than us and become more thankful and grateful to God. It is also a time of selfdiscipline and sacrifice as deliberately abstaining from enjoyable things teaches us patience, once again increasing our humility and thankfulness.

During this special month, many Muslims will also refrain from any wrongdoing that may invalidate their fast for example, violence, anger, envy, greed, and lust. Instead, they will increase charity giving, prayer and sharing food with friends, family, and neighbours.

Health Benefits of Fasting Despite the hunger and thirst, fasting carries many health benefits according to many researchers. In recent years, numerous studies have suggested that intermittent fasting – reducing food and drink intake periodically can have a positive impact as it promotes weight loss, making it a popular diet trend.

Other benefits include: •

Reduces the risk of diabetes among those that are at high risk of it.

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Improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels - and insulin sensitivity.

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Reboots the immune system, clearing out old immune cells and regenerating new ones.

However not everyone is obligated to fast, for example young children, the elderly, those with health issues, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and those who are travelling are exempt from fasting. Instead, if possible, they should compensate by feeding the poor or donating to charity.

Facts about Ramadan: Ramadan follows the lunar calendar, so it moves forward by 10/11 days each year.

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1.8 billion Muslims observe Ramadan worldwide.

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The longest fasting hours is in Nuuk, Greenland 19 hours and 57 mins.

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The shortest fasting hours is in Christchurch, New Zealand 11 hours and 20mins.

The end of Ramadan marks the beginning of one of two major Islamic holidays Eid al-Fitr, the ‘festival of the breaking of the fast.’ On this day, it is a tradition to wear new or clean clothes and to start the day with eating something sweet like a date. Many will then attend a religious service in the morning where each household is obligated to pay a set amount to help feed the poor that day. Later on, there will be an exchange of gifts and a celebratory meal with friends and family.

Easter

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. It celebrates Jesus rising from the dead, three days after he was executed.

When is Easter?

The date of Easter Sunday varies from year to year. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon, on or after 21 March.

In 2022 Easter Sunday is on 17 April. The week leading up to Easter is called Holy Week.

Jess Richards from our people's team spent the Easter weekend in Venice and took some lovely shots of St Mark’s Square to share with us!

Holy Week Palm Sunday This is the Sunday before Easter Sunday.

It is the first day of Holy Week and celebrates Jesus's arrival in Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Crowds of people came out of the city to greet him, throwing down palm branches on the road.

Anglican and Roman Catholic churches give out small crosses made from palm leaves, as a reminder of Jesus's entrance into Jerusalem and his death on the cross. Some Christians keep these in their homes all year as a symbol of their faith.

Maundy Thursday This is the Thursday before Easter Day. On Maundy Thursday Christians remember when Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, breaking bread and drinking wine. Christians refer to this meal as the Last Supper.

Many Christians remember the Last Supper by sharing bread and wine together in a church service called Holy Communion, Eucharist or Mass. It is a reminder that Jesus sacrificed his life for mankind.

Good Friday Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. It commemorates the execution of Jesus by crucifixion.

Good Friday is a day of mourning in church. During special Good Friday services Christians remember Jesus's suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith.

In some countries, there are special Good Friday processions, or re-enactments of the Crucifixion.

Easter Sunday Easter Sunday marks Jesus's resurrection. After Jesus was crucified on the Friday his body was taken down from the cross and buried in a cave tomb. The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers and an enormous stone was put over the entrance.

On Sunday Mary Magdalene and some of Jesus's disciples visited the tomb. They found the stone had been moved and that Jesus's body had gone. Jesus was seen later that day by Mary and the disciples, and for forty days afterwards by many people. His followers realised that God had raised Jesus from the dead. Christians call this the resurrection.

s t n e m e c n u o Ann

Oplo Anniversary!

5 years service -

Hannah Bryce Team Leader

What's kept you at Oplo for all these years?

The people, the opportunity, the growth, the curiosity of what’s next!

I think a huge part of what has kept me with Oplo, is the ability to make a difference. It’s a place where my opinions and ideas have been heard and validated. My individuality is appreciated and celebrated, and many have pushed and supported me to do well and succeed!!

Which part of your role do you enjoy the most?

I get to support people in becoming the best they can be at all levels!

Seeing people’s knowledge and confidence grow will always be a big win for me.

What advice would you give to new starters?

Knowledge is power!! So always ask plenty of questions. Utilise any time spent with your trainer or manager. Always ask for regular feedback. Take ownership of your journey and don’t be afraid to get involved!

s t n e m e c n u o Ann

Oplo Anniversary!

10 years service -

Angela Hodgson

Personal Loans Team Leader Wow 10 years at 1st Stop/Oplo & now Tandem!

I vividly remember interviewing Ange, all those years ago... she was very shy and nervous.

Ange has always been hard working, dedicated and driven. She has progressed over the years to team leader and has established herself as a very knowledgeable and experienced team leader within the Personal Loans lending team. Ange is often online in the early hours of the morning when she can’t sleep, getting ahead of herself for the day - now that’s some dedication!

I personally want to congratulate Ange on 10 years’ service and thank her for being such a great asset to the team. May there be many more years to come!

Katy

s t n e m e c n u o Ann

Tandem Anniversary!

8 years service Karol Walton

Head of Mortgage Operations What’s kept you at Tandem all these years?

My team, we’re all so close and really are a family (as cliché as that sounds). We’re all very hard working and not only dedicated to the job but one another too. Some of us have been working together for 5-8 years now!!

Throughout my time at Tandem and previously Harrods, there has been so much change. At times some of this change has come with many ups but also downs, I think it's your team and people around you that keep you going.

Tandem has taught me to be resilient and you need to be able to adapt to change quickly as the business develops and leads to so many opportunities for growth and progress in your career here. As we're a small organisation, I’ve had so much exposure to the wider bank and understand how each function is involved.

Whereas in much larger organisations, you’re only one small part to the bigger picture and you do not have visibility of other processes and therefore no understanding of how everything fits together, which I think is such valuable knowledge and experience to gain.

What part of your role do you enjoy the most?

I honestly love what I do. I love the variety which comes with my role as I have many areas of responsibility which span across underwriting, sales, risk, dealing with brokers.

And I like being in control of so many different aspects. I also love the fact that it takes me

away from family life and gives me something which I can focus on. I love the challenges and pressure that comes with the role which I can really thrive in.

What advice would you give to new joiners?

Be proactive and try to understand and learn every aspect of your role. You are in charge of your own destiny and development. Tandem is very supportive with training and development!

Get involved where you can and never be afraid to ask questions!! It’s so important that you don’t just do something because someone has told you to. You need to understand why you are doing it, so you can grow your knowledge.

Highlights so far for working for Tandem?

My team, we genuinely are all best friends and support each other both professionally and personally. I’ve also built many strong relationships with other individuals and departments around the organisation – the people really do make it! And the recent re-launch of bespoke Mortgages, I’m really excited for this new chapter at Tandem

! s r e m r o f r e p Top Approvals Team - Home Loans

Jessica Belice Reasons for nomination: Hitting targets consistently is a given but she always stays positive no matter what else is happening and keeps everyone cheerful. I can always tell when she is in the office.

Customer Relations Manager - Personal Loans

Ibrahim Hussain Reasons for nomination: I would like to Nominate Ibrahim Hussain as employee of the month, since joining the team in February Ibby has become an integral part of the team. He has shown a willingness to learn and takes any feedback provided on board, Ibby is proactive and is always asking questions to improve his knowledge base. Due to this Ibby has progressed through his training quickly and is have some great conversations with customer and providing support to myself and Aftab.

! s r e m r o f r e p p o T Home Loans - Collections

Gilberto De Melo & Germanas Stefanovicius Reasons for nomination: Gilberto and Germanas have been fantastic on the Collections Admin team, especially in the absence of Cath for 2 weeks.

Germanas only joined the business in March and has made great progress so far! Both have managed all tasks effectively between themselves ensuring SLA’s have been met.

Thank you for your hard work and well done!

Home Loans - Sales Team

Matt Gargett Reasons for nomination: Over achieved his KPI’s by double in March. Outstanding performance!!

Home Loans - Packaging Team

Chloe Oliver Reasons for nomination: Chloe has only been with us a few months however she is smashing out her targets, has a positive attitude and always on hand to help if needed.

Personal Loans - Collections

Lewis Butterworth Reasons for nomination: We would like to nominate Lewis Butterworth for Employee of the month - Lewis has been with us since November, he is a hardworking member of the team. He has supported some of the newer members of the team and they have provided good feedback from working alongside him. He has had a sea of green calls from QA, always happy to help where he can. He has settled in very well also.

Thank you from Personal Loan Collections.

Home Loans - Admin Team

Chloe Mulhall Reasons for nomination: Chloe always goes above and beyond for her team and always willing to help without question.

YourExtra Mile Understanding At Oplo we take time to get to know you and understand your situation. We look for the possibilities, not the problems. Want to thank someone for showing a unique level of understanding or compassion?

Fair We believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to better themselves. We’re always open minded and even handed with our customers and with one another. Has your colleague gone above and beyond to help you better yourself by being open minded and accepting?

Enabling We give hard working people the tools to help themselves. We’re always helpful and practical in our approach. Has a team member supported you in powering your potential, enabling you to achieve a goal?

Enterprising We’re entrepreneurial and authentic. We genuinely believe that when you fulfil your potential everyone succeeds. Why not congratulate one of your colleagues on showing great initiative within the team or towards a customer!

“Understanding” “I would like to nominate Naieed Haque and Jordan Green. They’ve been so welcoming, friendly, and understanding since starting my new role as a junior test analyst. They’ve gone above and beyond with helping me and making me feel part of the team. Thank you, guys!”

Zoe Todd

“Kyle Butler - Thanks for the continuous hard work over the past few weeks.”

Cameron Schofield

“I’d like to recognise Salma Ahmed and Steve Catterall for being Understanding. I have recently had some difficulties within life outside both Steve and Salma have been very understanding and supportive with this and given me the time that I need. Their understanding has made my difficult situation a bit easier to deal with and has made a positive impact on my mental health. Thank you so much!”

Rebecca Heatley

“Francesca Chadwick - she is a very much valued member of the team. We would be lost without her!

She is always picking up extra responsibilities and tasks, and a great support to us all! So, thank you Fran!”

Jenna Wilkinson

“Fair” “I would like to nominate Michelle Newton in Personal Loan Collections.

Michelle always has a positive can-do attitude, no matter what challenges we face as a department, Michelle will always do her best with a smile on her face and a hardworking approach. She will always look to boost morale on the team.”

Jenna Wilkinson

Your Extra Mile

“I would like to highlight and nominate three people please Christine Duggan, Nigel Brookes, Laura Walters. I’ve only been in the business for 8 weeks, and everyone has made me feel welcome, that I feel as though I’ve been here a lot longer. However, I want to highlight Christine, Nigel, and Laura because they’ve been so helpful to me, pointing me in the right direction, and being so valuable in helping me to get so much done, in a very space of time.”

Richard Angell

“Enterprising” “I would like to nominate Adam Cooper, it’s the way he mentors and supports team members in such an encouraging manner that makes me nominate him.”

Bimbo Ajala

“Jessica Richards - Thanks for the help recently with the NUR’s, it has helped us meet tight deadlines!”

Cameron Schofield

“Adrian Watkin has gone the extra mile since starting the business. Since taking the role of PL Collections Manager Adrian has been an incredible support for the Collections team and is always there to support us all as well as managing his own busy workload. Adrian always has a positive attitude and wants what’s best for the team and goes out of his way to ensure the department is in good spirits. Adrian has also gone out of his way to help with the day-to-day tasks within the department to ease some of the pressure during our busy periods which has been a huge help and very much appreciated.”

Francesca Chadwick

“Enabling” “A massive thank you to Rhian Jackson who has taken on the role of 3 Team Leaders whilst in an extremely busy period. Rhian has remained calm, focused, and positive throughout.”

Sara Evans

“I would also like to recognise the whole of the secured collections team as the support they offered me since starting with the company in September last year has resulted in me successfully passing my probation in March 2022. Thank you!”

Rebecca Heatley

“Andrew Burns for doing the “leary” shift (Late + Early) and not for the first time this year. Your efforts are always appreciated cheers!”

Nathan Kenny

“Amber Fordham is always happy to help with any request, even when we drop it on her last minute! It helps us out massively when there is so much going on - enabling us to meet ticket SLA’s.”

Cameron Schofield

“This month I would like to nominate Franchesca Chadwick for her constant support over the last few weeks. Mark Hardman for his continued coaching and Adrian Watkin for being an overall back bone for the collections team.”

Michelle Newton

Your Extra Mile