Together In Tandem - Oct

Together inTandem

People Magazine

Macmillan bake

Internal Promotions

Hannah Bryce - Training & Competency Manager

Hannah has been an integral part of delivering the Training & Competency framework within Personal Loans. Her passion for the development of each individual within the department is second to none, and I’m sure this will continue within her new role.

Jamie Havill - QA Team Leader

Following the integration of the business areas and the fact that the QA Team now carry out assurance across over 20 Customer Journey work streams (along with Speech Analytics assurance), additional leadership needed to be added to the structure to support the existing QA Team Leader (Gina Clark-Wood), the team, Rick Keeble and the wider business.

Jamie joined the business just under 2 years ago and during that time has been involved in many QA work streams and has heavily supported multiple projects, the most visible of which has been the recent move to Evaluagent, our new business wide QA platform. This opportunity is fantastic for Jamie and great for the wider business, enabling us to continue to meet the needs of the present and future business as it scales.

Adult Learners Week

It was Adult Learners Week 19th - 25th September, and we wanted to highlight that we're passionate about supporting our people to further their learning, development and education during their time working with us.

Kanchana is an inspiring role model to the Team at Tandem and beyond, proving that it's never too late to take on a new challenge, and the positive impact that adult learning can have on your career and personal life! Read her story below.

Kanchana Thatmee L&D Support Administrator

In 2019, I decided on a career change, I used to work as a front office supervisor at Marriott in Manchester before I joined Oplo (now Tandem). I have always enjoyed coaching and training the team in my previous role. After completing my CIPD level 3 in Human Resources Management last year, I then wanted to further my study, therefore I decided to enrol on a 2-year part-time master’s degree in Human Resource Management at the University of Manchester Metropolitan in 2021.

I am not going to say that the 1st year of the master’s was not difficult. The most challenging is managing the time to study and work at the same time. I have dedicated my evenings and weekend to studying and working on my assignments. There are times when I have to prioritise

studying and completing my assignments instead of going out with friends and family, and some sleepless nights trying to meet deadlines and studying for exams. Nevertheless, it is rewarding when I get my results and feedback, the suspense of waiting for the result and sharing it with everyone on the course is what we all enjoy and look forward to. After getting the result, I would treat myself to either a nice meal or a camping trip to get away from work and University, I think it is important to take care of yourself and reward yourself by doing what you enjoy.

Likewise, it is okay to ask for help if you are struggling, you are only a human, as much as I want to be and do everything, I know my limit, so being self-aware and listening to your body is really important, know when you need to take a break.

I am lucky to have wonderful course mates and the support and encouragement we have for each other. Also, at work, my team in L&D is wonderful as well, I have all the support and encouragement I need to get me through the course. My career plan after completing my master's is to become a training officer and continue helping others to develop their skills and work towards their career goals. I truly believe that learning never stops, you learn something new every day and there is no age limit to learning.

In the press

Here's a look at some of the press coverage

Savings app was listed as one of the best appbased accounts on the market

had coverage

Brand Strapline Update

Since our rebrand to the new look Tandem, you may have seen and heard Fairer. Greener. Choices or the fairer, greener bank, being used across the business to highlight our greener and fairer ethos.

While both greener and fairer are still very much part of our Tandem ethos and brand values, we’re moving away from explicitly highlighting the word fairer in our strapline, and  focusing fully on greener for external communication.

Banking for a greener future

Banking = Tandem is a bank that provides everyday people with smarter ways to save and borrow

= confidence

future = Tandem’s banking products and services are green enablers, either directly or indirectly

the change?

have recognised a potential reputational and regulatory risk around the word ‘fairer’ which is more challenging to substantiate. We need to be able to back up our external brand promise and show solid evidence of how we deliver this to our customers and society.

are however, building out clear proof points around our greener promise which will be backed up by measurement frameworks:  our green home improvement lending our soon to be launching Tandem Choices marketplace new product developments across the business our continued ESG work

have to

doing the

Ready to make an Impact?

Tree Planting

ESG Monthly Stats

We planted 30,000 trees in March 2022 in our very own Tandem Wood, ahead of our 3−year agreement with Leighton Hall Estate. Since 2021 we have purchased / planted 40,983 trees across Trees for Life and Leighton Hall Estate.

Want to plant a tree in our grove?

our very own Tandem grove -

- Trees for Life

of our people have a monthly Direct Debit to Trees for Life and an extra 12 people made a one off donation

39 trees purchased for July.

people signed up with average

tonnes co2.

Scheme

roads saving

annum.

Dates

Menopause is THE Hot Topic

World Menopause Day is held every year on the 18th October, led by the International Menopause Society.

The purpose of the day is to raise awareness on the menopause and support options for improving health and wellbeing. The IMS encourages businesses to participate in this global awareness raising campaign by organising events.

We shall be hosting a Lunch and Learn with Julie Dennis on Friday 21st October.

Julie Dennis partners with organisations across the UK to introduce menopause as an inclusive topic, educate leaders and improve the experience of people working through menopause.

World Menopause Day is an excellent opportunity to start the menopause conversation, raise awareness, share resources and ensure that people working through menopause in your company know they are valued, can easily access support and will continue to do a great job.

The House of Commons Women & Equalities Committee has recommended that menopause should become a protected characteristic so watch this space!

Menopause Awareness Workshops are an excellent tool to generate engagement, reduce the stigma and resolve immediate challenges. These sessions are highly interactive, open to all colleagues and typically cover:

What menopause is including common symptoms and how it can impact different groups in the workplace to help broaden awareness to both the issues and opportunities menopause presents.

Range of strategies to help manage symptoms like hot flushes, poor sleep, brain fog, fatigue and anxiety so those experiencing symptoms continue to thrive at work and at home.

Hot tips to support co-workers, partners, family and friends to broaden awareness with regards to how menopause can impact different people in the workplace.

October Dates

World Mental Health Day

The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year.

The theme of 2022's World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is

'Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority'.

For over 70 years, Mental Health Foundation has been working to make sure that mental health is treated on a par with physical health.

Mental health problems exist in our lives, families, workplaces and communities, impacting everyone. We need to do as much as possible to prevent mental ill-health – as individuals and as a society.

World Mental Health Day is also a chance to talk about mental health in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if you are struggling.

Our trained Mental Health First Aiders :

Chloe Smail

Louise Elms

Debbi Dullenty

Salma Ahmed

Ceri Stacey

Samantha Allen

Samantha Howarth

Melanie Wilson Sally Howcroft

Jake Quinn

James Flynn

Simon Walters

Hannah Bryce Fiona O'Brien

Charise Lam

Holly Wadeson

Georgia Brooks

What is their role?

The role of the Mental Health First Aider is to be a point of contact for our people who are experiencing a mental health illness or emotional distress. This interaction could range from having an initial conversation through to supporting the person to get the appropriate help.

Mental Health First Aiders are not trained to be therapists or psychiatrists, but they can offer initial support to you through non-judgemental listening and guidance.

Being able to recognise the early signs and symptoms of common workplace mental health illnesses.

Having the necessary skills to have a supportive, non-judgmental conversation with those who need it.

Possessing knowledge and confidence to guide our people to appropriate professional support if required.

Promoting greater awareness of mental health in the workplace and reducing stigma.

What is their role?

Spot the early signs and symptoms of mental ill health

Start a supportive conversation with a colleague who may be experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress

Listen to the person non-judgementally

Assess the risk of suicide or self-harm

Encourage the person to access appropriate professional support or self-help strategies. This might include encouraging access to internal support systems such as EAs or counselling services

Escalate to the appropriate emergency services, if necessary

Maintain confidentiality as appropriate

Complete critical incident documents as and when necessary

Protect themselves while performing their role

Pollinators – October Leighton Hall, Carnforth

Are you ready to help plant 10,000 snowdrop bulbs?

Purpose of the Day

For our people to step away from the stresses of working life and volunteer their time to explore pollinators and their importance. Looking at the role of pollinators and the impact they have on the environment and communities. Exploring what we can do to support them and prevent their declining numbers. Go to the prepared woodland sites from last week and plant bulbs to support pollinator early food source i.e. Woodland Daffodils and Snowdrops.

Physical experience - Reasonable level of fitness required to achieve the bulb planting.

Number of Attendees per day – Up to 20 attendees.

Activities such as:

Introduction to pollinators, reasons for their decline and their importance

Identification actions that can be taken to prevent their continued decline

Trip to the Apiary – with a Beekeeper (weather permitting)

Bulb planting

Itinerary:

10.00 am 10.30 am 11.30 am 12.30 pm 1.30 pm 3.30 pm 4.00 pm

Arrive at Leighton Hall, introductions by the practitioners over a hot drink

Presentation and discussions to introduce Amazing Pollinators

Trip to the Apiary – in smaller groups

Picnic Lunch

Woodland bulb planting

Reflect on the day at the log circle and fire pit – enjoy a hot drink and melted marshmallows

Goodbyes and departure.

Email sg@myoplo.co.uk to reserve your space.esg@myoplo.co.uk

Food Bank Contributions

Massive thank you to the whole Durham team who provided a big donation to the Sunderland Foodbank last week.

Also thank you to the Blackpool team who contributed with a collection to donate to the Blackpool food bank last week.

Thank you!

Announcements

5 years service -

Anita Haley Customer Relationship Manager

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

It has been my colleagues within the department on car finance at Durham. They make me laugh and also there to support both business and homelife. Recently working the Volunteer day at 4Louis and supporting my work colleagues Amber and Gavin Langley.

Which part of your role do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy interacting with new customers. Discussing and negotiating payments with customers to help then bring their accounts back up to date.

What advice would you give to new starters?

Don’t expect to know everything immediately and to ask as many questions as you like as anyone in the Durham office will be happy to assist and explain to help you succeed.

Afton Greatrex

to Afton Greatrex on the arrival of her son Finlay Jacob born 19th August 2022.

to Sadie Thorley on the arrival of her daughter Maggie Christy born 10th July 2022.

Chris and Abbey on their

and

Together in Tandem – Savings Rebrand

Tandem Savings App

This work began in early July and there were 3 big milestones we had to hit:

Stabilising and releasing the app: due to a shortage of front end developers, the app was not updated in 4 months leaving code that was “backed up” and not released. To ensure stability of the app, the “backed up” code had to be released as a new update prior to the rebrand of the app. This update also made it easier for users to see their connected accounts in the app and changed the navigation slightly.

Refactoring the app: The app was rebuilt with functionality that would allow the old brand to be replaced with the new branding easily. This piece of work created a skin of the old brand that could easily be replaced with the new brand, however the greatest challenge was posed by the fact that the new brand was not a one-to-one mapping of the old one. For example, sometimes what was turquoise would become dark green, in other places we wanted it to change to light green, so we had to build in this complexity.

New app imagery:

Communications & Documents

This involved changing emails that come from various applications including Salesforce, Mailchimp and the Comms Context and updating the branding on all documents like statements. All this work was done in parallel to the app work and was held ready to publish for when the app was ready to go.

New Tandem Branding Roll Out

The app was released to customers in mid-September with the new branding hidden behind a feature flag – that means that users were able to update to the new version of the app over a few days before we showed the new branding, so it was ready to go.

On release day the new website pages were published and customers received an email that showcased the new branding. The brand was unveiled by lifting the feature flag to a set percentage of users, increasing every few days up to 100%.

Once the app was fully rolled out with all users on the new version and the new branding exposed to 100% of users, a second email was sent announcing the rebrand was complete and encouraging our users to check out our new look and feel.

Rebranding of other product lines remains in progress and are planned to go live in the next few months, unifying all products under new Tandem branding.

Top Performers

Tia Walsh

Employee of the month

“Tia is this months employee of the month. We have had a very hard few months on admin due to sickness but Tia has managed to keep us afloat. She is an exceptionally hard worker a great team player and has gone above and beyond these few moths with overtime etc.”

-Kelly Whitworth

Penny Andonegui Personal Loans Collections

“Penny has put our customers at the forefront each day speaking to the most customers across the department with a high level of talk time and contact rate. Penny is dedicated to supporting our customers in challenging times. Well done Penny thank you for all your efforts. Thanks!”

-Adrian Watkin

Catherine O’Toole  Home Loans Collections

“Cath has been fantastic over the last few months! – she has managed the admin team effectively successfully helping team members achieve competency.

She is able to assist staff members, prioritise workload and has a good understanding & knowledge of the business.

She is now seconding in a Team Leader position which I am sure she will excel in. (Congratulations!) Thank you for your continued efforts & hard work”

-Salma Ahmed

Adam Thornborough Personal Loans Lending

“He’s worked extremely hard over the last few months to get signed off as competent. Makes such a great asset to the team with his positive attitude... Never complains! It’s great to see his name on our leader boards and smashing out the deals. Massive well done for his continuous hard work and cementing himself in the team.”

-Helen Travis

Enterprising

We’re entrepreneurial, creative and authentic. Always looking to add value through our actions.

Values

Brave

Simple

We make things easy by being straightforward, practical and arming you with the tools you need to succeed.

Together

We believe in one shared vision and that we’re all vital cogs in the wheel. When we rise together, everyone succeeds.

We encourage you to push the boundaries, challenge and share your opinion.

Shines

“I would like to Shine on the Homeloans Department, in August we funded just shy of £38m which is an outstanding performance especially based on the team size and system restraints, everybody put extra hours and did everything they could – I couldn’t have asked for more. Extremely proud of the team. ”

“I would like to give a big thank you to Emily Taylor, Emily Wood, Ebony Scotland, Jennifer Hunt for all their hard work in helping with the new projects 1st charge and HP payouts.

I would like to give a special mention to Jennifer Hunt who is the  Power BI Queen for CSD – Thanks for all our specialised reports ”

– Debbi Dullenty

“

“A Shine to my colleague Luke Holt. He’s fantastic with the detail of what he does and did an amazing job getting the Automated SMS messaging into live –which is already having benefits both in terms of payments coming in and costs saved. Great work Luke!”

- Jonathan Mylroie

Thankyou!

Danielle Culley - She is a fantastic, hard working member of the team, who always supports the team and the business. In particular over the last few months, she has done a great job helping develop Motor Finance and First Charge Mortgages due diligence processes and answering TriLine queries. Well done Danielle and thank you!”

– Lisa Holder

“I am a relatively new starter, (three months), and I would like to give a shine to thank Gavin Stewart as my Buddy and all of the savings team in Durham. Gavin has been very patient with me when I got a bit overwhelmed and thought I would never pick everything up, and the rest of the team have been so supportive and friendly to me as well. It’s really been a pleasure to join the team and be made to feel so welcome so quickly.”

- Claire Moxon

- Sara Evans