08 The basics Motivating, engaging and rewarding our people We think having the right balance between work and play is really important too. That’s why we’ve set up MITIE’s Got Talent, our annual event that showcases all of your special talents. Whether it’s singing, magic or ball room dancing we’d love to see what our people get up to away from work. And encourage as many people as possible to take part. We also have an employee rewards scheme, MITIE Rewards, which offers a wide range of discounts on anything from holidays to high street vouchers. We take care of all the logistics for the scheme and provide you with a login and password, so all you have to do is see what takes your fancy and start saving. Talking of saving money, the Save As You Earn (SAYE) scheme is a great way to help MITIE people save, by putting a set amount of money aside each month, straight from your pay. You don’t even have to save huge amounts – it all adds up. Also, if you stay in the scheme until the end of the savings period you get a tax free bonus! peopLe miTie’s goT TAleNT
MITIE’s Got Talent X Factor watch out! strictly stars stand back...a new generation of talent has landed. miTie’s very own talent competition, miTie’s got Talent, is getting bigger and better every year. since its launch in 2008 the competition has produced top quality talent to give the likes of matt cardle and Kara Tointon a run for their money.
2 Teneeka Fothergill Teneeka treated the audience to a self-penned number that went down a storm in the final. “When I went to the MITIE’s Got Talent audition I was quite nervous as I knew I’d be performing in front of my colleagues who I see on a daily basis; whilst having no idea of what kind of act MITIE would see as suitable entertainment for the event. I was very pleased when I got through to the finals. The evening of the final was great! When I went on stage the fear had vanished and I loved every minute of it as the audience were really warm and welcoming.”
With such sensational acts the competition was tougher than ever but it was Birmingham-based rock band, Blemish, fronted by lead guitarist and MITIE-man John Martin (pictured far right), who took the crown at the MITIE Senior Management Conference in September. The band have been working and performing together since late 2004 and counted the MITIE’s Got Talent final as one of their most memorable performances, with John Martin commenting “What a mind blowing experience. The atmosphere was electric – we were made to feel very special. It will be a day we won’t forget for a long time!” The band have previously been tipped as one of the ‘ones to watch’ in the rock music industry, having won a Kerrang award for their song ‘One in a Million’, which was voted No.1 in the unsigned chart. However John described the MITIE’s Got Talent final as a particular highlight, commenting: “It was a magical event, pure class.” Their prize was to spend a day in recording studio to work on some of their new material. They plan to go into Sky Lab studio in Birmingham early this year when the finishing touches on their new songs have been made.
5 Majda Rogers
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Let’s meet the finalists… 1 Anthony Cox The trumpet player extraordinaire performed with the rest of his band, Just Jazz. “I was very nervous at the auditions. I played with a backing track which is something I’d never done before. It was fantastic to get through to the final; I’ve played in front of audiences for 20 years, but it certainly was different to play in front of colleagues. I would definitely recommend entering to others who would be brave enough to perform!” 26 buzz
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4 Debra Bridgewater Debra’s powerful rendition of ‘You’ve Got the Love’ would have left Florence looking for her machine. “I really enjoyed the MITIE’s Got Talent experience. Meeting the other finalists was great, everybody was really nice and of course extremely talented. The auditions were a little nerve-racking, it felt like an X Factor audition with the panel watching and commenting… Thankfully they weren’t as harsh as Simon Cowell! Reaching the final was fantastic, the setting and the sound facilities were particularly impressive!”
Hayley Collier
Our dance starlet set a high standard on the dance floor…”I was so pleased to make it through to the final! I always knew I had a competitive streak from my dancing days, but because I hadn’t performed in quite a while, it was great to be told that I’d done well. I had so much fun at the final… I was the last to leave the dance floor! The whole experience was fabulous. I also really liked the online voting system as it meant my friends and family could support me.”
Majda’s performance of the Leona Lewis’ version of Snow Patrol’s anthem ‘Run’ wowed the crowds… “It felt great to be picked for the final, knowing that a lot of people from MITIE auditioned. The audition process was very nerveracking as there were four judges, a camera man, a photographer and an audience! The only thing that was missing was Simon Cowell!”
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09/06/2011 11:27