April 2023
DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE A NEW DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE A NEW EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PLATFORM? EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PLATFORM?
excited to reveal our Tayside Contracts’ Employee s Platform, designed to improve your physical, l and mental wellbeing has AUNCHED!
With a new platform comes new employee benefits! d out how you can start making savings or just check on financial and mental wellbeing by reading pages 8 and 9!
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the Spring edition of Target The days are longer, the sun actually feels warm, and many of us are counting down the weeks to the summer holidays
Before we finally put the dark, cold days behind us, I want to pay tribute to our Winter Maintenance crews, who did an excellent job - going out in all hours and in all weathers, when we were tucked up in our cosy bedsto make sure that people could travel freely about the roads and footways of Tayside. We are all grateful to you for keeping us safe over the winter Thank you so much.
This edition of Target is - as ever - filled with an amazing range of terrific activities that our people in Tayside Contracts carry out. This includes our work on helping to tackle climate change, through reducing fuel use, supporting recycling, and also our part in creating active travel routes, which allow the public to use alternatives to car travel Our work in supporting local communities who are making their area a better place and helping the most vulnerable, is also featured here through our new Community Fund
I’m also really pleased to see information on the employee benefits offered by VIVUP in this edition. We set ourselves an aim to look at what support we can give our employees, through the cost-of-living crisis, and the benefits offered by VIVUP do provide benefits which I’m sure you will be interested in
We also feature some of the ways we are showcasing the great work you do every daythrough social media communications, employee testimonials and new Spotlight updates. It’s important to present the great things you do - to attract new people to the organisation, to feel good about what we do at work, and to convey a positive image to our customers - so we can celebrate being ‘proud of what we do, and chosen for how we do it’
I hope you enjoy this edition of Target.
Best wishes
September 2022, with several sessions being offered each month since then.
More recently a number of Facilities Assistants attended courses across the February 2023 half term holidays. Twelve courses in total were delivered to just over 70 Facilities Assistants across Dundee, Perth and Angus with the venues for these courses including Contracts House, Peasiehill Depot and Perth Grammar. Particular thanks must go to the Facilities Assistants for their attendance in the face of some unfortunate challenges!
Gary Chmiel, Facilities Officer, and Amy McGowan, HR Adviser, delivered the first of our sessions at Contracts House and Fairmuir Depot on 10 & 13 February 2023.
Despite an amber warning for gales, Helen Craw, Facilities Officer, and Jenny McAllister, HR Adviser overcame technical issues with the lights to deliver training in the Angus area on 17 & 20 February 2023.
For the sessions in Perth, Lesley Johnstone, Facilities Officer, and Gill Morgan, HR Adviser, faced challenges with the temperatures and IT provision – thankfully technical support from Perth Grammar’s Business Manager was on hand to provide technical support with the courses on 16 & 17 February 2023.
Management Guide training courses are specifically designed for managers and supervisors with responsibility for managing teams of people. The courses are designed to be informative, interactive and insightful and will continue to be delivered throughout 2023.
by Leanne Reilly, HR Manager
You’re likely familiar with the sight of idling vehicles everywhere (depots, work sites, roads). While idling may seem harmless, it is a significant contributor to air pollution plus it wastes fuel and money.
The Transport Services Team is taking the lead in reducing idling across Tayside Contracts with our new...
By Galin Zhivkov, Fleet Performance Manager
This campaign is aimed at encouraging drivers to turn off their engines while parked, with the goal of reducing emissions, improving air quality, and achieving substantial savings.
Below are a number of key facts about the idling issue:
Idling wastes fuel, money, and harms the environment.
By turning off your engine when parked, you can help to reduce fuel consumption and lower the amount of harmful pollutants that are released into the air
Idling for just 10 seconds wastes more fuel than restarting your engine. By turning off your engine when you don't need it, you can help to reduce fuel consumption and save money. Idling can also harm your vehicle's engine. Over time, excessive idling can cause damage to the engine, leading to costly repairs and reduced vehicle performance. Be idle-free, be part of the solution!
Dundee’sfirst segregatedcycleway. Hydroblasting the new polymer modified surface course to expose the natural Balmullo stone hidden beneath allow clear differentiation of the cycleway and pedestrian walkways.
By John Curran, DRMP Manager
We have introduced a Domestic Abuse Awareness Policy to support as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees.
It is an offence under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 to engage in a course of behaviour which is likely to cause your partner or ex-partner to suffer physical or psychological harm including fear, alarm and distress.
Domestic abuse can be defined as any incident of controlling, coercive, or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those who are or have been, intimate partners regardless of their gender, sexuality, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status or background
The policy aims to:
raise awareness of domestic abuse and describe different forms of domestic abuse provide a framework to manage and where appropriate, support employees who could be, either a survivor, witness or perpetrator of domestic abuse signpost employees to appropriate specialist support organisations safeguard employees while they are at work
For further information, a copy of the full policy can be found on our website, Tay Net or from the HR Admin Team
We have been back out filming with our videographer and this time we stopped off at Perth Workshop to catch up with: -
Ross Henderson, Workshop Supervisor, Jamie Greenhill, Chargehand Roadworker and Ewan Simpson, Mechanic.
All our video employee testimonials are published on our YouTube channel, so grab your munchies and watch your colleagues in action!
We also have some quotes from other employees including Debbie Aitken, Facilities Officer at Bertha Park High School in Perth which you can read on our website and Facebook Jobs page.
If you are interested in being part of a future employee testimonial, please email rachael.lorimer@tayside-contracts.co.uk
We are excited to reveal our Tayside Contracts’ Employee Benefits Platform, designed to improve your physical, financial and mental wellbeing has NOW LAUNCHED!
With a new platform comes new employee benefits!
Lifestyle Savings gives you access to a range of discounts across UK major retailers including supermarkets, technology, fashion, travel and much more!
Here is just a selection of the exciting savings available to you:
5% offgroceriesatMorrisons andSainsbury’s†
Save4%atTesco,AsdaandWaitrose,plus7% atMarks and Spencerstores†
7% savings atCurrys†
5% off your DIY essentials atB&Q†
Discounts on fashion including5% offBoohoo, 9% offASOS,7% offRiver Islandand 10% offNew Look†
Save on sportswear with 7% offNike, 10% offFootlockerand 4% offSports Direct†
†Correct at time of writing Savings and offers subject to change
You will also have access to a dedicated Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) where you can receive confidential, impartial assistance to help you in times of need including a 24/7, 365 days helpline!
Another great benefit we’ve launched is Your Care. With Your Care you can embrace a healthier lifestyle with the help of assessments, goals and tools!
To access these new benefits all you need to do is follow the simple steps below to selfregister:
Visit www.vivup.co.uk and click on the 'Register' button Select 'Tayside Contracts' from the Organisation drop down list Set your password and agree to the terms and conditions to complete your registration.
To discover more about our employee benefits – VIEW OUR NEW BENEFITS BROCHURE
Tayside Contracts is committed to protecting the privacy of the people whose personal information we hold and to meeting our data protection obligations. Visit Privacy Notice for the Employee Benefits Platform Privacy Notice
Don’t wait another moment to make your wellbeing a priority both in and out of the workplace. Visit www.vivup.co.uk today and start discovering what our employee benefits can do for you!
This week seen us get some positive promotion of our work with Remploy for the work our HR Team have done attending careers fairs and helping people apply for roles that suit them.
Amy Wilson, Regional Account Manager, Remploy added:
'It's important that we work with Living Wage Accredited and Disability Confident employers, like Tayside Contracts, to ensure we can provide equal and fair opportunities for all our Fair Start Scotland participants.
We have been working with Tayside Contracts in Dundee, Perth & Angus for the last year. They have been incredibly supportive of our participants and everyone who has secured work with them has loved it. They are a fantastic employer to work with.'
Click here to the full article from Remploy
This week also seen us get some well deserved positive feedback from Genna Millar, Project Coordinator of Dundee Bairns, for the service we have continued to provide.
Genna stated:
'Firstly, I would like to thank you and all of the staff at Tayside Contracts for the provision of our Tea Club meals which finished on 31st March The 15 projects we delivered to over the course of the 5 month period were very grateful for the meals, which fed children in football clubs, homework clubs, and 'cosy spaces' around the city who might not have otherwise had access to a hot evening meal.
A massive thank you to the Catering Supervisors for their help with this - it was truly appreciated. Special thanks also to Heather McKay, Cook in Charge who worked her socks off at the Tayview kitchen to provide the meals, even catering a buffet for the GoFitba project at Fintry, who are still talking about the beautifully prepared food a few weeks on! Heather has done an outstanding job every week, making the food with great care. She is a real asset to your team.'
Tayside Contracts provides sustainable employment opportunities to local people across Tayside, as well as helping to feed the Bairns o' Dundee.
Tayside Contracts is always very eager to be involved in anything we can do to benefit the communities of Tayside So, we were delighted to be asked to contribute to the 'Better Place to Live Fair' held at the Loch Leven Community Campus on Saturday 25th March.
We were even more delighted to receive such high praise for the contribution of our catering team at the event who worked in partnership with their Perth & Kinross Council colleagues to make this such a successful event
We are very grateful to Lynne Prentice, Business Manager, for taking the time to thanks us for our contribution - it's always great to be appreciated!
'I would like to formally thank Tayside Contracts for their contribution to the Better Place to Live Fair on Saturday 25th March. I estimate that around 1,000 people attended the event.
The TC team here with Bernie and Alison offered tasters of school meals which attracted a lot of attention from attendees. The whole team worked tirelessly on Saturday. Angela acting head cook was heavily involved in the planning and preparation of the event and received a special mention in the opening address.
It was good to see the campus thriving again after Covid, and TC definitely played their part in making the event a success.'
Paul Team in No and Safety Adviser Paul previously worked in the offshore oil construction industry as a Safety Coach and Health and Safety Adviser which saw him travel as far as Australia. He brings with him the experience and knowledge of a highly safety regulated industry which will no doubt influence the approach to Health and Safety here at Tayside Contracts Paul’s remit will include safety visits to all our services so expect to see him in the near future.
In Pauls spare time he enjoys keeping fit spending time outdoors, snowboarding in the winter months and hill walking during the summer.
Just some of the road and footpath work carried out in the Angus area and members of the public fed back that they were delighted with such an improvement!
A wide range of charities and community groups across Tayside benefit from this new initiative
At the start of the year Tayside Contracts launched its Community Fund – a new initiative to support small community groups and charities, which do great work improving their area, helping local people, and supporting the most vulnerable.
We have now completed the first round of funding bids and want to share the good news, with 29 community groups benefitting from this initiative.
This is how it works. We (very gratefully) receive ‘Community Benefit’ funding from our major food supplier, Brakes Scotland, as part of their contract obligations when they bid for national local authority food contracts.
What we’ve done with this funding is invite local community groups to apply for things we can do for them (e.g. small footway/ road works, signage, painting, meals etc. (see our webpage on the Community Fund for more information) –we do the work, we get paid from the Community Fund (thanks to Brakes’ funding) - the community get the help they need, and we are making another positive difference to the communities of Tayside.
This Community Benefit money must be used to help communities – if we didn’t use it for that purpose, we wouldn’t get the money
We have already approved nine Fast Track applications, with some of the works already completed – see below an example of a Community Fund application, where we have provided free signage to this local group, thanks to the team at our Sign Shop - Togs for Tots is a charity supporting families struggling to provide essential clothing and equipment for their children.
We have also had an incredible 27 applications for full funding (up to £3,000) for community groups across Tayside These have been assessed by a panel consisting of the Convener and Vice Conveners of our Joint Committee and the Managing Director, and we were able to say ‘yes’ to the vast majority of applications – so we will be looking to schedule in the works, and help the community groups very shortly. Some examples of successful applications are:-
Provision of a pathway round the building for a charity for the elderly in Blairgowrie,
Laying a slabbed area for a charity for children with complex needs in Rumbling Bridge,
Ground works to help a community garden in Dundee,
Seated shelter for a Stroke Club in Montrose.
The following quote from one of the successful applicants shows how much this help means to local groups:
'Thank you for the fantastic news – the works will make a significant difference to us, and more importantly the children and families who use the service!'
Just to let you know that the next round of inviting applicants opened on 1st April, with a closing date of 31 May 2023. In Tayside Contracts we take pride in what we do for our local communities every day The Community Fund is another great example of our support for communities. Thanks to everyone who has spread the word about the Fund and contributed to its success so far.
Successful applications
Guthrie Village Hall Committee - Angus
St Fergus Church Hall - Angus
Aberlemno Parish Church - Angus
Davidson Legacy Cottage - Angus
Loch Tayside Community Interest CompanyP&K
TOGS - Dundee
Dundee Perth Sea Cadets - P&K
Full Applications (up to £3,000)
Successful applications
Arbroath Cricket club - Angus
Blairgowrie and Rattery Community Football Club - P&K
Comrie Millenium Footpath Association - P&K
Craigo Community Hall Angus
Dundee Survival Group - Dundee
Elder Voice - P&K
Fiveways day centre - Dundee
Incheoch Granary - Angus
Jock Neish Scout Centre - Angus
Kettins Community Hub - P&K
Kingsmuir Village Hall - Angus
Kirkton Community Garden - Angus
Letham Village Lottery - Angus
Madoch Centre - P&K
Montrose Stroke Club - Angus
Muirton Trust - Angus
Muthill Village Trust - P&K
Perth Autism Support (Fairview School Perth)
Relationships Scotland - Dundee
Sea b P&K
St M The
Our Facebook page has also been busy with positive feedback and promoting our employee testimonial videos and it's great to hear from our own employees encouraging others to come and work with us
We also had great delight in telling the social media world about the amazing achievement of one of our employees receiving a prestigious award Read more below
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If you haven't heard already, Susie Newton, Training and Development Adviser, received the Institute's Presidents Award from the Royal Environmental Health Institute for Scotland.
Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3LeCb42 or on page 18
Here, Lion Safety explain the benefits and importance of a good business partnership
To hear Elaine Brown, Procurement Manager explain this in more detail, click here
Did you know we are also on Instagram? Check out 'tcschoolfood' here.
Hopefully you will have read about the Community Fund on pages 14 and 15 We wanted to promote the great work that has been done and the help that charity and similar organisations are gaining from this. To view the feedback click here
We are delighted to announce that our very own Susie Newton, Training and Development Adviser was the winner of the REHIS President's Award 2023.
The award is in recognition for the work Susie has done delivering vast quantities of Food Hygiene and Health and Safety (Elementary and Intermediate levels) courses to Tayside Contracts staff and the wider Community, including Elementary Food Hygiene to the Dundee Bairns initiative and other food larders and community groups
In her own time, on a voluntary basis she assists Graham’s soup kitchen on a Saturday evening Susie is a strong supporter of education in subjects to promote health and well-being, and very recently she has been working with the Institute in piloting and contributing to the forthcoming REHIS Elementary Nutrition Course.
The award presentation took place during the Institute’s Annual Environmental Health Forum, at the Kilmardinny House, Bearsden, Glasgow on Tuesday 25 April 2023.
