Andrew Jones, Harrogate MP and Transport Minister, became a construction apprentice for the day at Harrogate building company, Derry Construction Limited. Organised by CITB and Derry Construction, the minister became a joinery apprentice to demonstrate his support for apprenticeships and find out more about the training and skills involved in modern
As a supplier to manufacturing companies for the production of various fasteners and fixings, Stainless Band is in a period of rapid growth. In order to maintain customer satisfaction throughout this growth, the UK based company is taking significant steps to ensure that the service it provides will not only
A Wiltshire bakery has been fined for safety failings after a worker was injured with a powered bowl mixer. Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee of Haydens Bakery who manufacture confectionary items, caught his wedding ring on an unguarded attachment of the rotating shaft on a powered bowl mixer.
Communication is one of the most important issues in the workplace. Good communication is the key to a successful business because it helps everyone to feel heard and engaged at every level. As a result, everyone benefits from a positive, encouraging and successful environment. Here are four ways that companies
QOB Interiors are fit-out specialists and have been awarded a ‘gold’ level performance for their work on the fit-out of One Carter Lane. This project was Europe’s first to be awarded the WELL Building Standard. This building standard represent the attempt to deliver workplace environments that are healthier and happier.
Gatemore Capital Management LLP has called for DX Group Plc to hold an EGM. The intention behind this is to propose that Chairman Bob Holt, and Paul Murray, The Non-Executive Director are replaced by four new board members. It has been suggested that the new appointments need to be four
Andrew Jones, Harrogate MP and Transport Minister, became a construction apprentice for the day at Harrogate building company, Derry Construction Limited. Organised by CITB and Derry Construction, the minister became a joinery apprentice to demonstrate his support for apprenticeships and find out more about the training and skills involved in modern construction. At Derry Construction in Harrogate yesterday, Mr Jones was given a tour of the site and workshop, introduced to the various stages of the manufacturing process and tried his hand at the different stages in production. He also met with three of Derry Construction’s four apprentices currently undertaking joinery training to hear about how they became apprentices and their experience to date. Mr Jones commented: “I really enjoyed experiencing first-hand what a joinery apprenticeship involves. Apprenticeships play a vital role in providing lasting and successful careers in construction and apprentices bring many benefits to employers like Derry Construction. It’s never been more important to support and encourage more young people and employers to participate in and develop apprenticeships.” Maria O’Sullivan, CITB’s regional area manager said: “Apprenticeships are increasingly important with 230,000 new roles coming into the construction industry in the next five years. Apprenticeship numbers are on the rise but we need even more. CITB has launched a new recruitment campaign called Go Construct to promote construction careers and help bolster those numbers. “I hope that by working with the minister and Derry Construction today, we can encourage other employers in the region to support more apprenticeships or take on an apprentice for the first time.” Derry Construction is a committed supporter of apprenticeships, with current apprentices making up over 20 per cent of its workforce. Shane Derry MD, Derry Construction commented: “Apprenticeships are vital to our success. There is simply no substitute for the on-site experience an apprenticeship offers. Having a strong apprenticeship programme give us the opportunity to build and continue to grow the skilled workforce that gives us that competitive edge crucial to our business success. Mr Derry, who is also the Harrogate and York Association’s President for the National Federation of Builders, said: “I think Mr Jones enjoyed his time on site and hope he can continue to work hard with CITB to ensure ongoing backing for this important industry and the skills we need to grow.” CITB is working to improve the image of apprenticeships, support progression routes in the sector and increase employer participation in apprenticeship delivery. To find out more about construction apprenticeships and opportunities in the sector go to: www.gocontruct.org Source link
As a supplier to manufacturing companies for the production of various fasteners and fixings, Stainless Band is in a period of rapid growth. In order to maintain customer satisfaction throughout this growth, the UK based company is taking significant steps to ensure that the service it provides will not only continue at a high standard, but will improve. To further the service to its customers, Stainless Band has expanded its multi-lingual sales team, including new Commercial Manager, Andrea Olsson. Andrea, who brings more than 15 years of experience in international sales and account management, will work with key customers and ensure that all customer relationships are nurtured in a way that are mutually beneficial. The versatile products that Stainless Band is capable of processing allows the company to fulfil the requirements of fastener and fixing manufacturers to produce a wide variety of end-use products. Serving a range of industries including Automotive, Construction, Petrochemical and Technology, end-use items manufactured using Stainless Band products includes hinges, angle brackets, toggle latches, joist hangers, computer brackets, sign fixings, hanger rails and much, much more. Advancements in the industries served by Stainless Band mean that the product requirements of its customers are constantly changing and evolving. By ensuring that Stainless Band changes and evolves with its customers, whilst ensuring that quality and service remains at a high standard, the company will maintain growth and continue to exceed the expectations of its customers in the fastener and fixing industry. For more information on Stainless Band, please call +44 (0) 1274 566 831 or visit www.stainlessband.co.uk.
A Wiltshire bakery has been fined for safety failings after a worker was injured with a powered bowl mixer. Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee of Haydens Bakery who manufacture confectionary items, caught his wedding ring on an unguarded attachment of the rotating shaft on a powered bowl mixer. He suffered injuries to his ring finger which required partial amputation. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 3rd March 2015 found that the company had modified the machine by adding a securing clip to a rotating shaft but failed to identify and address the additional risk created. Haydens Bakery, of Hopton Estate, London Road, Devizes, Wiltshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and Regulation 3(3) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and was fined £40,000 with £5,950 costs. For further information on machinery safety visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/ Notes to Editors The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/ and guidance at HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link
Communication is one of the most important issues in the workplace. Good communication is the key to a successful business because it helps everyone to feel heard and engaged at every level. As a result, everyone benefits from a positive, encouraging and successful environment. Here are four ways that companies can boost communication through office design. Design Seating with Collaboration in Mind Open-plan offices help with communication and the flow of ideas amongst employees. This is particularly true when senior staff are part of the open floor plan since it helps all staff tune in to the office vibe and makes teams more cohesive. It also makes people seem more approachable and arrangements like cluster desks and bench seating where people face each other can help with collaboration. However, some staff don’t appreciate the lack of privacy and the open plan layout can be seen as intrusive by more introverted employees, leading to a reduction in concentration. In this case, it’s a good idea to create some separate private spaces for quiet work or adopt a policy for allowing people to work from home when they need to work undisturbed. Online collaboration platforms like Slack, Trello and Basecamp are good at keeping teams connected and up to date with projects. Allocate a Dedicated Communication Area A special area dedicated to teamwork doesn’t necessarily have to be within the confines of a meeting room. It could be an island or shared table in an open-plan office, independent of the normal work environment, yet centrally placed and defined as a ‘communication lounge’ for brainstorming, informal team meetings and project coordination. High padded seating, shelving units or moveable partitions can create an effective acoustic barrier if necessary. Synergy Vision, a medical Communications agency, installed breakout spaces in their new premises when they relocated. The padded and cushioned seats are part of the open plan seating area but high-backed and enclosed to create privacy. Consider Every Space a Workspace In modern offices, hallways and staircases can function as extensions of the workspace. Studies have shown that people are more innovative and open to ideas when in motion. This means effort should be put into the design of every single space, particularly hallways and landings where employees can think from a fresh perspective away from their desks. They can have chance meetings, allowing them the welcome opportunity for face-to-face contact with colleagues, which can create more of a bond as well as aiding inter-team communication. Hallways are being made wider and furnished with sofas, whiteboards and other places to encourage conversation. EDC, a communications group, moved six creative businesses under one roof in London’s West End. A new structural opening and new staircase were constructed between the two floors to allow the companies to easily come together around the central meeting areas and meeting rooms. The interior designers gave the space a shabby chic vibe and created lots of inspiring breakout areas in the walkways and open spaces. Embrace New Technology Phones are becoming a thing of the past in the office as we now rely more heavily on digital technology. Work is becoming more collaborative and video-conferencing from a variety of locations around the world is the main way to communicate between international offices. Encourage this by setting up the best facilities you can for your staff and make it easy for them to communicate by providing the best Wi-Fi connection, webcams and other amenities. Companies are now adding nooks and crannies with seats and a place to plug in and charge your smartphone where filing cabinets would have existed before. Helix Property fitted a bespoke new seating area that included wireless charging points. Verisk Analytics installed a comprehensive audio visual system including interactive screens with full laptop connectivity. This was complemented by meeting rooms fitted with a room booking system to allow for a simple and efficient procedure to managing meetings between teams. Their Training Room provided an interactive whiteboard and repeater screens to cater for the larger open planned teaching area. As you can see, wireless connectivity enables staff to work anywhere, giving them an excellent way to change their scenery and have impromptu meetings using a laptop. This is aided by an increasing emphasis on digital storage and online collaboration, as well as interior design that complements these trends and boosts workplace communication.
QOB Interiors are fit-out specialists and have been awarded a ‘gold’ level performance for their work on the fit-out of One Carter Lane. This project was Europe’s first to be awarded the WELL Building Standard. This building standard represent the attempt to deliver workplace environments that are healthier and happier. ONE Carter Land is a London office space that is used by the multi-disciplinary engineer Cundall. Locate opposite St Paul’s Cathedral in the centre of the city of London, the 15,400 sq. ft. office located at One Carter Lane takes up the entire ground floor of the building that was originally built in the mid-nineties. The office will now have new workspace for more the 180 employees. Cundall has chosen to create a project that would hopefully ensure that its staff are happy and healthy, making them as productive as possible. This can also act as a showcase for its collaborators. The company has pursued the WELL Building Standard as part of the company’s aim to improve productivity. A performance based system has been initiated by the International WELL Building Institute which measures human health and wellness on the basis of seven categories of building performance which are: air, water, light, nourishment, fitness, comfort and mind. The space was designed by architects Ben Allen and saw QOB Interiors install the challenging fit-out in accordance with the stringent tolerances of the commercial Cat-B office fit-out as well as focusing on the most sustainable and environmentally-friendly materials. In order to meet the fit-out brief every aspect had to be considered carefully. This includes the materials used, the lighting, heating and open space which all had to be evaluated in terms of the impact on post-occupancy use before the design was finalised. At the Cundall offices, all furnishings, insulation, interior paint as well as the adhesives, oils, waxes and finishes were used because of their low or zero VOC, formaldehyde and toxic content. There was also a variable volume air distribution to improve air quality in high density areas. This air system is controlled by CO2 sensors.
Gatemore Capital Management LLP has called for DX Group Plc to hold an EGM. The intention behind this is to propose that Chairman Bob Holt, and Paul Murray, The Non-Executive Director are replaced by four new board members. It has been suggested that the new appointments need to be four completely independent board members. Gatemore has an interest in this decision because they hold 11.3% of DX’s common stock, making it the largest single stockholder. The share value of DX has declined by 90% after profit warnings were issued in both November 2015 and February 2017. The company has tried implementing an integration plane, called OneDX, and has failed to see any real improvements. Since this, the current board members have failed to find any other successful strategic alternatives. Because they are seemingly unable to find any solutions, it is agreed amongst the largest shareholders of DX that a board level change is required. Gatemore has been working alongside the businesses other large stakeholders in order to look for candidates for the position. These four candidates have been fully vetted and it is thought that they could lead DX in the right direction. These four candidates could also make up one of the more well-rounded boards within the UK’s delivery sector. All of the candidate have previous experience in transport as well as in business turn-around and should be well equipped to explore more strategic alternative for DX which would hopefully see the business improving. It is also important that Gatemore and the other major stakeholders are putting forward candidates that are entirely independent of Gatemore and the other major stakeholders of DX. The candidates for these new board members are Ronald Series for the position of Chairman, Lloyd Dunn, Paul Goodson and Russell Black as the Non-Executive Directors. We hope to see these appointments bringing new opportunities for DX and its shareholders.
