PULSE
Employee Newsletter
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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A message from your MD
New Colleague Announcements
Celebrations
Buyer of the Month Awards
Opinion Surveys
Getting to Know You
MESM Bake Off
Competitions
Social Media Snippets
October 2016
A message from your MD
Well did you do it?
On 19th July this year, it was pretty hot in the UK and Holly walked around the
office with ice creams for everyone…and I emailed the following request:
“As you take a few minutes to
eat the ice cream and cool
down, have a think about
something, anything (work or
personal) that would enhance
your life and that you have
been meaning to do but just
not got round to doing yet.
Then (the difficult part); plan
how you are going to finally
get it done before the clocks
go back again on 30th
October!”
So, did you do it? If you did, well done you, what is next? If you didn’t then consider this; it is over 3 months since that
hot day and it is 3 months that you will never get back. Why didn’t you do it? Too difficult? Someone else’s fault? Didn’t
set a target? Forgot? Whatever the reason it is worth examining the circumstances as just letting three months slip
through your fingers is wasteful. Set yourself another (the same?) target now with a Christmas deadline; that gives you 2
months if you don’t achieve that one, then there may be cause to (mis)quote Lady Bracknell to you;
“To miss one may be regarded as a misfortune; to miss both looks like carelessness.”
Why is it important to set goals and get them done? Progression and big growth is only possible through making a series
of gains. Basketball coaches will use the phrase ”Next play” as soon as possession changes hands in the game – a plea to
their team to not focus on the last play (good or bad) but to immediately set a goal for the next play and go out and
execute it.
Besides anything else, getting stuff done is satisfying and good fun!
Jon Raven and Wendy Timperley both sent me a copy of a LinkedIn post by Jeff Weiner (the CEO of LinkedIn) this week
and it nicely illustrates the above but also it could serve as a great template for the “MESM culture” that we are striving
to facilitate. Jeff was trying to describe the people he enjoyed working with and came up with the diagram above (full
article here). With apologies for his choice of words (he could just get “stuff” done!) let’s consider each element:
Dream Big MESM set itself a target in 2016 to grow our sales by 80%! (we will achieve around about 60%- massive
growth. By end 2020 we will be approaching being a £50m business- we ARE dreaming big. Are you with us?
Get Stuff Done One of our company behaviours is “keep it simple and get things done” and we do. Where do I start with
examples; 2016 has seen collections OTIF rise from 50% to over 90%, a complete rebrand, launch of our Values &
Behaviours, a training & development plan, Unit E acquisition, introduction of flexible working, standardised holidays and
welcome packs. As mentioned we have increased sales by 60%, added new customers, landed and delivered Dexcom
contracts, reduced our debtor days, increased our creditor days, improved service planning…the list is much longer than
this but you get the point.
Know how to have fun Other diary commitments have seen me out of the office for the last two company events - The
Bake Off and Halloween - but the pictures do both days justice. A huge participation level, good fun and excitement in a
brief break from work. These though, are just the “set pieces” – daily I see a great atmosphere in MESM and our
“happiness” scores reflect that. We know we can always do more but I think that MESM people certainly know how to
have fun.
So, set yourself that goal - personal or work, big or small - and get it done before Christmas. Getting stuff done is
addictive and it is infectious - it builds for a great future. Together.
In the meantime, consider that Jeff Weiner venn diagram; do you agree with it? I do and in future when I am asked to
describe MESM I may well be saying; we dream big, we get stuff done and we enjoy ourselves.
David Parry
We have had many people join our team since January of this year and
thought it would be nice to find out a little bit more about our newest
colleagues, so we asked the following questions…
1. Where did you work before?
2. How did you find your first week?
3. What do you like most about MESM?
“I used to work for a company called Mosaic Care Group as a
HR Manager.
I have really enjoyed my first week getting to know my team
and everyone around me. Everyone has been very
welcoming and I enjoyed learning about the different areas
in the team – introductions/overviews.
I love the
professionalism and dedication the teams have shown in
their roles.
I feel everyone is approachable and I am finding it
interesting learning about MESM and how we play a part in
trials globally!”
Laura Sewards – HR Assistant
“Before starting work at MESM, I worked for a
company called Fish Insurance in the Travel Insurance
Department where I would use my knowledge on
medical conditions to define how much their travel
insurance would be.
My first week was great, I got used to trying to use the
system and how the company works. Everyone has
been really friendly and making me part of the team. If
I am unsure on something, there is always someone
who can help me out which is always reassuring.”
Soriyya Adam – Account Executive
Celebrations!
Engagements!
Big congratulations to Grace and Andy and to Kirsten and Rick on their
engagements, from everyone at MESM!
MESM Anniversaries
Who has reached an MESM anniversary in September?
September
Dave Burgess
6 years
Maureen Berry
3 years
Philippa Walsh
3 years
Wendy Timperley
3 years
Buyer of the Month Awards
This month’s winner is our new recruit and is awarded in recognition
of the admirable approach she has taken to her first role in Purchasing
(and first full time job!), supporting both the Product and Service side
of Procurement.
Jess has taken all tasks in her stride and has been incredibly quick to pick
up the system and the processes in place. A great addition and a
welcomed support to the team.
One month in – keep up the good work!
A big thanks from us all!
Rock Star Awards
Where have all the ‘Rock Star’s’ gone?
It’s quite some time since we last awarded a ‘Rock Star’ and we thought it might be worthwhile
reminding everyone what this prestigious award is all about.
So what is a Rock Star?
Rock Stars are those people who always strive to do better, to go that extra mile, the ones who stand out for their
desire to help others and they also combine those personal attributes with a high level of competence in the job
that they do. Isn’t that what we are all striving for?
To be a successful Rock Star you have to work hard to improve your competency and this means making time for
professional development to improve your knowledge and skills. Then you have to learn what people like—and
don’t like—about working with you. Once you get to this stage you can work on amplifying the good and changing
the things that aren’t quite right.
There have been a number of people over the last twelve months who have demonstrated what it takes to become
a Rock Star and no doubt there are many others amongst us. Those who achieve the Rock Star status receive a Rock
Star certificate, a box of chocolates and an extra day’s holiday!
How do I nominate?
The Rock Star initiative is there to recognise the efforts of those people who display the relevant attributes and to
serve as an example to others across the business too. It’s also a way for individuals across the organisation, those
who are interacting with people day in day out, to recognise those qualities in others rather than recognition only
coming from senior management.
Each nomination is assessed in terms of the individual’s contribution and consistency and only those who meet the
criteria listed above will receive an award. We need to keep the accolade associated with being a Rock Star high and
we need to be careful that we don’t give awards to people simply for doing the job that they are paid to do. We
therefore take the time to analyse the nominations and look for those people for whom we have many examples of
them going that extra mile and over and above expectations – consistency is key.
So if you think someone deserves the Rock Star status, we want to hear all about them! Nominations should be
made via the HR Department by email to: [email protected]
We value your opinion!
It’s six months since we introduced our employee ‘mini-pulse’ survey and we are still receiving a great response. Our average
happiness rating for September is 7.1 which is the highest it has been so far! In terms of those likely to remain with the company, the
average rating here is 7.0 so just a touch under the 7.1 score that we achieved in August. Results are still positive though which is great
to see.
We didn’t receive many comments this month and there wasn’t a particular theme either but here are a few of them. Again as always,
remember that these surveys are anonymous and if you have a specific individual concern you are encouraged to speak with your line
manager or HR.
I am excited to see the changes that have happened and excited to see the
changes that are coming; however in the interim period of our system
change-over I am finding my job and undertaken duties more and more
straining as our demand grows; our working system remains complex and unsupportive of our newly found needs and customer demands. I believe once
Epicor is established and fully integrated within MESM the business will run a
lot more fluidly and our hymn sheets will be on the same page.
I think there is a real "people focus" at MESM, the company always look at
new ways of keeping employees happy, whether it is through the offer of
training and development or social events.
Whilst the day-to-day can be pretty hectic, I always feel like there is
someone I can call upon for support or guidance. Really helps to keep
motivation up and keep going through the more challenging elements!
I enjoy my work here at MESM and I enjoy a challenge, which is why this
marking is a 7/10. What I do not enjoy is the culture that nothing should,
can or won't be changed. Some of the processes that are in place now
supported a smaller sized business with a smaller growth/size. IE.
Completing Points A through F to prove that we can and have the 'just in
case' checked off. But do we only need to mark A, B & E only to comply
with our service-promises, supply-promises and so on? Complexity
remains while volume and growth also grows.
As promised, here are the stats for the last six months.
Getting to know you…
Each month we will ask a different member of the team 20 quick fire questions!
This month our victim is Rob Scott, Refrigeration and Service Engineer.
How long have you worked at MESM? Almost 2 years. I started on 1st
December 2014. Davey McClure and I started on the same day.
Describe your role in three words. A great job.
Describe yourself in three words. Insightful, Direct, Thoughtful.
How do you relax outside of work? Watching films, listening to music
and taking photos.
What is your favourite TV show/film? TV: I’ve never missed “Lie to
Me.” Tim Roth is brilliant. Film: “The Shining,” Jack Nicholson
directed by Stanley Kubrick - fantastic.
Which actor would play you in a film of your life? Liam Neeson or
Donald Sutherland.
What three things would you take to a desert island? Binoculars,
iPod, Insulin.
What kind of music do you listen to? Mainly Indie/Rock but I have around 1500 CDs and Vinyls to choose from.
Bands like The Foo Fighters, The Smiths, Led Zepplin, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joy Division, Love, The Beatles,
Under a Banner, Slydigs…I could go on.
What is your fondest childhood memory? Camping in Cornwall with my Mum and Dad and my sister Debbie on our
summer holidays. I loved the beaches and "surfing" the waves.
Do you have any pets? Yes, a cat named Sig, a black Labrador named Dylan, a
rabbit named Rafer and my partner Lynne has a horse named Will, he’s a Dales
Pony.
Have you ever sung karaoke? What’s your song? No I haven’t but it would
probably be “Green Onions” by Booker T. and the M.G.s.
At which store would you like to max-out your credit card? Any photographic
equipment and HMV.
What is your favourite food? Chilli’s with pretty much everything.
Do you have (or have you ever had) a nickname? I used to be called “Scotty” at
school.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten? I prefer quality as opposed to
unusual. One of the best meals ever was on the Isle of Skye, a seafood feast with
lobster, oysters, skate, langoustine, you name it. We then met the fisherman who
caught it all in the pub down the quay.
If money was no object, what would you do all day? Photograph wildlife - with
all the kit I’d just bought from the camera shop.
What are three things still left on your bucket list? I need to buy three buckets.
Which 3 people would be your ultimate dinner guests? Oscar Wilde, Bill Hicks
and Arthur Lee.
Do you have any phobias, no matter how strange? Arachnophobia. I can’t even
look at a picture of the things.
If you weren’t doing this job, what would your dream job be? Wildlife
Photographer.
Macmillan Coffee Morning/MESM Bake Off
Friday 30th November saw the MESM Bake Off in aid
of Macmillan. It was a great success with a variety
of bakes enjoyed by all!
It was tough for our judges “Roddy Hollywood” and
“Maureen Berry” but in the end the worthy winner
was Phil Parr!
Congratulations to Chris Wolfenden and Lee
Shinkfield, who claimed the runner up prizes.
We raised £200 in donations for this event – thank
you to all!
Runners up!
Guess Who?
Congratulations to Mike Riley, who guessed that the baby was….
David Parry!
Well done to the other entries who also guessed correctly.
Can you guess who this month’s ‘mini MESM-er’ is? If you guess
correctly, you will be in with a chance of winning a prize! All correct
entries will be added to a draw!
If there are no correct entries then the employee who submitted the
picture, wins! You’ve gotta be in it to win it, so email your guesses to
Holly before Friday 5th November.
Don’t forget… raid the attic and keep those pictures coming in!
Spot the Difference
See how many differences you can spot in this spooky picture?
Answer will be revealed in next month’s issue!
Spreading the word!
The social media shares and likes are slowing down. Come on guys, lets keep spreading the word! Here are a
few snippets from the last month
Editorial content or queries to:
[email protected]