A GREAT SUCCESS
Colleague development recognised at the National Rail Awards
Arriva Rail London is a great place to work – and that’s official!
The company was handed the accolade at the National Rail Awards in October after judges praised our work on colleague development and safety and wellbeing, and the focus we have put on equality, diversity and inclusion over the past few years.
A document we submitted to the awards highlighted the many good things ARL does to support its colleagues, but it was a live video-link testimonial by revenue protection inspector Neil Candasamy that really impressed the panel.
Neil was chosen to present as a member of the People Steering Group (PSG) but also because he is passionate about helping to create an inclusive workplace where colleagues have opportunities to develop.
“I was quite nervous as I’d never done anything like this before, but I just spoke about the work we do on the PSG to support colleagues,” he said.
“For me that’s what makes ARL a great place to work – there are opportunities for anyone to get involved and to learn new skills.
“I wasn’t even thinking about an award, so it was amazing when we won.”
Atmosphere of trust
Oli Gant, HR director, was full of praise for Neil’s contribution.
“Neil was brilliant. We deliberately wanted to avoid having a slick presentation with slides, we wanted a colleague to share their open and honest views. He did a wonderful job, despite being very nervous and I was delighted for him.
“I’m really proud of this award. It’s the culmination of five years of very hard work to improve the culture across the business – a place where people’s voices are heard, we respect difference and welcome challenge.
“Based on feedback from colleagues, we’ve tried to build an atmosphere of trust, giving people room to grow and the freedom to make decisions. As a result, we’ve seen colleagues throughout the business showing their talent and really shining.
“There’s still plenty of work to do, but to be told by an external organisation that we are the best in the industry is awesome.”
As Exchange extra went live, Neil was due to start a new role with ARL as duty resource manager.
He added: “It’s another example of ARL offering opportunities. I’m very much looking forward to it.”
There was more cause for celebration at the same event as our Hatch End station team was ‘highly commended’ in the Station of the Year category.
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