Since our work is centred around and thrives on people, we make them and our environment the focus of our sustainability plan. In this article, Francesca Fowler, Senior Human Resources Business Partner and Wellbeing Champion, share some of the latest initiatives we are working on.
Supporting mental health
We wanted to provide more support for our teams during the pandemic and after we started Mental Health First Aid Training (MHFA) in late 2020. To date, we have 30 managers and employees registered as Mental Health First Aiders as they successfully completed the course delivered by an MHFA-accredited qualified trainer. The MHFA training equips line managers to look for any signs of distress and provide support where needed.
I had a first-hand experience using these new skills when I was driving home one evening and stopped to speak to a girl at the side of the road where it went over a bridge. I could see that she didn’t look right. The training helped me to ask the right questions, and I found that she was looking to jump off the bridge. Thanks to MHFA training, I talked to the girl and ensured she was provided the support she needed until the Police took over.
While nothing quite so dramatic has happened within the Pelican team, managers are now equipped with the knowledge and tools to be ready to ask the right questions.
Providing apprenticeships
Pelican is growing its apprenticeship programme – and it’s not all about school leavers. We launched Apprenticeships in 2021 and partnered with the Chichester College Group. We started with Procurement and Supply Chain and Finance courses, and we’re now expanding to other functions too. The apprentice learns on the job, with around 20% of their time spent on college work. The course is delivered remotely, enabling apprentices to work anywhere in the business. With the government mandating an apprenticeship levy to businesses of a certain size, its created a wonderful development opportunity for us to use the levy.
Supporting local communities
Pelican encourages all team members to support their local communities or charities by offering two paid community days every year. And this year, as we have most of the team back in the Farnborough head office, the company decided to support local charity ‘Step by Step‘.
The charity helps support vulnerable young people through hard times – providing them with accommodation, personal development opportunities, and specialist support services.
The Pelican team participated in the global company initiative ‘Building Communities Day’ in October by helping with the general clean-up of the garden and delivering facilities makeover at one of the charity’s houses.
A few words from our Mental Health First Aiders
“Now, more than ever before, mental health wellbeing is a genuine and necessary consideration, and we take our colleagues’ welfare very seriously indeed at Pelican.” Andrew Parsons MIH, Head of Sales, Pelican Group Purchasing
“Taking care of your mental health is one of the most important things you can do. Having someone to talk to can make a huge difference when you hit that bump in the road.”
Michelle Parham, Head of Sales, Pelican Procurement Services
“Work is a significant part of our lives. It is where we spend much of our time. When life doesn’t go as planned, having someone you can easily talk to can make a world of difference.” Simona Hardy, Head of Marketing, Avendra Group Europe
Interested in joining the Pelican team?
Check out some of the latest career opportunities available. We are always on the lookout for talented people, so if you like the sound of Pelican and want to be part of what we do, please get in touch.
