“In today’s society with the cost of living crises and the everyday pressures we face, I am acutely aware that people may be struggling. People often talk about assets in life; in business as in life, your greatest assets are the people closest to you.”
Says Derek Vinning, Operations Director at Traffix. Derek served in our Armed Forces; he knows from experience how important it is to look out for your buddies. Whether on site managing the traffic and pedestrians whilst a bridge is being installed, or marshalling fans during a high-security football match, the crews have each other’s backs. But what happens when the PPE is put in the locker? Derek continues…
“It’s easy to see if a piece of equipment is in need of repair, but you can’t necessarily see when a person’s wellbeing is under attack. I’ve been at Traffix almost since Gary founded the company, we’re a close-knit family and this has served us well. However, just as we never stop improving our services, we thought there was more we could do to help our team.”
Step one pace forwards Samantha Brettell. Samantha is the founder of PREVENT, a consultancy specialising in wellbeing, diversity and inclusion issues and creating programmes and values around this across race, gender, mental health & social mobility.
Samantha has over 30 years military experience, dealing with soldiers and their families during extremely difficult times. Exposure to events that those outside the military never get to witness enables Samantha to bring a myriad of support techniques to help people during their time of need.
Traffix have teamed up with PREVENT to provide employees with an independent, professional who they can approach in confidence if they are experiencing difficulties. Samantha is available in person; she has her own office at Traffix and is also on the end of a phone. Samantha’s role is multi-faceted which she best describes as…
“You might call me a ‘corporate agony aunt’. I come in and provide a welfare wrap to businesses, for instance support to employees who are experiencing issues that may not be work-related, people have issues at home. You hear people say ‘You should leave it at the gate’, but people don’t do that, it affects their performance in the work environment.
“I’m here to pick all kinds of issues up, sign post and deal with. From directors and managers dealing with burnout through to coaching someone with anxiety, to trauma risk incident management which links into health and safety. There’s a tried and tested way that the Army use to deal with trauma which I adopt in a civilian environment.”
Traffix have always been ‘in step‘ when it comes to looking after the welfare of employees. However, Traffix Health, Safety and Facilities Director Kerry Draper believes this latest initiative will make a big difference to the wellbeing of all members of the Traffix family…
“We approached members our workforce and canvassed their opinions on whether they would appreciate someone independent who they could confide in should they have issues which require professional help. I am delighted that Samantha has joined us to fulfil this role, we know the qualities she brings to our business having previously worked together through the Armed Forces Covenant.”
Summing up Samantha added…
“It’s about bringing everybody along together and building contentment from the bottom upwards. Without contented people you don’t have a business, therefore it’s important for all concerned. I’m looking forward to bringing my skills and experience to Traffix, sharing best practices and developing new ways of co-working.”
