Everyday, in all weathers, Veolia’s waste teams are busy collecting household rubbish and helping to keep West Berkshire clean and tidy. But they aren’t just waste teams – in fact they are helping fight climate change by recycling many of the everyday things we discard, and make a positive contribution to protecting and preserving our natural environment.
Unfortunately not everyone recognises the valuable role they play in maintaining the environment we all share, with verbal and physical abuse by members of the public becoming a significant issue.
To help these dedicated teams Veolia are working in partnership with West Berkshire Council to help their operative workforce better manage the regular abuse they receive in their day to day work. The new scheme, called Expect Respect, demonstrates the Council’s commitment to supporting the workforce, and is now being rolled out across the area before being launched nationwide. West Berkshire was chosen as the area to unveil this new initiative because of the good, long-standing relationship between West Berkshire Council and Veolia.
The training programme was developed by Veolia to help their workforce, and is being implemented by a dedicated People Development team to maximise reach across operational sites. It has already been recognised for outstanding commitment to workplace training by gaining a Princess Royal Training Award (PRTA), presented by HRH Princess Anne, at a ceremony held at St James’s Palace in London last October.
Richard Hulland. Chief Risk and Assurance Officer, Veolia UK & Ireland, commented:
“This training programme shows the commitment Veolia has not only to learning and people development, but for the wellbeing of employees too. With safety as the first strategic objective of our company, the need for employees to be given the knowledge and training required to protect themselves from incidents of abuse by members of the public is very important. We welcome the support West Berkshire have given this initiative and look forward to continuing to work in partnership with them”
Councillor Steve Ardagh-Walter, West Berkshire Council’s Executive Member for Environment, said:
“We are pleased to support this new initiative with Veolia as everyone should be able to go to work without the fear of abuse, and it is important to remind people to be patient and drive carefully around collection vehicles as people are working in the roads. The work Veolia’s employees do in our area is key to helping us to keep our area tidy, and protect our environment, and I wholeheartedly support their right to expect respect. ”
For more information visit www.veolia.co.uk
