MVIS 9 Year Party

Since 2012, MVIS has worked tirelessly to become the UK`s leading supplier of original 5 colour portable VMS units, and have even designed and produced first of its kind solutions with our dedicated and talented team. We were first in the public’s eye in 2012 when it came to providing units for the 2012 Olympics and since then, our loyalty to customers has not depleted, and saw us investing in a large build of units back in 2015 in order to meet the demand from new and recurring customers thanks to our award winning customer service, and devotion to perfection.

All units we supply have been built in-house by our trained team, and this has seen the company housing over 600 units. From long term works to private events, the portfolio of jobs the team have delivered over these last 9 years is overwhelming,  we continue to grow and develop to ensure that we remain the UK`s most trusted provider of portable intelligent transport systems.

The 4th July marks MVIS` birthday and this year we thought that the team needed a celebration and a thank you for everything that we, as a work family, have been through over the last unpredictable year.

With this in mind, we decided to throw a 9 year birthday party for the company in our Matlock-based depot to celebrate all that we have achieved over the last 9 years and to remind ourselves of what we, as a team, are capable of, especially under the unique circumstances that we have endured with lockdowns, restrictions and updates over the last 16 months.

Keeping staff morale high has always been something that we want to strive towards. With remote working from home being no exception to our devotion to our staff`s mental health and wellbeing. We have made sure that all of our team continue to feel valued by using Zoom and Microsoft Teams during the lockdowns  not only to our advantage when it comes to team building, but to also remind all of us what normality really feels like.

Being given the ‘all clear’ for parties of 30 people with social distancing measures in place, we thought that we would grasp this opportunity and have a true ‘MVIS-style’ get-together, something that we have been deprived of since March 2020. This party allowed us to let our hair down and rekindle relationships in person with people who may have not seen each other face to face for many months.

The party meant that some of our team who have been working from home were able to finally sit down with those who have joined our team during the last year and in general, reminisce with each other as we have had many exiting announcements from people such as; moving homes, new additions joining families and even engagements.

Celebrating the place that has brought us all an endless amount of memories and relationships formed together was the perfect transition into life heading towards normality, whatever the ‘new normal’ may be.

 

 


All that is MVIS – Celebrating 9 Years

After 9 years, the team at MVIS have built many memories of shared experiences. As the company grows, in its 10th year, it is important to celebrate all of our staff, not only for their achievements but to also show appreciation for the everyday tasks that they do within the company. Every member of our team is vital to the high quality, award winning customer service which we are proud to boast.

Going above and beyond is something that we see every day within the company and couldn’t be prouder of our award winning  team. With each and every one of our departments excelling in their field, we thought that there would be no better time to take a look at our incredible work family and how they have developed themselves and their careers over the years.

anne ashman

At the forefront of our company is our UK Group Commercial and Operations Director, Anne Ashman. Joining us back in 2011 at Colour Mobile VMS before the company became MVIS, Anne has been here through it all. Not only has she lead us to being the UKs most trusted provider of portable VMS units, she has also worked her way towards her Bachelor of Arts in Business Studies which she was awarded in 2019. Anne overseas the day to day works as well as all of the background organisation. She was the main person in the achievement of our ISO accreditations in; Quality (9001:2015), Environmental Management (14001:2015) and Health & Safety (45001:2018). Anne has developed her role as not only our manager but somebody who we are able to trust and turn to in a time of need or crisis. She has also trained alongside Bartco UK’s Rebecca Prince in being our group’s mental health first aider as she encourages the team to speak up so we can work together. Never afraid  to get her hands dirty, Anne has been known to take on practical works such as developing new ideas and designs and also holding her CSCS card, there have been times in the past where she has even attended site. This has given Anne a deep appreciation of the works that all of our team take on each day which is something rarely seen in a managerial role.

Our Operation department is where the planning and preparations of our daily jobs takes place. Joining the MVIS team back in 2013, Dom Bridge started his career as an admin apprentice with the ambition to learn and grow with the then, year old company. 8 years later we see Dom as our very own Operations Manager, with management being a natural skill to Dom, he has overseen 3 apprentices offering support and guidance from his years of growth and understanding within the industry.

Working along side Dom in our Operations Department is Mizzy Watson. Being with us for only two years, Mizzy has taken on her role from day one and has made it her objective to learn with Dom and develop her skills by supporting and assisting him in day to day tasks such as our daily monitoring of over 500 units and keeping the drivers up to date with their day to day challenges as within this industry, change is something to be expected on the daily.

Working in hand with the operations department is the delivery team. Split between our strategically located depots, our highly trained team are at hand with safety and efficiency as their main prerogative. In our southern Depot, managed by Mark Ashbee, him and Jay Bailey ensure that deliveries and lead times are withheld and our high quality service and products are ready for upcoming jobs or emergency works at all times.

In the North we have Jon Larkins and Liam Griffiths. With years of experience in high-speed road areas, Jon came to us with knowledge on road safety and teamwork when on site. His training has been amplified since his time with us and he is now training Liam in onsite works and self-management, as these types of works can be fatal if improperly trained or unaware of the potential consequences of miscommunication on site.

Understanding the importance of customer service, quality trading and value in company to client relationships, we have our dedicated sales team lead by Graeme Lee our Sales Director. With over 15 years in the industry, Graeme has made some irreplaceable relationships with customers and his positive approach to any and all obstacles, is what makes him a valuable part of our team here at MVIS. Training several new staff over the years, Graeme has recently taken our new Sales Manager, Ed under his wing after his promotion.

Joining us in September 2020, Ed Faulkner`s training wasn’t as straight forward as most due to his first few months being limited to working from home during the Covid-19 Pandemic, however this hasn’t hindered his strong natured character and he has since made contact with many new and old customers, building himself a strong clientele in under a year of joining us.  

Graeme and Ed were joined by Juliette Wright as Sales and Customer Service Assistant in early 2021, Juliette`s  main job roles include, speaking with customers on a daily basis and keeping the sales forecasts and paperwork organized for when Ed and Graeme are on the roads. Juliette came to MVIS with a wide catalogue of skills which she has picked up over her years of working in customer service and administration.

Back in 2019, MVIS decided to bring the Marketing department in-house and the first step towards this was hiring our Marketing Manager, Sean Brown. Sean`s pasts consist of 8 years of marketing experience and has put many hours in building and maintaining an in-house marketing infrastructure. Sean`s day to day tasks include; monitoring and reporting on website statistics and enquiries, producing quality blog posts which are relevant to the current climate within the industry and providing training and guidance to his team members. When Sean joined the team, our Operations assistant at the time, Tillie Woolliscroft moved into the Marketing department and has since been trained internally by Sean and externally by training providers.

sean brown and tillie woolliscroft 

Tillie began her MVIS journey in 2016 as a administration apprentice under the guidance of Dom and has since been promoted to Marketing Assistant, taking on jobs and tasks set by Sean and Anne in order to keep MVIS active on our social media platforms and has also began taking more responsibility such as writing blog posts and developing her design work.

To complete the marketing team we have Ben Ashman, our Data Assistant. Ben joined the team to accommodate the company’s growth of the Marketing Department and has taken on prospecting and data management from the team. Ben`s fast learning and devoted work ethic has lead him to be perfect for the role as it is a time consuming job to take on and his personal management of time has proven to benefit the team and expanded his abilities in his working career.

The growth and expansion of MVIS over the years is something that we are incredibly proud of. With over 500 units and counting, and a workforce that day to day exceeds expectation, in the last year we again decided to expand our team and took on Chris Steel. Chris joined MVIS as Accounts Officer in June 2020, his job roles include the maintenance and organisation of the in-house accounts department.

Tom Berry

Last but by no means least, in Credit Control we have Tom Berry. Tom began his journey with us in 2017 in the sales team alongside Graeme and has since had experience in a number of roles within the company. Tom has made himself a valuable member of the team, his knowledge of multiple departments amplifies that despite being segregated in these internal departments, that we are very much one big team here at MVIS as each department relies on the other in order to keep the smooth running, reliable company which we are proud to be apart of. 


Each one of our team here at MVIS is a vital cog in keeping this fast passed company running, in an industry that is forever expanding and developing. With staff development, new members joining our team and promotions from within, we are incredibly proud of the team that we have sculpted over the past 9 years and we look forward to many more years as a team together.

 

 


Mark Ashbee Sees Promotion

Growth and development is vital within our industry to ensure that our customers receive the highest quality service, environmentally friendly products and bespoke solutions on the market. With this in mind, we are always looking for ways that we can improve and adapt to the current climate and ensure that we have the most highly trained and experienced team with the same values and expectations that as a company, we have retained for the past 9 years of service.

Mark Ashbee joined us in 2015 and has since used his hard-working attributes in helping lead our southern depot to success by enforcing his strong work ethic within his team and always offering a hand, no matter how large the task. Marks main job roles include; delivering, servicing and collecting our portable VMS units along with helping on sales innovation depot visits. Over the past 6 years we have been often credited for Marks polite and attentive attitude towards our customers and other staff members.

Marks attitude and eagerness in the field is what came to mind during MVIS growth and expansion. We saw nobody more fitting than Mark for the role of London Depot Manager, resulting in him now being given this well earned promotion. Ensuring the smooth running of a depot is a big task but Mark has never failed to keep MVIS rising above our competitors and his determination within the job is something that radiates in all that he does here at MVIS.

Anne Ashman, UK Group Commercial and Operations Director commented, “Mark has been with us for 6 years now and we have never had a task that’s too large for him to set his mind to and complete. Keeping our southern depot organised and always at hand with solutions to some of our most difficult tasks, Mark has shown his true colours time and time again and we couldn’t be prouder to have such a hard-working member here at #teamMVIS.”

From all here at MVIS we want to congratulate Mark on his new role and thank him for his years with us, every member of our team is vital in all that we do within our industry, and it`s times like these that we are truly able to say that we are proud of every one of our MVIS family.


MVIS and Bartco UK Keep Focus on Training

Over the years, MVIS and Bartco UK have always prioritised training and staff development. We do this for a number of a reasons, least of not which is to ensure our team’s ability to do their job is second to none, leaving us with the best trained workforce in the industry.

Part of this is our policy to provide staff with cross-departmental training in the form of a ‘day in the life’ of other team members to make sure that each employee appreciates that everyone is valuable. Such a policy also allows the team to have an insight into just what it takes to make things happen in other departments, and the role their part plays in relation to other people’s jobs.

This type of training has been a proven success for us, and is often used for employees who are new to the group. This has the double effect of giving these team members a deeper insight into the organisation and the way we work. However, over the past year, there have been some significant changes to the way we all work, requiring us to take another look at this aspect of our training so that the team can gain an appreciation for the new ways we have had to change.

As a result, we will be refreshing this training with many of our team members so that everyone knows how things have changed within different departments, giving everyone a solid appreciation for the sacrifices and allowances that have been made as a result of COVID-19.

The changes we are have had to make to our working lives affect everyone, however in many ways, the changes affecting those who are required to work from the office are more drastic than most. Due to this, we are seeing our workshop team spend time in the office alongside our admin and stock team, and vice versa, which is especially pertinent to Juliette Wright, our newest member of staff to the organisation, who is yet to complete such training anyway, making this the perfect opportunity to learn the ropes in new departments.

Anne Ashman, UK Group Commercial and Operations Director commented, “We have seen how much impact this kind of cross-departmental training can have so we look forward to seeing the results of this much needed initiative this time round.”

Dom Bridge, Operations Manager added, “Prior to the pandemic, we saw a record number of positive customer and staff comments very shortly after Mizzy Watson, who works in Operations and Customer Service, undertook a day in the life of our delivery drivers. Whilst not every role at our organisation is customer facing, we understand that every role matters, each one facilitating someone else’s.”

 


Celebrating 6 Years – Tim Hill

 This week we are celebrating the 6th anniversary since our Warehouse Supervisor Tim Hill joined us. Beginning his career as one of our Delivery Drivers in our Matlock based depot, Tim developed his reputation as a hard-working member from his first day as part of the team. Never turning down a job and ensuring that works were approached safely and efficiently, quickly earned Tim a reputation in the company as somebody that we were able to turn to and trust in managing himself when out on the road, a vital attribute in our industry as on-site working can be fatal if approaching in the wrong mindset.

After being with us for two years, Tim took to the building and developing aspect of our units. He began helping in the workshop when not on the road and soon adopted an appreciation for the technical development of our units. This led Tim onto moving from our delivery team and joining our technical support team in the workshop. Being technically minded with a keen eye for perfection, Tim quickly began to excel in his new role, whether it was working on a repair or a new build unit, his high standards made the perfect attribute to the team and saw him receiving a promotion to Workshop Supervisor in 2019.

Since moving to Workshop Supervisor, Tim has played his part in training and supporting the rest of the team and he has even overseen the training of our two most recent apprentices, Cain Gregory and Jacob Spencer. Tim loves inspiring new talent within the company and helping other staff members to enhance their talents by using his guidance and supervision. Thanks to Tim`s hands-on approach and technical thinking, you can see his team’s hard work and determination within all of our large fleet of units to this date, valued highly by customers and colleagues alike.

Being  part of such a bespoke industry means that it is our staff that enable us to move forward and enhance ourselves. With the determination and unique attributes that every member of the team bring to the table, we are proud to be able to say that every member of our team have been given the opportunity to find themselves within the company, something desired in most workplaces but rarely conducted.

 


Happy Birthday Sean!

This week marks the 30th Birthday of our very own Sean Brown! As we are known for celebrating our staff and looking for every opportunity to say thank you, we thought there would be no better time to shine a light on our Marketing Manager who joined #teamMVIS back in 2019.

When Sean began his career at MVIS, he was tasked to bring marketing in-house. With the company growing rapidly and developing from within, Sean soon made the role his own by bringing new initiative ideas to the table from his past 6 years of knowledge in the marketing industry. Since Sean started we have seen continuous growth from within the team, which wouldn’t of been possible without the hard working determination of Sean and the rest of our amazing marketing team.

Sean has not only been responsible for his own duties, but he has also played a massive part in the training and development of the other two members of the marketing team. Sean’s marketing assistant Tillie Woolliscroft said “ Sean`s determination and knowledge in what he does has made me love my job.  Moving from operations to marketing in 2019 made me nervous,  moving into a department that I knew nothing about, but Sean teaches me something new every single day. He pushes me to develop skills that last year I wouldn’t of known I had such as creating documents and blog posts and I couldn’t wish for a better mentor”.

Sean`s love and passion for his job is something that inspires those around him, his energetic personality and quick thinking attributes are perfect in our bespoke industry and we have been able to take our marketing presence higher than it has ever been. We want to say a massive thankyou to Sean for everything he does within MVIS as it is every one of us that make the perfect team.


Health

Here at MVIS, we understand that the key to a thriving business starts and ends with those on the inside. Each of our departments is a vital cog in what we do and what we have been able to achieve and work towards in our forever adapting business.

Since day one we have prioritised the mental health of our team, arranging regular staff meetings for us to reconnect on a professional level but also organising events and casual meetups to get to know each other not only as colleagues but develop personal relationships outside of the working environment. In 2019 we partook in a local event where small businesses came together for the “Corporate Games” this sporting event allowed us to work as a team to win points and even saw us winning the final score due to our teamwork. We believe that these types of team building social events help us bond and develop a deeper appreciation of the team as a whole.

We continuously work towards being a socially responsible organisation and have taken this very seriously. Our Corporate Social Responsibility commitment sees us focusing on prioritising our efforts in giving back to society and the environment.

With this, we have developed our “Safe Mind Safe Body” initiative which is there to encourage all of our staff to work safe and smart, be it on site, in the office or in the warehouse. Our staff’s morale is vital in maintaining our award winning customer service which is why we have trained mental health first aiders at hand who are always there if any of our staff need to blow off some steam or need some advice.

This past year has been difficult for every business, but we understand that it is people’s individual lives that have been affected too. Because of this, we have been keen to ensure that moral is a topic that we don’t shy away from. Each morning we engage in a daily call via Microsoft Teams to not only share our daily workload but to allow people to maintain a sense of stability, as we appreciate that working from home can be difficult to separate work life from home life. We have also sourced an external means of offering advice and discussing personal issues an this is, Peninsula’s services, giving us a  well-rounded approach to our team’s wellbeing. And in addition, another service we have sought out at the end of 2020 is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Outside of the working hours, we have organised multiple ways for our team to be able to unwind. These activities have meant that we can maintain our strong relationship between staff members. We have done this by engaging in regular online games, birthday parties and chit chats. This is something that we have been able to use to our advantage as it means we can try and maintain a degree of “normality” but in a COVID safe way.

The image shows the safety hub logo a staff wellbeing initiative


Celebrating 6 Years – George Sheldon

 This week we are celebrating our very own George Sheldon’s 6 year anniversary. Joining our Work Family here at Bartco UK/MVIS in 2015 as an Apprentice in Electrical Engineering, it was not long before George`s incredible work ethic and fast learning attributes came to light.

Helping prepare and build 145 units for one of our largest schemes recorded, George got stuck into his role from day one and proved himself to be an integral member of the team who, to this day, has proved himself time and time again.

Joining us on his 18th Birthday, George became one of the Workshop Team working towards his first-year Apprenticeship and has since gone on to achieve his Level 3 NVQ Extended Diploma and has now worked his way up to workshop technician.

George was nominated as Learning Unlimited`s Advanced Apprentice of the Year in 2018 and got to the final stage of the awards which is something that here at Bartco UK/MVIS we are incredibly proud of. Setting George on in 2015, Anne Ashman, our Commercial and Operations Director says “It has been a pleasure to be able to watch George grow in confidence and character over the past 6 years, he really is an asset to our team and is a joy to work with.”

George`s main roles at Bartco UK/MVIS are producing and refurbishing units, as well as preparing them to be delivered to our

customers and more recently assisting the delivery team in deploying the units for Covid’s quick response needed. George`s knowledge and experience has advanced over his years with us, learning how our improved or new products work and operate has made him one of our most experienced members of staff and is often the one seen advising our younger staff including Jacob, our newest warehouse apprentice.

George has not only grown in-house but has had the chance to develop his career skills by undertaking additional training courses and achieving further qualifications such as his; Towing licence, Fork Truck licence, CSCS Highways England Passport, and his MEWP licence.

 Tim Hill, our Warehouse Supervisor added “George is a remarkable young lad with so much to offer, he is always on the ball and a breath of fresh air here in the warehouse with his organisation and time management which is key in such a fast-moving industry.”

George is an asset to our team here at Bartco UK/MVIS, and we couldn’t be prouder of the man he has become. We would like to say a massive thank you not only to George but to all involved in training, developing, and pushing George to persevere. As we always say, we’re not just a team, we’re a family here at Bartco UK/MVIS.


MVIS Celebrates Female Team Members on International Women’s Day 2021

Never forgetting the importance of any of our team members, MVIS and Bartco UK do not shy away from an excuse to celebrate our wonderful team – and International Women’s Day 2021 offers us such an excuse. It’s been a very strange year since the last International Women’s Day, during which our team have achieved so much. To celebrate, we will be shining a spotlight on our team’s achievements by looking at the amazing and professional example that the women who work here set for women everywhere.


Anne Ashman, UK Group Commercial and Operations Director of both MVIS and Bartco UK is the force that keeps things running smoothly. Anne serves a central role in helping to build both companies from very early days and has achieved a great deal in the almost 10 years she has dedicated to the group. Anne prioritises safety and customer service above all else, with a firm belief that training and looking after her staff will get the most out of them. As a result, MVIS and Bartco UK boast one of the most well-trained workforces in the industry and the team largely has Anne to thank for the opportunity, support and encouragement to be in this position. Whilst working full time, Anne also completed a business degree in 2019, demonstrating incredible commitment and hard work. Steering the company through COVID-19, Anne set out a number of safety measures, policies and employee well-being initiatives that helped to safeguard the team during such an unusual time. 


 

 

 

 

Bartco UK’s Purchasing and Stock Control Supervisor, Rebecca Prince, has risen through the ranks at Bartco UK, starting as an apprentice with the group back in 2015, and in a short space of time she has risen to not only supervising her own department, but to also being a mentor and supervisor of staff herself, helping others through their apprenticeships. Along with Anne, Bec is a Mental Health First Aider for both MVIS and Bartco UK, being a friendly and welcoming face to anyone who is struggling with their mental health at the group. Bec has been a key point of call for members of staff required to work from the HQ during COVID-19.


 

 

 

Mizzy Watson’s role with MVIS makes her the ‘face of the company’ to many clients and customers, working as an Operations and Customer Service team member and she remains professional yet friendly at all times. Reliable and excellent at her job, Mizzy is a key member of the team and fully buys into the MVIS way. During COVID, Mizzy has managed to keep up the quality of her job whilst managing  increased childcare, no easy feat for any mother but MVIS commends Mizzy especially for keeping on top of this as well as her job.


 

 

 

 

Having joined MVIS at only 16 years old in 2016, Tillie Woolliscroft started her time here in Operations and Customer Service, working well with our team in the field and customers alike. Being promoted to Marketing Assistant in 2019, Tillie is fully underway with her training in marketing skills. Since moving roles, Tillie has been trained on important aspects of marketing and editing and has found herself excelling in some vital marketing aspects such as graphic design and image editing. During her time here, Tillie has gone on to not only complete her apprenticeship, but to also win Learning Unlimited Intermediate Apprentice of the Year Award in 2018. 


 

 

 

 

Pip Wood works alongside Bec for Bartco UK as Purchasing and Stock Control Apprentice, whilst studying towards her Business Administration qualification. Finishing her ITOPS in March 2021, she will be starting a new college course soon. Joining the company in 2019, Pip has taken to her role with vigour and enthusiasm we see her confidence and capability grow each day. Since a workspace restructure, the main office has got to see much more of Pip in recent months and the working environment is much better off for it; so much so that she received multiple nominations for her award of Employee of the Month in February 2020.


 

 

 

 

Last but certainly not least, Juliette Wright is our newest team member, joining us in early January 2021. Juliette has joined the company as our Sales & Customer Relations Administrator at perhaps one of the most unusual times, hot on the heels of COVID-19. Having fitted in tremendously, Juliette serves an important role at MVIS, being a fundamental point of support for the sales department and  has very quickly become ‘part of the team’, with a fantastic approach to work and a real team player attitude. This is made all the more impressive since Juliette has hit the ground running so well with her work, she is gaining a quick understanding of what the business is about without having even met some of the team yet due to the work from home restrictions in place. 

 


It’s safe to say that both MVIS and Bartco UK have every reason to celebrate the women that make a fundamental part of our team.

Happy International Women’s Day 2021!


MVIS and Bartco UK Team continue to up skill

As COVID continues to bring changes to every aspect of our lives, we are finding more ways of dealing with it, individually, as a society and as an economy. With this comes a huge amount of responsibility to employers and employees alike to make sure they are conducting business and working in a responsible and safe way.

MVIS and Bartco UK have a great track record when it comes to training, especially in the area of Health & Safety, in which we actually hold an ISO accreditation, (45001:2018), along with accreditations in quality (9001:2015) and environmental management (14001:2015).

The group management team places training high on the agenda for the whole team, making sure that everyone understands the importance of Health and Safety for the best interests of themselves and the wider public due to the nature of the work we do, but this importance has never been more apparent then it is now.

One of the main aspects that raises concern is maintaining a safe and healthy workforce in these times, which encompasses mental health / well-being, COVID infection control and site safety. As a result, these aspects are being tackled internally to allow us to maintain the safety of our team, so that we can continue to bring safety solutions for the benefit of the general public.

In a previous post, we explore the implementation of Peninsula’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP). However, we haven’t stopped there – in recent weeks, we have mandated our whole team to sit the COVID-19 Site Safety Plus course accredited by CITB, a course that has an expiration of 5 years from completion that attests to the quality of information and learning received for participants.

The course itself was in-depth and thorough, bringing with it a new and deeper level of appreciation for COVID for our whole team, not just those who are required to work on site but even for those working from home. The more everyone understands the severity of keeping workplaces and sites controlled and as close to COVID safe as possible, the better for our team as individuals, for the group as a whole and for wider society in general.


National Apprenticeship Week 2021

Here at MVIS, alongside sister company Bartco UK, we take every opportunity to be able to celebrate our incredibly talented workforce.  National Apprentice Week 2021 brings us the chance to boast about our younger team members. 

Our retention of apprentices is impeccable, and we are lucky enough to say that we have continuously had at least one apprentice in our team since 2013!  Dom Bridge, our first apprentice, who joined at 18 years old, has been developing his skills constantly during his employment with MVIS, qualifying last year as an Operations Manager.

From training new staff to ensuring that our customers’ needs are met, Dom is one of the longest serving staff members here at MVIS.  After being trained up by our Commercial and Operations Director, Anne Ashman over the last 8 years, Dom has been able to pass on his knowledge to our other apprentices, all of which have remained at MVIS/Bartco UK after passing their qualifications.

After speaking with Dom about the importance of apprenticeships he commented, “I think apprentices are very important to us, they bring fresh new ideas to the table and an eagerness to learn. It is great that MVIS/Bartco buys into the apprenticeship program, giving young people an opportunity to develop an amazing career.”

 

It is thanks to our innovative ideas and eagerness to improve that allow us to maintain the high quality and award-winning customer service that we proudly shout about. This would not be possible without the outstanding team of apprentices that have joined us over the years.

 

Back in 2015 Bartco UK saw Rebecca Prince join the team, quickly finding her calling in Stock and Purchasing.  Becca who is now Bartco UK’s purchasing and stock supervisor, ensures that everything is running smoothly within the stock control side of the business. Not only this, but Rebecca has an Apprentice of her own to pass skills on to. Pip Wood began at Bartco UK in 2018 alongside Bec as we saw the company begin to grow. Pip has since completed her apprenticeship and has moved onto other courses such as her ITOPS which she is currently undertaking and has just signed up for her NVQ level 3 in customer service.  All our staff not only improve their knowledge on company-based skills, but also expand their portfolio and better themselves as employees.

 

 

In 2016 Tillie Woolliscroft joined the MVIS team as an Operations Apprentice. Tillie began her journey at MVIS, aged 16, under the wing of Dom and made important relationships with customers and colleagues which allowed her to build confidence in her role. Tillie then began helping with social media which ultimately lead to moving Marketing in-house and creating our very own Marketing team, where Tillie was promoted to Marketing Assistant.

Since moving roles, working with Marketing Manager Sean Brown, Tillie has been trained on important aspects of marketing and editing and has found herself excelling in some vital marketing aspects such as graphic design and image editing.

Tillie spoke of her time at MVIS “Joining MVIS after leaving school was the best decision I could have made for my future; I have completed two college courses and have now moved into Marketing.  Marketing never even crossed my mind, but Anne spotted potential in my artistic skills, which led to my new job role and I couldn’t be happier.”

 

For the company’s being part of the apprenticeship scheme has made it clear that in order to strive for improvement as a company, Apprentices are the way forward. Bringing new ideas to the table and growing into their roll, we are proud of every single apprentice that we have welcomed through the door.

Anne Ashman, Commercial & Operations Director commented “As a young person myself who started work as an apprentice, albeit it in a very different industry, it has always made me realise the skills you pick up working in a workplace rather than attending college or university are priceless. These skills are life skills and build your confidence, also making you part of a team, teaching you the way to conduct yourself within a workplace environment.  I am a strong believer in education and am very proud to have been able to give so many young people the opportunity to not only get on the job ladder but be able to offer them a high level of qualifications so that they have a bright future.  I enjoy nothing more than spending time with  our apprentices passing on my own skills and helping them learn “the tricks of the trade”.

Over the years MVIS/Bartco have been able to build incredible teams, a lot of this is down to the 8 staff who began as Apprentices.  We would like to thank not only these members of staff but each and every one of our incredibly talented work force who have been on hand to pass on their knowledge.  Our Culture here at MVIS/Bartco UK is that we are only as good as each member of our team.

 

 


Keeping Staff Welfare a Top Priority

2020 was a difficult year for everyone. With significant changes to the way we live and work, there are several ways that this has affected businesses and individuals.

MVIS and Bartco UK have always prioritised the mental health of their team. However, during the pandemic, we have gone above and beyond in helping our team make it through such an unusual year by offering a support in a variety of ways.

Earlier in 2020 we covered how MVIS and Bartco UK’s Commercial & Operations Director, Anne Ashman, ensured that staff were supplied with Work from Home Care Packages, along with the wide range of policies and procedures she has put in place this year to help keep our staff safe and to help our organisation better adjust to the new working conditions.

However, as this situation continues, our measures for support must adapt to the long-term conditions we find ourselves in. At this point, we understand that short term measures are not enough, and we must look at ways we can support our team over the long term.

One of the long terms aspects to have suffered especially as a result of working from home is the ability for our team to chat as a group freely about concerns or troubles they may be having whilst on breaks or in an office conversation.  

This level of conversation plays a vital part in our employee’s mental and social wellbeing and whilst we do have daily briefings with the whole team, the briefings have a large work focus, which, is obvious to note, not the most appropriate environment to be discussing personal matters.

Even our departmental conversations, which are usually a smaller audience and potentially a chance to discuss worries can be limiting as well, with staff only receiving one or two perspectives on a problem, whereas in the office they would have the benefit of our whole team’s life experience to help them with their issue.

Leaving such an eventful and traumatic year behind us, it is more important than ever that our team feel supported. As a result, we have identified this potential for long term social isolation amongst our staff and have put in place a solid solution to help combat this.

By employing Peninsula’s services, we have a well-rounded approach to our team’s wellbeing. However, an additional service we have sought out at the end of 2020 is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Peninsula’s EAP services help our team overcome their toughest life challenges and deliver their best every day. It includes 24/7 telephone advice, face-to-face counselling and a suite of online and mobile tools to help staff stay happy and healthy.

According to the Peninsula website, an EAP can “reduce mental health related absence levels by as much as 45% and improve productivity by as much as 8%.” But more importantly, “it helps protect your staff.”

Already we have had reports of our team finding this helpful.

One member of staff commented, “Having just bought and moved to my first home a few weeks ago, I have a lot of things on my mind. The EAP has been a big support, especially recently through a highly stressful period. They have given me sound, professional legal advice that has helped me make important decisions in a way that best suits me and my future, as I take this very big first step towards my independence.”

She continues, “Over the years, my colleagues at MVIS and Bartco UK have been one of my key points of support in life. However, this year, it has been harder to discuss personal matters, as the distance between us limits such conversation that would have been straightforward if we weren’t working form home. Video calling with a non-work problem is very different to a casual conversation in the office, and whilst the EAP is no replacement for the camaraderie we built in the office, it ensures that we are getting the very best advice at all times, which may even make it better in some ways!”