In December 2023 we named the first six Hargreaves Icon Award winners. These colleagues were recognised because of their outstanding performance in conjunction with one of our six company values. The Exyte Hargreaves values are Safety, Collaboration, Integrity, Future Focus, Dedication and Excellence.
In the second part of our series of interviews we spoke to our Hargreaves Icons about their time in the business. Meet our Collaboration Icon, SHEQ Coordinator, Vivienne Rhoades.
My name is Vivienne Rhodes, and my role is the SHEQ Coordinator within Exyte Hargreaves.
We’ve been working on the IMS for the last 18 months and this was launched in September. As you can imagine nothing’s perfect, and it it’s something that will need continually improving and always need updating as the company progresses. As we get more and more people coming on board and using the IMS, I’m sure we’ll get feedback from them about how to improve the IMS.
Not only that, we’ve recently achieved our integrated ISO certification, and our next audit is due February 2024. So, we’re preparing for that. We’ve got a few of our non-conformances that we need to close out which we’re confident we have already done internally. We are just ironing out any last minute creases, but that’s what we’re preparing for at the moment. Projects going forward, we are looking to introduce additional ISO standards to our IMS portfolio, watch this space for more information. We are aware that the current NCR system needs improving and as such we are looking at introducing a far more robust user-friendly system.
I’ve been with Exyte Hargreaves since beginning of June 2022. So just over 18 months. I’ve had various different managers along the way, but I’m happy now that I’ve settled in. I report to David Cree, Head of Governance and Quality and Assurance, and I report to Neil Taylor, Head of Environmental Health and Safety. And it’s interesting working for 2 senior leadership team members. I should say I’ve got to cut myself in half sometimes. Sometimes I can mix the two, sometimes I have to separate each other. But I enjoy the challenge of two different personalities. I think I’m doing it pretty well.
I’ve enjoyed and I’m still enjoying working for Exyte Hargreaves. I think as a company they do value their staff. I believe they’re a forward thinking. I’ve been fortunate enough to go and study NEBOSH NG at my tender age of… I won’t mention my age, but I’m a mature student. I’m happy to say that I’ve passed my first assignment. Yay. Hargreaves is a company that makes promises and does deliver, which is a good thing because there’s so many companies out there that don’t do that.
I’ve been working for many years, 20 plus years and initially my background was customer service and customer orientated, always dealing with customers and clients and account management. Having started my working career in South Africa and moving to the UK more than 20 years ago, it was a learning curve understanding different work ethics across different nationalities. My last role before joining Exyte Hargreaves, I spent 5 years working in both quality and health and safety. I decided it was time to find a role where I can go further and improve myself and do better. I saw the role for Hargreaves, way hey, here I am.
I am a second degree black belt student in Taekwondo. I’m hoping to get my third-degree black belt later this year which basically is 3 gold stripes on your black belt. Other than that, I upcycle furniture which I find very relaxing, and sometimes sell my pieces. I swim every morning, I’m not sure if that is an enjoyment but it is a necessity to keep me sane. I’ve just taken on a rescue dog who is a bundle of fluff and joy and we’ve had her for six weeks. I’m getting my 10,000 steps in every day and other than that it’s just socializing with family and friends and going out.
How does it feel to win the Collaboration Icon Award?
'Humbling is the one word that that stands out. I didn't expect it. I was very surprised but I'm very grateful that my peers thought that much of me. It was a big wow and a big thank you. I was totally gobsmacked. I was a bit embarrassed, but I found it very, very humbling that my colleagues think that of me, and I'm very grateful. The collaboration award is not just me that's won it, it's a joint award. It's everybody within environmental health and safety and everyone within quality that have won that award. It's not just one person, it's the whole team that have won that award. So, without them, without the team, you can't fulfil your job, can you? So, I need to say thank you to everybody that I work with for allowing me to win that Icon award.'
Vivienne Rhodes
SHEQ Coordinator
We pride a commitment to Safety, Collaboration, Future Focus, Integrity, Excellence and Dedication. If you share our values then perhaps a career at Exyte Hargreaves is in your future. View our latest vacancies on our Careers website.
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