Inside #TeamPelican: July 2022

1. Welcoming Women's Work Lab mums Jade and Michelle

As we shared on the blog in May, we had the pleasure of hosting Jade Perry and Michelle Willis for four weeks as part of the amazing 'Women's Work Lab' (WWL) initiative, which aims to encourage mums back into the workplace after a career break. 

Set up by our #TeamPelican Culture, Inclusion and Diversity (CID) Champions, Jade and Michelle spent four weeks with us learning some of our processes, attending team huddles, and joining our Working Parents Network sessions. Both gained a real insight not only into life within Pelican, but into the world of work after taking some time away to raise their children.

I know I may be biased, but what better culture for them to be part of than ours here at Pelican Towers, where we are proud of the active voice we give to our colleagues in the running of the business! Following their visit, Jade and Michelle spoke of their gratitude for the open welcome they received, and both were impressed by the support, flexibility and teamwork we offer to everyone. To round off the good news story, we are thrilled that both Jade and Michelle are now fully fledged members of the Pelican family, as we offered them permanent roles here! We are thrilled to have them both on board and wish them her well in their journeys with us.

2. Marking Pride Month 2022

As allies of the #LGBTQ+ community, we marked Pride Month 2022 in typical #TeamPelican fashion – by running our very own Pride Festival Day! We hosted a very special dress down day, inviting colleagues to wear their finest colourful outfits, as well as sharing sweet treats and encouraging colleagues to consider the topic ‘what pride means to me’. Our support for this cornerstone event in our annual initiatives calendar left me feeling incredibly #proud to be part of such an inclusive team.

Demonstrating inclusivity for all and creating a place where everyone belongs will always be at the heart of our culture and I am excited to see what our LGBTQ+ support group, the ARC Alliance, has planned for the rest of the year.

3. Learning from others: relaunching our attachment sessions 

One of the things I love most about #TeamPelican colleagues is their willingness to come together to learn and share insights with other teams. That’s why we relaunched our ‘attachment sessions’ last month following a break during the pandemic. Designed to encourage more understanding and collaboration between teams across our business, our attachment sessions create invaluable opportunities for team members to spend time with other departments. As well as picking up insights into new ways of working and potential future career paths, participants also bring their own perspective to the department they visit – to me, this is a perfect ‘win-win’ scenario for all involved!

4. Recognising our people

Continuing the theme of togetherness, we hosted our latest business update for all Pelican colleagues in June. Our regular updates provide me with an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate Pelican’s achievements over the past 12 months, from customer support through to project updates.

Despite huge challenges faced by all our teams as we transition from the pandemic towards a more ‘normal’ life, Pelican ended the 2021/22 financial year with another set of fantastic results. We really couldn’t do this without all our teams coming together to live our values of Trusted, Helpful, Expert and Engaging each day and I am incredibly proud of their efforts.

We recognised this by hosting our latest round of Value Awards as part of the session, which celebrate the everyday behaviours and actions that sustain our people-centric culture. Huge congratulations to all 20 winners!