Hello and Welcome to the first newsletter of 2021!

I hope this finds everyone well and ready for the year ahead!

Going forward the business will publish a newsletter once a month – one for management and one for Service Providers.  Our aim is to improve communication and get engagement from all sides of the business and have a bit of fun also!  There will be contributions from Finance, HR and Fleet each month and we also want to hear from you!  We want to show we have taken on the views of the team and will focus on improving the flow of communication – it isn’t a one-way street, so we encourage your input!  We want an open and trustworthy culture that encourages dialogue between teams and individuals.  Some might feel more confident contributing in a different manner that’s fine!  With that in mind we have created confidential@b-spokes.com The purpose of this is for employees and Service Providers to feel comfortable to share – only myself and Emma will have sight of this inbox!

One of my main hopes is that we can use this forum to share the businesses objectives and goals!

Looking back at 2020 – what a year! Peak was tough but I was extremely proud of how the business coped and delivered! In our busiest period we again lived and breathed our guiding principles! Some examples:

• Opened a new site in Lossiemouth
• Opened a new site in Newcastle
• Increased Newcastle’s footprint significantly!

A big thank you to all for 2020 and I look forward to 2021 being our best yet!

Joe Allenza

Managing Director

A family business

Current KPI Performance minimum City Score target is 30, the scores are out of 50 and focus areas

• Manifest Downloaded
• All Next Day Parcels Scanned and Attempted
• Improvement needed on Sunday performance
• Collections actioned daily
• ETA crucially important

Fleet

Total Vehicles 241

Accidents 11

Stolen Vehicles 1

Winter Driving Tips

Clear your windows of snow, ice and mist.

Driving on winter roads

• Pull away in second gear, easing your foot off the clutch gently to avoid wheel-spin
• If you have to use your brakes, apply them gently
• Driving uphill – leave plenty of room between other cars or wait until it’s clear so you don’t have to stop part way up. Keep a constant speed and try to avoid having to change gear on the hill
• Driving downhill – slow down before the hill, use a low gear and try to avoid braking. Leave as much room as you can after the car in front

If you get stuck in snow or ice:

• If you get stuck, straighten the steering and clear the snow from the wheels
• Put a sack or old rug in front of the driving wheels to give the tyres some grip

Insurance Requirements

Any Driver under 25 are classed as a young Driver and require prior authorisation from Insurer.

Any Driver that has 6 points or more also require authorisation for the Insurer.

Under no circumstance will anyone be approved who has a Drink/Drug conviction still on their DVLA Summary.

Procedure for all above:

• Camatics young drivers form (part of the Legalesign pack)
• Photo of front and back of Driving Licence
• A statement surrounding the circumstances of the conviction.

All Sent to the Fleet Department.

Accounts

Invoices posted by Accounts in Dec 2020: 1400

Housekeeping:

• Email subjects – when sending emails ensure that the subject of the email matches the content
• Daily Stats to be sent daily

HR

Headcount info – During December we saw our total number of employees rise to 74 and our Service Providers rise to 267

Brexit signals upcoming changes about to who we can legally hire – watch this space

COVID remains an ongoing issue – as at going to press the UK is still in Lockdown with strict rules enforced by law governing what we can and can’t do:

• Delivery is still seen as key work. Other reminders about work –
• individuals should work from home wherever possible
• Where it is not possible to work from home, we remain legally obliged to wear a face covering in communal areas indoors
• Face coverings are not an alternative for maintaining the physical 2 metres distancing and good hygiene.
• (Think of 2 metres as the length of 4 wheelie bins; or 80 crème eggs, or how about 6 bottles of wine?!)
• A suitable face covering must cover both your mouth and nose, and a supply of disposable face coverings are provided at all depots and offices.
• Some individuals may be exempt – we provide clear face shields for any individuals who are exempt from wearing the required face covering.
• Random audits of COVID compliance will be carried out by us and our customers – everyone is expected to comply.

Newletter Photo Competition

Send us your Photos that you capture while working or out and about delivering – something weird, funny or perhaps a stunning view.  Please take your photos safely!