[1] Data matching exercise Glasgow City Council intends to undertake a data matching exercise this month. This will compare payroll information held by Cordia against information held on the Council’s Housing Benefit System. This exercise will identify any employee in receipt of Council Tax and/or Housing Benefit and is designed to prevent fraud. Cordia supports data matching as it allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Personal information held will only be disclosed to any outside person or organisation where it is required by law or with an individual’s consent. THE CORDIA VIEW June 2012 About us The Cordia View is the newsletter for all Cordia staff. It is published every two months. GLASGOW 2014 BEGINS TO HOT UP! Encore looks forward to Commonwealth Games challenges Whilst the whole of the UK prepares for Olympic 2012 fever, Glasgow has its own reason to be quietly excited about our own Commonwealth Games to be held in the summer of 2014. This month, the Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome has been handed over to Glasgow Life from the various builders involved in the development of the arena. This also means that Cordia’s involvement will also increase in the development of the arena. The Commonwealth Arena has a seating capacity of 5000, and can be flexibly configured to suit a number of sports. Central to this arena is the hydraulic 200 metre indoor athletic track which is lifted into place at the touch of a button. The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome is named in honour of Scotland’s most successful gold medal winning Olympian and Commonwealth Games champion. Its 250-metre track has been designed by Ralph Schuermann, one of the world’s foremost track designers. With a permanent viewing capacity of 2,500 and an additional 2,000 temporary seats for Glasgow 2014, it will be able to attract some of the world’s top cycling events to Glasgow in the future. This will bring important visitors and revenue to the city after the Commonwelath Games have finished. The Encore team on-site will be led by Ross McKenzie, currently General Manager at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Ross will be based in the stadium from August 2012. Our first job will be to develop the multiple catering outlets into an easily identifiable brand which will provide visitors with a wide range of food offerings. Ross said, “There are a number of real challenges to get our facilities up to scratch and ready for the venue opening. I’m delighted to be heading this project and I know the whole team within Encore, and wider throughout Cordia, will work to make the venue a huge success.” Cordia hopes to play a big part in helping provide Glasgow’s Games and there are likely to be opportunities for lots of members of our staff to work before, during and after the Games. This is a great opportunity that will let you contribute to promoting the city and help ensure ongoing benefits for many years to come. More information regarding opportunities will come out in the next 12 months. The Commonwealth Games runs from 23 July 2014 - 3 August 2014 and incorporates 17 sports. There will be 4,500 athletes resident in the Commonwealth Games village alone. Our picture shows the Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Transcript
[1]
Data matching exercise Glasgow City Council intends to undertake a data matching exercise this month. This will compare payroll information held by Cordia against information held on the Council’s Housing Benefit System. This exercise will identify any employee in receipt of Council Tax and/or Housing Benefit and is designed to prevent fraud. Cordia supports data matching as it allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Personal information held will only be disclosed to any outside person or organisation where it is required by law or with an individual’s consent.
THE CORDIA VIEW
June 2012
About usThe Cordia View is the newsletter for all Cordia staff. It is published every two months.
GLASGOW 2014 BEGINS TO HOT UP!Encore looks forward to Commonwealth Games challenges
Whilst the whole of the UK prepares for Olympic 2012 fever, Glasgow has its own reason to be quietly excited about our own Commonwealth Games to be held in the summer of 2014.
This month, the Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome has been handed over to Glasgow Life from the various builders involved in the development of the arena. This also means that Cordia’s involvement will also increase in the development of the arena.
The Commonwealth Arena has a seating capacity of 5000, and can be flexibly configured to suit a number of sports. Central to this arena is the hydraulic 200 metre indoor athletic track which is lifted into place at the touch of a button.
The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome is named in honour of Scotland’s most successful gold medal winning Olympian and Commonwealth Games champion. Its 250-metre track has been designed by Ralph Schuermann, one of the world’s foremost track designers. With a permanent viewing capacity of 2,500 and an additional 2,000 temporary seats for Glasgow 2014, it will be able to attract some of the world’s top cycling events to Glasgow in the future. This will bring important visitors and revenue to the city after the Commonwelath Games have finished.
The Encore team on-site will be led by Ross McKenzie, currently General Manager at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Ross will be based in the stadium from August 2012.
Our first job will be to develop the multiple catering outlets into an easily identifiable brand which will provide visitors with a wide range of food offerings.
Ross said, “There are a number of real challenges to get our facilities up to scratch and ready for the venue opening. I’m delighted to be heading this project and I know the whole team within Encore, and wider throughout Cordia, will work to make the venue a huge success.”
Cordia hopes to play a big part in helping provide Glasgow’s Games and there are likely to be opportunities for lots of members of our staff to work before, during and after the Games. This is a great opportunity that will let you contribute to promoting the city and help ensure ongoing benefits for many years to come. More information regarding opportunities will come out in the next 12 months.
The Commonwealth Games runs from 23 July 2014 - 3 August 2014 and incorporates 17 sports. There will be 4,500 athletes resident in the Commonwealth Games village alone.
Our picture shows the Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
[2]
21ST CENTURY SCHOOL FOOD
Our pictures show examples of the new lunchtime menu now available throughout Glasgow primary schools. This menu offers tremendous value at £1.15. School children can eat everything on each plate for this single daily payment. Glasgow’s school meals are amongst the best value in the country.
New Primary Fuel Zone menu goes live!
Cordia’s FM team got the post-spring break term off to a tasty start with the launch of a new Glasgow-wide primary school menu.
Since the end of April 2012, more than 36,000 primary pupils at more than 140 Glasgow schools and 47 additional support for learning (ASL) schools have tucked into our new and improved Fuel Zone menu. The Primary Fuel Zone menu was finalised after extensive research and close consultation with pupils, parents, primary staff and our own Cordia catering teams across the city.
Tasting sessions were set up on all new product supplies, which also underwent strict tests to ensure they complied with Scottish Government legislation.
Samples of the food options on the new menu, which now also includes a deli sandwich, wrap and baked potato option, were also piloted at schools across the four corners of the city to ensure they passed the strictest test – the approval of the pupils themselves.
The new Fuel Zone menu, which also features Halal and more vegetarian and salad options, retains the popular 123 Choice format of the previous menu.
Managing Director, David Melvin said: “We have put in a considerable amount of time, research and effort to produce the new Primary Fuel Zone menu across the city.
“It is a monumental task when you consider that Cordia has to take in the likes and dislikes of more than 36,000 hungry pupils every day, not to mention pay due diligence to ensure our meals are both tasty and meet tough nutritional guidelines.
“Introducing the new menu was no mean feat and would not have been possible without the input and support of school staff, our hard-working catering teams, parents and, of course, the pupils themselves.
“We work hard to introduce new and innovative ways to deliver quality and nutritious food to the pupils of Glasgow’s schools.”
To date the favourite meal on the menu is the pizza and pasta combo. Julia McCreadie, Head of Facilities Management said: “The new menu has been a hit with our own staff, teachers, parents and most importantly school pupils. I am really grateful to the whole FM team for their commitment and involvement in implementing this menu.”
It is important to take on board comments that have arisen since the menu was implemented. Already our hot dog bun has been replaced with a roll, lentil soup has replaced tomato soup in schools where this is favoured and the chicken tikka recipe has been amended to include a smaller onion dice. In some dishes, portion size has also been increased.
The main challenge to our staff with the new menu has been ensuring that quantities are produced daily to ensure that there is a choice for pupils but also keep waste to a minimum by ensuring there is minimum over-production.
Not willing to rest on their laurels, the FM team are already starting to consult with headteachers and pupils with a view to creating a new menu for winter 2012.
Pictured below l-r Ann Sinclair and Cathie Graham with pupils from Caledonia Primary School in Bailleston.
[3]
Jim LangDuty OfficerHome Care
How long have you worked in the public sector?Twenty three years.
What did you do previously?I worked in the building industry and I also worked in housing. I spent a short period in the Post Office too!Where are you from?Easterhouse.What do you enjoy about your job? I get a lot of job satisfaction by helping people and making a difference to their lives.Career highlights?My team being nominated for a staff recognition award in February 2012. The event in the FruitMarket was fantastic!What would make your job easier?More staff :)What are your hobbies?Socialising, horse-racing and reading.What would you have liked to have been?I would have liked to have been a lawyer and helped the poor and disadvantaged.
STAFF FOCUSCordia recognises perfect attendance
The main focus of our attendance management strategy is to encourage all staff to maximise attendance at work.
As part of our commitment to recognising excellent attendance, a letter of recognition is issued each year to those staff that have attained perfect attendance. For the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012, 2,788 recognition letters were issued – this is a fantastic achievement and a huge thanks goes to all those staff who have attained perfect attendance over this period.
In the future, we will develop the way we recognise staff and there will be new initiatives introduced over the coming months. One of these initiatives is a new quarterly attendance recognition award which will see an individual selected from each area of the business become the recipient of a £100 voucher in recognition of their excellent attendance.
The first quarterly perfect
attendance recognition awards have now been selected for the period 1 Jan to 31 March 2012, and the recipients are:• Care Services - Brenda Wilson (home
carer)• Encore - Brian McIntosh (chef)• Facilities Management - Hugh Gallagher
(janitor)• Support Services - Theresa Anderson
(finance)
Well done to the four team members for their commitment to the organisation.
Pictured below l-r; Brenda Wilson and Hugh Gallagher .
www.facebook.com/cordiaservicesllp
CATWALK DIVAS!Four members of the Blair Court team swapped the office floor for the catwalk
recently when they took part in a fashion show in M&Co in the Saint Enoch Centre Glasgow. The charity event saw over 200 guests turn up to see the shop’s summer clothing collection launched and all money raised on the night benefited cancer research. Mina Love (payroll assistant) organised the event. Mina told the Cordia View “I thought it would be difficult persuading some of my colleagues to model. However there was little persuasion required - they were all delighted to help.”
The event raised over £1000 on the night and this was coupled with sponsor money raised at the ‘Race for Life’ to ensure that cancer research continues to be well funded and supported.
Pictured l-r Magda Kacica, Joanna Lynch, Audrey Smith and Assunta Dimeo
We want your ideasIf you have any news ideas or ideas for stories then we really want to hear from you. Either contact your line manager or send to:[email protected]
All ideas for the magazine will be considered.
THE CORDIA VIEWCordia (Services) LLP
100 Borron StreetPort Dundas Business ParkGLASGOWG4 9XEe: [email protected]
COMPETITIONFor a chance to win a fabulous first prize of a £100 ASDA voucher or a runner-up prize of two pairs of CineWorld cinema tickets simply answer the following question.Q. On which date does the
Commonwelath Games open in Glasgow in 2014?
Email your answer to: [email protected] by Friday 27 July 2012 or send your answer with your name and address to Blair Court.
April winnersThe winners from our last issue competition were: Catherine Ann Macdonald (Home Carer)winning a £100 Tesco voucher.Patrice Leonard (Home Carer)James McCrory (Janitor)each winning a pair of CineWorld film
Our Twitter site is now updated more regularly. You can now follow us and find out lots more day to day information about Cordia - new ideas, management issues, photos and much much more. To follow us simply visit: www.twitter.com/cordiaservices and click on the Follow button!
When most of us are sleeping, there’s a dedicated team of Cordia staff out and about around the city carrying out some of our most important work. The 38 staff in the overnight care team provide a range of vital services to Glaswegians that require a very intensive home care service.
There’s no such thing as a typical night for the overnight carers. From the moment their shift starts at 930pm till it ends the next day at 830am they are faced with a whole host of challenges that are unique to overnight care.
Each team of two can visit clients up to three times nightly and these visits can be to reposition clients in their beds; help with visiting the toilet as well as a range of other tasks. Co-ordinator Wilma Blue said “Working at night is so different to the mainstream care service. We are very quiet during each visit and try not to disturb either service users or neighbours during our work. It is the most rewarding area of home care that I’ve personally been involved with.”
Travelling around the city during the night also shows a completely different side to Glasgow. Wilma continued “the local police get to know us as do the early morning delivery drivers. It can be quite funny to be completing your shift as you see a steady-stream of club-goers returning home around 6am!”
Managing the overnight service is also challenging, especially engaging with staff. This can often leave the teams feeling disengaged from the main home care service. Jane Walsh, a recently retired Area Operations Manager said “It’s very difficult to get the balance right working with the overnight teams. When meetings are taking place during the day, they are sleeping. My approach has been to meet them on their own terms and at a time that suits them. This can often mean having meetings at 9pm at night!”
Our overnight service is one of many that make up the home care service in Cordia. More and more, these services are expanding to meet a wider need from Social Work Services and our service users. Frances McMeeking, Head of Care Services said “the overnight teams provide a vital support service to Glaswegians. I am full of admiration and thanks for the way in which they carry out their roles. They are certainly a very unique group of people.”
Pictured right (l-r) Fiona King, Anne Cahill, Gary Fletcher and Wilma Blue.
CORDIA’S NIGHT ANGELSOur overnight carers shine a light on the challenges and rewards of the job
