How many times have you heard a company claim that it has a “great team”?
Sometimes, that’s true, they do have a great team – but sometimes, companies go completely over the top.
Their marketing communications programmes imply that employees are all super-humans, possessed of strange powers, who’ve had the normal frailties and flaws of the species somehow surgically removed(!)
We all know that ultimately, we’re still human beings, and human beings aren’t perfect. Imperfection is just part of the human condition. Get over it!
However professional we are, in the course of a 20-40 year working life, we’ll all have the occasional bad day, suffer moods, make mistakes, be exhausted, perhaps feel unwell or be in pain, or experience emotional or other problems which affect our work.
Because we’re all human
It’s a bit silly to pretend otherwise, and ultimately, it’s mildly dishonest!
In an age when we’re all supposed to be (quite rightly) more enlightened and open about issues such as workplace stress and mental illness – things which can affect anyone, at any time – it’s now increasingly accepted that creating a pressure-cooker fantasy of workplace perfection might even amount to poor leadership.
But here’s the thing: we actually do believe that we have a great team (albeit made up of real human beings). So, there’s a paradox.
No, they’re not supermen and women, and yes, they have the same flaws and frailties as all of us – but they’re a great team, nevertheless! They have skills, enthusiasm, initiative, commitment and unbelievable loyalty - all things which help make Tecalemit great.
At the same time, we think that we’re a pretty good company to work for
No, we’re probably not perfect (no company is), but we try hard, and we have a fantastic employee retention record, which has got to count for something! So how do you tell people what a great team you have, without being cliched, or engaging in small-time dishonesty (which everyone will see through, and simply dismiss)?
Well… we thought we’d introduce some of them to you
We’re the first to admit that showcasing our employees might be seen – by some – as not very “Tecalemit”. We sell products, offer services and our marketing is mostly, therefore, full of products and services. But in an increasingly complex business environment, it really does take a team
And it takes a team to deliver a service. Even if the number of people at the customer interface is limited, we can’t do what we do without a big team. That’s particularly true given the huge focus Tecalemit now puts on customer support and back-up.
Now we asked for volunteers to be fronted-up to our customers – and amazingly, from our great team, people stepped forward, and to be clear:
There was no pressure on them to do so.
It isn’t part of their job description.
They haven’t been paid for it...
...and lots of people didn’t volunteer.
Which is fine, because being photographed and displayed online, at exhibitions, and in print, isn’t everyone’s thing!
After we’d explained a little about what we wanted to do, people ‘got it', and some volunteered.
Our thanks go to those team members who have taken part so far and shared their stories below:
Jo Chapman, Lead Work Controller, head office, Plymouth.
“I’m Jo Chapman and I’m a Plymouth girl through and through!
“I’m a Lead Work Controller, liaising with customers and getting crews and technicians to jobs all over the UK.
“My hubby, Mark, is our Regional Manager, South West.
“We try not to talk work at home but it’s inevitable sometimes, particularly if I’ve been involved in something in his region. Our two grown-up daughters both live locally.
“I joined Tecalemit from school 36 years ago and I’ve done a few jobs in that time! My work involves contact with customers all the time, sorting out servicing, maintenance and problems for them, and it needn’t necessarily be Tecalemit’s equipment.
“We have a lot of latitude to get things done – particularly if we’re dealing with a really good customer (and that doesn’t necessarily just mean big firms). People are sometimes surprised at what we’ll do to help a loyal customer out. But you do your best, which is all anyone can do.
“I try to put myself in the customer’s shoes and think “how would I want this handled?” The company puts a lot of effort behind service, and it’s got a big priority, and we’re very aware of that in this office. It makes us feel that we’re doing something of value.
“I love working as part of quite a big team and I love Plymouth’s family-home-beach vibe. I’m a people person so it’s great when the customer is happy that you’ve solved a problem!”
Karina Palmer, Assistant National Accounts Service Controller, head office, Plymouth.
“OK, I look a bit different, I know! Tattoos aren’t everyone’s thing, but I love them, and each one has meaning for me!
Some of the people I deal with every day on the phone might be a bit surprised to see what I look like – so hey, this is me!
I deal with big customers, like the Royal Mail, and there’s an absolute focus on making sure they get the best service we can give.
It’s a really big deal in the culture of the company and I think it’s getting more important every year – I’ve noticed the move from being a company that supplies and installs product, to a company that keeps a customer running. It’s great for our team, because it makes us feel that we’re part of something really important in the company’s future.
I’m a single parent and I have two teenage daughters. They were going to photograph me with Misha, my Rottweiler / Labrador cross, but she wasn’t well at the time, which is a shame. I love her to bits and it would have been great to show her off to people!
I’m Plymouth born and bred though some of my family live ‘up the line’, as we say. That’s not for me – I love the weather, the sea, and the city, and I’m going nowhere!"
Ashley Burton, Procurement Coordinator, head office, Plymouth.
"I’m Ashley Burton and I have a pretty varied role at Tecalemit!
I oversee the purchasing of spares, and I monitor production levels, amongst other things.
They’re very different jobs but what they have in common is the need to be extremely diligent over documentation!
I like working with people, whether it’s negotiating or solving problems, but I’m a bit of a tech and systems-nerd too, which is quite helpful professionally. The level of documentation relating to everything we do increases year by year and we have to be absolutely on top of it. You’d struggle to do that if you weren’t IT savvy.
I’m an import to Plymouth – I started out my working life in Birmingham, in the commercial vehicle industry and the motor trade. So Tecalemit wasn’t much of a stretch.
I came down here for a bit of a break, like you do, and never left – this place has that effect on people! My partner, Nichola, and I have a 13 year old son – he and I both enjoy computer gaming, so we spend a lot of time on the X-Box together!
But like a lot of people in our industry, and in Tecalemit, I’m a bit car nuts! I currently run a Subaru Impreza WRX, which is the car they’ve pictured me with. It has a factory-fit ProDrive and a few other tweaks and it’s a pretty nice ride, but I’ve had Golf GTis, Saab Turbos, and just about every fast Ford with the letters ‘XR’ attached!
When you’re dealing with people in the automotive industry, all day, every day, you have to have some interest in the industry’s core product, don’t you?"
Ian Brown, Sales Support And Export Manager, head office, Plymouth
"I’m celebrating my 22nd birthday with Tecalemit this year – it’s amazing how many long-serving employees there are at Plymouth, it’s a bit of a ‘thing’!
I joined because my Dad, who worked for the company, got me a holiday job doing a summer project, and I never left!
We export to most countries in the world – developed countries are the main market, but we also send equipment to challenging areas where there might be conflict, civil unrest, or a poor transport infrastructure. I take the view there’s always a way round a problem.
You have to be flexible, and think laterally sometimes, but we always get the kit to where it’s supposed to be.
I don’t think Brexit will be an issue for us – if we can get a four-post lift into the Hindu Kush for a customer, we can deal with anything, and there’s equipment of ours all over the globe!
My wife, Helen, used to work for the company, but left when our little boy, Joshua, came along.
He has a few challenges to deal with in life and he’s our absolute priority and the heart of our family, so in everything we do we consider his needs first. He’s a gutsy little guy and I’m damned proud of him.
Fishing is my thing. I can fish locally but I get further afield as well when there’s a bit of time – I’ll pop over to Chesil Beach, a couple of hours down the coast, sometimes.
We love Plymouth – this is me at Mount Batten, which is a few minutes’ drive from home. Now … tell me you’re not jealous of that!"
Craig Hume, Service Engineer, Midlands.
"I’m based in Solihull, quite a way from the company’s head office in Plymouth, so I don’t see colleagues as much as I would if I was in the office. I’m mostly on the road, and in customers’ premises, so the people I see most often are other engineers. But I get together with colleagues at regular meetings.
Tecalemit was really supportive through an incredibly tough time in my life when my partner, Natalie, died very suddenly at the beginning of 2017 aged 32. That has an effect on your life I can’t put into words, but anyone who’s experienced partner bereavement will understand.
Many of my colleagues, even people I didn’t know well, offered support, and that’s a big reason for me agreeing to feature in ‘I am Tecalemit’. I think people know how grateful I am for the support I received. There was no pressure on me to return to work until I was ready, and my manager made it as easy as possible to get back into the swing of things.
Last summer, I married Emily, who I met at Parkrun whilst training for the Birmingham Half Marathon to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. We are building a pretty good life. I was having a bit of fight with the world, one way or another, and this incredible woman has helped me find my way.
In the photo, I’m with our lovely lurcher Niamh. She’s a rescue and I can’t tell you how important an emotional connection with a dog can be. I totally understand why they’re increasingly used for therapy. Just going for a walk with her is an important part of my day. The pictures were taken at one of her favourite places, woodland near to our home in Solihull. She’s happy to be there… but she also likes to lounge around at home with us. I think you can see some of the connection we have!
After nine years, I still love my job, getting out and about and meeting people. As an installation and repair engineer, I quite often meet customers as they’re installing new equipment to move their businesses on. It’s an exciting time for them. But, like all engineers, I like to get home and switch on ‘Wheeler Dealers’ - much to the annoyance of my wife!"
Unlike Howard from the Halifax, we didn’t ask them to sing or dance. We just asked them to tell us – and you – a little about their lives, their families, their jobs, and perhaps their interests.
However great your products and services (and you won’t be surprised that we think we have a terrific product range and some great service offerings), people still do business with people. So you’ll be seeing some of our people out and about in the digisphere, and at events, and in print. They’re not superhumans, they’re not possessed of strange powers (or at least, not that we know of), and they’re not genetically re-engineered to remove all human flaws and frailties! None of us are. They’re just really good folks, people that we’re proud to have on our team, who are trying to do a great job.
We hope you enjoy meeting them – and if you know them already, because you’ve met them in dealings with our company, we hope you welcome the chance to learn a little bit more about them and their lives.