Claps for our redeployed rainbow heroes

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic around 170 members of staff have applied to support a different team or service area

Monday 4 May, 2020

Where possible, the Covid-19 response team have re-purposed many of these volunteers across the Council. 

The key services identified for additional support were:

• Social Care;
• Cleaning;
• Waste Collection;
• Childcare Provision;
• Customer Support; and
• ICT services

We've been in touch with some staff members who have been working with a different team for the past few weeks to find out a bit more about redeployment and how they're getting on in their new roles. 

Mark Biernaki, Carbon Management Assistant 

First up, Mark Biernaki, who usually works in Property, based at the Civic Offices. Mark volunteered to be redeployed and has been working 'on the bins' for the past couple of weeks.

Here's what he had to say:

“I love my day job in the property section of the Council and the team I work with, but it’s also been really good fun and extremely good exercise working with the crews on the waste collection rounds. I was keen to “do my bit” during the current situation, so when I was offered the chance to work with the Waste team, I was eager to help. 

"Everyone has been really friendly and supportive. I knew the job was going to be tough and quite physical, but having done the job for a week or so now, I have a newly found respect for the regular refuse collectors who all work incredibly hard day in, day out. 

"There is such a good team spirit amongst the staff.  I’ve been touched by how supportive the residents have been also, with some of them leaving lovely messages and painted stones on their bins for us. 

"My young daughter has set me the task of counting the number of painted rainbows that I can see on my rounds - I’ve counted hundreds in one day!”

Jennifer Green, Carbon Management Reduction Officer

Jennifer also works in the Council's Property section and like her colleague Mark, wanted to do her bit to support a front-line service. Jennifer has been working with the Crisis Support Team, this is what she had to say about her new role:

I am really enjoying my new role, I have been contacting Vale residents who have been sent shielding letters from the Welsh Government.

Typically a phone call will only be a few minutes but with some people it takes longer as they have been alone for some time and really need someone to talk to; I have had some brilliant conversations.

In a typical day I spend the first hour checking in with my main role dealing with any emails. I have a spreadsheet of  people to call, typically about 50, and I start calling at about 09:00am.

I am checking that they have support to be able to get food and medication. I provide information on community groups who can help and for those who have no help arrange for a food-box delivery.

Everyone I have spoken to has been very grateful for the phone call, and I have had some thank you messages which is always nice. I try to get through all of the 50 names in a day.

I didn’t need much training before I started. I completed some online courses on iDev which I could access via Staffnet+

As with all Vale employees the team I am with are really friendly and we have a good chuckle in quieter moments.

I would encourage any one who is able to consider redeploying, you will learn new skills and make new friends, as well as helping to maintain the Councils most important function of supporting the resident’s in the Vale.   

We think Mark, Jennifer, the waste crews, the crisis support team and all of our volunteers deserve the recognition that they've received and we will continue to celebrate our #RainbowHeroes over the coming weeks.