June - Airport Life

Changing
Since I can remember, I always
wanted to be in either the Royal Air
Force or the Police. I signed up to the
RAF at 16, serving for 8 years before
eventually joining the Police in 2007.
I’ve been with LCY for four years now and
it’s gone by really fast. I joined as a Part-
Time Ramp Agent and have moved around
a fair bit since then. JFK Concierge, Ramp
Step Up Team Leader and Ramp Team Leader
are some of the other job titles I’ve had.
I was recommended to the Terminal to fill
a manager role that was being advertised.
So I completed the online application
and went through the interview processs.
I’ve now been a Terminal Manager for a
year, working in the security area of the
terminal and specifically Central Search.
I love the variety of my role. No two shifts
are ever the same over here, we face different
Roles
Wendy Lee From Baggage Handler to Ramp
Services Safety Delivery Officer
I always wanted to become a
Police Officer, but unfortunately
back in 1974 due to being
only 4ft 11, didn’t qualify.
My dream was shattered,
but nowadays people
even smaller than me
are in the Police!
I joined LCY in 1998 after
working for the London
Borough of Newham
for 18 years as a Life
Guard, Swimming Teacher
and Health & Safety Rep.
I started here as one of the
first female Baggage Handlers,
along with my sister Alison Hunt
who works on the Ramp. I became
a supervisor after just 4 months, due
to my knowledge of Health & Safety.
Ricky Pluck From Part-Time Ramp Agent to Terminal Manager
challenges every single day. We’re facing
ever increasing passenger numbers, while
adapting to new technology, covert testing
and undergoing CAA inspections.
There’s always a lot going on.
The best aspect of working at LCY?
The people. We’ve got a great
community here, and working
in Central Search I get to see so
many colleagues each and every
day. Everyone is really friendly,
I don’t think there are many
workplaces nowadays where
you get to know everybody.
For anyone thinking of their next
move in the airport, I’d say go
for it. Check online to see what’s
available and speak to managers about
opportunities across departments.
LCY placed me on courses to better my
knowledge of the aviation industry and
then I was able to work my way up to
becoming Ramp Services Duty Officer.
As Ramp Services Duty Officer I was a
people person - staff would always suggest
ways to improve how we did things and
I would ensure this was brought to the
attention of the Ramp Manager, as well as
helping with some of the risk assessments
for the Ramp. The Ramp Agents often
called me Mum as I looked after them.
I’d purchase ice poles in the summer and
make up pots of hot soup in the winter,
unfortunately once the regulations on
liquids were introduced, I had to stop.
Lee Russell, Ramp Director asked if I
was interested in working on a project to
update all the risk assessments and improve
the safety awareness on the Ramp.
It was a chance to do what I really
enjoyed and prove what I was capable
of, so of course I said YES.
After working in the role for almost
a year, I was offered the position of
Ramp Services Safety Delivery Officer
and accepted. I complete all the risk
assessments, work on Emergency
Planning with Rebecca Carr, work
on Risk Planning with Serena Woon,
complete TRACAs (training risk
assessment corrective action) on
Ramp Agents and will be delivering a
project on Slip, Trip & Fall to Ramp
staff in a cake and safety day.
People here are like family, we look
after one another. I’m passionate about
what I do and I help deliver a safer
working environment for staff that I
care deeply for. Another great aspect
of working at LCY is being part of
a company that are Richard House’s
biggest donator, that’s something to
be proud of. There’s so much more to
mention with LCY Central, MediCash,
Squirrel, chances to win iPads (I
was lucky enough to win!), all the
volunteering we do… What company
do you know that does as much as us?
Quinyx
The new rostering software
The Security Team have been trialling a new
software system called Quinyx. Primarily
for rostering, the software is a new, highly
effective way of keeping track of shifts,
requesting leave and signing up to overtime.
The easy-to-use software can be used on
smartphones, laptops, desktops and tablets
and will replace the slower paper process.
With almost instant responses to requests,
the software allows you to easily manage
your time and shifts. It also ensures a much
fairer way to find out about overtime as all
colleagues are informed via Qmail, which is
a part of the software, and accepting is easy.
We’ve heard lots of great feedback so far,
so we spoke to some of our colleagues
in Security to find out how Quinyx
has made a difference to them.
Matt Devito
“By using Quinyx
it has helped me
manage my life
around work a lot
easier, everything
I need to know
is there at a
click of a button.
Communication
between
colleagues and
management
couldn’t be
easier with
very quick response times with regards
to leave and shift swaps, it also makes
booking overtime easy and fair for all staff
members.” – Matt Devito, Security Officer
“I was very sceptical about Quinyx working
and I also had log in issues at the start, so
I thought it was not going to work. Now I
am impressed with it. Responses to leave
requests are instantaneous, you don’t have
to wait 2 weeks for a reply. I can’t even
use email, so for someone who is computer
illiterate I find it very user friendly. Even
though I know what shifts I work, it is useful
to see who else you will be working with
each day.” – Kim Lyons, Security Officer
“It’s a fantastic app. I feel it’s made it easier for
me to use, and email managers when needed
as you can’t always remember everyone’s
email. We can also use it to communicate
with staff on opposite shifts if shift swaps
are needed. Communication is a lot better
and we get updated more with overtime slots
etc.” – Assma Sheikh, Security Officer
After a successful three-month trial,
the new software which keeps all things
rostering in one place, will eventually be
rolled out to all operational staff including
Ramp, Jet Centre, Ops, Fire Station and
Building Services staff in due course.
More details to follow soon.
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