Tip Top Tip

I generally don't like Christmas because there's far too much goodwill about!

Yet, eventhough the season is almost upon us, and contrary to all my normal instincts, I feel compelled to record my appreciation of an organisation which I have long admired.

I refer to the Holford Drive Tip in Perry Barry, Birmingham.

I have used the tip (probably shouldn't call it that - there is bound to be a euphemism - must find out what it is) for years.

I have seen staff come and go, although it is noteworthy that the turnover of staff is low.

I have seen the place evolve in response to changing requirements such as refrigeration and computer disposal; recycling; fluorescent tube disposal.

I have seen staff working out of doors, obviously, in snow and freezing cold; in the heat of summer and in pouring rain. But they are a really nice bunch - always polite, friendly almost. The weather doesn't seem to bother them at all.

I have seen a site which is inherently unsafe. There are many vehicle movements - many people movements - and all in a relatively confined space. But I haven't seen any accidents, and, if you look, you can see that the staff take care, particularly at busy times, to be about and on watch, just in case.

I have seen a site which is inherently dirty - after all it is a tip. But none of it. The sweeping and tidying never stops, with the result that the site is clean. You are struck by the fact that if you drop a piece of paper or a bit if a tree, it lands on an otherwise clean surface!

I think that the staff maintain this high level of tidiness as much for safety reasons as any other.

So, over the years I have given much thought to the staff of Holford Drive.

Why is it that the staff turnover is so low given the, at times, unsocial working conditions, and why is it that the staff are so consistently pleasant, given all the riff raff of the general public that they have to put up with. Why is it that they keep a 'tip' in such a clean and safe condition?

The answer must lie partly in the management.

Good working relations never exist where management does not genuinely respect the other members of staff, and by that I mean the staff and their representitives.

But the answer must also lie partly with the union(s). Management can only function properly where it has clear lines of communication with its staff and where staff issues are responsibly discussed and reasonably resolved.

And what of the chaps themselves? They must be hand-picked because they have the ability to deal with the public; aren't fazed by the weather, and take cleanliness and safety as second nature.

The foregoing is no bull. It is just a straightforward recitation of the facts as I see them, and common sense.

Of course, there must from time to time be tensions at the site; it would be unrealistic to suppose otherwise.

But I don't see evidence of these tensions when they arise. They do not overspill into the public.

All I do see is a great bunch of people giving a first class service, and, having given careful consideration to the matter over a number of years, I believe that Holford Drive must be close to a text book way of how to run a business.

I take my hat off to all who work there and, much as it goes against the grain, wish them all a Happy Christmas and many happy new years.