Hello, I’m Sheryll – Fluid’s official ‘culture champion’ of the year for 2023, but you might be thinking…
What on earth is a culture champion?
We have six values at Fluid that we all try and live by in our daily working lives: Creative, Caring, Ambitious, Positive, Accountable and Trustworthy.
Every month, somebody in the team is recognised as a ‘culture champion’, which essentially means they have truly embodied a Fluid value in an outstanding way.
Why have I been chosen…
I have picked up the baton from Jessie J as Fluid’s the culture champion for 2023 (or Queen, if you will), because I have demonstrated the following values…
Caring
Fluid is an active supporter of mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. We have a team of ‘Mental Health champions’ and we’ve all received mental health training to help recognise anyone that may need help and support.
Taking time out to simply say ‘How are you today’ or ‘Let’s go for a walk’ can sometimes make all the difference to someone who might not be feeling themselves, or is dealing with personal issues.
I have been a key supporter to various team members, all confidentially of course, and have been an ear for them when they’ve needed it, or simply been there to offer guidance and advice.
I’ll happily make time for colleagues outside of work too, and often I’ll meet up with them at weekends just to check-in. I consider it to be an honour and a privilege that people open-up to me. Being a caring, supportive person comes naturally to me, maybe because I’m a mummy to two (grown-up) girls and a grandmother of two little ones – I’ve certainly had a lot of practice!
When I told my daughter I had been given the award, she said ‘You are amazing Mum. I’m glad others can see it like we do’.
Ambitious
Fluid has always been passionate about ‘giving back’, and we’ve a history of fundraising antics over the years. When the pandemic hit, our annual client gift giving became rather difficult to orchestrate, so we decided we would give something back to our local community on our clients behalf instead.
This year we held a ‘Festive evening with Fluid’ to raise money for four worthy charities. I led the charge, rallying up support from local businesses who donated amazing raffle prizes, selling tickets, recruiting volunteers, meeting with the charities, and organising the event.
It was an ambitious undertaking, and I certainly can’t take all the credit for this event – it was very much a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without the wonderful support of all involved, including the wonderful Fluid choir.
The evening was a great success, and I was so proud that together we raised £1600 for YMCA Derby, Safe & Sound, Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.
We are already planning this year’s Christmas fundraising event, which we are really excited about, so watch this space…