Today we are spotlighting Charlie, who is celebrating fifty years in the plant hire industry! Within the Flannery team, he is known as a legendary man who you can always rely on.
This week Charlie is retiring, and we would like to share with you his story, the favourite parts of his work and his precious advice to the next generation joining the industry. Above all, we want to celebrate and thank Charlie who will be missed by everyone here.
From Gareth Corbett, Operations Director:
“If I could describe Charlie in three words, I would say he is very dependable, a knowledgeable specialist and a friendly person. By the way, Charlie has actually worked for Flannery twice. His first stint lasted about 3hrs, then after we sorted out some crossed wires, he came back the following week and has been an asset to the company ever since. Enjoy your allotment & time with the grandkids, Charlie!”
From Barry Gaffney, Health and Safety Manager:
“Charlie was a great asset when setting up Procedures and raising the bar for safety on site. His wealth of experience was a great help to me when putting systems in place. Charlie, make sure you put your feet up and look after your bees, I hope they give an endless supply of honey for years to come. It was great working with you. Just keep the bees buzzing!”
From Paul Beard, HSE Advisor:
“As a person, Charlie is courteous, thoughtful, hysterically funny with his stories and conscientious. As a colleague, he is methodical, tenacious, always willing to assist and most of all an all-round ‘Top Man’. I have known Charlie since 1987. Every job we both have worked on have been full of great times and he has imparted his knowledge on me many times. He did save the life of a lady on one job who was drowning where he swam out to her and brought him to the land! I hope Charlie continues on with his allotment, with his bees and stays healthy.”
How long for have you worked at Flannery?
I joined the Flannery team on 1st April 2019, I was fortunate to have collaborated with the Flannery team over several years, working on a few topics during my time with previous employers.
Most notable for me was the time I spent working alongside Patrick Flannery as part of a steering group tasked with drawing up Highways England’s “Raising the Bar” standards for plant and equipment. You can probably imagine we had many interesting debates during this time!
How was it when you started to work at Flannery?
Joining Flannery was certainly a jolt back to reality, having spent the previous 18 months in a myriad of failing companies. The ‘hustle and bustle’ in the office was the most notable for me. Like entering a hurricane of hard work and enthusiastic people. The culture of encouraging fairness amongst the team and the commitment to investing in the most innovative solutions is what makes Flannery one of the leading operated plant suppliers in the UK.
What has been the favourite part of your everyday work?
Collaborating with my colleagues to enhance the Flannery safety-first culture and looking to prevent accidents and incidents.
What do you love the most about your work?
The daily banter of working alongside my colleagues, endeavouring to help and support the team with any problems that arise.
What has been the most challenging moment for you at work?
Striving to influence behaviour and driving behavioural change. As well as ensuring that we implement the procedures that help us demonstrate we have followed the correct (and safest) process.
What important lesson have you learned while working at Flannery?
Do not take anything for granted. Never assume something is done, go look for yourself.
What would you wish for the Flannery team in the future?
My wish for all of you at Flannery is that you be happy, healthy, peaceful and protected from harm.
