Words by Tracey Wright
December 18, 2023
David Attenborough! Really?
“"Darren is the David Attenborough of Behavioural Science. You learn so much from him. His whole persona and tone lands exactly right. If I could put him in a box and introduce him to every employee across the business, I’d do it". ”
'VPS Group employ 1,300 people operating in the UK and Ireland and across Europe in Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Holland.
In September 2022, we launched a group wide Health and Safety Transformation Programme, with HSG65 being the basis of it. I’d say this is a significant cultural change programme, rather than a transformation programme.
October 23 was the right time to introduce the team of Health and Safety representatives from each country/division to Darren and behavioural science to help us navigate our execution of the transformation programme over the next six-months. When you’re leading a programme where you’re connecting several different cultures, that’s a big scale project which will naturally bring with it obstacles and barriers for us to overcome.
That’s why Darren was the first person to spring to mind. I watched him delivering a session at Liverpool’s Football Stadium for IOSH members which was so inspiring. I knew exposing the team to Darren would assist the team in achieving what we have set out to achieve.
So during a 90-minute live session in Amsterdam during October, Darren delivered a session to the health and safety transformation programme team, consisting of performance vs results, behavioural science and self-talk. But in reality, it was way more than this. The way he approached it, how he led the session and what we all took away from it – was more of a life experience than a training session.
Following on from the session, the whole team want to complete the IOSH Certificated Behavioural Science for Leadership in Safety Program of which 3 members of the team have commenced and we are planning for the remainder of the team to complete April 24 onwards.
As a group, we’re serious about transforming the culture of the business. We’re invested in it. It’s very early days, but we’re already seeing green shoots. The team are thinking differently, talking and behaving differently.
On behalf of the VPS, H&S Transformation Programme Team, I would like to thank Darren for delivering the session and am looking forward to continuing this journey.
"Darren is the David Attenborough of Behavioural Science. You learn so much from him. His whole persona and tone lands exactly right. If I could put him in a box and introduce him to every employee across the business, I’d do it".
Graham Pye
Group Health and Safety Director at VPS Group