We Are Randox | Staff Newsletter January – July 2020 Edition
We Are Randox | Staff Newsletter January – July 2020 Edition
Staff Newsletter January - July 2020 Edition
We are delighted to be able to share with you the January – July 2020 edition of our We Are Randox staff newsletter.
Click here to view our news from 2020 so far – including of course our vital work in testing for COVID-19, but also a range of staff announcements including engagements, births and retirements.
** Please note that this newsletter works most efficiently in your Google Chrome browser**
We Are Randox | Sean Mills named Randox Employee of the Year at 2020 Manufacturing Awards Dinner
Randox Freeze Drying Production Supervisor Sean Mills has been named Randox Employee of the Year.
Sean’s award was announced on Friday 7th February 2020, when all Randox manufacturing departments gathered together at The Hilton Hotel in Templepatrick, to connect with colleagues and celebrate the success of their teams at the annual Randox Manufacturing Awards Dinner.
Pauline Bradley, Operations Manager began the evening with an opening address, and thanked all attendees for their hard work;
“Each year our manufacturing department grows in strength and this is thanks to the people working in it. I am proud to be standing here to recognise our collective capabilities as a team and to celebrate our hard work – with good food and great company.”
An overview of the year’s manufacturing successes were shared, and everyone looked forward to the activities for the year ahead.
A selection of awards that were announced on the night are included below;
- Newcomer of the Year was awarded to Katarzyna Bronisz by Manager Debbie Moses
- Adherence to company procedure was awarded to Kyle Westwater by Manager Eamon Morris
- Excellence under pressure was awarded to AJ Gorman by Manager Pauline Bradley
Following the presentation of these awards, all attention turned to Operations Manager Pauline Bradley to announce the prestigious Employee of the Year Award.
We are delighted to be able to share that this award went to Sean Mills of our Freeze Drying Production Department.
Sean commented;
“I’m really proud to be able to say that I am Randox Employee of the Year. I work in such a talented and hard-working team at Randox, so I know there must have been fierce competition. It was a real pleasure to be able to receive this award surrounded by my colleagues and friends as we enjoyed a lovely evening together and I would like to thank everybody who has congratulated me over the past number of days. All the work we do at Randox is truly a team effort and so my award is as much for my team members within the Freeze Drying Department as it is for me. I wouldn’t be able to do my job without them.”
Sean’s Manager Eamon Morris closed the night by congratulating Sean, and saying;
“I am delighted that Sean’s efforts and excellence were recognised on the night of the Manufacturing Awards. I know of nobody who has a dissenting word about him and I think that speaks volumes about the way he conducts himself at work – very professional and always with a smile. He absolutely epitomises someone who ‘goes the extra mile’ and over the years has proved to be a real asset to the Production team. He has a fantastic work ethic and strives daily to learn and improve.”
For more information about the Manufacturing Awards please contact Randox PR by email: randoxpr@randox.com or phone 028 9442 2413
We Are Randox | Staff Newsletter July-December 2019 Edition
Staff Newsletter January - March 2019 Edition
We are delighted to be able to share with you the Q3/4 2019 edition of our We Are Randox staff newsletter!
Click here for a range of company and staff news from July to December 2019 – including events, business updates, a range of staff news including weddings and engagements, and of course our annual Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas Raffle – at which we raised a fantastic £3396.
** Please note that this newsletter works most efficiently in your Google Chrome browser**
We Are Randox | CĆ©line skydives into fundraising for AWARE NI
We’re passionate about celebrating the kindness and generosity of our Randox employees. Each have their own unique and interesting story to tell and many give up their spare time to support their local community and help those in need.
Their compassion and commitment is what makes Randox the successful company it is today, and this month Customer Relationship Executive, Céline Hasson, emulated this perfectly, with an adrenaline-filled display of bravery and dedication!
On Sunday 3rd November, Céline took to the skies for a charity skydive, in aid of our 2018/2019 charity partner, AWARE NI.
Below Céline explains why she wanted to take part in the charity skydive, and what it meant to her to be able to raise funds for the main depression charity for Northern Ireland.
Céline Hasson, Customer Relationship Executive, said;
“People with mental health conditions deserve as much support and compassion as those will physical health conditions. So with this in mind, back in May I signed myself up for a skydive, with a goal to fundraise £500+ for AWARE NI.
“Unfortunately the weather was against us on a number of the occasions we had previously planned to Skydive, but we got there in the end and were able to complete the challenge in November.
“I’m sure every person reading this has either suffered or knows someone who has/is suffering from depression, so please donate to a great cause like AWARE NI. Let’s support them to help support others.”
Did you know?
– 1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem each year
– Anxiety and depression are the most common mental disorders
– Overall prevalence of mental health conditions in Northern Ireland is up to 25% higher than in England
– 9 out of 10 people with mental health problems experience stigma and discrimination
What can you do?
Whilst Céline committed to a skydive with Moonjumpers Sky Diving, you have the easy part.
Simply make a donation and contribute to the very worthy AWARE NI, which has an established network of 24 support groups in rural and urban areas across the county, and also delivers mental health and well-being programmes into communities, schools, colleges, universities and workplaces.
To view Céline’s JustGiving page please visit; https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/celine-hasson1
For further information about Randox’s charity work with AWARE NI in 2018/19, or our new charity partners in 2019/20, please contact the Randox PR team by emailing randoxpr@randox.com or phoning 028 9442 2413.
Want to know more about Randox?
Contact us or visit our homepage to view more.
Our Randox Products and Services
REAGENTS
RX SERIES
ACUSERA
BIOCHIP
We Are Randox | Randox Men’s GAA team win Junior Shield at Inter-Firms competition
Randox Men’s GAA team win Junior Shield at FinTrU Ulster GAA Football Inter-Firms competition
After the success of the Randox Ladies GAA team in reaching their shield final at the FinTrU Ulster GAA Football Inter-Firms competition, Randox fielded two teams in the men’s competition which took place at Queen’s University Playing Fields Dub Pavilion on Saturday 26th October.
The men’s teams were pooled in separate groups with strong opposition facing both teams.
John James Fallon, Randox Electrical Engineer and Bainisteoir / Coach for Randox GAA commented;
“As soon as the day began the Randox men battled hard. With some fantastic individual performances and a relentless team effort we both recorded wins in our opening matches.
“Randox two lost out narrowly to solid Deloitte and CITI teams but bounced back in their last group game to win against Global Payments.
“Randox one continued strongly throughout the group stages impressively winning all but one of their group matches which saw them qualify for the shield final against Deloitte.
“The final was an even contest with both teams exchanging some fantastic scores in a very competitive game, but it was Randox who edged it and won the Junior Shield.
“What a great year for the Randox men and women. Many were playing GAA for the first time and both reaching the finals of their respective competitions. We fielded players ranging from experienced to novice and together what we achieved has been exceptional.
“On behalf of the organising committee I would like to say thank you to sponsor FinTrU and Ulster GAA for organising another fantastic day out, to Dr FitzGerald and the company for their continued support, but most importantly thank you to everyone who registered for this year’s competition.
“To everyone who played with such grit and determination, you have done yourselves and the company proud. A massive congratulations is in order for everyone, and in particular for Shay McStravick who captained the team on their win and lifted the Shield for Randox.”
Shay McStravick, Randox Men’s GAA Captain commented;
“I would like to congratulate all the men and women who took part in a hugely successful year for Randox GAA. Over the course of a couple of months we have built a great sense of camaraderie among the group and it was great to achieve some silverware to show for it.
“I would like to reiterate everything John James has already touched on and also take this opportunity to extend a huge thank you, on behalf of the team, to John James for all his hard work and commitment to help get Randox GAA on its feet. Here’s to 2020.”
We are all looking forward to next year already!
If you are interested in joining a Randox GAA team or helping out, please send your name and contact details to John James Fallon in our engineering team: johnjames.fallon@randox.com
Want to know more about Randox?
Contact us or visit our homepage to view more.
Our Randox Products and Services
REAGENTS
RX SERIES
ACUSERA
BIOCHIP
We Are Randox | Ladies GAA team reach final of Inter-Firms Tournament
Randox Ladies reach final of FinTrU Ulster GAA Football Inter-Firms Tournament
Early on the morning of Saturday 12th October 2019, Randox Ladies GAA team took to the field at the Mid Ulster Sports Arena, to compete in the FinTrU Ulster GAA Football Inter-Firms competition.
With teams made up of eight players, the format of the competition saw the ladies play five group games with the chance to qualify for the cup and shield finals.
Could they match or even beat their record from last year, having reached the 2018 semi-finals?
In the commentary below, John James Fallon, Randox Electrical Engineer and Bainisteoir / Coach for Randox Ladies GAA Team provides a match report from the big day.
John James commented;
Five consecutive games was a big ask for a squad that was relatively small when compared to other firms competing on the day. Nevertheless, our Randox GAA Ladies rose to the challenge and won their first match comfortably against Mallaghans.
The next game saw Randox face last year’s winners FinTrU, whose squad had some very experienced GAA players, and in the following match we competed against The GAA Store Team. Randox, who had grown in confidence after their first game, gave absolutely everything on the field but just came up short in two super games of football. This effort was not without cost as the ladies picked up a few injuries along the way but battled on regardless.
The ladies then showed great character and hunger to bounce back and defeat Options IT, a victory which saw them reach the shield final against our previous opponents Mallaghans.
From the first whistle the ladies put everything on the line, running themselves into the ground despite injury and fatigue. The first half was anyone’s for the taking but it was the fresher Mallaghans who took advantage of their bigger squad to take the early lead and went into half time with a 5-point advantage.
Our Randox Ladies were not about to lie down and accept defeat however, and an early goal and a point swung the balance of the game back in our favour.
During such a tight and dynamic game however, the leading team continued to change, and against the run of play Mallaghans went down the field to score a goal.
In these circumstances a lesser team may have conceded the game, however our ladies immediately responded with a goal and with only seconds remaining looked like they could emerge victorious.
Unfortunately though, despite a courageous effort, we could not find the breakthrough. Congratulations to Mallaghans who went on to win a very entertaining game of football, and subsequently the tournament shield. Thank you to FinTrU and Ulster GAA for organising another fantastic day out.
What a fantastic achievement for this small group of dedicated and enthusiastic players in reaching the final, some of whom had never played Gaelic football before and only had three training sessions before fielding on Saturday. The ladies should be extremely proud of themselves and with the men’s competition only two weeks away, the bar once again has been set extremely high. Well done Randox Ladies!
There are still spaces available on the Randox GAA Men’s team who play their competition on the 26th October at Queen’s University Malone Playing Fields Dub Pavilion.
If you are interested in joining a Randox GAA team or helping out, please send your name and contact details to John James Fallon in our engineering team: johnjames.fallon@randox.com
Want to know more about Randox?
Contact us or visit our homepage to view more.
Our Randox Products and Services
REAGENTS
RX SERIES
ACUSERA
BIOCHIP
Randox staff raise over Ā£14,000 for mental health charity partners AWARE and Mind Your Mood
Global healthcare company Randox Laboratories has today announced that staff have raised over £14,000 for mental health charity partners AWARE NI and Mind Your Mood, during 2018 and 2019.
AWARE NI is the depression charity for Northern Ireland with an established network of 24 support groups in rural and urban areas across the country. They also deliver mental health and wellbeing programmes into communities, schools, colleges, universities and workplaces. Mind Your Mood is an initiative designed and managed by students at Ulster University to help break down the stigma of mental health and encourage students to access support.
Dr. Peter FitzGerald, Managing Director and Founder of Randox Laboratories, commented:
“There is no doubt that mental health issues are a major concern within our society and the vigour with which staff at Randox have fundraised for AWARE NI and Mind Your Mood, two causes close to everybody’s hearts, is to be commended.
“Randox staff across all areas – from Science to Engineering and Business to Manufacturing – have raised a substantial sum for our two charity partners and we hope that this figure will aid awareness of mental health and contribute to the help given to those suffering in Northern Ireland.”
The partnership, which was announced in July 2018, kicked off with the annual Randox Fest staff BBQ in August where 400 staff members had the opportunity to participate in a football tournament, tug-of-war and rounders. Talented musicians amongst Team Randox even took to the stage to bring live music to the festivities.
Throughout the year, Randox staff continued to enthusiastically support AWARE and Mind Your Mood. In October 2018, Randox hosted a company-wide Mental Health Month which saw various divisions take part in a fundraising coffee morning in Randox Health’s clinic in Holywood, a Wear Yellow Day across all of Randox’s NI sites, a daring abseil from the dome of Victoria Square Belfast and a fundraising bake sale for staff members.
The Randox Gaelic Football team also fundraised for the charities with their participation in an Interfirm Tournament in November 2018, while the annual Randox Christmas Raffle in December 2018 was once again popular as staff members vied for top prizes of a 55” Sony smart TV, an extra day of annual leave and tickets to the world-renowned Randox Health Grand National. Children of Randox staff also enjoyed a visit from another famous and festive figure in a red suit at this yearly family event in the staff calendar.
Clare Galbraith, Corporate Fundraising Officer for AWARE, commented:
“We have thoroughly enjoying working with Randox over the past year and are incredibly grateful to Randox staff for their hard work and perseverance in achieving this tremendous amount of fundraising.
“The vital work of AWARE is funded primarily by donations and without the generosity of people like those at Randox, we would not be able to provide the services we do to those living with depression and bipolar disorder in Northern Ireland.”
The new year in 2019 saw Randox staff taking part in a charity golf day at Galgorm Castle Golf Club, Belfast City Marathon and another abseil, this time from the top of Cave Hill’s most iconic landmark, Belfast Castle. Two brave staff members have also volunteered to scale the heights in a 10,000ft skydive in Garvagh which will take place later in the year.
Randox fundraising for AWARE NI and Mind Your Mood came to an end with AWARE NI’s Dragon Boat race on the River Lagan at the end of June 2019. Two Randox boats competed against 12 others in a race against the clock, with one Team Randox boat reaching the semi-final of the event.
Eddie Friel, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Ulster University said:
“Ulster University and Randox have a long-standing partnership built around research, knowledge, sharing, collaboration and student opportunity. This generous sum raised by Randox staff will go a long way in helping to support the mental health activity taking place at our four campuses through the Mind Your Mood initiative.”
Over £14,000 was raised, £10,826 of which was for AWARE NI-related activities and £3,270 for Mind Your Mood.
For further information please email randoxpr@randox.com or phone 028 9442 2413.
We Are Randox | Staff Newsletter April-June 2019 Edition (Q2)
Staff Newsletter April - June 2019 Edition
We are delighted to be able to share with you the Q2 2019 edition of our We Are Randox staff newsletter!
Click here for a range of company and staff news from April to June 2019 – including photographs from the Randox Health Grand National 2019 and all our staff fundraising for AWARE NI and Mind Your Mood.
** Please note that image links work most efficiently in your Google Chrome browser**
Invest in employee health with Randox Health EveryBusiness
Invest in Prevention with Randox Health EveryBusiness
Employee Health and welling strategies are being increasingly introduced by companies. Research in Right Management’s The flux report: Building a resilient workforce in the face of flux, published in February 2014, found that 60% of HR directors recognise that employee health and wellness are key attributes to enabling businesses to achieve their strategic objectives. However, a key problem in the area of health and wellness is that it is often misunderstood. Companies view health and wellness strategies as a firefighting measure; something that is introduced when things go wrong in the company and performance slides.
This view is narrow and to a certain extent wrong. The old saying “Prevention rather than cure” is extremely fitting within these situations. Health and wellbeing should not be about reactive illness management and employers shouldn’t wait until their employees become stressed or ill then seek to cure. Instead they should look at a prevention strategy.
Proactive Health and Wellbeing
Early intervention really does matter. Businesses that spend more time promoting wellbeing and resilience see an upturn in performance, engagement and productivity. If they also use specific data gathering and measurement throughout the year, they can demonstrate the effect of the wellbeing programmes that they’ve implemented and learn what works for them. Health and wellbeing programmes can see an 80% improvement in organisational performance, which is a huge benefit to any business.
In addition, businesses that make a commitment to employee wellbeing can also expect a return in areas such as psychological contract, improved sense of wellbeing, resilience and enhanced positive regard for the employer. Everyone has potential to be healthy, efficient, productive and happy at work. People just need the right support. With an ageing population, it is important that organisations start to recognise this. Read our blog on why to invest in employee health and the benefits.
Randox Health EveryBusiness
Our EveryBusiness corporate service aims to provide a unique health and wellbeing service for your business. EveryBusiness will benefit you and your employees and improve the productivity of your business. Our EveryBusiness service is for employers trying to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees and by doing so benefit from the results of creating a unique health and wellbeing environment.
Contact a member of our team today for more information.
Visit www.randoxhealth.com or phone 0800 2545 130
We Are Randox | Team Randox abseils Belfast Castle for AWARE NI
On Sunday 14th April 2019, a team of brave Randox colleagues faced their fears and took part in an abseil from the top of Belfast Castle. Scaling the heights of Cavehill, our fourteen daring Randox thrill seekers enjoyed views over Belfast before they stepped over the edge.
The event took place to raise funds for Randox’s charity partner AWARE NI, the depression and bipolar charity of Northern Ireland.
Congratulations to our abseil participants! While this may be something else ticked off the ‘bucket list’, it also, most importantly, is a fantastic effort in raising awareness and funds for the work of this very worthwhile cause.
Well done to everyone with your fundraising. You have all worked very hard and raised a fantastic amount both in cash donations and via JustGiving – around £2200 so far and counting!
We hope you enjoy the photographs from the day. If you would still like to donate, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/randox-aware-belfast-castle
Once again, many thanks on behalf of both Randox and AWARE NI to the Randox abseilers for their enthusiasm and fundraising efforts on behalf of both Randox and AWARE NI.
For more information about the abseil or our charity partnership with AWARE NI, please contact RandoxPR@randox.com.
