We are the Torque Champions (Castleford)

Content warning – this post includes references to suicide.
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Torque Champions are members of staff who have volunteered to be their site's representatives for employee initiatives such as Sports & Social Club and fundraising. They play a vital role in supporting the business' employee engagement objectives and are an important sounding board, delivering their colleagues' ideas and opinions on key topics.

For our monthly Employee Focus, we've spoken to Rae Owens, Stephen Edwards and James Collins, who are Castleford Torque Champions. Read on to discover what inspired them to take on this important role and responsibility.

Rae Owens

Operations Supervisor

What is your role at Torque, and can you tell us a little about it?

I am an Operations Supervisor for Torque customers GLD and Bisley, leading the team that fulfil and despatch customers’ orders.

Why did you want to be a Torque Champion?

In my previous job, I was Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for 7 years. I led a team to promote awareness of local, national and global causes and charities, and interacted with the local community. Over the 7 years we managed to raise over £26,000 for several deserving causes.

I joined Torque 2 years ago and wanted to continue with fundraising events and wellness in the workplace. Post-Covid, I jumped at the opportunity to work with others to revive our colleagues’ involvement with fundraising efforts for those less fortunate than ourselves and the charities associated with them.

What’s your work superpower?

I am not a superwoman, but I have a positive, can-do attitude which I try to use to encourage and motivate others.

What parts of your role as a Torque Champion do you enjoy most?

Being a site advocate and liaising and brainstorming with other Champions on fundraising. Having the reputation for being approachable, many colleagues will put their ideas through me first, and then I will encourage them to pop them into the Ideas Here box in the canteen for the chance to win a voucher. I enjoy the preparation involved with planning the events and I am looking forward to this Christmas’ events!

Can you tell us something funny that’s happened to you at work?

Just recently I was giving the weekly brief and someone asked what was happening at our site on Monday 19th Someone shouted out (he was very sincere and sombre) that he wouldn’t be coming into work as his grandmother had died. I relayed our condolences and asked him to see his supervisor to arrange bereavement leave. At that, the entire team started laughing at my faux pas…he had been referring to “Everyone’s Nan”, our Queen!

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How do you think Torque go the extra mile for their employees?

Acknowledging that our colleagues are the workers on the coalface who can identify potential hazards, foresee any operational issues and make recommendations for improvement and highlight any of their outstanding teammates. To improve employee morale, we need to give them a voice and listen to them, which Torque does with our Ideas Here suggestion scheme and our Torque Teammate of the Month scheme.

What do you like to do outside of work?

Reading (mostly murders, mysteries and thrillers), listening to music (all genres ranging from Andre Bocelli to Lady Antebellum), and walking.

If you could invite three people (dead or alive) to a dinner party you were hosting, who would they be and why would you ask them?

Martin Luther King and Barack Obama would be on my list. It would give Obama a great opportunity to thank Mr King for his campaigning and fight against racism and desegregation, without which Obama would have never become President.

The third person I would invite would be a purely personal one. My youngest son took his own life in 2011 at the age of 25 and I would love to be given the opportunity to talk to him and ask him why and find out if there was anything I could have done to have stopped it. I would tell him all about his 3 children and how well they have done and how proud he would be.

Stephen Edwards

Quality Control Inspector

What is your role at Torque, and can you tell us a little about it?

I am the quality control inspector for the Finisterre contract at Castleford. When new stock arrives, it’s my job to check the size and quality of the stock we have received and report all findings.

Why did you want to be a Torque Champion?

To try and help people as best as I can. I know some people find it hard to speak up, so they can ask me and I will speak up for them where possible.

What’s your work superpower?

Not so much a superpower, but if there’s ever any fundraising on site, I like to think that I’m useful!

What parts of your role as a Torque Champion do you enjoy most?

Talking to my colleagues, and arranging for people to sign up to Sports & Social Club trips, such as our annual Torque 5-a-Side Footie Cup!

Can you tell us something funny that’s happened to you at work?

We had an incident where a Torque Horse lost its head and we went to hilarious lengths to keep it from the owner. It still has pride of place in the department… after some cosmetic surgery!

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How do you think Torque go the extra mile for their employees?

Schemes like the Sports & Social Club are great fun, especially since they provide cheap trips out at a discounted price for employees.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love to see live music, and going to see my beloved West Bromwich Albion play.

If you could invite three people (dead or alive) to a dinner party you were hosting, who would they be and why would you ask them?

Alice Cooper, Jeff Astle and Johnny Rotten. I am a huge Alice Cooper fan; I’ve seen him live 19 times and got to meet him once! Jeff Astle, my first hero back in the 60s, played for West Bromwich Albion and England. And Johnny Rotten… love him or hate him, you know who he is, and the Sex Pistols changed music forever.

James Collins

Team Leader (Imports)

What is your role at Torque, and can you tell us a little about it?

I am a Team Leader for Imports at Torque’s Castleford site. My role is to ensure all deliveries and collections, to and from the site, are correct.

Why did you want to be a Torque Champion?

I wanted to be a Torque Champion because I enjoy making people happy and motivating people.

What’s your work superpower?

I am a good motivator! I’m good at keeping morale and energy high, which I think is an important part of being a Torque Champion.

What parts of your role as a Torque Champion do you enjoy most?

As a Champion, I enjoy talking to people and having team members contribute ideas and suggestions to me.

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Can you tell us something funny that’s happened to you at work?

I once accidentally took the MHE (Material Handling Equipment) keys home with me, which resulted in my having to come all the way back to work to return them!

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like to go away on trips with my dog and my children.

If you could invite three people (dead or alive) to a dinner party you were hosting, who would they be and why would you ask them?

Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. I think the conversation would be hilarious, and people that are smart must know how to party!