Winner's story: Charlotte Warren

Charlotte shared a story reflecting on her journey supporting veterans and the armed forces community at Smiths. In her entry, she also shared a standout moment, attending an award ceremony with our CEO Roland Carter.

One of my most treasured memories at Smiths is attending the Gold Defence Employee Recognition Award ceremony with our CEO Roland Carter, walking in Churchill’s footsteps, in the historic Churchill War rooms in London.

Ensuring our veterans and the wider armed forces family have the support they need in the workplace has always been so important to me. My father, grandfather and a range of other family members and friends have all served – so when I joined Smiths and learnt there was already a Veterans Employee Group as well as an additional 10 days paid leave for reservists in the company.. I was thrilled.

Over my first six months, I worked with Roland and the HR team to expand this, also giving an additional 10 days leave to cadet force adult volunteers, as well as two days additional leave for military spouses to use pre or post-deployment of a loved one.

I’ll be honest… it was the easiest HR policy change I’ve ever driven as the support and understanding from the senior leadership team was just so strong! What a company!

This, alongside a range of other activities, culminated in Smiths being awarded the Gold Defence Employer Recognition Award which was presented to Roland and I at a celebration evening in the Historic Churchill’s War Rooms.

We arrived there after hours and were able to independently explore the secret underground headquarters where the course of the Second World War was determined, which is hidden beneath Westminster. Walking in Churchill’s footsteps and reflecting both on Smiths’ contributions during the war time period as well as the achievement that had led us to attend the awards, was just a standout core memory for me.

How often do you go to a black-tie dinner in uniform with the CEO of a FTSE100 company in a location as utterly remarkable as that, where you’re able to explore with no one else around?

The central comms hub of the War Rooms had been transformed into a war time themed dinner, where everyone shared stories of how companies supporting veterans had improved the working lives of those around every table. In fact, it was so enjoyable that Roland and I stayed later than intended – making the most of a night celebrating Smiths’ dedication to supporting its employees.