Welcome aboard!
Employee handbook
Welcome to HS2 Ltd Make no mistake, the journey we’re on is a once in
a lifetime opportunity, and something we will all be
We represent the UK Government; we have a duty
to remember that as we deliver the railway. We also
able to look back on with immense pride. Imagine genuinely believe that success is built on core values
if you were part of the team that built the London and behaving the right way with our colleagues and
On behalf of everyone at HS2 Ltd, Underground or Heathrow Airport. Projects like those,
and HS2, are unique, they bring us closer to each
stakeholders. You’ll hear more about this when you
start with us, I hope you’ll see just how values-based
welcome aboard. We’re delighted other and the rest of the world, and have become
services that people simply couldn’t imagine not
an organisation HS2 Ltd is.
that you’ve chosen to further your
Once again, welcome to the team.
having. That’s what we’re delivering at HS2: a legacy
for generations to come. Mark Thurston
career and share your skills with We thought it would be helpful before you start to
Chief Executive Officer
us as we embark on the most give you a thorough introduction to our business.
Not just what we do, but how the company operates,
exciting rail and infrastructure who our key leaders are, and perhaps most
importantly to you, what you can expect in your first
project in Europe right now. weeks and months with us as we help you settle in.
The Project But HS2 is much more than a railway. It’s revitalising
the country, creating new opportunities for jobs and
Where will HS2 go?
skills, regenerating towns and cities, and bringing us
all closer as a nation. As the largest infrastructure
High Speed Two (HS2) is the new project in Europe, the scale of what we are building
is truly extraordinary.
high speed railway for Britain. It will • The Channel Tunnel is 31 miles long, HS2 tunnels
connect eight of Britain’s ten largest
will total 45 miles.
• Crossrail are excavating 8 million m3 of material,
cities and their regions through trains HS2 will excavate 96 million – 12 times more.
• Building HS2 will take 19.7 million tonnes of
that will carry 300,000 passengers a concrete, that’s 59 Empire State Buildings.
• Building HS2 will take 1.9 million tonnes of steel,
day at speeds up to 225 mph. that’s 207 Eiffel Towers.
Key
Existing rail network
High speed lines and stations
What will HS2 achieve?
There are many things that we aim to achieve
through HS2. Our seven strategic goals are about the
benefits HS2 will deliver to the country during both
construction and operation.
We will be a catalyst for e will be a catalyst for
W e will create a step-change for
W e will be a good neighbour and
W
economic growth economic growth rail capacity and connectivity protect the natural environment
We will create a step-change for HS2 will form the backbone of our rail network Demand for rail travel has more than doubled Building HS2 will affect the lives of thousands of
rail capacity and connectivity and directly connect eight of our ten largest cities over the past 20 years and passenger numbers people along the line of route. Our aspiration is to
We will be a good neighbour and and their regions. Faster and easier travel will put continue to grow. Commuter and intercity lines be a good neighbour every single day. We will deliver
protect the natural environment more opportunities within reach for millions of serving Manchester, Birmingham and London are a railway that respects the natural environment by
people. HS2 will help connect local places and their under particular pressure. Investment in the existing conserving, replacing or enhancing wildlife habitats
We will create opportunities for skills
businesses with suppliers and centres of research network cannot provide the additional capacity with a new ‘green corridor’ along the route.
and employment
and innovation, allowing the UK’s cities and regions required for the future. As a brand new line, HS2 is
We will set new standards in health, Inevitably, HS2 is going to leave a footprint on the
to develop their economic strengths. the best option for taking pressure off the existing
safety, and security for the construction British countryside, but we’re working to ensure it’s
network and adding extra capacity where it’s
and operation of the railway a positive one. This includes avoiding or reducing
needed most. Faster and easier travel will put more
any impact on the countryside in the first place,
We will deliver value for money opportunities within reach for millions of people.
with over half of the Phase One route in a tunnel
to the taxpayer
or cutting. Up to seven million trees and shrubs will
We will set new standards for be planted as part of our landscape and habitat
customer experience creation programme.
e will create opportunities for
W e will set new standards
W e will deliver value for
W e will set new standards
W
skills and employment in health, safety and security money to the taxpayer for customer experience
HS2 will create 30,000 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships for the construction and We have a responsibility to ensure that every pound Our approach to customer experience includes
through the design and construction of the railway. operation of the railway invested in HS2 is spent wisely. We’ll build a world the whole journey. From planning travel to arrival
We will help train a new generation of engineers and class railway that will stand the test of time, with the at their final destination, we’ll put our passengers
Safety is one of our core values at HS2. For us, that
skilled workers, including through the new National flexibility to adapt to future trends and technologies. first. HS2 trains, stations and depots will be user-
means caring for our workforce, our passengers
College for High Speed Rail. We’ll be innovative and identify opportunities for friendly and improve access for all, including those
and the public. We have the opportunity, and the
savings without compromising on quality. with disabilities or other requirements. Being a
Faster journey times will encourage people and duty, to design and develop a modern railway that
reliable railway means HS2 will aim to always be
businesses to seek new opportunities, and easier puts safety at its heart. We will do this by creating
on time; delays will be measured in seconds rather
travel will help Britain compete for business on the an environment where no one gets hurts. Our Safe
than minutes.
international stage. Each major contract to build at heart campaign brings together and represents
and develop HS2 will result in tens of thousands of everything we aim to achieve in health, safety and
further contracts for other businesses across the wellbeing at HS2 throughout the life cycle of
supply chain. the project.
The Company Our vision
In your Welcome Pack you’ll also find a copy of the
HS2 values book. Developed by our staff, this explains
Our vision is to be a catalyst for growth what our values mean to our people and suggests
across Britain. ways they should inspire our behaviours.
High Speed Two (HS2) Limited is the Our mission
company responsible for developing and We are building a new high speed railway to better
connect people across Britain.
promoting the HS2 Project. HS2 Ltd is As a high performing, innovative organisation, we
an executive non-departmental public will deliver value for money by applying the best in
worldwide design and construction techniques.
body, sponsored by the Department We will achieve new standards in
for Transport (DfT), and we began infrastructure delivery, resilient operations
and passenger experience. It’s the w
that we ay
operations in January 2009. Our values
do it
Our values – safety, respect, integrity and
leadership – are central to successfully delivering
our vision. They represent the ethics of the company,
defining the culture in which we work every day and
impacting our supply chain. Our values create the
environment necessary to get this extraordinary
job done.
Where are we based? Who do we communicate with
and how do we do it?
At HS2 Ltd, we communicate with millions of very
different people: all sorts of communities up and
down the UK, companies both large and small across
our supply chain, various stakeholder groups and
business partners, local authorities and Government.
For us to continue gaining support and to achieve our
work effectively, all these people need to be able to
recognise, know and trust our company. To build the
necessary familiarity, understanding and reassurance,
we all need to speak with one voice and present one
appearance as HS2 Ltd. The tool for achieving this
is our corporate identity (or brand), which everyone
should work within. We have produced guidelines
for how to write on behalf of HS2 and templates
for achieving the right look for your emails, letters,
reports, presentations and other communications.
Training and bespoke support is also available.
You can find more information in this leaflet in your
Welcome Pack.
We are based in a number of offices in Birmingham Our main London location is in Euston. The address is:
and London. Our head office (shown here) is One Eversholt Street
in Birmingham: London
Two Snowhill NW1 2DN
Snow Hill Queensway
Birmingham B4 6GA
Our stakeholders
HS2 is a huge project and requires the input and Department for Transport and
support of a wide range of people and organisations. local and national Government
In order to succeed, we need to develop and maintain Gaining and maintaining the support of our stakeholders in Government
relationships with stakeholders from a variety is vital to the ongoing success of HS2. All of these
of backgrounds. stakeholders, and
more, are needed
It’s important that the nature of these relationships,
to build HS2 and
and both sides’ expectations of them, are clear
to maximise its
and transparent. The documents listed here detail Communities potential. This means
just some of the commitments, requirements and
Being a good neighbour to the communities in which we work is a key that building and
expectations of HS2 and our stakeholders. All of these
commitment. It is vital that we engage these communities and listen nurturing our
are available at hs2.org.uk for anyone to read.
and respond to their concerns. relationships
with them is the
responsibility of
everyone at HS2 Ltd.
Supply chain However, it is also
We need a huge supply chain to build HS2; from our Joint Venture important that we
contractors to local SMEs there are opportunities for businesses of take responsibility
every size to contribute. We need to maintain relationships with all for the relationships
of these stakeholders to ensure both our success and theirs. between these
stakeholders (for
example, our supply
chain working in
Industry, business and regional partners
our communities).
Maximising the potential benefits of HS2 requires the input and
support of partners across the country. Engaging and collaborating
with them effectively will allow us to capitalise on the opportunities HS2
will provide.
The People We recognise the importance of creating a diverse
workforce, not just within HS2 Ltd, but also in our
supply chain. Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is
central to our success as a project. By 2028, five
HS2’s greatest asset is our people. years before Phase 2b opens, almost a quarter of
today’s rail workforce will have retired. This makes
We need ideas, creativity and people attracting and retaining people from previously
under-represented groups vital to the Project,
from every background, with a huge and to the industry as a whole.
range of skills. Together, we’ll build
But it’s not just about having the right people in
the right place at the right time. We also have a
the largest infrastructure project in responsibility to keep everyone healthy and safe.
We believe everyone has the right to go home
Europe and get Britain moving in all unharmed. That is our goal and core to leaving
a health and safety legacy we can be proud of,
the right directions. which sets the bar for future projects.
We have created a health and safety brand,
Safe at heart, which brings together and
represents everything we are aiming to achieve.
It articulates our role as an industry leader, our
equal emphasis on health and wellbeing, as well
as safety, and our future-focused philosophy.
Our Safe at heart mascots, Hari and Holly, help
to communicate the importance of getting the
health and safety basics right every day.
One of our four values as an organisation is What happens next? Towards the end of the first month, once you are
leadership. While it is an important value for our We want to ensure you get the best support in your settled and getting to know your team, you will
managers and decision makers, at HS2 Ltd we first weeks and months to really thrive at HS2 Ltd. be booked to attend a formal induction session.
believe that we all have a role to play in leadership. Before you start, your line manager will contact you These sessions are led by our Senior Leadership
The behaviours that drive this value – honesty, setting to talk through the induction and onboarding process Team and will give you the opportunity to hear
an example and inspiring others – are things that we and explain what you can expect when you start. from them about the programme and what it’s
hope to see at all levels and from all of our people. like to work at HS2 Ltd.
In your first week, you will be asked to carry out any
There are a number of additional ways that you may mandatory training required to work at HS2 Ltd. An outline of the schedule is shown over the page.
wish to be involved with HS2 above and beyond your This will ensure you are ready to use our systems
new role. We have a range of employee networks that and have an awareness of expected standards
provide support and expertise to our colleagues and across areas such as equality, diversity and inclusion.
the wider business. These include: Your manager will also outline their own plan for your
• Professional Development Network onboarding locally in your team. This includes key
introductions, projects you will be involved with,
• Future Talent Network
and any other meetings or sessions that you need
• Armed Forces Support Network
to have in your first week.
• Onboard: LGBT+ and Allies Staff Network
• Access & Inclusion Network
• Gender Balance Network
• Working Parents’ Network
• HS2 Education Ambassadors
• Reverse Mentors
Onboarding process – what and when?
One month before First 10 days First month First three months First six months First year
Connecting Introducing Integrating Committing Thriving Striving
Before you start at HS2 The first two weeks you Within your first month During this time you’ll Your aim for your first In your first year at HS2
Ltd, we want to outline will settle into the role we hope that you have an informal catch up six months should be to Ltd you should align your
expectations for you and and our company. You’ll will engage your talent with your hiring manager explore how your talent personal objectives with
why you should be proud meet with your team and and skills in work. and HR. You’ll have the and skills can create company objectives and
of working for our company line manager. At this stage we encourage opportunity to ask any solutions that benefit the integrate these into your
and the Project. Our CEO professional development. questions, provide feedback organisation and yourself annual performance review.
will explain this further in on your employee journey in work that generates We also encourage you to
your welcome video. and check your mandatory positive results. seek any further learning,
training is on track. development and support.
What you’ll A
welcome email B
egin your mandatory A
ttend an induction D
evelop six-month P
robation and C
omplete your annual
receive and video e-learning training session led by a personal goals goals review performance review
and what member of our Senior
you’ll do W
elcome Pack A
ttend an HR-led D
iscuss learning
Leadership Team
drop-in session and development
opportunities with
line manager
Your manager will contact you soon to introduce
themselves and discuss your new role. Please feel
free to use this space to note down any questions
that you may have for them.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Welcome aboard HS2.
www.hs2.org.uk
High Speed Two (HS2) Limited
Two Snowhill
Snow Hill Queensway
Birmingham B4 6GA
Freephone: 08081 434 434
Email:
[email protected]CS1058b
