Expect More
By Amy Sims
Twelve months ago Carryn and I launched the “Expect More” campaign. This was a campaign to run for social club presidency for the 2017 calendar year with a very bold statement - Expect More! No disrespect to previous social club presidents but a way to make ourselves accountable …. expect more events, expect more fun, whatever you can think of, expect it!!
Unfortunately we were elected which meant we had to put our money where our mouth was. Now, 12 months on we think we have delivered the goods.
To wrap up the end of 2017, we thought you might like to learn a bit more about the Lincolns social club and get a few tips which may help in your workplace.
About the social club
The Lincolns Social Club has been running for over 35 years and membership is compulsory for all team members. The Social Club is run by two team members each year who are nominated/promoted/elected by their predecessors. One of the perks of being the social club president is choosing the next presidents.
The presidents choose what events are held during the year and how many events there are, although ideally we aim to have one event per month. Some of the events are fully paid by the social club, whilst other events only partly subsidised - it just depends on the amount of money in the kitty.
The social club is funded by membership fees which are automatically deducted from our pay each fortnight as well as proceeds from our bar fridges (cool drink sales and Friday night drinks). Gone are the days of going around the office collecting membership fees from each person.
Our Events
When I tell people about the events we are currently organising, people usually respond with “do you actually do any work at Lincolns?”.
It may seem like we are too busy socialising but with over 40 staff it is essential to have a good team morale and to provide the team with opportunities to mix outside of the office. The ability to develop strong team relationships through team building and socialising allows us to work together more effectively day to day. This allows us to get through the daily grind of tax returns and is also one of many reasons Lincolns has a low staff turnover.
This year we organised an array of events including the following:
Day at the races at Grapes & Gallops in Mt Barker
Denmark Thrills Adventure Park followed by lunch at Boston Brewery
St Paddy’s Day sun downer at Wilsons Brewery
Early morning stroll on the boardwalk followed by Hot Cross Buns and Easter Egg Hunt
Dragon boat racing at Emu Point
Lever action rifle shooting
Murder in Margaritaland EOFY party
Fiona Palmer’s Book Launch at Three Anchors
Tour de Gav Buck’s Show
Mystery Lunch
Bluff Knoll hike followed by grazing table overlooking the Stirling ranges on return
And finally a Christmas High tea at the Little Grove Skate Park
As you can see, the list of events varied immensely as did the amount of time, effort and money needed to organise the events. One of the most successful events however was the mystery lunch. Each person was given $20 and a lucky dip for where they were going for lunch. They then had the pleasure of three other people from the team to enjoy lunch with. A very simple event to organise, we only had to book a table at various cafes around town.
Our top tips
Too often we spend so much time overcomplicating events that we lose sight of the basics, locking in a time and a place and the rest will just happen. Back in the day all that was needed was a box of bait and a few beers for a fishing trip up the river. We tend to forget nowadays to keep that simplicity.
Having been social club president a couple of times now here are my seven top tips which work for Lincolns and may help to make your workplace a bit more social:
Get the boss(es) on board - Having the support of management encourages people to participate
Keep it simple
Set a budget, people don’t expect everything to be paid for all the time
Don’t try and please everyone
Vary your invite list - team only, family events, child free events
Don’t take it personally if people can’t make it or they pull out, life happens
Have fun
Special thanks
Firstly we would like to thank the sporting clubs and organisations that have supported us to create these events. We would also like to thank the team at Lincolns for coming along and getting social with us. We hope that you enjoyed a few of the different events we have organised this year. We know that not everyone is a social butterfly but we thank you for giving it a go.
The time has now come for Carryn and I to hand over the reins to the next social club presidents with the big announcement being made at the staff Christmas party on the 22nd. We are confident we have made the right choice in the new presidents and feel the change in office will bring a new culture, a more mature approach to a holistic environment.
Just in case we have not convinced you of the amount of fun we have had this year please check out this short video.
A message from the Lincolns team
From all the team at Lincolns we would like to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and happy new year.
Our offices will be closed from 11.00am on Friday 22 December and we will reopen on Tuesday 2 January 2018.
Coffee with ...
By Robert Prior
In our "Coffee With ..." this month Robert Prior took some time out with Merv and Judy Lange, founders of Alkoomi Wines. If you think owning a winery is glamorous, think again. Merv and Judy are self-taught and built their winery from the ground up.
Read their fascinating story here.
A harvest from hell
By Kate Jefferies, Pingrup
This year will always be one to remember
We started out sane and went mad by December
The year started so well – we had cash in the bank
But things went downhill our hopes quickly sank
Costs went through the roof but our crop had potential
To make money this year good yields were essential
But on one frosty night our hopes were dashed
And to top it all off the stock market crashed
Grain prices plummeted – they said they wouldn’t!
We rang our marketers for help – they said they couldn’t!
So we focused on harvest but things went awry
When rainclouds started to fill the sky
It drizzled in the mornings – it rained at night
We had the heater on in the header – this just wasn’t right
The moisture meter became like our right arm
We’d test on the hour all over the farm
We take tests from the header, the silos, the truck
But the moisture won’t change – just our bloody luck!
We take tests to the bin praying our meter's not right
But it tests even higher like we thought it just might
The men start to mope – they hang round at home
Complaining about the wife’s use of the phone
But a list of home duties placed where they will see
Has them racing to the shed where they’ll stay till tea
A day in one paddock quickly turns to seven
Hughie’s plumbing must be faulty up there in heaven
The weatherman’s forecasting more and more rain
The bank balance is starting to feel the strain
The barley's gone mouldy the wheat's sure to sprout
There’s more rain in the gauge who cares what amount
Christmas is cancelled we’re on spending restrictions
This constant rain is causing relationship frictions
But it’s been like this before and one thing that is true
Our mood may be dark but our beer will be too!!
Postscript - An accountant's perspective
By Cameron Taylor, RSM Bird Cameron Katanning
We feel for the farmers as our valued clients and friends
Endure this aggravation as the rain never ends
Can’t work in the paddock, and they’ve cleaned up the shed
Sheep are okay so into the office they head
They open some envelopes and pay the odd bill
Call up their accountant, with some spare time to kill
I receive our client’s call with some trepidation
Is this farmer grumpy, wanting to vent his frustration?
We discuss grain marketing, and impact on cash flow
I look for positives - at least the Aussie dollar is low
He tells me his yield's affected by frost and the rain
So I figure taxation might help ease the pain
This year’s harvest income will lower your tax rate
And the March Qtr PAYG can be wiped off the slate
If cash gets a bit tight, you can withdraw your FMD
Or qualify for Family Tax Benefit parts A & B
He seems philosophical as we finish our chat
With a genuine ‘Happy Christmas, New Year’ and all that
We share our client’s grief when such years go so wrong
And we do what we can to keep them financially strong
And I soon hope the headers are working the day through
so that I can get on with my bloody work too!
