People & Culture

There’s been a lot of discussion about employee engagement as businesses have adapted to a virtual working environment through the COVID pandemic. Our response has relied on sound technology and systems for connectivity, as well as a loyal team that believes in continuing to work towards the company vision. The truth is there are many people and culture initiatives that engage and empower teams. But I believe there are two essential elements to motivating and retaining an elite team.

Firstly, it’s the people and the relationships you develop at work that impact happiness. At the Jord Group, for example, our engineers span 25 nationalities and speak 40 languages so we have opportunities to interact and learn from each other with unique and different backgrounds. We also invest in developing line manager capabilities because, when we have stronger relationships in the workplace, we’re more likely to collaborate and value our work together. Having a leader that can genuinely connect with and inspire people is also very powerful.

The second essential element to retaining an elite team is the work experience that you get on the job. Due to the innovative and nimble approach at Jord, our staff are exposed to a range of different industries and technologies they might not otherwise have access to. Through investment in research and development initiatives, we are testing and bringing new products to market such as the Viper filtration for minerals processing, as well as expanding into emerging markets such as crystallisation plants for battery chemicals and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facilities for oil and gas. The pride and passion that comes with pioneering new industry solutions is strong.

We further strengthen employee engagement by providing third party training opportunities, holding an annual conference to bring people together, as well as empowering people to set their own goals and make their own decisions through a ‘network of teams’ program.

An engagement program isn’t complete without measurement and I’m please to say our most recent engagement score of 81 percent is in the top 25 percent of all companies on the Culture Amp platform which aligns with our goal to be an elite company.

Despite the numbers, the best proof that a company is a good place to work is the long-serving staff members. Some of our clients have relationships spanning decades with particular team members and we couldn’t be prouder of that consistency, experience and retained knowledge.

As the pandemic disrupts our lives in unprecedented ways, acts of kindness and care from colleagues make a huge difference. Jord is indebted to a number of our people around the world, for helping and guiding others at Jord who were in need of support at various times. India’s brutal second pandemic wave saw extraordinary acts of selflessness from, a number of individuals. We are grateful to the many people who went the extra mile to help others. Of particular note were :

Rinku Harijan, who went out of his way to assist colleagues in our Baroda design hub, by delivering food, medicine and running errands those who were ill at home or in hospital. He also volunteered to take extra responsibilities that lightened the load of others hit harder by the virus.

Jignesh Shah donated food kits and volunteered to help families in need via the Sanskriti Foundation, in partnership with Vadodara Municipal Corporation. Some 340 kits – 900kg of food – were delivered during the three months of nationwide lockdown. Jignesh also joined a few others at Jord in participating in a blood donation drive, when a local shortage of blood became evident..

Shweta Thakur and Parag Thakkar took it upon themselves to connect personally with everyone at Jord who were affected in both Baroda and Hyderabad. They encouraged people to talk openly, to help overcome fears, challenges and personal needs. They also assisted in accelerating the vaccination roll out in our offices. As a result, 100% of our Jord India people are now double vaccinated.

As daily COVID cases in India decline and vaccination rates increase, our two offices are returning to normal operation. We were pleased to see the teams come together to mark Jord’s 49th birthday and India’s 75th Independence Day. We’re proud of the Can Do attitude and strong team spirit they were able to demonstrate, despite the challenging times.

We believe the “can-do” attitude of our people is the reason Jord has achieved 50 years of experience and continues to grow. To celebrate our signature can-do culture, we periodically invite team members to nominate their colleagues who have demonstrated innovative thinking and who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

Amanulla Rabbani

Rabbani has spent more than 100 nights in hotel quarantine since March 2020. From his home base of the UAE, Rabbani selflessly farewelled his young family on multiple occasions to champion site service missions around the globe, including Trinidad, Peru, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia which required strict quarantine protocols. Rabbani kept his trademark humour throughout it all. We are all very appreciative of this commitment.

Cameron Melville and Sherwin Morgan

With an aim to secure government funding for a NovaCell demonstration plant, Cameron and Sherwin were tasked with finding an end user to host and help finance the plant. As the grant application deadline was approaching, Cameron hopped in his car and drove to a regional NSW mine to secure support in person. His efforts were successful and Jord was pleased to engage an industry partner for the next step in bringing this groundbreaking flotation technology to the market.

Mohd Hafizzul Bin Mohd Jait

Hafizzul originally joined Jord as a young intern and his skills, attitude and sincerity were immediately recognised. We formalised a Quality Control Inspector role for him which he quickly mastered. During the tough COVID period, Hafizzul has been the only office member to remain full time in the workshop the whole time. His concentration and commitment to his tasks are highly commendable.

Mukesh Pandian, Ganesh Panneerselvam, Srikanth Singamsetty and Nikul Mevada

The team made a tremendous effort to complete parameterisation of some key plant designs. These parametric models will substantially help to reduce the overall time for modelling and detailing of future projects, with savings anticipated of up to 45 percent. This will add great value for our clients. Well done, team!

Myra Walker and Chirag Solanki

When Sherwin Morgan joined the Jord team, he contacted Myra and Chirag seeking their assistance with producing images for a new Novacell brochure and marketing campaign. Myra and Chirag were generous with their time and patient with many change requests. This was all done outside normal work time and made a newcomer feel very welcome and supported.

Rebecca Graham

Rebecca has demonstrated exceptional customer service by going the extra mile to ensure parts were delivered to a remote Australian mine on short notice. A client expressed their appreciation: “I would like to express my upmost gratitude for your efforts… The 5,000 km journey to site could not have been achieved in such a short span of time without you being personally involved. It is a testament to your level of service you provide every day.”

Shailaja Sandela

Shailaja is a solid team player at the best of times, always ready to share success with others. During the challenges of COVID, Shailaja worked tirelessly to secure a multi-million-dollar order in the Middle East. Her resilience, self-belief and fighting spirit through an extended tender process makes her more than worthy of a Can-Do award.

Stephen Turner

On many occasions since the beginning of lockdown, Stephen’s prompt, proactive and results-driven IT assistance has allowed us to save lots of time, particularly with ongoing finance department tasks and duties. The way Stephen approaches his work is a true example of Jord’s values.

Our long history and continued growth at Jord are attributed to the “can-do” attitude of our people. To honour our signature culture of determination, we regularly encourage team members to nominate colleagues who have exhibited innovative thinking and have exceeded expectations in their roles.

Craig Samuel

Craig stepped up on short notice to help support our Aftermarket team. He even towed his own caravan to a remote site in rural NSW to supervise a belt filter installation over 20 days. Shortly afterwards, he filled the role of field engineer at two mine sites in Western Australia, in addition to fulfilling his usual tasks as well. Thanks to Craig for being a tremendous team player.

Marc Sanchez Garces

Marc began working with Jord Oil and Gas Systems B.V. (JOGS) two years ago and he has been instrumental in the success of an important topsides project. Although he started as a generalist junior engineer, Marc quickly excelled at mechanical engineering and today he is responsible for various mechanical packages, including centrifugal pumps and pig traps. His colleagues say he is enthusiastic and precise in his work.

Ripal, Shailesh, Krunal and Sarjil

Krunal Prajapati, Shailesh Chavan (IT), Ripal Modi (Electrical) and Sarjil Vhora (Procurement) have been going the extra mile to oversee completion of our Baroda office expansion, which will provide more space for our growing engineering team. They have worked diligently to ensure all contractors and vendors maintain a high quality and have put in extra time to help complete the works on schedule. Thanks to the team.

Bart Bremmer

Bart utilised his technical expertise and collaborative spirit to oversee the delivery of a challenging power module at a fabrication yard in the Netherlands. He worked closely with multiple international stakeholders and effectively managed the module for a gas plant in the Middle East, ensuring its successful completion.

As part of Jord’s 50 year celebrations, our annual cricket match took place at Bowral’s stunning Glenquarry Oval. Thanks to Steve Turner and his trusty drone, the natural beauty of the venue could be captured. Aussie cricket legend Merv Hughes joined us for the day, to assist with sledging duties in amongst his official tasks of his signature pre-match warm up, and umpiring the cricket.

As part of Jord’s People Strategy, we are dedicated to enhancing capability and boosting engagement within our teams. Over the past few months, our Head of People and Culture, Erin Collins, has co-led Jord’s Influencing Without Authority program alongside key members of our global People and Culture team. Together, they’ve trained more than 300 Jord employees across our offices in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, MENA, and India, empowering them with the skills to navigate matrix environments and collaborate effectively.

This program was designed to help participants identify their personal influencing style, explore different approaches in action, and learn how to adapt working in cross functional teams. Additionally, it provided an opportunity to practice these skills through real-life scenarios relevant to their work at Jord.

At Jord, we attribute our more than 50 years of success and continued growth to the “can-do” spirit of our people. To celebrate this dynamic culture, we invite team members to nominate colleagues who have demonstrated creativity and gone the extra mile in their contributions.

Let us celebrate the success of our most recent Can Do Award Winners.

Steve Turner

Steve’s efforts are a crucial part of keeping Jord’s IT infrastructure running seamlessly, allowing the organisation to operate without interruptions. Whether it’s handling routine maintenance tasks or addressing unexpected technical challenges, Steve approaches each task with meticulous attention to detail, always striving for optimal performance. 

Christine Decosterd & Katherine Lombard

This nomination recognises the versatility, commitment and client-focused approach of Christine and Katherine. Both operate beyond their defined roles, wearing multiple hats to support the business. Analytical expertise & ability to deliver successful outcomes make them invaluable to both the company and to our very appreciative clients.

Chris Xie, Rambilas Koli & Vimal Zala

This wonderful team worked tirelessly on one of Jord’s largest Gas ACC orders. A project of this scale requires unwavering commitment, teamwork & a willingness to push boundaries. Great job!