It’s not just Oddjob who makes hats dangerous!
I really believe that health and safety rules and regulations are very important. We at thebigword pay a lot of attention to ensuring our staff and visitors work in a safe and comfortable environment. We regularly carry out desk assessments; we of course provide free eye tests and have a number of benefits which we hope will support our staff, not just keeping them safe but giving help where needed.
I was so proud to attend the recent graduation ceremony of my daughter Dalya. Very relieved that at last we did not have to go through the pre- and post-exam nerves and hysteria that many of you will have experienced. My daughter looked really lovely dressed in her gown, with all her other co-students. Before the ceremony started there were huge lines of students with their families, queuing to be photographed. It was pay-back time for me. I was definitely going to have a picture of Dalya in her cap and gown on my desk for everyone to see.
But where were the caps or, as they are known, mortar boards? Dalya informed me that Leeds University had banned the wearing of caps, with the exception of one moment whilst they were being photographed, and then the caps had to be returned. None of the students would wear caps as they entered the procession into the Great Hall where they would receive their degree. Why was this? I was told that the university had decided for healthy and safety reasons they were dangerous!
“Why on earth are they dangerous?” I asked. Well, after the ceremony it was always tradition for all the students to gather outside for a photograph and throw their caps in the air. I have seen many of these photographs. They are really fabulous with their smiling faces, as they throw their caps in the air and you can see the excitement in their faces. Not any more. God forbid one of the points on the cap should dent someone. Am I right to be irritated by this, or have we got to be so careful or perhaps we should design rounded corners on the caps? Anyway, despite the cap situation, it was still an amazing day.
The only feeling of sadness I had was that so many of Dalya’s friends at university still were having huge trouble in finding a job. However, as I have said before, I do believe that those graduates with languages will have great opportunities as the world market continues to open. Again, we at thebigword are still continuing to recruit more staff than ever before to meet our ever-growing expansion.
So to all those students and their families, congratulations on your graduation and best of luck for the future.
I was so proud to attend the recent graduation ceremony of my daughter Dalya. Very relieved that at last we did not have to go through the pre- and post-exam nerves and hysteria that many of you will have experienced. My daughter looked really lovely dressed in her gown, with all her other co-students. Before the ceremony started there were huge lines of students with their families, queuing to be photographed. It was pay-back time for me. I was definitely going to have a picture of Dalya in her cap and gown on my desk for everyone to see.
But where were the caps or, as they are known, mortar boards? Dalya informed me that Leeds University had banned the wearing of caps, with the exception of one moment whilst they were being photographed, and then the caps had to be returned. None of the students would wear caps as they entered the procession into the Great Hall where they would receive their degree. Why was this? I was told that the university had decided for healthy and safety reasons they were dangerous!
“Why on earth are they dangerous?” I asked. Well, after the ceremony it was always tradition for all the students to gather outside for a photograph and throw their caps in the air. I have seen many of these photographs. They are really fabulous with their smiling faces, as they throw their caps in the air and you can see the excitement in their faces. Not any more. God forbid one of the points on the cap should dent someone. Am I right to be irritated by this, or have we got to be so careful or perhaps we should design rounded corners on the caps? Anyway, despite the cap situation, it was still an amazing day.
The only feeling of sadness I had was that so many of Dalya’s friends at university still were having huge trouble in finding a job. However, as I have said before, I do believe that those graduates with languages will have great opportunities as the world market continues to open. Again, we at thebigword are still continuing to recruit more staff than ever before to meet our ever-growing expansion.
So to all those students and their families, congratulations on your graduation and best of luck for the future.
