ScotRail staff have voted for their very own Employee of the Year – Ricky McLeod, a Perth-based train driver.
The 57-year-old, of Struan Avenue, has his professionalism and commitment to thank for his win.
Ricky has never taken a day off sick, or been late for a shift, in a railway career spanning 38 years.
It wasn’t just his attendance record that bagged Ricky his award – he has never been involved in an operational incident since becoming a train driver 31 years ago.
Ricky, whose father was also a train driver, has been actively involved in driver safety campaigns and briefings for years and leads by example.
There were three other finalists for the Employee of the Year accolade – Ruth Wyse, a member of station staff at Burntisland; Stewart Cahill, environmental improvement manager at ScotRail’s Glasgow headquarters, and William Lindsay, a member of traincare staff at Ayr Townhead Depot.
Ricky’s diligence was nationally recognised in 2008 when he was a finalist in the Train Driver of the Year category at the RailStaff Awards.
He was delighted to receive his latest award:
“I never expected to win as I was up against three very strong candidates,” he said.
“I really appreciate my colleagues taking the time to vote. The award is a real morale boost and shows that a bit of hard work really does go a long way.”
Steve Montgomery, ScotRail’s managing director, who presented Ricky with his award, said:
“Ricky fully deserves this recognition. His dedication to his job, and the company as a whole, is second to none.”
He added: “All four nominees have done well over the last year – I would like to congratulate them for their efforts as well.”
Ricky, whose railway career included a stint in track maintenance before becoming a fully qualified driver, was presented with his prizes – £500 towards a short break and a commemorative trophy and certificate – at a ScotRail ‘Celebrate Success’ event.
More than 25 other employees also attended the ceremony to collect certificates linked to qualifications from customer service SVQs to HNCs.