Our values in practice

How this affects us


Some of these values we use on a day to day basis already, others we need to develop.
Here are some examples of our employees using our values.

  • SAFETY

    Working as a team


    Keeping our team, passengers and environment safe is more important than anything else. If we ever had to choose between pleasing our customers and keeping our people safe, safety comes first. A service can’t be excellent if it isn’t safe.

    When Gry Maritha was damaged on Gull Rock, the Dry Dock team gave up their Christmas leave, and worked around the clock so the islands could have their lifeline back. Within just two days, the repairs were completed to ISO2001:2008 quality standards – meaning the ship could safely resume service

  • PEOPLE FOCUS

    Going the extra mile


    Without great people, we can’t deliver an excellent service. So we want to make the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group somewhere people can grow and develop new skills. We’ll hire energetic, like-minded people. We’ll nurture, train and mentor each other. And we’ll make the company a positive place to work.

    After the Scillonian III had technical problems, Ian drove the 600-mile round-trip to London, to reunite passengers with their luggage as quickly as possible. One family were amazed when Ian’s lorry arrived, carrying 16 bags of luggage and camping equipment they’d thought was lost.

  • EXCELLENCE

    Help for the driver


    We set our standards high, because that’s what Scilly deserves, and that’s the kind of place we all want to work. We should always expect the best from each other, and every day we should try to improve. We all need to keep learning.

    The narrow roads of Cornwall aren’t always the easiest to navigate, so when one lorry driver got stuck in the small lanes of Penzance, Neil and two others offered to help. By 10pm, the lorry made it to the quay, and in the morning the freight team greeted the driver with breakfast.

  • TRANSPARENCY

    Putting it right


    In the past, we haven’t always been very good at explaining our decisions to the community, and our own team. That leads to a lack of trust, and it’s no good to anybody. Instead, we’ll be open and honest about what we’re doing. And when we’ve made a mistake, we’ll say so.

    We all make mistakes; it’s how we respond that’s important. When a container full of luggage was left on St. Mary’s, Chris and his team were honest with passengers, and updated everyone individually. This helped them to return 99.2% of the bags.

  • RESPECT

    A helping hand


    People have a right to be treated with dignity. That goes for our customers, our community, and our team-mates too. So we don’t discriminate, and we don’t put people down – even if it’s only a joke. Let’s show people we value them.

    Jacky spent 25 minutes helping a 95-year-old passenger walk along Penzance Quay, because she didn’t want to use a wheelchair. Jacky was rewarded by hearing the passenger’s lifetime of travel stories.

  • TRUST

    Work experience


    These values are only words, until we act on them. If we want people to trust us, we need to do what we say, and we need to keep on doing it. When we deliver on our promises – our vision, our mission, and our values – people will see we really do mean what we say. We show trust for others, too.

    Mick Yould and Chris Pearson often host young people for work experience at Land’s End Airport. One recently commented on the trust they’d been given: “I was made to feel part of the team. I was allowed to get my hands dirty and really get work experience.”

  • COLLABORATION

    Transporting 155 gigs


    We’re not the only ones who have Scilly’s best interests at heart. Often we can work more effectively by teaming up. And if other people have good ideas about how we can do things better, we should be confident enough to welcome that advice.

    Every year, Debbie and the freight team work with the organisers and teams to make the World Pilot Gig Championships go ahead as planned. It takes six months to get all the gigs to and from the islands.

  • COMMUNITY

    Santa's Sleigh


    We look after the world around us. Where we can, we help the communities and people we serve, and the places where we live and work. And we do what we can to reduce any harm our work causes the planet.

    Each year as Christmas approaches, Island Carriers decorate their lorry to carry Santa’s sleigh – and even contributed when the sleigh needed refurbishment. The team love watching the excited children waiting to meet Santa, knowing they helped make it possible.

  • Our Values

    What we stand for


    This short video explains our values, and how we try to reflect them in everything we do.

  • Our mission, vision & values

    A handy guide


    If you’d like more detail and examples, feel free to browse this booklet at your leisure.

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