85 Victoria of Wight, the first hybrid battery-powered ferry to join the Wightlink fleet, began service in September 2018 rosters and replaced traditional office layouts with open-plan workspaces where executives sit alongside colleagues from across the business. “Our executives, department heads and colleagues sit together – we wanted to move away from a hierarchical and institutionalised way to something where everyone’s voice is equal and should be heard,” says Taylor. “This setup is empowering people and getting them to be more proactive. “One thing I found – it might be for historic reasons – but people were waiting for permission to do something. We’ve changed that mindset – we give you the freedom to work within a framework and get things done. It shouldn’t be management making all decisions and colleagues absorbing them – if someone has a good idea, we should create an environment where it is heard and acted upon.” While changing workplace culture has been a major undertaking, Wightlink is also preparing for the next stage of its fleet renewal programme. The operator is planning to replace St Faith, which entered service in 1990, with a new hybrid vessel while continuing discussions about fully electric ferries. “We are in the process of ordering our next hybrid vessel to replace St Faith, which entered service in 1990,” says Taylor. “We can’t go fully electric yet, but that’s our ambition. Our next vessel we hope will be a hybrid, and we’re continuing discussions with government about what needs to be in place to enable fully electric ferries in the future.” Taylor believes the future of the ferry operator is closely linked to the prosperity of the Isle of Wight itself. Wightlink is working with colleges, tourism organisations, local councils and the chamber of commerce to encourage more people to visit, invest in and work on the island. “People don’t usually catch a ferry for the fun of it,” she says. “They generally catch it to go somewhere and therefore we need to make sure that somewhere is “ If someone has a good idea, we should have an environment where it should be heard”
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