Ahead of Father's Day, we talked with Dad & Lad, Pino & Lino Vaccarella, who work together at our Wednesbury Sortation site. Take a look at their Q&A
Q: When did you both start at Yodel?
Pino: I started back in 1989, originally for Securicor.
Lino: I joined Yodel in 2012.
Q: Can you describe your roles and what you do on a day to day?
Pino: For the last 12 years, I’ve been driving a class 1 LGV collecting from multiple different clients during the day and deliver back into the Wednesbury sortation centre.
Lino: I’m a Regional Compliance Manager, every day I look after any compliance amongst our drivers, vehicles, and operating centres. This can include internal auditing, contract management, people management and supporting the driver training team. I also look after all our LGV drivers within transport, managing the team to ensure all drivers are up to date with their CPC qualifications, training and assessments.
Q: How long have you been working together?
Lino: We’ve been working together for over ten years at the Wednesbury sortation site.
Q: What made you decide on working together?
Pino: A lot of people that work at Yodel, grew up and still live in the same area, so you tend to mix in the same circles.
Lino: Like my dad said, we tend to mix in the same circles, and I heard that a role had become available that suited me and decided to go for it.
Q: What made you decide on working together? Did you choose to follow in your dad’s footsteps?
Lino: I wanted to join Yodel as I saw an opportunity for something new in my career and was keen to learn and progress. Having seen the support that the company gave my dad in qualifying for his LGV Class 1, I was keen to join a company that support their colleagues in a prosperous career.
Q: What would you say are the pros and cons of working together?
Lino: It can be tricky working with family sometimes because a lot of our conversations end up being about work. At the end of the day though, I feel very lucky to be one of the few that gets to see and spend a good amount of time with my dad outside of the family environment.
Q: Do you have any memorable stories from your time working together?
Lino: One that comes to mind is when I first joined, everyone knew my dad and so they all called me ‘little Pino’, but when I was promoted and became my dad’s boss, the tables turned and now he’s called Little Pino! Our names are quite similar, so it can get a little confusing for people that don’t know us.
Q: Do you have any advice for other fathers and sons working together?
Lino: During my time at Yodel, I have been given the support to progress into the role I am in today as Regional Compliance Manager. As part of this, it means my dad now reports into me and we both have to remember that when we are at work, to be professional and make sure we keep our home and work life separate.
Q: What’s your favourite part of your roles?
Pino: My favourite part is that I get to spend time in a vehicle, driving is my passion, and it gives me some peace and quiet from the noise of a busy family home!
Lino: My favourite part is getting to interact with lots of different people across the business. I’m a people person at heart and this role gives me the opportunity to learn something new every day. I also have the chance to influence change, and I’m proud of that.
Do you have any plans for Father’s Day, if so, what?
Lino: If it’s a hot day, I’m hoping dads going to host a barbeque at his house! We are an Italian family so anytime there is an opportunity for a get together and cooking we really go for it!
Pino: If the weather’s good, I’m always up for hosting a barbeque, but I’m sure Lino and I will be in trouble for talking about work again! If it’s a rainy day, we will stick to a good old homemade lasagne.