Cochear Head Office

Strangely enough I have never thought to go to the Cochlear Office, even though lots have people have said I should. I mean, if you buy a Merc or a Beemer do you automatically require a visit to the manufacturing plant in Germany? No. You take your product from the dealer and that is that…..until it breaks down.(Nothing against German stuff of course)

But…. I was invited to the annual “Loud Shirt Day” at Cochlear to sit with the judging panel. So I went……

 

A bit of an eye opener I tell you!! For some reason I thought that the company would be outsourcing the Implant Bit’s and Pieces and then basically have the H/Office as an accounting, marketing set-up.

How wrong can a Pete be??

As I turned up an hour early, the lovely Melanie from their HR department took me for a tour around the complex. They do have the accounts and marketing guys and girls doing their stuff….but then there is the department that looks after the Government regulating bodies throughout the world (where Cochlear operates) and the booths of computer junkies creating and fine tuning  programs for the processor and then the hundreds of miracle workers with ultra steady hands making the super small electrodes under microscopes and the training department that trains and people how to make these things and lots more.

An interesting thing I did note was that even though everyone was busy and bustling, the place had positive happy vibes. Not a single soul I saw was not smiling. Mel the HR girl put it like this for me;

“It’s not hard to smile when we know that everything we do will ultimately have a positive influence on some-ones life”

” To true” I replied

I also gleaned from a talkative soul that the company retains more than 95% of its work force. That the people currently on board,  on average,  have been there for 15yrs +(note: these figures may be wrong and are just hearsay-although if they are then it’s not by much!)

Remarkable figures for any company in todays fluctuating markets.

So then the Judging began…..

We had 6 Judges : Two very loud ladies from The Shepard Centre, another Cochlear recipient and the CEO of Cochlear.

I noticed the CEO’s name was Shaun Hand, and it vaguely crossed my mind that as he progressed up the corporate ladder everyone would look at him at say things like,

” see that bloke over there? He is going places I tell you…..always willing to give a hand”

And so we had to judge the attire of the Cochlear employees. A remarkable lot. Many got into the spirit of things and where attired in clothing that must have taken weeks to put together….no wonder all the Vinnies shops had run out of loud shirts!!

Everyone paraded their kit over an hour or so, whilst we judges merrily chomped away at the delicious cakes and nibblies. My personal favorite was the lass that had police sirens glued to her shoulders, but alas, a democratic judging panel (we all selected our three best) saw her hopes flicker away.

The employees at Cochlear should be congratulated for the spirit and enthusiasm they showed for the event, with all monies raised going to help another child hear the world.

Hear Hear.

Cheers

Pete

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