The RailStaff Awards 2024

Celia Morris

Said the following about Michelle Egan:

“Michelle Egan deserves this award in recognition of her leadership ability which puts people at the heart of the organization and is characterized by exceptional care and concern for others. She has an upbeat and affirming work style which keeps others enthusiastic even in the face of difficult, dull or routine tasks. She is our cheerleader who calls forth our perseverance and humour even when times are challenging. She does all this whilst maintaining a positive outlook, a caring nature and by generously affirming others. She works hard within her area of responsibility to influence managers to make changes to the way they approach people issues and processes and implement initiatives to support the business in achieving its goals.

Michelle always does her best to help others, and frequently goes above and beyond the basic requirements of her role. She has a listening ear for the troubles of others and takes the lead in creating a happy and harmonious work force. Her kind and empathetic nature has made a huge difference to the lives of many of her colleagues, yet she remains modest and discreet, and can be trusted to be totally confidential.

Michelle is Senior HR Advisor to Mott MacDonald Railways Division and a member of the Executive Team. She is a very experienced and knowledgeable HR professional partnering with the business, to provide best fit solutions to the business and expert advice and guidance to senior management and staff on employment law compliance, employee relations, resource planning, absence management, succession planning, performance management, talent management, change management, retention and remuneration.

Michelle is trained as a Behavioural Analyst and a Mental Health First Aider. She has taken the lead in setting up a network of Mental Health First Aiders across the business and designed training for all Line Managers in managing employees with mental health needs. She has managed the people aspects of several large restructuring projects in line with business needs, all too good outcomes and has been involved in several initiatives around collaboration and problem solving.

Another of Michelle’s great strengths is her interpersonal skills – she can keep many people, issues and events moving toward happy conclusions, she listens well to the problems of others and is skilled at conciliating stressful situations that may be blocking productivity. This makes Michelle a natural sounding board for just about everyone in the Railways Division.“