The RailStaff Awards 2024

Tara Walsh

Said the following about Misty Oosthuizen:

“They say when the going gets tough the tough get going! Misty joined Network Rail in January 2018 moving to my team in March 2018 as a contactor. She joined us as we kicked off a sensitive project with 760 colleagues at risk of losing their jobs over the coming three years as three major work programmes ended – a project named “Transition”

Misty spent the first day getting to grips with the information, the magnitude of the task in hand and its potential effect on the 760 colleagues facing a period of uncertainty for themselves and their families.

Every day brought the loss of another colleague or many of our Transitionees a step closer to their end date so each one mattered.

Misty swiftly got to work, placing the people at the heart of her communications plan ensuring she didn’t waste a second. Her plan was focused and flexible enough to monitor progress and make changes as needed.

Misty has lived and breathed the whole project throughout, working her magic at short notice and always exceeding my expectations. She has never missed a deadline and has got our message out in as many ways as possible to give our Transitionees the best chance of finding another role.

She even purchased software herself to help create an impactful webpage and used social media, blogs and vlogs to reach as many colleagues as possible.

Misty has shown passion, commitment and compassion for our affected colleagues, placing them at the heart of everything she has done to ensure no-one is left out.

For the 760 people facing the uncertainty of losing their job, Misty has provided a human face and personally put them all at the heart of her project.

The results speak for themselves as 241 colleagues have found new roles so far and with two more years to go for the remaining 446, the future is not as bleak as initially thought. Misty’s wide range of communications has been fundamental in engaging and encouraging our Transitionees to look for new roles and help us retain the amazing skills and talent within Network Rail.

Misty you rock!“

Lucy Cashin

Said the following about Misty Oosthuizen:

“Misty is on the leadership team of the Network Rail disabled employee network, CanDo. Misty has completed transformed the brand of CanDo into one that is recognisable, and really well respected. It has enabled CanDo to grow from strength to strength, and the membership has grown from less than 200 members to almost 500 members in a year. Misty created a logo, and numerous documents to promote CanDo, and all of this was done in her spare time. Misty was dedicated and passionate about everything she did for the CanDo network. Misty's attention to detail is superb, she has incredible creativity and I believe she deserves to be recognised for this, as it has made a huge difference by helping to support disabled railway employees. Misty goes above and beyond in everything that she does, and she is a real star.“