Being a commercial electrician can be a rewarding career, but at Maidenhead Electrical Ltd, we believe there’s more to a great working environment than the work itself.

That’s why we make time to put down the tools, step away from the projects and spend time together as a team.
On Friday 15 November, our commercial electricians, apprentices and support team swapped electrical equipment for padel rackets for an afternoon of team building at Padel Maidenhead.

And, as usual, things got surprisingly competitive!

At Maidenhead Electrical, we’re a relatively small team. With around 25 full-time employees, including approved electricians, electricians, apprentices and support staff, everyone knows each other and plays an important part in the business.

More than half of our team have been with MEL since the early days of the company, creating a depth of experience that is incredibly valuable to our newer employees.

That’s particularly important for our apprentices.

Electrical apprentices spend much of their working week learning from experienced electricians, but getting to know colleagues outside the working environment helps build the relationships that make such a difference on site.

When an apprentice or newly qualified electrician is assigned to work with a different supervisor or joins a new project, already knowing the people around them makes the transition much easier.

It’s one of the things we value about being a relatively small electrical engineering company: people know each other, support each other and work together as a team.

We aim to organise team-building afternoons at least four times a year, alongside regular social activities.

This time, we headed to Padel Maidenhead, where the team was introduced to a sport that most of us had never played before.

The facilities provided the perfect setting for an afternoon away from work, with indoor and outdoor courts, changing facilities and a clubhouse.

The Padel Maidenhead coaching team started us off with an introductory session before putting our new skills to the test with a friendly competition.

‘Friendly’ might be stretching the definition slightly.

As you’d probably expect from a team of high-achievers and experienced tradespeople, the competitive spirit came out pretty quickly!

At mel, we’re ambitious about the work we deliver.

Our electricians work on complex commercial and industrial projects for clients across a wide range of sectors, so professionalism, technical expertise and attention to detail are essential.

But we don’t believe that means we have to take ourselves seriously all the time.

The padel afternoon was a chance to laugh, get to know colleagues outside of the working environment and simply enjoy spending time together.

And perhaps that’s just as important as the competition itself.

Building strong relationships within a team can make a real difference to how people communicate and work together when they’re back on site.

We always have apprentices progressing through the mel team, alongside newly qualified and experienced electricians.

For someone starting an electrical career, joining a company with experienced people around them can make a huge difference.

Our apprentices have the opportunity to learn from electricians with years of practical experience, work on a wide range of commercial and industrial projects and gradually build their confidence and skills.

You can read more about the experiences of two of our former apprentices, Charlie Stokes and Josh Jones, who completed their four-year apprenticeships with MEL before joining the
team as qualified electricians.

Team building isn’t about going out for the sake of it.

For us, it’s about creating opportunities for people to build relationships, get to know colleagues from different parts of the business and feel part of something bigger than their individual role.

That’s particularly important as MEL continues to grow.

We want to retain the close-knit culture that has always been part of the business, while giving new members of the team the opportunity to become part of it.

And yes, we’ll continue trying to make sure everyone remembers that the competitions are supposed to be friendly.

After a highly competitive afternoon, congratulations went to:

Winners: Ryan Ward and Phil Collins
Runners-up: Callum Jones and Charlie Attard
Third place: James Barnby and Andy

Well played, everyone!

And thanks to the whole MEL team for making it such a great afternoon.

Thinking About a Career at MEL?

Whether you’re considering an electrical apprenticeship, are a newly qualified electrician or you’re an experienced approved electrician looking for your next opportunity, we’d love to hear from you.

At Maidenhead Electrical Ltd, you’ll be joining a growing team working on interesting commercial and industrial projects, with experienced colleagues around you and opportunities to develop your career.

Interested in joining the MEL team?

Visit our careers page and find out more