Transurban introduced speed dating with a twist for its Melbourne employees this year. But there were no candlelit dinners or roses—in fact, the whole event was strictly about work.

'Lasting Impressions—Customer 1st Speed Dating' was an energetic event designed to give employees from various departments a chance to chat about their roles to others in the business.

More than 100 people were involved in the four dating sessions, with each 'couple' given just three minutes to swap job descriptions before moving onto their next 'date'. Participants included customer service line operators through to members of the executive committee.

Geoff Murphy, from the ten-member Customer 1st leadership team, says the initiative was a hit with employees.

"The goal was to allow them to get a more complete picture of the business by meeting people from other departments that they may not usually deal with," he says. "It was a fun way to put names to faces and break the ice with the hope of encouraging greater team work down the track."

The speed dating event was part of the Customer 1st program, which promotes the charter that 'Doing Business With Us is Easy'. The program aims to encourage Transurban employees to provide superior service to customers. Training can take many forms, from structured workshops to more casual café-based events and the launch of a quarterly Customer 1st Award.