Day in the life of a People Excellence Assistant

In our latest Day in the Life, Farjana talks training, work/life balance and travelling around the world…

Arriving at Squared was also my return to the workforce after being a stay-at-home mum for 10 years. Before that I was working at Barclays in the risk control unit. A decade on from leaving Barclays I was looking for a local part time role that provided greater flexibility and I found Squared.

I work part time as a People Excellence Assistant. My role largely focusses on team member training, which varies from your traditional in person sessions to online e-learning.

Across the organisation, team members have a range of different training needs. This can vary greatly depending on the role, for instance our Homes with Support team are legally required to complete specific training for their roles that are not relevant for other team members.

We know that most recurring training must be completed every so often, which can then be scheduled and tracked based on when team members last completed the session. So planning is key, which suits me well as I am very organised and detail orientated.

E-learning can be scheduled into team member accounts and is then easily tracked as to any modules that are outstanding. The only challenge with that is ensuring team members complete the training on time!

In person training requires a more hands on approach, where I will make sure that the day runs smoothly. Trainers on the whole are very easy to deal with but it does require you to be flexible, as no two trainers are the same.

Whereas team members can fit e-learning into their own schedule, in person training is another matter. I will work with service managers to organise cover where needed so that we ensure attendance from those who need to complete the training.

During busy periods, it can be difficult for team members to balance training with their day to day roles. Sometimes new training needs are identified for team members and I will assist in identifying appropriate e-learning or in person sessions to meet this need.

I also carry out exit interviews. These are conversations I have with team members when they move on from Squared. People change jobs for many different reasons, this provides us as an organisation with the opportunity to see why people are changing roles and if we can do anything better as an employer.

Work/ life balance was critical for me when I was looking for part time work. Having agile working in a part time role is incredibly valuable. Knowing I can attend a school assembly, sports day or other important events outside of work and adjust my working hours around this means I don’t miss the important moments or compromise my work.

Another big positive of working at Squared is the culture. Our diverse team are a great group of people and never is this more evident than we gather for wider team events. Although as part of People Excellence I am often busy helping to organise and run these events, it really showcases why our people are our strength.

Outside of work my family keeps me very busy. They always find ways to make sure there is always something to do! I really enjoy travelling and seeing new places, I find it fascinating learning about other countries and their cultures. Having different experiences is what life is all about and travelling is a great way to meet different people and make memories with my family.