I joined Hays in 2010 after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a fashion buying degree. After graduating, trying to find a fashion job in Manchester proved to be quite difficult. I had a friend who had gone into recruitment from school at 16 and was very successful. It was my friends’ success that inspired me to change my career direction and try a role in recruitment. An opportunity came up at Hays and I started in the retail team. When I first started my aim was to better understand the fashion market in the North West and see what fashion jobs became available.

After a year in the retail team, I moved to the technology team and I have never looked back since! I currently work as a Key Account Manager within the public sector team, after working my way up from a recruitment consultant. I manage all digital tech contract roles across Manchester and Lancashire, and I’ve worked on general contract, permanent, new business and enterprise desks.

Hays is a great place to work because of the people, along with the database and systems we have access to – and with the recent implementation of a balanced working policy, where most staff are expected to work in a Hays office five days over a fortnight period, it has become an even better place to work.

Like any transition in an organisation, there may be some challenges to overcome, but I can honestly say, after 10 years of commuting and doing the traditional 8.30-6pm set hours in the office, I’m finding the balanced working policy a breath of fresh air. I’ve been working in a hybrid pattern, since April 2021 after returning from maternity leave.

I think I would have struggled to return to working full time hours in the office with 2 young children and a commute into the city centre. I seem to be more organised at ‘working mum life’ with my hours spilt between working from home and the office. It provides me with greater flexibility when parenting challenges arise – I can log on earlier or in the evenings to get work completed without having to stick rigidly to traditional office hours. Even though on the job training, and the ability to pick up tips from other people’s calls can be more challenging when we are not all working from the office, the positives outweigh the negatives.

To ensure balanced working is as effective as possible, we conduct a daily set up call on teams at the start of our day to discuss jobs, interviews and offers so every team member is aware of what is going on in the business and the progress we’re all making. To add to that, we also attend client calls and business development mornings fortnightly to ensure we’re keeping the focus on developing relationships and building rapport.

Since joining Hays, the ED&I strategy has been a big focus and there have been lots of positive changes. We have several ED&I leads in the office, who drive specific events such as Pride, International Women’s Day among others to celebrate diversity and raise awareness. We post regularly on our social media channels to show clients, candidates, and employees that equity, diversity, and inclusion is on our agenda. Online training and surveys are also part of the strategy to ensure we are current and constantly make improvements where needed.

I think the recent implementation of the balanced working policy is a great move, adding to the continuous efforts made by Hays to encourage better inclusion and diversity in the workplace - it can only be a positive for us all in terms of improving our lives at work.

Find out more about the opportunities available and start your Hays story today.