How long have you worked at AWE?
4 and a half years.
Why did you choose AWE? What attracted you?
I’d heard some good things about AWE as an employer, in terms of how they look after their staff and was also intrigued by what they did as a company and their mission.
Tell us about your time at AWE? What do you do?
I’ve really enjoyed my time at AWE and the opportunity to progress and really shape my own career. I started within the Workday (HR software) system team, which was a new avenue for me, but enjoyed working on system projects and gained valuable HR experience. I took a step up within that team, to explore other areas of HR, then a further step up to my current role. I now get to work on some really interesting projects around the Organisational Design of AWE – it’s a fast-paced role and no two days are the same, which I love.
How important is flexible working to you? How have you/do you achieve a work/life balance?
Flexible working is very important to me. In the last few years it’s become more apparent how much people need time to look after themselves, their mental health and well-being. AWE not only offer their people flexible working through hybrid working and the 9-day fortnight, but also great wellbeing support with an abundance of resources available.
As a new parent, how is AWE supporting you?
I’ve had great support from both my line manager and HR. Particularly beneficial is the increase in provision of paid maternity leave from 20 to 39 weeks. This means I’ve been able to extend my maternity leave by a considerable number of months, so I’ll be able to take a year off work to spend time with my first baby. This will allow me to create some amazing memories with our new baby and spend quality time with them in their first year; all with the peace of mind that I’m on full pay. I’ll also be able to attend classes and paid activities, that I couldn’t have afforded before.
This has come at a convenient time as I’ve recently moved into a new property, so has given me peace of mind regarding finances. I’m really grateful for AWE’s support for working families – it truly shows they put their people first and understand the meaning of a work life balance.
What positive benefits have you seen since joining AWE?
I’ve received great support in my career development since joining AWE and been allowed to branch out into other areas of HR, while I work out where my career is going. They provide great opportunities to stretch yourself which is a really positive benefit. I’ve also had access to a great pension scheme and employee discounts which I regularly use to save money in my day-to-day life.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about joining AWE?
Do it! AWE are really forward-looking in how they look after their employees. They invest a lot of time and resource into their people – from the moment you apply for a job, all the way throughout your career at AWE.
What would you identify as your key skills, and how do you/have you used these in your work at AWE?
I’m a versatile, interpersonal and positive minded person. AWE have allowed me the opportunities to use my versatility across the organisation by helping out in wider areas of HR, that aren’t necessarily within my job role, but allow me to use my skills to help others and gain greater HR experience.
How do you see your career progressing?
I see me returning back from maternity leave to a team that will have continued to achieve. I hope to continue growing within the team and gaining further experience across HR. Due to my multi-tasking skills and experience of multiple projects, I see my career progressing in the direction of a more generalist role that allows me to explore the diversity of the HR function.