Celebrating 11 Years at ArcusFM

I recently celebrated my 11th year working for #ArcusFM, & this week, it featured within Arcus Essentials, giving full attention to my journey.

I am extremely passionate about sharing good news stories & personal growth, and therefore wanted to share the great support & growth that Arcus have provided me, along with personal story within ArcusFM. I feel you will agree, it demonstrates their commitment to personal development and to HSQE.

Those who know me well, will not be surprised by the length of my article, to those who do not, I apologise in advance.

Where did your Arcus journey begin and how have you progressed at the business?

I joined the business in August 2011 as a H&S Advisor - supporting Arcus offices with HSQE matters, statutory compliance, and supporting the H&S Manager for distribution. This developed with more field operational support for the Sainsburys contract, culminating in 2013, where Arcus funded an 18-month NEBOSH Diploma and appointed me as ‘Acting H&S Manager’ with a view to permanent promotion after successful completion of the Diploma – a promotion I secured in 2014.

As HSQE developed and grew at Arcus, so has my remit. From Zone coverage in the Sainsbury’s and Coop contracts, to distribution, office/compliance roles and Project Services and Technical colleagues as my role expanded to HSQE Lead Business Partner – a role I secured after interview in 2019. This role change coincided with my acceptance onto the Explore Leadership programme – which was extremely beneficial for me and prepared me for a line management role. I now have a direct report and my role includes line management responsibilities.

Moments: most memorable and proudest…

There have been so many memorable moments as you can imagine. A significant one was when the HSQE team achieved the ISO 18001, 9001 & 14001 accreditations for the first time. The ISO journey commenced when I first joined, and I supported by writing and implementing HSQE policies and procedures. For the hard efforts and hours of dedicated work to be recognised with the awarding of the accreditations was a great moment.

I’m not sure I have one singular proudest moment if I am honest; it’s been a great journey so far. I guess, the key one would be how far I have come and my personal development and how proud I am to be part of the HSQE Team. Many of the team have worked together since I joined Arcus. We have deep friendships, great admiration and respect for one another. HSQE play an important role within the business and we are extremely passionate about what we do and keeping everyone safe.

How does your role make a difference to our customers?

Ensuring our colleagues have sufficient HSQE knowledge and the tools to complete their work safely keeps those around them safe, including customers, each other, and our customer’s customers. We collaborate closely with our customers, sharing HSQE best practice and legislation changes & guidance.

Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic makes me extremely proud and highlights the arduous work and commitment provided by HSQE to keep our colleagues working safely out in the field and at home. To ensure our customers were suitably supported and could operate in a safe environment was a huge undertaking as many were essential services and did not simply close their doors. Our HSQE support enabled our operational teams to complete their roles and supported retail & logistics businesses to operate at a time where many businesses couldn’t.

How has the past 11 years at Arcus developed you personally as well as in your career?

Many things have changed in my Arcus journey. There have been many internal training courses, however key successes have been the NEBOSH Diploma and Arcus Explore Leadership programme which taught me Authentic Leadership. In my 11 years I have also become an Institute of Occupational Health (IOSH) Graduate and I’m currently working towards Chartership status.

My career has gone from strength to strength thanks to the support and investment Arcus have provided. I have been extremely fortunate to have great line managers (past & present) and colleagues who have invested their time and effort into helping me get to where I am now. Without their support, I would not be where I am today. Monima continually promotes our strengths, always encouraging self-development & belief. These experiences have given me the confidence to believe that anything is possible, to think strategically differently, have wider awareness & take learnings from exposure to and engagement with others; strong, committed people, not just within the HSQE team, but business wide.

What advice would you give to new starters at Arcus?

The business is really fast-paced, and many of us have gradually adapted with that pace over the years, but to new starters it can be daunting to jump on the ‘speeding train’. My advice would be to have a structured approach to the induction period, ask many questions, meet many people, build relationships. And most of all, do not be afraid to say you require support or ask for further clarification…

What’s the one thing you love the most about working at Arcus?

Commitment to personal development and health & safety, and the people. I continue to learn daily in my role and by working with those around me. The business have some truly amazing and committed employees, going above and beyond.

I personally feel that the future of Arcus, is the future of me, and I hope to continue my Arcus journey for many years, contributing to the future successes of the business.

#ArcusFM #Growth #HSQE