My journey at Together so far.....

This article covers my experience of being a new starter at Together from induction all the way to the final minutes at the end of my first week! I encourage you to join me on this journey… I promise you won’t be disappointed… You ready? Well let’s go then!

We begin this journey from the moment I got a call from ‘Luke’ offering me the role just a couple of hours after I took part in the assessment centre. Trust me when I say this, I was so surprised at how quick the process was. My brain went into hyper drive trying to conjure up a professional way of saying ‘Yes I accept’. When I look over at my mum who’s as excited as me but still very composed at the same time, whilst whispering ‘just say yes Rehan’.

Fast forward a week and I’m back! Only this time instead of nervousness… I’m calm, collected and ready to start my career.

My induction I feel went really well, I got to start with 3 other starters, beginning their own journeys at Together. Got a tour of the building and an introduction to the company.

Then something unexpected happened, just after lunch, each starter went to their respective departments. This is where I was introduced to Louise who would be my operational trainer through the course of my training. This is where the second unexpected thing happened. “We’ll be carrying out this training on a one to one basis”. This method of training is very new to me as I was normally accustomed to classroom based learning. But (although I am only 26 years old and have only worked for a handful of employers) the training method at Together is the best I have encountered & the one which I am enjoying the most!

As on a one to one basis I have been able to focus more, learn more, ask more questions and truly understand the role I would need to play in the wider team structure at Together.

I cannot credit my trainer Louise enough as right off the bat she has made me feel very welcome. The same goes for every colleague or manager I have had the opportunity to meet so far. From my managers that I will be reporting to Mike and Vanessa, among other department leaders that I have had the chance to meet right at the beginning of my career at Together.

Each day had been much organised with a schedule of tasks that I would partake in. Louise made sure we covered each bit of learning before we moved on and had also set up meetings for me to pick the brains of different department managers.

I have had the opportunity to meet Beverley Rogers and Jan Doull over in compliance who have been very approachable and willing to answer any one of the thousand questions I have. I’ve learnt about how processes in their department play an integral part in making Together safe.

Midweek I was able to meet Paul Wilson, Finance Director. This was a very exciting prospect as in many organisations there seems to be a tradition of higher management distancing themselves from front line colleagues. This however was not the case in my experience. Paul was very approachable and very open to a chat. We discussed our respective career choices, interests, even families and as a fellow Leeds boy I can honestly say this brief yet refreshing chat has provided another ingredient to cement my reflection on why I fell that picking Together has been the best decision that I had made.

I got to meet Daniel Pollitt who is the real time analyst within the collections department. Dan spoke about the origins of the ‘Wings’ Project. ‘Wings’ for anyone who is intrigued to know is a rewards system that allows colleagues to nominate one another for displaying either one or all 7 of the core beliefs of Together

Whilst navigating the company intranet I came across an article on ‘Town Halls’ I was very intrigued to find out more! To my surprise Louise advised me that we will be attending a town hall later that morning. Attending the town hall was a very pleasant experience for me as very early on I was exposed to insightful content provided by higher management. Now, I have had experience attending quarterly reviews on company performance in my previous job, however, attending such an interactive event as a town hall is unprecedented.

The ‘Town Hall’ was ran by Together’s Chief Executive of Personal Finance Pete Ball who provided an insight on how Together is performing as a whole. The event was then split into 5 separate stations all headed by Sharon Dawson – Head of Customer Operations, Paul Wilson – Finance Director, Tracey Bailey – Head of Lending Transformation, Brian Jackson – Operations Director, Louise Tipping – Chief Compliance Officer, Paul Norcott – Head of Products & Steve Miller – Group Chief Risk Officer focusing on areas such as people, modernisation, product and profitability.

This was a great chance to ask relevant questions and an opportunity to gain an understanding on the thought process of said managers and how they aim to future proof the business and drive growth into the beginning of a new decade.

The culture at Together has been unlike any other I have experienced. I cannot recall a single occurrence where I felt out of place (from the simplest ‘Good Morning’ by security at reception to the humblest ‘see you tomorrow’ from another colleague) this shows that no matter what position you are in, you still play a part.

Together has introduced me to so many new ways of thinking and has allowed me to learn so much and I’m only a week in! I look forward to opening my mind to a world of endless possibilities and opportunities.

“Alone we are strong. . . Together we are stronger”

Rehan Zuberi – Collections Agent