Tell us more about your role at Anabas and your journey with the company so far? 

I came into the role with no prior facilities experience, but eager to learn. Diving in headfirst has been a challenging, stimulating, and a great approach for me personally.

I have attended a wide variety of training courses both internally and externally that have broadened my knowledge, vastly.

Managing a brilliant team has certainly helped and being managed by a very supportive SLT has meant any challenges I’ve faced are overcome together.

Can you tell us a little bit about your career history?

I came from a customer service/PA background working for the current client. This is where I got an insight into the facilities world and got to know the team, that I would eventually end up managing! Coming from the client-side gave me a real understanding of the service, standards, and expectations of those we deliver to on-site and helped me build key relationships that are so crucial in this industry.

What are the main challenges you face in your role?

No two days are the same working in FM, so it can be hard to maintain structure and routine whilst making sure we deliver. My line manager has really helped me overcome this challenge with better diary management practices and cross-training team members to ensure the wider business knowledge – allowing everyone the opportunity to chip in.

What do you like most about your role and working in FM?

Delivering a great service to make others’ lives easier. I don’t think you truly understand the impact and value of the work you do in FM, until you take a step back and see how it impacts the everyday running of corporate office spaces.

Also, the variety of the role! As previously mentioned no two days are the same and this proves a wonderfully fulfilling working environment.

What’s been your biggest highlight whilst working at Anabas?

One thing that has really stood out and empowered me in my role, is the number of women in leadership/management roles. Only 25% of management in the FM industry are female, so I feel we as a business are really at the forefront here and leading the way in the sector.

What advice would you give someone who is interested in working in FM?

Go for it! It’s a massively diverse world where you meet people from all walks of life in a huge variety of roles. Like most people in the industry, ‘I fell into FM’ and I wouldn’t look back. Every single day is both challenging and exciting as you never know what the day will bring but it certainly proves for a rewarding career.

Tell us how Anabas is #brilliantlydifferent?

The wellbeing of our staff always comes first. From the employee assistance programme to the internal wellbeing sessions, courses on mental health topics, gender, equality, and diverse workforce training, the support of our staff remains the top priority.  This was particularly important throughout the pandemic.

Also, to note there is always a catalogue of training courses readily available to all staff, and career progression is supported and encouraged.

To me, good customer service is… (finish the sentence)

…doing everything in your power to get the end result for your client/colleague/stakeholder.

We always try to go above and beyond for our clients and that means we often get asked for things we may have never delivered before – I feel very lucky that within the company there’s a wealth of knowledge from colleagues who can  help me figure out the ‘how’ to ensure we always get the job done!

What’s on your bucket list?

Skydiving was a huge one that I completed in 2015! My poor tandem partners’ ears were ringing.