Sign up for job alertsAn exciting new step in my career
Before I joined Nisa, I’d never worked in an office environment. I’d done shop floor and customer-facing roles previously, and a long stint at a leisure centre as a personal trainer and duty manager. But I was looking for a change – a way to put my skills and my desire to help people to good use.
I joined the partner support helpdesk at Nisa back in 2018 – just as Nisa was becoming part of the Co-op. It was an exciting time to arrive and start learning about both organisations and how they operate.
My new role was challenging, with a lot to take on-board, but it was also rewarding as I got to see how our work affected the stores in our care. The training I was given allowed me to adapt the skills I already had and apply them in a new environment where I was actively encouraged to offer my insights and communicate my needs when ADHD/ASD would distract me from my role.
When this happened, my colleagues would take the time to understand what the situation was and how it had come about and offered me time and guidance to recentre myself. They’d support me to resolve the situation by implementing procedures that allowed for greater clarity of daily tasks and communications. This made me feel at home in the company, and there were individuals that really went above and beyond, like Kayleigh, our Admin Manager who was always there to listen and support me.
A chance to develop and grow
As time progressed, lots of opportunities to learn arose. I jumped at the chance to take part in charity volunteer days for the ‘Making a Difference Locally’ team, working groups for inclusivity and diversity, and engagement events with various Co-op teams.
Having been nurtured by the fantastic partner support management team, I decided in 2020 it was time to consider my next move, having been inspired by seeing many of my colleagues’ progress into different roles across the business. I applied for and was offered a role in the Epositive helpdesk team, which gave me the opportunity to learn much more about the in-house retail system we offer and support.
Sharing my knowledge and skills with others
In my new role, I’ve once again rediscovered old skills and I’m using them to tackle the complexities that arise from using technology in a retail environment. I’m also really enjoying using the skills I learned on the helpdesk to train and develop new starters, and by helping our developers to understand the colleague experience of using tech at Nisa, I feel like I can really help to drive innovation.
Joining Nisa was the best career move I could have made, and I’m looking forward to whatever the future may bring!
