What is your current job?

Technical Administrator

What job did you want to do when you were younger?

Primary School Teacher…!

Describe a typical day in your current job

A typical day for me would be, first and foremost, a cup of tea. Then I log onto my computer and reply to any emails that have dropped into my inbox overnight. I will have Access Requests to do for RBS daily, and there’s usually quite a few of those to work through. There’s other things for RBS and NatWest that I have to do every couple of days too, updating and circulating spreadsheets for example.

I book any travel that comes in, taking into account any previous requests from colleagues (there’s usually a lot of preference on hotel!). I like to keep up to date with my allocations daily too, so that I don’t have a nightmare trying to piece everything together at the end of the month.

In a normal world in the office, I would regularly be doing Site Files and O&M manuals, but I have to strategically place these in weekly so I can plan my in-office days, so a day or two per week is spent purely printing and putting together files.

Depending on what time of year it is, I usually have a lot of holiday requests to deal with from the BUD1 team. This could be inputting individual holidays, blanket bank holidays, or navigating the new system’s way of inputting!

On quieter days, I use the learning zone on Union Square. As I’m still quite new I still have things to learn and I’m always looking for ways to improve.

Why did you choose construction as a career?

My friend Nikita, another employee in the Warrington office, had only ever told me great things about Morris & Spottiswood. I’d heard about the way the team checked in on each other and I’d seen how easily she slotted in, even though she’d only been in the office a handful of times! So, when the opportunity arose to join after I was made redundant from my previous job, I jumped at the chance.

Did you have any reservations or concerns about joining the industry as a woman? Have these changed?

Fortunately, no. I didn’t have any reservations as I’d worked for my Dad’s business after leaving college. He owns a facilities management company and so I was used to the way of working, being around mostly men and taking direction from mostly men too.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge of being a woman working within construction?

Holding your own, definitely. Sometimes women can have the preconception of being a ‘soft touch’ and I think working in such a male dominated industry, sometimes this can manifest itself. Being able to stand up and assert yourself against men who may well be older or more senior than you is definitely a challenge, but one that hasn’t shown itself much to me here at Morris & Spottiswood.

What is the favourite part of your job?

Definitely learning about the processes that Morris & Spottiswood use. Admittedly at first I was totally baffled, but after a bit of perseverance and a lot of help from Zoey, Ann-Marie and Lucie (thank you!!) I got there and now I feel totally confident in going about my daily tasks on my own without a second thought.

It’s been so interesting getting to know how RBS/NW organise things, too.

I’ve also loved getting to know my team, most of whom I’ve met once or twice now – but everyone has been so friendly and helpful, it’s been really easy.

What’s been the biggest surprise since joining the construction industry?

How polite everyone is! I assumed working in construction I would be working with a load of ‘burley blokes’ with no manners, but that hasn’t been the case at all. The opposite if anything!

Would you recommend a career in construction to women? Why?

Yes. Speaking from experience with my team, they are very much team players and are so supportive. I haven’t always known processes / the right answers coming from a Recruitment background, but no one has failed to help and share knowledge at all. I’ve found in different admin jobs that hasn’t been the case at all.

Do you have any advice to any woman who’s currently thinking about coming into the construction industry?

Definitely go for it. I used to work in the Fashion sector and I loved the idea of glitz and glam and lifestyle, even though that wasn’t the case 99% of the time. If someone had suggested a career in construction to me a couple of years ago, I’d have thought they’d gone mental – but don’t be put off by the idea of hard hats and high-vis. It’s so much more than that – and I haven’t worn a hard hat once!