I have worked here for roughly three years now and during that time I’ve had many opportunities.  That’s one of the main reasons I recommend working here to people.  When I first applied to work here, it was for a Patient Care Advisor position.  Although it turned out I didn’t have the necessary admin experience, they saw potential in me straight away and encouraged me to go for a position as a Team Assistant.  I began working in the Croydon Referral and Support Service (CReSS) and picked up the role really quickly, allowing me to progress to a Patient Care Advisor the following year.  Eventually, I even stepped up to the position of Senior Patient Care Advisor, taking the place of a colleague who moved to another team.

Valuing regular feedback

Around summertime last year, I began to feel I had outgrown my role and I felt that I needed a bit more of a challenge.  So, I applied for a couple of roles in other teams – one of which I was given, thanks to the support of many of my colleagues.

Someone who really helped me was our CEO Curr, Helen.  She is probably the reason I was successful in being given the new position.  She was really supportive and she saw potential for me to be happier.  She gave me some advice to get me through my interview and I’ve still got this written on the front page of my notepad, which sits in my desk drawer!  Funnily enough, I’ve had ten interviews since I started here and I think one of the reasons I’ve been successful is that I’ve always received really helpful feedback.

Being myself at work

One thing that Zoe (our co-founder) really encourages is for you to bring your whole self to work.  For me, this is as simple as wearing the clothes I want to.  In my last job I was required to wear a uniform and I think that can make you feel more like an employee than your own person.  Here you’re a person, not just an employee.  Right now, I’m wearing a Game of Thrones t-shirt and I like that.  I don’t have to wear high heels, or a skirt, or a suit – I can wear what I want and be comfortable.

I’m also not afraid to speak my mind.  There are always places to challenge and opportunities to put your ideas forward.  We’ve actually created job roles out of that.  The Circus team is a good example of that, where the organisation felt like there was something missing and positions were actually created for people rather than people trying to fit in to particular job roles.

Feeling cared for and connected to purpose

I like our purpose “Care Unbound” – it’s the notion that care is always the main focus of our job.  It’s a bit like what Richard Branson said – if you don’t care for your employees, they won’t care for your customers.  We don’t have customers but we’re the same in that we look after our colleagues to help each other look after the people we serve.  Everyone is always person focussed . . . care is at the centre of everything.  It’s what we do, it’s our job.  You never see anyone who’s not passionate about care . . . I think that’s why our purpose is care ‘unbound.’

Also, I’d never heard of mindfulness before I worked here.  We have a room here called the Meadow where people can spend their break or join a ten minute mindfulness session.  How many placed have something like that?

Here there’s always an opportunity to go and do something – whether it’s a new role, playing a game of table tennis in the kitchen or spending the day with a different team – an opportunity to broaden your skills or bond with other people who work here.  Here you get to work with people from lots of different walks of life.  It feels like a giant family – that’s one thing you do notice.  It’s the best place I’ve ever worked.

Sam is a Senior Patient Care Advisor for Sussex MSK Partnership Central.

If you’d like to find out more about what it’s like working with us at Here, visit the Working with us section.