Meet Rafay – a Customer Representative who works in our Retention team. Like many of our colleagues, along with people up and down the country, the pandemic restrictions forced Rafay into a new pattern of homeworking. But he adapted well and in this week’s colleague blog he shares his experience and why he now loves working from home.
Nature can strike
Over the past year, we have experienced how nature can strike, change things and impact all our lives – let me talk you through how working from home has affected me. At first, when Coronavirus was new to us all, many of us were uncertain of how we were going to carry on with our daily routines. But thanks to guidance from the government and our businesses, we’ve proved that we can now effectively work from home. At Hastings Direct, taking all the precautionary measures, myself and my fellow colleagues were provided with all the necessary equipment – from a laptop to a headset, which I use to have conversations to help our customers, to an office chair purchased by Hastings Direct on my behalf. I feel so proud to be working for a company that helped me throughout, so I can effectively carry out my duties.
Fully supported
Homeworking was all new to me at the time, so I am thankful that I was helped by everyone to learn it all! At first, I felt anxious as this was something I hadn’t done before but I was supported by my leaders and the IT department to resolve any issues I had. Whether that was on the system or just simple emotional and moral support, it was highly appreciated. I familiarised myself with the new set up and have now mastered it all – in fact, I’m so glad that I’m now able to assist others, including newly joined team members. It has, for sure, boosted my self-confidence as well and developed my team working skills.
Still connected… and saving money
Let me now share why I absolutely love working from home. I save a major proportion of my salary not paying for transport – I pay less for fuel, insurance and car parking (my family let me park for free at the house!). Previously, I had to use public transport on some days, so I now don’t have to rush and I don’t have to get on a crowded bus which was always late anyway. I can also enjoy home cooked food for my lunch, so I can make most of my break and not waste time waiting in a queue for food. That’s not all, the team at Hastings have multiple channels where I can communicate with colleagues and leaders, so nothing really feels different to me. I still feel connected with all of them, except yes, I do miss their physical presence. But for additional support, the company provides a wellbeing programme which has third party professionals on hand (virtually of course) to support us with mental or physical health and help manage financial difficulties.
Personally, I feel Hastings has gone above and beyond to support me with everything and that is why I’m sharing my experience in such a positive way. If you are looking to start working from home, come on board – I’m sure you will not regret this decision!
Join us: We have full time home-based opportunities as Retention Customer Representatives or Claims Advisors - if you’d like to join a team working together to support our customers from the comfort of your own home, find our more and apply.