What is it about your current role that makes it different from the past roles you’ve had?
With PeopleStrong entering the ANZ region and being part of the smaller ANZ team on the ground my role has allowed me to be involved in a number of different areas of the business. I am enjoying being able to be more involved in understanding marketing and sales as well as client services where I am more familiar and comfortable. It’s great to be working with a solution that covers the full employee journey. My previous roles have focused on one aspect of the product suite and I am enjoying seeing all of the moving parts coming together for a cohesive system solution for manager and employee.
What excited you about taking the leap of a greenfields opportunity in what is a new market for PeopleStrong?
I have always been excited about the opportunities that great technology brings to people in an organisation and this was definitely a deciding factor when I was looking to join PeopleStrong. I could see the difference that their software could bring to teams, to managers and to employees. In this changed world where working outside of the office has become a norm, with disruption at most turns, it’s great to be able to be working with a product that looks the same to users at home or in the office, where there is a level of consistency to be able to get your work done and feel in control. I think that’s been really important to people as we’ve navigated our changing realities. I also found from my first engagement with the wider PeopleStrong team that there is a sense of community and teamwork within the team and I have enjoyed feeling part of a connected and committed group where I feel my contributions are listened to and valued. This is in my opinion a great achievement as I feel I have a connection with the team even though we haven’t yet met face to face!
Do you get to inject your own ideas in how work gets done or how we deliver to clients here?
This has been an exciting part of my work. The ANZ team I am working with have a wealth of knowledge and experience in delivering SaaS in a virtual world and it was been great to be able to share ideas of what we know has worked well when trying to deliver technology solutions where the implementation and support is not always face to face. This model is different to the model seen in other regions and I feel like we have been encouraged to speak up about ideas we have to enable a great customer experience with our new clients. There is a definite culture of open communication within PeopleStrong which has allowed me to feel like I am being heard and I am valued as part of the team to deliver to clients.
Given that the whole ANZ team work remotely, what does the work/home life picture look like for you?
It’s funny, I never thought I would be someone who enjoyed working solely from home but I’ve really enjoyed it! My son recently started a new school so my morning begins with school drop off and then I get a few home-life bits and pieces sorted before logging on for the day. The majority of my work involves collaboration with my Australian and NZ colleagues so a later start for me in NZ means more cross-over time with Australia! We have a daily virtual stand-up at midday each day to check in on how everyone’s placed for the day and to see if there’s anything we need to work on together or get back to others about from overnight communications with the India team. There are times when collaboration with India requires a later finish but I can usually coordinate this and move my work hours around to suit. I feel more in control of my productivity while working from home and know that my team are only a click away if needed via Teams, email or phone.
