Meet the Team – HR department
Swiftclean’s HR team comes under the umbrella of Shared Services which also includes Marketing and Integrated Systems. Victoria Page (HR Business Partner) and Julie Garrington (HR Administrator) report to Abbey Maxwell, Head of Shared Services.
We spoke to Victoria and Julie recently and asked them some questions about their individual roles and of course our usual random questions!
How does your role fit within the team and what are the main tasks you carry out?
Victoria – As the HR Business Partner, my role is to engage with the employees but also deliver the strategy of the business.
Julie – My role as HR Administrator is to assist with the day to day running of the HR Team and provide support to Victoria Page. My tasks vary from one day to the next, where I could be recruiting, onboarding new starters, applying for security passes for existing employees, to processing payroll.
What originally drew you to working in Human Resources?
Victoria – I fell in to HR just by chance, I was asked to provide admin support to the HR Manager many moons ago and it went from there. I enjoyed being able to make change. It helped massively that the HR Manager challenged me and encouraged me to progress in the department, we became a great team.
Julie – This was a new industry and specialism that I hadn’t considered previously, but I applied and met with Victoria and knew that I could bring my previous experience here and learn something new.
What are the main challenges for you?
Victoria – Being a team of 1.6 people (my role is part-time) we have a lot to deliver but Julie and I make a great team.
Julie – A lot of what I do relies on getting information from others, which has its challenges.
What do you like most about working at Swiftclean?
Victoria – Julie. Who is just as sarcastic as me. But also, it’s the people, I like to think of myself as a people person and it’s always the employees that makes the business what it is.
Julie – I would say working with my colleagues.
What’s the best thing you did recently? Either in or out of work.
Victoria – I won a tribunal case which will enable my daughter to attend a specialist provision and access the support she needs for her education. It was a long 2 years.
Julie – I recently completed my CIPD Level 3 (just waiting for certificate to prove it).
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
Victoria – Ballroom dancing and tattooing
Julie – To fly a helicopter.
What was your first job?
Victoria – Working in a sports shop in Canary Wharf while I was a sixth form, I got a decent discount so always had friends coming in for stuff!
Julie – Checkout Assistant at Tesco’s during the summer holidays.
Coffee or tea? Milk in first or last?
Victoria – Both, always milk last
Julie – Neither as I don’t drink either.
What book or movie have you recently read/seen and why would you recommend it?
Victoria – Elemental, Disney always do well with delivering the moral of a story. Just a lovely feel good film.
Julie – I read a lot of books, but I read ‘The Keeper of Lost Things’ by Ruth Hogan which is different to my normal James Patterson reads, but found this book addictive to finish.
What fictional place would you like to visit?
Victoria – Pandora
Julie – Asgard
What’s something you’re planning on doing in the next year that you’ve never done?
Victoria – I’m taking my girls to Lapland next year, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
Julie – Axe throwing
What’s something that recently made you smile?
Victoria – Julie Garrington always makes me smile.
Julie – Completing a new craft (and it working).
What is your 15 minutes of fame?
Victoria – I’m related to an actress who was in Eastenders.
Julie – I was in the audience of Alan Carr’s Chatty Man, when Taylor Swift performed ‘Shake it Off’ but also for the interviews with Hugh Grant, Noel Fielding and Ariana Grande.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?
Victoria – If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
Julie – Never stop learning and always do your best.
What’s your dream job?
Victoria – From a wildlife vet, to a pathologist, then an interior designer. Still don’t know.
Julie – I always wanted to work with animals. I wanted to be able to have enough money to buy land to rescue and look after as many animals as I could.
