Starting a new role can be both exciting and daunting; meeting new people, learning new skills and fitting into a new culture. We asked new joiner Katy to record her experiences. Watch her highlights and read her insights into joining the Group here.
My name is Katy Fletcher and having accepted a new role with Aztec during a global pandemic, I will admit to feeling first day nerves. I’ve never experienced starting a new job without visiting the office and it made me feel apprehensive but the process was smooth – I received my work laptop and had calls with my manager and the team prior to the starting day so it put me at ease.
I was invited to a four day virtual induction week to cover all essential information. Led by a member of the Aztec Academy – the in-house training specialists – the week began with a video call over Teams together with all the other new joiners. Colleagues attended from each of Aztec’s five locations, so it was a great way to meet new faces from near and far. I felt instantly at ease to see so many others in the same position as myself and the Academy representative ensured we knew exactly what to expect from the week.
We started with Aztec’s ‘Big Picture’ and learned about the company’s beginnings and its ambitious five year plan. This session instantly made me feel really excited to be part of an organisation with such a strong vision, and to have joined at this time in its growth.
Each day started with a video call which was followed by training sessions delivered by different experts across the Group. We had e-learning modules to complete in our own time. Additional catch-up calls throughout the week gave us a chance to meet people working in a variety of teams, based in different locations.
The sessions on professional etiquette were really helpful as every company has slightly different expectations. I found it useful to learn about the dress code policy at Aztec, which is really forward-thinking, as well as being brought up to speed with company norms around email and etiquette using Teams.
Day three had a focus on Aztec’s five key values: Bright, Caring, Responsible, Passionate and Unified. I really like the way that we are asked to think through what they mean for us, and how they fit with our roles.
On our fourth and final day of induction week, we were encouraged to identify and discuss our professional development goals with our line managers. Aztec provides a lot of support through mentoring, covering tuition costs and providing study leave for all kinds of professional qualifications, such as the ACCA and ICAEW for careers in accounting, or ICSA for administration.
The Academy also offer in-house training; with a career development road map from trainee to leadership roles. The resources provide training on everything from time management, to motivating a team, Microsoft Office, to internal procedures and a whole range of technical topics which you should get in touch to ask them about if you’re curious!
And at the end of the week, my team invited me to join them on a social call over Teams which was really lovely. Seeing so many friendly faces and receiving messages welcoming me really put me at ease. Induction week got me off to a great start and after the friendly welcome from colleagues near and far, I felt confident and ready to roll up my sleeves for day one in my role with my team.
If you’re interested in finding out more about a career with Aztec and want to feel supported right from the start, we would love to hear from you! Drop an email to our friendly HR team at careers@aztecgroup.co.uk or careers@aztecgroup.eu