Who am I?
Lakeen
Sales Advisor
Started May 2020
What has been your career path to date?
I have been a Sales Advisor since I have joined the company 3 years ago.
How have you been supported in progressing your career?
When I first started working here, while happy I was able to get the role, I was honestly unsure of how well I would be able to work due to me not having much experience in this kind of environment as well as a lot of negative experiences due to dyslexia and the misunderstanding that come with it.
Since working here, I have been supported in not just how my unique traits may require a bit of understanding and adaptability by my team and the company workflow on a whole but have seen a lot of communication within the company regarding dyslexia as and how it can and should be destigmatised.
What’s most important to you in your career and why?
Flexibility and Support. While working full-time at Big Yellow Edmonton, I am also pretty much a full-time musician and event coordinator/audio visual technician. So having the flexibility to work around event times/dates and still commit to a full-time working role is important to me which while I have worked at my store has been supported.
My team have also supported me with these goals inside and outside of work and that has helped me a great deal in terms of also feeling comfortable with the company.
Tell us what benefits you value the most and why?
Having a lot of previous experiences in restaurants which required self-employment, just being paid to take holidays is not something to take for granted and not something that I was previously used to.
A lot of the time, I would have to weigh up the pro/cons of taking time off work by asking myself “can I actually afford to take this time off for myself?”
Having the ability to do this helps a great deal with having a good work/life balance but also better mental health as I’m able to rest without truly feeling there’s a negative
What is it that makes Big Yellow/Armadillo a great place to work?
Knowing that sometimes the smallest of interactions can have a genuinely positive impact on someone else. There are many jobs that exact which possibly become monotonous because of the lack of feeling like “you are making a difference”.
I think that feeling of helping others when appreciated is the best part of this role for me personally. I have met people of all walks of life here. Occupations, cultures, origins and lifestyles, all with a unique and personal story to tell and with a personal reason why they require our service or assistance.
The chance to not just help but potentially have a unique conversation with someone new or existing make every day one of a kind.