Menu
How are you Head of HR for a 3PL and General Manager for a Holiday park?
I get asked this question so many times and can see the cogs working as the person looking at me is stood there waiting for a simple answer. To be fair to the person asking the question the businesses are worlds apart so I can understand the curiosity as Bray Solutions (Bray) is a Third-Party Logistics Company and Rockingham Forest Park (RFP) is a Luxury Lodge Park.
For you to understand a true week in my life there are a few names you will need to get familiar with, Ian Sharpe – Managing Director (Bray & RFP), Dale Sharpe – General Manager (Bray Solutions), Emily Stuart (Assistant General Manager RFP), Richard White (Maintenance Manager RFP), Faye McGregor (RFP Receptionist), Bob Sampson (Head of IT RFP & Bray).
Well, I came to Bray Solutions Ltd November 2013 as a customer service administrator. I wasn’t looking for a job with too much pressure, but I needed to challenge my brain again, after spending 5 years at home and trying to come to terms with having been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and CFS. Prior to that I had worked for Thomas Cook for 13 ½ years and loved working in travel, but back then my Fibromyalgia controlled me, now I control my Fibromyalgia.
In 2015 Ian, asked if I would like to be involved in project ‘Rockingham Forest Park’. I asked what this involved and was told at this stage we are just looking at possibilities.
In 2016 Ian asked me if I would like to study for my level 5 degree in HR and be Head of Customer Service for Bray and be part of a team of 3 and take control of the day to day running of Bray. I was proud to get my CIPD level 5 November 2017 and loved being a part of the ‘Three Amigos’ who had some ups and some downs and some proper belly laughs for the last 5 years.
Bray was growing as business and needed a General Manager, one of the Amigos had left the company and it made sense for Dale to be the General Manager allowing me time to run the Park as the General Manager, whilst still heading up HR for both businesses.
Monday
5.20am and the alarm is going off, can I press snooze and take a quick nap….5.30am no more snooze, time to get up, and get ready for Monday. Having checked and actioned all emails Sunday night I am ready for any surprises Bray or RFP may send my way. As we make our way into work we talk about the weekend and hope all the guests have had an amazing weekend. Faye goes to check the key drop off box whilst I start to set up my lap top. First task of the day is to see what emails have dropped into my in box for both companies As I work through them it’s not long before my first visitor from Bray comes to my office. This is a HR matter, so I deal with the issue. Back to admin and Ian would like to go over costings for the park. Quick meeting with my RFP management team to see where efficiencies can be made. Once that is done, check with reception and ensure all guests who left were happy. It’s a beautiful day so I take myself around the lake to help digest my lunch.
Walk back in and I have two of the Bray management team waiting to talk to me about a HR matter. Time to look at the website and load up a blog written by the team. There goes the phone and Ian would like to have a quick meeting. Back in the office and the girls have advised all guests are in called and happy, in comes Emily with an invoice to be signed. Time to compare that invoice to the one received last month, but that will be done in the morning so let’s log off go home and do it all again in the morning.
Tuesday
Check the reception email and block the 50+ spam emails that have filtered in.
Update the website with a current blog written by the team. Here comes one of the Bray mangers with some HR paperwork. Looks like today is going to be an HR admin day.
Scrap that Richard is here, and we discuss the on call, the maintenance rota, and our new project 5-hole golf for the guests.
Crikey better get a move on teams call in the Bray meeting room in 5 minutes with the Bray Managers.
Back at my desk and that’s Bob on the phone wanting to discuss printers and scanners.
Time for some lunch
Lunch over Ian wants to talk lodge lengths (sizes of the lodges) and go over costs.
Time to look at the boys rota and see if I can work out an on-call shift pattern that keeps them all happy.
Scrap that, here are two of the Bray management team who want to discuss a HR issue we have been discussing as they may have a resolution that works for both parties.
Meeting done time to go back to the on-call rota.
Rest of 2022 on call done, all of 2023 working and on call done. Just need to create QR code for both.
Think it’s time to stop for the day and look at 2024 tomorrow.
Wednesday
Autumn is really here, dark, and windy out, whilst the temperature is quite mild. Unusually I have a HR matter for RFP first thing. No sooner have I opened my door it’s shut again for a Bray HR meeting.
Here comes the lovely ladies of OLC to clean the offices, how is it lunchtime already?
I do love my surroundings, spotted a goldfinch sharing a lunchtime meal with a great tit, the little birds are amazing to watch, if I didn’t have someone calling me, I would happily stand at the kitchen window and watch the little birds.
Where has the day gone today, it really has been a day of admin and HR today. Didn’t get round to looking at 2024 rota for maintenance boys.
Thursday
What a difference a day makes, feels a lot colder out. Time to check what guests we have arriving tomorrow, and my emails.
Still looking at ways to improve efficiencies and reduce costs, today hire of buggies vs buying them.
It’s been a busy day with a few impromptu meetings with the team, looking at ways to enhance the customer experience whilst still keeping to budgets. The maintenance team have finished their 5-hole golf course, and the French Boules area. These are not at a professional size but big enough for those who want to have a go or practice.
New larger plant pots are still sitting outside my office and the lovely Emily has volunteered to re-pot the plants for me; we can’t believe how big that tiny rose bush that was sent as a thank you from a customer as part of a hamper now needs a gigantic pot of its own. Time to catch up on emails for the last half hour.
Friday
How is it already Friday? First task of the day ensure I am ready for my 8.30am Bray HR meeting.
How have I forgotten I have an all-day meeting for Bray ISO and BRC. Better double check the agenda and ensure all action points were actioned and print off anything that’s needed.
Quickly upload a recent blog written by team before the meeting starts.
Thankfully, the all-day meeting was done by lunch time. Quickly eat some soup and time to squeeze in a costing meeting for the park. Guests all checked in and happy 5.55pm and we are ready to go home.
There you have it, a snapshot of my life from a week in October.
