Reward assistant - HR Global Brands Review

Reward assistant - HR Global Brands Organising employee data Assisting with a recognition program Project-based activities Dealing with salary queries Producing distribution lists Checking / sending emails Ordering rewards for our recognition scheme Completing data requests Answering employee information queries Working with my team to complete projects like bonus and pay review

A lot of advanced excel skills Gaining a CIPD qualification Reward training with a company called Mercer in London Responsibility for important tasks Increased confidence Organisational skills and planning skills Specialised HR knowledge. Ability to have specialised skills in reward like benchmarking salaries. Constantly developing a lot of skills in my role

My team are amazing, but there are other apprentices that don't feel the same about their team or line manager so it's just down to luck whether you get a supportive and understanding line manager or not. I'm in Global Brands which is part of Walgreens Boots Alliance, not Boots and there hasn't been a HR apprentice in Global Brands before. I barely know any of the Boots apprentices, they see each other weekly through college and as my course is different I don't see them. There are about 20 apprentices in my group but they're mostly Boots apprentices and not Global Brands and I'm the only one doing a different college course too so I don't link in with them or know the other apprentices as well as they do as they work together on assignments. The apprenticeship is different to what I expected as I do a different qualification to the other apprentices, a CIPD. The benefits of the job are good too, I have a great team, lots of holidays, good staff discount, company laptop, flexible working, working from home, staff shop and really cheap gym membership.

I feel valued by Global Brands. I can suggest ideas outside of HR and feel like my input to current trends is valued. All of my team value each other a lot, I have a really good team we get on really well and work is always appreciated. my manager is extremely supportive, she is really encouraging and will always recognise me for a piece of work and tasks. I don't feel valued my qualification provider, they are really inconsistent and you have to figure out even the smallest of things for yourself. There are a lot of issues with the qualification provides, however, my manager agrees with these issues and frustrations and feels the same about the training provider.

My program structure is not a good example compared to other apprentices in Boots. All the other apprentices have a college on site every week at the same time with the same tutor. Whereas my course is all online, with so many different tutors. My learning is through webinars and then I submit an assignment online. There are lots of timetables which are helpful but it can change and it's always inconsistent. The training provider is very unorganised. There are other apprentices doing my CIPD course but they are in many different organisations and they have the same frustrations.

My training provider does offer some support, they have a 'skills development coach' however they can't help with any assignments or HR theory. They only help with skills and development which isn't always helpful. They offer some help through emails but the only learning is through online webinars. Even though these are live you can only ask questions through a chat box.

My manager gives me a lot of support we have weekly catch ups and one to ones. I can tell her any issues and she understands the frustrations and problems with my training provider. The overall apprenticeship program is really inconsistent with support, for example, the supply function has a lot of support and apprentice leads as there are multiple supply apprentices whereas other areas don't have this. We have support on development days every 6 months which are helpful. Anyone involved with apprentices would be happy to help and support you if you emailed them.

My salary meets most of my costs. However, I live at home still, haven’t moved out and my current salary wouldn’t be able to sustain living costs. Compared to a lot of apprenticeships it is a really good competitive salary. The costs of food at work are really reasonable too and there are lots of discount shops on site. There is a fee to park on sight however, this changes in price depending on your salary.

There aren't many company events or activities that I have experienced yet. We go for lots of team meals but not anything organised by the whole organisation. However, there are lots of activities and events during working hours on site like brand pavilion events where brands come in and showcase their new products.

Yes

It’s a great opportunity straight from college or sixth form, it looks great and it’s a really good stepping stone. It’s recognised by a lot of organisations and there are lots of opportunities to move within the organisation. My team is extremely supportive and my manager really encourages me. The team makes it a great place to work.

Do lots of work experience at the company before applying, you'll be able to see if you enjoy it and if it’s right for you. You will also be able to see all the different areas of the organisation. I did three weeks of work experience, so do as much as you can. Even if you find that after work experience the company isn't right for you, it's still great to put on your CV.