Assistant branch manager Review

To assist in the day to day running of a large branch involving all aspects of sales ,health and safety , customer relationships ,transport .Getting involved with the financial forecasts and allocating customers to sales staff and monitoring profit and margins to ensure we meet the figures set in our budget .Organising training for staff and looking at additional products or services to build on our market share

Learning to use my time better and how to look at a situation and decide the best course of action without making hasty decisions that can cause issues latter,this would include emotional intelligence and using SWOT and other types of business tools to make informed decisions .I now look at the bigger picture rather than what is just in front of me .

To start with I was very nervous as I have never found learning in a classroom an easy undertaking due to certain learning issues that I had ,also not really having belief in my abilities and not having the support I needed . The course has given me the confidence to push myself and has built my confidence no end allowing me to do and get involved in areas I would have previously avoided

It has been at time well organised and at others not at all due manly to having the pandemic begin fairly close to my start date this disrupted my learning for nearly a year but then a new mentor took over and completely changed my outlook on where I was and what I needed to do and helped me get back on track

To begin with I had no support from the management of my old branch who would not give me the time in my working week to be able to complete my learning hours, offered no support when I needed it .I then spoke to my Regional Director and he ensured that this time was then given and would check up on me every couple of weeks ,then once I moved to my new depot the manager has ensured I have been given the time to complete my hours and given me guidance throughout

To begin with before the pandemic the support was there from the provider and also my peers on the course helped support me through the network we started .Once the pandemic hit it slipped considerably as the classroom learning stopped and was compressed into 20 minute webinar with no external help ,then a new mentor joined and the support came back and she showed me way's of breaking it down to ten be able to catch up and complete my course

Due to the pandemic we have been unable to socialise outside of work .As a company we do have a yearly conference but as yet I have never had the chance to go otherwise we do not usually do activities outside of our working hours unless customer orientated but again I do not get asked to go on these usually !

Yes

Having worked for the group for 23 + years and starting at the age of 22 I have found it to be a great company to work for and they do believe in training their staff to give the best service and have the best knowledge .They also believe in giving people the chance to improve and move up in the business .

Be yourself be keen to learn and hard working as these are the things that will stand you in the best light when management are looking for people to move in higher roles .Having started in the warehouse with this mindset of hard work pays off and having the support of several good managers along the way has enabled me over my time to get to where I am today and use my story to inspire others I wish I knew then what I know now about myself and had the confidence to do it earlier