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I started life out as an Out of Hours Operator 12 years ago, working evenings part time in the Monitoring department whilst I was studying at college. I then transferred to a full time position within our sister company at the time in the Property Transfer department as a Legal Coordinator. I then transferred back to Appello and started my HR career as an administrator. Appello supported me to gain my postgraduate diploma in personnel and development and I was then promoted to HR Advisor and here I am now as the HR Manager.

I love being a generalist HR team and being able to get involved and impact all aspects of the employee lifecycle. The people I work with in my immediate team and the wider teams make it a great place to work. It’s never boring and every day is different!

Yes without hesitation. The investment that Appello makes in personal development and support is great and I have been able to benefit from this is my career. I also think it’s a rewarding place to work as we provide vital services and products to enable people to live independently in their own homes.

Initially I started in the control centre in 2014 as they needed temporary cover and I had just finished my A levels. I helped out on the phones in the control centre. Appello decided to set up a main reception line for the business and I was asked to head this up. This team then merged with support services. During this time I was then trained to handle the emergency calls as well the reception. I transferred to customer relations dealing with customer feedback and investigating any complaints for 5 years. During that time I was given the opportunity to manage the administration team and consumer team on a temporary basis, which was a very busy but positive experience! During 2009/2010 a small sales team was set up and I was asked to start looking into potential bids we may be interested in and set up the administration side of the sales team. For the next few years we started to look into the market. I conducted research and pulled together responses for potential bids and opportunities.

In January 2017 I had a baby and returned to work later that year, Appello gave me the option to stay in the same role but I decided to change to part time hours on a job share basis, which I have done since October 2017.

The people, each team I have been part of have always been welcoming, friendly and supportive, which in turn helps me do my job well.

Yes. The opportunities for progression have been great, for me it’s meant I have been able to be part of many different, interesting and new projects along the way.

I started with Appello as a bid manager in the sales team, handling the estimating elements for installation tender bids and also design & estimating for other installation quotations. I spent much time out of the office completing site surveys required for tenders & quotations. In April 2017 I was offered, and accepted, a new role of ‘Solutions Architect’ to coincide with the recent switch to digital warden call systems (now SLS) as part of the technical team. The step up in role is still design & estimating with support to the sales team, but requires more specific technical solutions related to the SLS installations. I also prepare design documents and drawings to support the installations team to aid smooth completion of projects. Working closely with the technical team also to source new or better products to develop the ever evolving SLS system to the best it can be. I enjoy the flexibility of my place of work with Appello, working in the offices so I can liaise with the teams when required and also allowing me to work remotely from home.

I probably don’t have an outright favourite but I have always enjoyed the large new build projects the most. Taking a set of drawings and creating a design solution for a client based on their specific needs and seeing it through to a completed system for residents to enjoy brings a sense of satisfaction. That said, my favourite projects are the ones that occur with the least intervention from me after the design process, it means everyone is happy and I’m doing my job properly!

A typical day for me would be working on some design drawings, putting some pricing together from those drawings or from a site survey carried out by one of the team in the field. That and ongoing support to the install team with any current projects.

I applied and started as a Control Centre Operator in March 2015, around a year into my role I decided that I enjoyed being part of the business so much I wanted to commit to a career with Appello. I gained a promotion to a Senior Control Centre Operator position which comprised of me running shifts with a Supervisor. Shortly after this happened, a management re-structure was introduced and I successfully gained the role as an Assistant Team Leader, which put simply, meant I would also be line managing operators as well as effectively running our monitoring shifts.

Other than the brilliant assistance we give our customers, it is the personal career progression opportunities that are available. As a teenager that had not long finished with education, I wasn’t prepared to ‘stay still’ in my employment, I wanted to continue pushing myself and my abilities. There were multiple avenues open to me to be able to progress within the business when I was realistically ready, meaning I have always been engaged and enthusiastic in the roles I have had. I also enjoy the many hours of additional training and skills building that I get in my position. I feel that I am being given a number of opportunities to improve my skills to take with me for the rest of my career, whether that be within my current department or somewhere else.

I would, and have in fact referred friends and family to the business already! I am asked a lot by friends or people I may know about the company, and what is actually involved in an operator’s role. The one thing I would say if anyone is thinking of applying for a role within monitoring, or in fact the whole business, that some are surprised about how seriously and professionally we take our work. It is an intense but highly rewarding business to be a part of, as at the end of the day we are providing a vital service for the safety and wellbeing of our customers.

I started off as wanting to ease back into a workplace and started as a Call Handler in January 2016 taking door entry calls on a part time shift. I then wanted to progress and with me living in Lymington I applied for a role as Support Services Operator which ticked the boxes for me in terms of location and meant I gained career progression and a new department challenge.

1. Good career progression. There is a real opportunity to grow in Appello and I noticed that pretty early on. A few people I started out working with have also progressed and are now Team Leaders or Assistant Team Leaders. 2. It’s always good to know that you are doing something that you see is worthwhile. The benefits of our services and products for our customers lives are what it is all about. It’s something they value and that’s a great motivating factor for me. 3. The flexibility of the roles were really good. Starting out on a 4 day on 4 day off work pattern gave me a good work life balance and good amount of time that I could dedicate to other things outside of work.

Yes. Appello is quite a big employer in the local area, providing nationwide services it has all the benefits that come with working for a big employer. Also its great working for Appello being a company that has a clear direction with the Smart Living Solutions and technologies.