Gladys' story

After all the hard work I had put in whilst in university, graduation day arrived. I thought the hardest part was behind me and I would get my dream job very soon. After the celebrations ended, it was time for me to job search. I knew roughly the kind of industry I wanted to work in but underestimated the job application process and found the number of rejections really hard. 

I eventually got an entry level job within Aster through a job agency, as a scanning assistant, I would scan documents daily and even though it wasn’t my dream job, it was within the industry I wanted to work in and that kept me going. I went on to have three other temporary administrative jobs within two different departments within a span of a couple of years. 

I was offered a temporary position, and I got to know the people I was working with and what the different parts of the business did. One major thing that stood out for me, was that Aster had good representation of women in senior positions which I really admired and found inspiring. 

Starting a family was a difficult time for me, on one hand I didn’t want to let my leader down by taking months of leave, but on the other hand it was something my husband and I wanted to do and, with Aster’s flexible working and family friendly policies, I felt able to return to work after maternity leave.  A few months after my return, a Team Leader vacancy was available. I applied for it, interviewed, and got the job. I was thrilled.

Around the same time, the culture/business transformation journey was beginning with the introduction of the Transformation Network. This is a group of people within the business from different departments coming together to help shape the business transformation and I became part of this group as well as the Diversity and Inclusion Network which sat within the Transformation Network as a specialism. This group has helped me learn a lot and we have shared successes as well as challenges and understood that this is a journey and not a race. 

A few years later, I was seconded to a project supporting our customers to have a great experience with us using digital solutions. This was another great learning experience as the team were from different parts of the business and I was able to learn from them. The project was successful for both colleagues and our customers. 

After returning from maternity leave from having my second child I volunteered for the opportunity to be part of the first reverse mentoring pilot, where I mentored a senior leader around elements of diversity and inclusion.  This was a great opportunity for me to share my share experiences, ideas, challenges as a black woman and learn to try and understand each other and how that understanding can impact others within the business. This great initiative has been rolled to the wider business and is a great way to get colleagues to understand and celebrate difference. 

I am now in a completely new role within the Growth and Assurance Directorate and getting closer to the dream job.