Thinking outside the box
Meet Philly Croucher, People Service Team Leader at our Epsom Support Centre. Philly shares her journey with us so far.
How long have you worked for Nuffield Health?
4 years and 4 months.
Tell us about your career progression at Nuffield Health?
I started in February 2020 as a People Services Administrator. Starting in recruitment, posting job adverts and moving candidates around on the system. I was then furloughed after a few months of starting. I returned to work after 7 months to start my training in onboarding which involved drafting contracts, setting up checks and confirming start dates for new starters. My manager kindly recognised my efforts and moved me into a specialist project to manage both the recruitment and onboarding for a new site that Nuffield Health had acquired. During this time, I worked closely with key stakeholders and was responsible for ensuring they had a smooth experience for the mass of new starters coming through to me.
During my time at Nuffield Health, I applied for the senior administrator position 3 times, the first two times, my confidence was not at the desired level. The St Bartholomew’s project was essential in building my confidence and gave me the opportunity to learn the skills I needed to be able to manage my own workload and drive things forward. In March 2022, I was successful in my application for the senior position where I managed a team of 5 people. This role is a good introduction to the world of managing a team as you have close support and guidance from the People Services Team Leader. In the senior role I supported my 5 admins with day to day queries and was the first point of call for any issues.
In April 2023 I was successful in my application to the People Services Team Leader position. I now manage a team of 8 people. I am soon to move onto a project to support with the enhancement of the recruitment and onboarding processes which I am very excited to get stuck into.
Tell us about the team you work in?
My team is lovely. I work in a team of 30 people and it is so rare to be able to say in such a big team that I love them all. They are the most supportive and warm people I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Our team of 30 are split up further by region into 3 smaller teams. I directly manage 8 people who look after the recruitment and onboarding for the London region as well as some project areas. We have 1 Senior Admin, 1 recruiter, 3 onboarders and 3 project workers.
Why did you choose to work at Nuffield Health?
I was drawn to Nuffield Health because of their good reputation. I knew when I applied that it would be the type of company that would look after you.
What’s your favourite thing about working at Nuffield Health?
The people. Everyone is so friendly and supportive. I also really like the 360 health assessments that we get for free every year – it’s like an MOT for your body.
What are your career highlights?
Getting to the Team Leader position I am in now. I struggle a lot with dyslexia and for that reason I thought I wouldn’t get as far as a manager role. I now see my dyslexia as a strength as it helps me think outside of the box and make changes in the team for the better.