Fern Smith Operations Support Team Leader

I’ve never before worked within a team and company that is so committed to its goals in every level of the company, from Customer Service Advisors to Operations Directors.

Before I started working here, Lifetime came across as a true working family, with people who care about the company and its learners and each other. Teams working together with real and useful feedback from managers and reporting lines, so everyone feels involved.

The ethos and spirit! Everyone strives to do their absolute best for our learners and this means that everyone is truly committed to, and enjoys, their roles. Everyone seems to believe in what Lifetime are accomplishing and it shows.

Specifically within my role, I love how varied it can be. It’s difficult to describe a typical day as my workload depends almost entirely on the needs of our Operations Directors. It keeps me on my toes and my creative mind happy – you never know when there will be another problem to solve!

My role is constantly changing. I started by training on reception, learning the needs of the business from ‘the front desk’, then began getting to know our Operations Directors to find out how to provide support for them efficiently on an individual basis.

I’ve not stopped making connections, networking and learning since my first day. The next few months will hopefully see me continuing to learn more about the impact of each team on the business as a whole.

My leaps and bounds in confidence! Having been trusted with the responsibilities of my role from the get-go, pushed me to become more confident in approaching people to get all of my daily tasks done. I now feel like I have a fantastic working relationship with the directors that I support and I’m proud that I have gained their trust.

There have been a great many challenges to overcome in such a rapidly evolving team which have meant that I have been pushed forward far faster than I had expected to progress. Having been put through my paces, I am really proud of my team and how much I have accomplished.

If you’d asked me two years ago, I wouldn’t have believed I would be where I am now!

Our team and my role is to support the Operations Team and directors in many different capacities. Basically, this means that we take on many of the time-consuming or administrative tasks from the directors, so that they have more time and are more able to fulfill their roles.

Self-motivation and committing to responsibilities. If you have the drive to push yourself and are willing to take on responsibilities and truly commit to getting things done, you will go far.

My team and mentor have supported me through everything. If I've ever felt that I wasn’t up to the challenge, my team have been there to say ‘Give it a try’ and just with that little extra boost I have accomplished so much more than I ever thought I could.

Also, I have never before received so much appreciation and thanks for doing my job. It makes everything so much easier, when you know you’re respected and appreciated for the work you do.

I’m always kept busy and at times there have been challenges to overcome, but it has been worth it.

The people are motivated and always approachable; help can be found anywhere in the company when you need it. I always feel supported, appreciated and respected. It’s taken me a fair few years to find an employer that I can say that about!

If you are looking to work with a company where you will feel heard and want to be a part of ongoing changes then apply.

Lifetime is fast paced so self-motivation is key, but that’s what makes working here so exciting. You will be part of a company that is constantly changing, improving and growing.