We were joined in the People, Culture and Inclusion team this week by my daughter Ellie, who was on a work experience placement. A current sixth form student, Ellie’s only experience of work so far was her weekend café job, so I wanted to show her a different side of life as an adult! We spent much of the week working from home, in separate rooms calling out to each other occasionally. But we did manage to have a day on campus to give her some insight into not just the world of work but University life too. At the end of her week I asked her to write some reflections to share.

As intimidating as it seemed at first, I’ve been welcomed into the team here since my first meeting earlier this week. A smile and wave may have been all I managed to personally contribute in meetings, but I’ve gained valuable knowledge about how the working world functions.

I felt most engaged and interested when physically on campus, and as a student looking into university options it was advantageous for me to be immersed in the culture. I feel that I’ve learnt a lot this week – from how to correctly sit at an office desk to the vast world of apprenticeships so I’m glad that I decided to complete this work experience as its helped me to grow career ideas.

Helping staff with different areas of research in the People, Culture and Inclusion team has been a very interesting aspect of the week for me. Whether it be educating myself about Allyship or researching International Women’s Day, the week has been helpful in my life as well as being directly work related.

Finally, working with my Mum for a week was interesting to say the least. It highlighted to me the incredible levels of work that go into the development and maintenance of life at the university. Maybe I’ll have to start offering to make dinner every now and then!

Thanks Ellie for sharing your thoughts, I’ve enjoyed having you alongside me, and I look forward to you fulfilling your promise of making dinner!

It’s been useful to see the work we do through fresh eyes, and to realise how much we speak in code at times (far too many acronyms and short cuts in our dialogue). I’ve been reminded of how wonderfully welcoming my colleagues are, not just in my team but everyone we met across the University online or in real life. The culture of an organisation shows up clearly to those who are new to it: our new colleagues and the students who join us every year. What will you want them to notice?

Juliet and Ellie, People, Culture and Inclusion team