It’s important to find a job that makes you happy. That’s what Polina, one of our grads, has found with us. Hear her thoughts on finding happiness in the workplace:
Did you know that we spend, on average, 30% of
our lives at work? So it’s no wonder that work plays an integral part in
a person’s emotional and physical wellbeing, making happiness and
satisfaction levels at work all the more important. For me, many things
contribute to having a smile on my face when I come through the doors in
the morning.
People
When I joined GSK through the Future Leaders Programme (FLP), I kept
asking everyone I met the same question: “What are the people like?”.
I’d never worked in an office, or in the UK, before and frankly, I was
intimidated. The answer was always “everyone is nice and very helpful”,
but I never realised how true it was until I started working myself.
After spending some time shadowing, the time came to submit my
preference for which area of the business I wanted to join. I spent
hours considering the decision and rationalising my choice to myself –
and then indicated a preference for a completely opposite area. The
change of heart happened after I spent time with each of the team
members, got to know their personalities, approach to work and their
sense of humour.
I have made my career choice based on the people I would work with –
and have not regretted it. The team even celebrates each others’
birthdays, and I can truly say these people have become my family away
from home.
I am on the IT FLP, working in a functional associate role in Global
ERP, a GSK-wide programme implementing an enterprise resource planning
system called SAP across GSK markets and manufacturing sites. When I
joined my extended functional team, I knew very little about SAP and
nothing about GSK ways of working. Everyone was older and more
experienced (in some cases my colleagues had more years of experience
than my age!). First, I spent time making introductions, and then
ventured out to ask for help and guidance. I was pleasantly surprised
when everyone I approached agreed to give me their time, whether it was
for a friendly chat or a system demonstration.
One of my colleagues sat with me for hours over several weeks to make
sure I understood every single setting in our build. Now, my stock
answer to all the new joiners is: don’t worry – GSK is a caring
environment and people are supportive, kind and helpful. We take care of
our own.
A separate blog post is required to tell you about my fellow Global
ERP future leaders. I am pleased to be on the programme with so many
talented, driven, supportive, ambitious people and could not have asked
for a better group to develop alongside. They are a friendly bunch too –
reach out and you will find out for yourself.
Team
Working in such a large organisation, I’ve become a part of many
teams and circles. We spend lots of time together; approving,
discussing, reflecting, designing, presenting, building side-by-side,
configuring and documenting. They’re committed to supporting my
development and extending my technical knowledge.
We bond on a personal level as well. I know about their hobbies,
families, backgrounds, even food allergies (sometimes I bake for the
team, so it’s not as strange as it sounds), and I am fortunate to say
that I truly like everyone I work with. Even if I have to be at a
meeting at 8am, I know there will be jokes, coffee and helpful advice –
and it makes even the most complex aspects of the job simpler.
Environment
You might find it strange when I say GSK House contributes to my
cheerful mood at work, but it is true. I keep taking photos of the
building, especially on sunny days, because the sky reflects gorgeously
in the mirrored glass. There’s also a canal and a beautiful park behind
it, which makes for a great lounging place over lunchtime in the summer -
and a nice break for your eyes, switching from a laptop screen to grass
and sunshine.
I love my job, but working in IT means my 9 to 5 consists of being
glued to a computer, and the park is a welcome change. It’s also home to
numerous bunnies, which come very close to the building and roam freely
on GSK grounds. Being closer to nature than I would have been in
central London is a great, if unexpected, benefit of GSK’s location.
Learning
For me, happiness also comes with on-the-job learning and it’s
two-fold. First, with in-depth technical knowledge comes confidence and I
feel more comfortable in my role by the day. There are few things more
gratifying than receiving a complex question from the market and being
able to provide a comprehensive answer that resolves their concerns. I
walk away thinking, “I got this”.
Secondly, learning leads to understanding which means I have the
ability to get involved and participate more and, in the end,
contribute. The more I contribute the happier I am, because I can
clearly see that what I do daily helps GSK live its mission and support
the interests of those we are helping. Even working in IT, I know that I
am helping others do more, live longer and feel better.
Simply walking down the Street (the atrium area in the building) in
the middle of the workday, saying hi to people I have the privilege to
work with, then coming back to my desk, supporting my team and our
common goal, and learning something new – it’s enough to lift my spirits
and brighten my day. If I do spend 43 hours at the office, they are
hours of positive thinking, professional development and personal
connections, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
By Polina Zaichkina
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