Six months ago I embarked on the Clarasys graduate scheme. Starting a new job can often be an exciting yet daunting experience, however, before I had even stepped into the office I was made to feel welcome.
A few days after joyfully accepting the job offer I was pleasantly surprised to receive a small gift and a handwritten card welcoming me to the company, along with an invitation to a welcome social – a chance to meet some of my future colleagues over a few beers and some ping pong. This was the first indication of the culture at Clarasys, it’s a welcoming and fun working environment, and one that prides itself on inclusivity.
The first four weeks consisted of a comprehensive training course, a team building weekend in the New Forest (who knew team building could be fun?) and a company-wide rounders tournament. We were given the means and support to be great consultants, but we were also shown the values that the company was built on and continues to live by. We were then trusted to put our new-found skills to the test, working with renowned charities in a pro-bono capacity for six weeks.
The level of trust Clarasys places on its employees is one of the things I have found most encouraging over the past six months. At all levels, employees are trusted to represent the company in terms of both its expertise and values, empowering them to be more creative in delivering value both for clients and internally. This enables employees to draw on their creativity and to place trust in others, creating more effective working teams.
This trust contributes to something I have found so valuable in my time at Clarasys, the focus on people development. Upon starting at Clarasys you are assigned a coach to help you work towards your personal and professional goals, helping you to determine your career path. There is also an excellent feedback culture to help each other and the company to improve, and a dedicated learning department providing opportunities to develop your skills.
There’s something quite inspiring about a company that wants you to grow as they do, and that’s not an easy balance to achieve. However, one of the ways Clarasys does this successfully is through the delivery of internal work, with all employees dedicating time to improve the business by delivering against its objectives. This way of working ensures that all employees are helping to shape the company as it grows, which means that ultimately, it’s not too bad getting out of bed in the morning!
It’s been an awesome first six months, I’ve learnt a huge amount and had a lot of fun, which is testament to everyone at Clarasys for making such a stimulating place to work. It’s a massive achievement to be recognised by the Sunday Times 100 award for the second year running, and going forward we will continuously look to build on this, to maintain the company’s values and culture as it grows.