Meet the New Boy at Alcumus ISOQAR

Darren Shorney recently joined the Alcumus family as the Lead Auditor at Alcumus ISOQAR. Here, he reflects on his first few months in his new and exciting role.

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Written by: Alcumus
14th September

One cold April evening I receive a call out of the blue from an old work buddy asking me how life was treating me.

As it happened, his call was timely. I’d been on a career break for six months, and with batteries suitably recharged, I was now ready for a new challenge. So, being the wise chap he is, he suggested that I send in an application to Alcumus as he felt I was well suited to the role of an auditor at Alcumus ISOQAR.

So, fast forward four months and here I am, on the verge of being signed off as a fully-fledged team member.

How on earth did I get here?

I vividly recall the searching interview with Field Operations Director, Mark Burgess. He put me at ease - at least, as much as you can at a job interview - allowing me to give my best. And that’s a mark of the way the company operates, as I’ve subsequently learned.

So, why did I decide to join? I was looking to do something slightly different to what I had been doing, which was Training & Development in the Facilities Management sector and for a little charity you may have heard of called Help for Heroes. I wanted to be part of a business that puts the customer at the heart of everything it does and believed in delivering value for money - and I believe that is what we do at Alcumus.

My first day was a really well-structured induction day in Cardiff run by the People Coordinator, Amelia Barwell. Over the next couple of weeks, I met a whole range of people all prepared and geared up to give me all the insight I needed to understand the business, the way it operates, and its values.

Special mentions must go the Sub-Contractor Team Manager, Olivia Pearce; the Field Team Administrator, Amy Shaw and the entire Alcumus ISOQAR Team in Manchester; and the entertaining and inspiring ISO 9001 course with Eddie Joyce.

All in all, I enjoyed a smooth passage into my new role but more importantly the new company and ‘family’ that I now feel part off - a value which is important to me personally and I could have only dreamed of.

My ongoing induction has meant I have been able to shadow and get involved at every stage of the audits I have been on. The team of auditors that I have been out with have been excellent and have all completed a report on me that has been supportive. My line manager regularly checks in with me to keep in touch and simply check how I am. Everybody that I have met and worked with has been supportive, friendly and welcoming.

I have had the pleasure of meeting some fantastic customers too. After all, they’re the reason we’re here! The variety of businesses and environments you get to work in ensures no two days are the same. I’ve already been out to businesses who install air-conditioning, a truck dealer, a partition wall installer, and a company who lay sports grounds to name a few. All the customers have been welcoming and clearly respect the auditors, the audit process and the value that it adds to their business. We have some great customers.

To sum up, I feel I’ve had the best start I have ever experienced when joining a new employer. I feel very well supported and generally cared about. More importantly, I feel well set up to succeed and deliver a great service to our customers and represent what I feel is an excellent business with an excellent back office team and a great team of auditors.

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to support!