"What an incredible 9 months it's been. When I was interviewing for the Team Leader role back in September 2016 I was asked, "Why HIF?" I heard great things about the place from former colleagues who had joined and honestly, I felt it was too good to be true! But seriously, I can hand on heart say I love working for this passionate health fund.
The staff engagement, focus on career development and continued commitment to members is unreal. I can prove this... I was not successful in my first interview; at the time there was another candidate that scored higher. However they didn’t want to lose me... their words not mine! I am persistent and ambitious, so the thought of joining HIF as a Customer Service Representative was not an issue for me as quietly, I was confident that if I showed my worth, HIF would reward me and the leadership role would happen soon enough.
Now, I am working alongside that other candidate and together we are kicking goals!
Outside of HIF? My life is probably just like everyone elses but in no particular order it’s something like: wake up, eat, work, eat, work, eat. Once I’m home I’ll do anything to waste time and drag out what I can before having to head to the gym. Then I will repeat the above steps for the rest of the week. No secrets with me, except I hate unpeeled peaches.
Getting the right people on board is key for HIF and our members, so if I was to give any advice to any prosperous leaders or potential candidates I would encourage them to have a positive attitude, challenge the status quo and listen to what your team have to say. Staff engagement goes a long way and it will only reflect on the service we give to our members. Day to day I am enthusing my team, helping confused or upset members and thinking about how tomorrow can be better than today.
Of course, I think my team is the best as they really do care about one another and they understand how they contribute to HIF’s success – but it’s not a competition (it is really).
What excites me the most is the future of my team and HIF. Although I know my career has only just started here at HIF. Knowing I will be part of a growing family that cares about the employees with an ever growing member base, it would be silly not to say the future is looking pretty bright!"
Ali Hayek