Work Hard, Play Hard

As well as having my capabilities pushed and put to the test while I have been at Rathbones, I have the pleasure in saying it hasn’t all been work, work, work. I have been shocked by how social the company is! It is impossible to not have a good social life whilst working here. I guess the old saying applies – work hard, play hard! So far, I have attended several birthday meals with the people in my team. I was also invited to the Rathbones Christmas party which was in the Maritime Museum which was a fantastic location. The night offered the chance to have a sit down meal while socialising with colleagues. This was a great way for me to meet people I wouldn’t normally talk to during working hours. I noticed events like this make the working environment a more pleasant place to work as you get to know people on a more personal basis. My department also had a Christmas night out. This was a Robbie Williams tribute act in the Crown Plaza. Admittedly, it wouldn’t have been my first choice of event for a Christmas night out but I was shocked by how much of a good time we all had. I was also fortunate to meet the rest of the RPAS team that are based in the London, Bristol and Newcastle offices. It was great for me to put faces to voices as I had only ever spoken to them on the phone. As part of the apprenticeship, we also had a sit down meal with the CEO of Rathbones at the time, Andy Pomfret. As you can imagine, I was quite nervous going into the meal as I wanted to make a good impression. Once I got sat down and the meal was underway, I was surprised by how easy it was to talk to him. It made me realise that talking to the CEO of Rathbones is no different to talking to the person sitting next to you on a daily basis. I am due to move departments soon. I think it will be easier settling in this time than when I first started as faces will be more familiar. I am also confident in knowing that my new team will be as friendly as the one I am in now. I will be going to Client Static Data next, which I believe will allow me to gain a better knowledge of Rathbones and its entirety.