Richard
"It’s a very friendly and open environment, everyone feels part of the team..."
I’ve worked at Accord for about 7 years now. I first joined as an Administrator, and pretty quickly went on to become one of the very first Case Managers. I then had a brief spell in underwriting, and became a Team Leader about a year ago.
My role is all about making sure that the right resources are in place so that Accord continues to deliver excellent levels of service. This involves looking at rota systems, monitoring case volumes alongside other teams, checking on quality, mentoring and feeding back to the team, and acting on any areas for development.
As a Team Leader you need to be able to motivate and communicate with people at all levels. After all, in this role you’re drawing on resources across the company and delivering great service through others. It’s also useful being able to take a step back and see the bigger picture, as well as being flexible enough to adapt to the ever-changing requirements of the business.
It’s a very friendly and open environment. Everyone definitely feels part of the team and we regularly meet up out of work - that’s something I really like about the place. It is people’s positive attitude that means we don’t just get through a demanding workload - we enjoy it as well.
Accord looks after its people, supports colleagues and recognises performance. Initiatives like the outstanding staff member award every month really do make a difference. Even if you join us with no directly relevant experience, good training means you soon start to feel comfortable with the complexity of the cases you’re dealing with. Ultimately though, your real training is done on the job, as getting involved with the cases themselves makes you fully understand how the business operates. There’s also a really good ‘buddy’ system that’s been set up, which provides plenty of support to new starters - and everyone else.
I’ve had lots of support and guidance along the way, including valuable opportunities to shadow colleagues as I moved into different roles. The type of support you receive depends on what your aims are, and how you want to drive your own development.
I didn’t know anything about Accord before I joined, but quickly realised what a stable, successful business it was - and still is! I’ve enjoyed seeing the business evolve in response to the market changing over the years.
