Sarah Longworth

In April 2023 I decided to make quite a big career change to take up a role as a customer service advisor with HSBC. It was quite a significant change for me as I’d trained as a fashion designer and had worked in that industry for about six years. However, I wanted a career that gave me a better work-life balance – HSBC, with its hybrid working pattern, has certainly provided that. Now I enjoy a combination of working from home and time in the office with my team so it’s the best of both worlds and exactly what I was looking for.

As it was my first time in a customer service role, I suspected that I’d need to have some training when I joined to get me up to speed. Thankfully from my first week I was provided with a full training schedule and a clear plan of how to learn everything I’d be speaking to our customers about. At first, I learned a lot about HSBC’s values, the journey HSBC has been on and where they are today. Then after that, I got training in my role on the phone and given help and advice from colleagues and my assigned mentor. I enjoyed this as I not only got to really learn what my role would involve but also I got to meet lots of new people and make new friends. Eventually I had more technical training around the bank’s products and the specific policies and procedures within our department. Looking back now I realise how thorough the training was and that continues to be the case. If there’s something new that I’d like to learn about, I can just ask my manager and take the time away from the phones to complete training that is going to help me progress.

I enjoy that at HSBC I have the option to work from home, however when you go into the office there’s definitely a buzz with so many people around. There’re also some lovely initiatives at the office where the company tries to bring something new and exciting in for everyone to experience through roadshows and the like. I was diagnosed with ADHD as child, so I found it pretty cool when there was an awareness day for disabilities and neurodiversity. At the stand there were tools and activities to build your awareness through experiencing what it is like to have different disabilities. For example, there were gloves which when you put them on enabled you to understand how difficult it is to type or simply hold a pen if you have arthritis. Then you could try goggles so you could appreciate what it might be like to have autism, dementia, or a visual impairment. The fact that HSBC invests in awareness activities like this is inspiring.

I do love the support you get here. I’ve never had a job before where you get so much positive recognition. I’ve even been nominated for a People Award by my colleagues which makes me think I must be doing something right. It is a good feeling to get recognition like that.