My Life at GreenKite: Carlene Douglas

Towards the end of my A Levels I decided that university wasn’t for me (despite spending hours researching courses, locations and writing UCAS forms) and after school I went straight to work for a large bank in the City.  Here I had various roles in statistics and market operations before settling into HR for the final few years.  After 10 years I left to have my first child.  Whilst I wanted to go back to ‘London life’, with over an hour travel time each way and limited childcare it just wasn’t practical.  I had little choice other than to stay local and I started to work part-time for my parent’s construction company doing general admin and accounts.

Towards the end of 2019, the offer of work at GreenKite came when my youngest child had settled into school. GreenKite, at the time, were a new start-up who were growing and needed some extra help.  They were willing to be very flexible, I could work at home or go into the office and they were happy for me to continue with my existing role with my parents.  The initial role covered everything from admin to accounts to HR so I was excited to get back into the type of work I used to do and even get to travel back up to the City!

Fast forward through one world pandemic to two years later and I am still here enjoying every minute of it.  My role has evolved and my hours have increased to suit the needs of GreenKite, as we have grown and taken on new employees, whilst all the time remaining flexible for me and ensuring I can continue working with my parents too.  My role now focuses on accounts and recruitment.  Whilst some people find this a strange combination, I love the variety that it brings and GreenKite have allowed me to take on the roles that focus on the things I enjoy, yet also challenge and push me out of my comfort zone.  Something I hadn’t had to do for a long time and, if I am honest, something that I am still getting used to now and still find quite scary!

GreenKite take the welfare and happiness of their staff very seriously.  They trust me to manage my workload and deadlines within my hours and fit my role around my family life.   If I feel I have too much on (as can happen with 2 jobs and a family) then help is always on hand to ensure you aren’t overwhelmed.

GreenKite has given me the opportunity to get back into the work that I enjoy.  I have been thrown lots of new challenges and love the variation that my job offers me.  I know that I will continue to be challenged and pushed throughout my time here and look forward to my future with GreenKite.