My First 100 Days at Romero: Sam Mawson

For all new starters, be they graduates or experienced brokers, a new job’s first few days are very stressful. It’s important to make a good first impression, and that applies to both the individual and the company. At the Romero group we try to make the best first impression by outlining and showing all the great aspects we know exist within our fold.

Our company maxim is to Treat Our Customers Exceptionally, and this promise also applies to our employees. We put a lot of effort into our employee wellbeing, social experience and learning opportunities.

We want to confirm what we believe is true – that the first few days at the Romero Group are the best few days you can have at any company. To test our hypothesis, we asked our new IT Administrator, Sam Mawson, about his experience in his first 100 days at the Romero Group.

“I was firstly introduced to the IT team on my starting day at Romero. I knew a few of the team already as I had worked with them previously, including the in-house developer Dale from school. Because of this, there was no need for a formal introduction, only with Aaron the IT administrator which made the first day much easier.”

“I then had my introduction to the company meeting with Michael Craggs. He told me what Romero is about, it was very informative and really helped me get going – it set me off running so to speak.”

“Tom and Mark in IT then introduced me to everything Epic. Epic is our new insurance database which organises information on clientele, staff, suppliers, claims, policies, quotes; it is the system that underpins all our business’s functions. I wouldn’t say thrown in the deep end… but yeah… My purpose is to automate the system and create templates to increase work efficiency. After the first day it definitely felt like I was quickly getting involved with the work.”

“The company’s focus on the employees’ wellbeing makes all the difference”

“I first found out about our wellbeing initiatives through the company newsletter. I am very happy with the Wellbeing focus here at Romero. The activities arranged are by the staff, for the staff. There are also meetings on Teams that are wellbeing related each month. They focus on specific challenges; my first, I think, was on the dangers of the sun which was informative. I’ve suggested wellbeing ideas, including helping set up a company running club.”

“There is a massive focus on health and wellbeing at Romero; there exists a huge stigma that even though office work isn’t physically demanding, it takes more of a toll mentally. Which is why the company’s focus on the employee’s wellbeing makes all the difference. Due to office work not being that physically demanding it’s great for the company to offer health screening through We Are Wellbeing, which I’ve taken part in during my first 100 days. I like to know where I am physically and I think the company really supports that.”

“To be honest, this has been my first real job in the IT industry. I finished university under our first lockdown so finding a job was very difficult, with what little jobs that were going the demand for the roles were massive. Previously I worked in hospitality for Village hotels, but when an opportunity like this comes around it came as a blessing.”

“I feel I’ve learnt about myself and what I can bring to the table. I’ve learned what my strengths are. In my role I don’t feel like I have a boss looking over my shoulder but rather colleagues to work alongside with, it makes me feel more at ease with my job and have the confidence that I know I’m doing the right thing. For my role in the company, I don’t need to be constantly checked up on, instead they have the confidence in me to know I will report back about my progress in the work.”

“They have confidence in me”

“In my role, because I work with other departments, I’ve learned how they work together. This includes interpreting the way people think and evolving my own work ethics to suit. I’m based on the top floor of the Leeds office with the brand team. I’m thankful I’m with them as they’ve got good crack, good banter. When they leave on trips to London it’s quiet; I’ve decided I prefer the office with people, the slow days are the days on your own.”

“It’s important in a workplace to have general conversations to give your mind a break every now and again. And in my role is all problem solving, so there’s a need to refresh and not focus too much on a singular issue, sometimes taking your mind off the problem seems to help with coming up with a solution.”

“However, in my first 100 days, I’ve been surprised how much workflows have changed since I’ve been here. I am more confident in my role but its gotten more complex than I thought it would be. And yet how well I’ve handled it has surprised me. So I suppose my capability has been what’s surprised me.”

“What has pleasantly surprised me has been is the openness of the company. I don’t feel very constricted in what I do. I’m a very open person as is the work that I do, and I’m looking to learn and grow, and the company is happy to help me achieve.”

“Romero also puts on lots of social activities. I’ve attended the summer BBQ which was a big event that took place in Leeds city centre. It was nice to see the 3 separate floors of the Leeds office and the other offices around the country come together. It gave me a better understanding of the Romero family.”

“A trip out to York races and to see McFly was organised by the people at Romero and subsidised by the company. That was great to see people from all over the company come all dressed up nicely.”

“I also take part in a running group with some others from the company, the group varies from run to run with the hopes of more taking part. What I like most is it shows how well we work together in most situations as we all encourage each other to get more involved and push further. We are quite unified as a team I think; we all run at different paces but make sure to help and encourage each other to get the best out of all us.”

“The more work I had, the more I understood. And now I understand a lot more”

“The most challenging thing I’ve found in my first 100 days at Romero in my role is the insurance language. This is important to understand when working on documents sent out to clients. Its like learning a different language. Though, the more work I had, the more I understood. And now I understand a lot more.”

“We have regular informational seminars provided by the company which provide insight into the insurance world and language. This has helped me to get a better understanding of insurance process.”

“I’ve been happy to help in my time here, and as I progress I want to get more involved. This applies both socially and professionally; I’m looking forward to getting more involved with the wellbeing side of things.”

“I feel I can achieve more in the job role, and I’m actually looking forward to taking on more work. I’m eager to gain more of an overall experience of the IT department, including working with the developers and becoming a more integral part of the IT team.”

Congratulations Sam on completing your first 100 days with the Romero Group. It sounds like you’ve really got to pace with the role and have definitely become part of the Romero family. Keep the good workflow running!