By Sarah Rodricks on May 20, 2024
At Spirit, culture isn’t just something we talk about, it’s something that we live and breathe every day.
Simply put, it underpins, affects, and shapes everything we do and everything we achieve. Having a collective mission means we work together, and a thriving culture is vital.
We’ve been recognised by Best Companies to Work For since 2021, and last year we were recognised as the best health organisation to work for in the UK.
We asked our HR team to share more about what it’s like working in HR at Spirit. This is what they said:
Meet the team:
- Kerry Taylor-Smith: People Director
- Lena Mistry: Head of HR
- Paulina Saproniene: HR Assistant
- Vanessa Reading: Culture and Communications Lead
What’s different about working in HR at Spirit?
Kerry – The culture and experience here at Spirit are second to none, it’s unique and drives us to achieve. I have worked and contracted in a variety of organisations and what we have is special!
Lena – Work plays such a big part in many people’s lives, it’s great to be part of a constantly evolving organisation which dynamically approaches HR and culture to drive its people to not only succeed but thrive!
What’s the best bit about your job?
Vanessa – The best bit about my job is the people. I have an amazing team and I love getting out and working with the wider teams across the organisation facilitating workshops. It’s always lovely to see everyone’s little faces and give lots of hugs out!
Paulina – For me, it is witnessing people express genuine gratitude for my assistance and support. Also seeing improved feedback when we implement something new, and of course all the awards we win! I also really enjoy talking to other HR professionals and seeing that what we provide our employees is as good as what other companies offer, and sometimes even better!
What’s your best achievement?
Kerry – Our culture and engagement levels being recognised both internally and externally; I love what we have, what we stand for, what we achieve and the fact that we celebrate it!
Lena – One of my most significant achievements personally is earning recognition for my hard work in supporting Kerry, the Director of People, leading to my current role as Head of HR. This really boosted my confidence and has inspired me to support and challenge in new ways.
What’s next? What are you looking forward to working on or want to achieve?
Paulina – My to-do list is endless with ideas, projects, and things to research. We continually propose fantastic ideas to make Spirit an even better place to work!
Vanessa – I’m currently working on high performing team workshops! I’m also completing a CIPD course, so it’s set to be a very busy but very exciting time ahead!
Kerry – I’m looking forward to continuing to support our thriving culture and fantastic people initiatives so we can continue to do what we do best and make health easy, accessible and affordable for all.
Lena – To drive world-class HR within the Spirit team that supports the drive in culture and people practices, providing us with a competitive advantage through ‘our people’.
