Nick Gillespie, Centre Manager for our Glasgow and Edinburgh test points, joined Trinity a year and a half ago and has proven to be a manager who is passionate about breaking down barriers, advocates for strong mental health, and enjoys a fun-loving workplace. This is Nick's journey with us so far.
What is your career background before you joined Trinity?
Before Trinity I had been working with the Glasgow Subway for 5 years. My time there was spent working in the stations overseeing the running and safety/security aspect of the stations as well as interacting with the general public by selling tickets or guiding them on their journey. Prior to that I had spent about 10 years working in the bookmakers. I've got lots of experience in face-to- face customer service roles in high demanding industries.
What is your day-to-day role as a Centre Manager?
Ensuring that the centre is properly prepared for running exam sessions and making sure that there is enough staff scheduled. I need to ensure that the equipment is all working and correct, the paperwork is ready and available for audits and we have everything in place for a smooth candidate journey from the moment they step in the centre.
Mental health is an area that you are passionate about. As a Centre Manager, how have you supported your colleagues on this?
I do what I can to make my colleagues feel supported and seen. We have got a "Stress Box" that is filled with some helpful books and some treats, because we all need a pick me up once in a while! I also do a monthly question/riddle, joke and entertainment recommendations to give people something to help take their mind off anything that's bothering them. I think it's important to just be there and available to your colleagues if any of them ever want to just chat.
Tell us the reasons you think that organisations such as Trinity should invest heavily in the mental health and wellbeing for our people and how can this impact our success?
It's important that staff feel happy and comfortable at their work. At the end of the day, we are all human beings and we all feel something, so it's nice to have that recognised and validated in some way. A happy workforce will be a more productive workforce, there is no denying that. If people feel that their contributions matter then they'll be more open to bringing forward ideas that can help in our success.
You’ve recently received a business shout-out for helping to improve communication and bringing people together, well done! How have you achieved this?
I think just by being there for my team and managing to properly balance this with what is expected of me in a professional sense as well. I've made contributions to some larger projects outside of the day to day running of the centre and I think that has helped.
Outside of work, what interests you or what hobbies do you hold?
I enjoy watching movies/tv, reading (books/comics) and listening to music. I've got a varied taste and will listen to almost anything passively, but my active listening habits are very much hard rock/heavy metal. I've got a small vinyl collection going that I'm always keen to add to. I also enjoy spending time with my wife and our little fur baby, Lily, whom we adopted form Romania.
What is the best part about working for Trinity?
I think for me it's been so refreshing to be part of somewhere that is open to suggestions and actively wants to recognise the work that staff are doing across all departments and levels.
“It's important that staff feel happy and comfortable at their work. At the end of the day, we are all human beings and we all feel something, so it's nice to have that recognised and validated in some way.”