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A Day in the Life of Linda Beaumont, Senior Resident Liaison Officer

Our next ‘Day in the Life’ focuses on Linda Beaumont, one of our Senior Liaison Officers, who has been with Connolly’s since 2014. We’d describe Linda as ‘lighting up every room she walks into’. She is the life and soul on site and always comes into work with a massive smile on her face. Her achievements throughout her career are a testament to her hard work, dedication and fantastic attitude.

Welcome to our next instalment of our ‘Day in the Life of’. A series of interviews with our people here at Connolly’s, providing insight into our day to day activities and our people. 

So, let’s go back – can you give us a brief insight into your career path which has led you to be in the position you are today?
My trade (so to speak) was as a Swimming Teacher, delivering school swimming lessons in my local community. I worked in the Sports Development sector as a Team Leader. I spent 12 happy years in this rewarding role, however I did crave a new challenge and decided to take a leap and worked abroad for a year in a holiday resort as a Holiday Rep and then a Bar/ Restaurant Manager. I became homesick and when I returned to the UK, I came across a job as Resident Liaison Officer in the construction industry. I really had no idea what the job entailed and asked myself whether construction was really for me. I got the job, and was thrown in at the deep end but I found my niche.

In 2014, after a great 9 years with that company, I was contacted by my old manager who asked whether I would you like to come and do the job I loved for a family business called A Connolly Ltd. Initially I wasn’t sure, but after meeting one of the Contracts Managers for a brew, where he explained the vision and the family business ethos, I was sold and have never looked back. My role developed and in 2017 I was promoted to Senior Resident Liaison Officer.

Are there any moments in your career, past or present, that stand out to you?
My first site at Connolly’s was on the Wigan and Leigh Homes cyclical project which covered many different aspects of planned maintenance, including roofing and EWI works and got to work with an amazing team. I moved over to a project with Contour Homes (now Onwards), which was a fast paced and challenging contract delivering replacement kitchens, bathrooms and wet rooms. I remember having a really challenging day where I sat and ate a full box of chocolates in my car, whilst venting on the phone to our Operations Manager Andrew Patient. He heard me out and we put together a plan of action to resolve the challenges. We still laugh about it to this day – he will often ask “is it a Linda sitting in your car with chocolates type of day”. We are one big team who are there for each other, supporting each other to reach the best outcomes.

What kind of skills do you need to be effective in your role?
You definitely have to be a people person who really cares about the residents who are on the receiving end of our work to their home. You need to truly understand and be passionate about delivering the very best levels of customer service. You need to be able to work under pressure, with resilience, compassion and empathy towards others. It’s important to be confident enough to challenge others if you see something you are not happy with, whilst having good negotiation skills and the ability to build trust within a team, which for us includes our clients and residents.

We work closely with all our customers but especially those residents who are vulnerable, which we identify at profiling stage so we can ensure the needs and expectations of each of our customers are met.

One of our clients once described the role of a Liaison Officer as the “jam in the butty“ and that is a great description of the Customer Care team here at Connolly. We all work hard, together, to achieve excellent levels of customer satisfaction.

Can you tell us about a typical working day for you?
Each morning I arrive at the Site Office with a whole load of positivity and enthusiasm to take part in the briefing between the Site Manager and our operatives to update them on any customer related matters.

I carry out daily visits with our customers where work is in progress to answer any questions or concerns whilst reassuring them on the process of works.

Usual daily duties also include booking survey appointments for asbestos and electrical checks, issuing start date notices, carrying out pre-start visits and carrying out a close-out visit just prior to handover to ensure our residents are happy.

Where do you see Connolly Ltd in 5 years?
We believe we will continue to win new contracts across all sectors of the business whilst continuing to work with our existing clients. The business will continue to empower its people to grow with the rapidly expanding business.

Can you tell us about the hardest moment in your career and how you overcame it?
Taking that initial leap from years of experience of working with a local authority where I had job security and taking that chance within the construction industry. It really did take me some time to settle in and I asked myself daily “is this role really for me“. I gave myself some time and started to understand the processes more and see how I could actually make a difference no matter how big or how small.

Connolly Culture is at the heart of the business – can you describe what the culture means to you?
Without sounding too cliché, the culture really is at the heart of what we do. From first joining this great family business back in 2014, I have been very passionate about our culture. Everyone here is approachable and the director’s doors are always open. I work with some amazing people here at Connolly, we get the job done well but also make sure we have time to have a giggle, and even the occasional wind-up.

What do you believe is the greatest thing that Connolly Ltd has achieved so far?
Seeing the business grow as it has with our own work force is amazing and the many talented people that have joined us as a result of the growth have brought great improvements to the business.

Do you have any advice for people who want to work in the Construction industry?
The industry is vast with so many opportunities, I think just give it a try, do something new that challenges you, dare to be different – I did it and have never looked back.

What do you love most about your job?
The people, the challenges and the fact that every single day is different and varied. We all play a massive part in keeping the wheels turning to deliver an excellent standard of work with high levels of customer satisfaction..

Finally, if there was one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Be brave, be confident and never give up! Anything is possible, you just have to believe in yourself, step out of that comfort zone, stretch yourself and who knows you may end up finding the career you love.