Chrissy has been with us for a month now, so we asked her to sum up how she has found the transition from local government to private sector…
“I’ve been in post now for a month and whilst there’s lots of symmetry with how I used to work, I’m enjoying learning new skills each day… Conducting initial conversations with potential clients to see how I can assist them, submitting applications on the Planning Portal, liaising with the client to get all the relevant information for the Planning Statement etc. It is all very new to me but I feel that I’m quickly adapting skills that I have developed in my local government roles, which gives me a unique perspective on looking at proposals.
“Chris has been on hand to point me in the right direction when needed. It can be challenging getting to grips with the relevant policies of the Development Plan policies, SPDs etc of many different authorities rather than working at one Council and knowing its polices inside out already. There is a lot of overlap but also sometimes subtle but important differences not to be missed!
“Being able to properly focus on certain projects at any one time rather than being at the Council jumping from application to application, taking calls from angry neighbours, being the duty officer etc. is a definite bonus.
“The flexible working arrangements are also going well with a number of clients preferring to talk through projects at night time once they have finished doing their own day jobs this fits into my family life well. Flexing work around family life is amazing! Yesterday when it was so hot I decided to take a break in the afternoon and pick up again later in the evening after having our family tea outside. I don’t know of any other workplace which promotes this way of working.
“My style of being responsive and detailed but also clear and honest in my advice is proving popular with potential clients. I get the impression that they quickly appreciate what me/Planning House will bring to their project and want us ‘on board’. Hopefully my contacts and clients will steadily build up over the next few months.
“I feel like I have fitted into the team really quickly. Even though we’re working from home, we still operate as a group of colleagues in regular contact with each other. We all share ideas and new information that we have learned in our weekly virtual meeting and by email or Whatsapp. I think we are all looking forward for a face to face catch up, which is planned as a training day sometime after the school summer holidays … followed by some drinking, obviously!”
Chris (Pipe) is also delighted to have Chrissy on board: “Chrissy has hit the ground running. It’s only natural that there will be challenges transitioning from local government to private sector, but the wealth of knowledge and experience Chrissy has is serving her well and I am delighted that she is making an excellent contribution to the team”.
We are excited to see what the future holds for the Planning House team.
