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Rebecca Burton
Communications Co-ordinator
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| Joined: |
2006 |
| Background: |
Student |
| Education: |
BSc Geography, University College London |
| Interests: |
Swimming, theatre |
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5 September 2008
A new focus
All week I’ve been trying to get the right documentation together so I can move into a new flat a.s.a.p. Work has become a pleasant distraction between phone calls with estate agents.
Had a meeting to discuss a new internal communication campaign that will be rolled out across our projects in the coming months. A business who specialise in project managing brand delivery within organisation pitched their initial ideas, timescales and cost based on a limited brief they had been given.
I’m looking forward to working on such a major campaign. It’s a key part of an ongoing process to ensure that our employees realise they all play an important part in delivering the projects which will allow the company to achieve it’s strategic intentions.
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29 August 2008
Back to work
In between pieces of work, this week I’ve been talking to various colleagues around the business, finding out answers to a questionnaire. An engineering publication is running a feature which reviews all major employers of engineers, so I’ve had forty tricky questions to find before the end of toady. Just sent off the finished article now, so I can finally take a deep breath.
I’ve written another news feature for the intranet about the positive media coverage Laing O’Rourke has been getting recently. I am gradually realising that writing is my favourite part of this job. I enjoy having a variety of work, but if I had to pick one element I’d that like to develop my skills in and pursue as a career, writing would be it.
This weekend will be stressful rather than restful because it’s time to start flat hunting once again. I’m moving out of London to be nearer Dartford. The commute will be less, and thankfully so will the rent, but any money I save will probably get spent in Bluewater shopping as it’ll be right on the doorstep.
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22 August 2008
Back to work
The first few days back at work after a holiday are always tough and this week was no different. Arriving at East Midlands airport on a grey and miserable Sunday afternoon was a complete shock to the system – I hadn’t seen a single cloud the entire time I was away. The number of emails waiting in my inbox didn’t do much to soften the blow either.
I did nothing but create collaborative communities on our intranet on Monday. Community site are areas on our intranet set up to store information which needs to be shared by people in the business with a common interest or discipline but who are located remotely from one another. A useful tool for the company, but very monotonous when you have to set up ten in a row!
On my desk was a huge parcel of test print runs I have been eagerly awaiting, but the quality wasn’t up to scratch and so the supplier is about to start another run with a few improvements this time round. It’s more waiting, but I’ve learnt patience is a virtue with projects like these and I’m confident they can rectify the problems.
This afternoon I have an article to write about rubbish – truthfully. It’s a piece on a report released by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee called Waste Reduction. Laing O’Rourke’s Head of Engineering was one of the industry experts that gave evidence during the inquiry. Who said journalism wasn’t glamorous?
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8 August 2008
Counting the days
Today is my last day at work before heading off to one of the Greek islands for a week in the Mediterranean sunshine. The last five days have flown by as I have been trying to get my ‘to-do’ list as small as possible.
I have made good progress pulling together a calendar that covers all the communications exercises across the businesses for the rest of the year. The calendar incorporates all channels of communication within Laing O’Rourke including digital, print and face-to-face. It also features key public affairs date, such as the political party conferences. We do a lot of work for the government (schools and hospitals etc) so it is important we maintain these business relationships.
My attention to detail was tested yesterday when I had to go through the guest list of an industry dinner event with a fine tooth comb – checking every last detail about the invitees was correct before the letters were sent out. The final thing I will do today before the holiday begins is compile an employer profile of Laing O’Rourke to be featured in New Civil Engineer publication. Then it will be a quick tidy of the desk before I’m out the door, dreaming of cocktails on the beach.
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1 August 2008
Patience is a virtue
A largely repetitive week in terms of work and play. I have edited a few news articles before posting them on the intranet and wrote one of my own which I may even submit for our quarterly publication, Infoworks. The article summarises employees’ feedback on forums they attended. I processed and analysed all the responses originally so it made sense that this task fell to me. I’ve also already put the results into a PowerPoint presentation, I don’t think I’ll ever see the back these forums.
I have spent an awful lot of time approving artwork templates from the printers. It’s been a challenge coordinating the input of various colleagues – just when I think I’ve got the green light someone pipes up at the last minute wanting a small detail changing. For the remainder of the week I’ve had my head stuck in a speech transcript, editing it from 30 pages to seven; this is no mean feat I can assure you. Rewarding if unexciting.
Having not been to the cinema for what seems like years I’ve been twice this in the last six days. Batman and Mama Mia – two equally entertaining that films that couldn’t be more different if they tried. I’ll be sure to do something totally different and spontaneous this weekend to make up for it.
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25th July 2008
Getting the final cut
Firstly I must mention that last week’s exhibition ‘Psycho Buildings’ was well worth the visit. Most of the installations you had to physically walk through or around so that you actually felt part of the art itself.
Anyway it was back to reality with a bump on Monday. I have been editing a three hour video most of this week, trying to achieve the impossible and get a final cut that will run for no longer than 30 minutes. I now know the Laing O’Rourke transformation strategies better than my own address. They are my mantra…
The entire communications team met for the day on Tuesday, as they do every quarter. We use this time to discuss key focus points over the coming months, any potential issues that may arise and there is usually a practical exercise and guest speaker to add variety to proceedings. It is always good to hear about the work my colleagues have been doing within their respective business units – it offers me a completely different perspective on the role of the collective communications function.
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21st July 2008
Hot off the press…
It knew it was going to be a good week when, on Monday, I got my holiday authorised and booked up to go to Zakynthos. One week of bliss in the Grecian sunshine, but with temperatures hitting 40oC it’ll be nothing but factor 50 for my fair skin.
It was a significant week for Group Communications. There was a lot of media attention following the release of Laing O’Rourke’s annual financial results. Our chief operating officer and financial director gave several interviews and the next day it was matter of scouring the papers and online publications to analyse the coverage we received. I pieced together a pack for the executive board which collated the key articles written. I’m happy to report I was putting together a very positive document.
On Thursday it was great to catch up with my fellow graduates for the day and hear what they’d been getting up. We had our final management workshop to attend, this time the focus ‘Innovation’. According to the theory, Innovation = Creativity x Risk Taking. There is certainly room for creative licence in a communicationss role, however I think I’ll wait until I have a few months more experience under my belt before I start throwing caution to the wind.
This weekend I’m off to the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank to see ‘Psycho Buildings’. The exhibition showcases work of artists who create habitat-like structures and architectural environments. It’s supposed to be quite surreal but I have always had a penchant for quirky architecture so I’m looking forward to it.
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11th July 2008
‘9 til 5’?
It’s been a busy week in Communications. Seem to have spent a lot of time chasing other people for information they promised, but is strangely yet to materialise. You have to be persistent in this game!
I’m in the middle of getting a new supplier on board at the moment – reminds me of my first placement in procurement. I was certainly grateful to be able to draw on the contacts I made during my time there. The new online service this supplier provides will make things much slicker and save the company money too. At the moment it’s a lot of to-ing and fro-ing but I think it’ll be worth it when everything is up and running.
I dared go out on a ‘school night’ this week. Karaoke, not exactly a regular pastime of mine. It was a good friend’s birthday though so I couldn’t wriggle out. Well, one thing led to another and before I knew it I was belting out Dolly Parton ‘9 til 5’!
Ironic, really, because I would never explain my job as 9 til 5. The hours tend to vary, sometimes there can be a bit of a lull and I can get away half an hour earlier than normal. On the flip side, all of a sudden I can have a to-do list as long my arm and have to work much longer. Communications tends to involve strict deadlines, rather than ongoing processes so there is no way of spreading work more evenly. I like the unpredictability and variety; keeps me on my toes.
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2nd July 2008
PowerPoint and Wimbledon
Since joining our corporate Communications team I’ve been involved in a wide variety of work. I put my journalistic skills to the test writing a couple of news articles on the success of our in-house concrete specialist, Expanded, at recent award ceremonies. This was enjoyable as everyone likes sharing good news, and now the articles are up on our intranet for all to see.
Following a series of nationwide roadshows to our staff by one of our senior leaders I’ve been writing a presentation summarising feedback from the audiences. A large part of my role is creating or editing corporate presentations so, with the encouragement of my line manager, I attended an external PowerPoint course. It’s great to know my development is fully supported by my department. The training was excellent and pitched at exactly the right standard for my level of experience. The course venue was also conveniently close to my parents’ house so I even managed to squeeze in a family visit!
As the weather gets warmer I often think enviously of my colleagues out on site as I sit in an air-conditioned office; at least the running news on the Communications office TV means I’m always up to date with the latest scores from Wimbledon!
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15th April 2008
Off to the Ivory Tower
Upon joining the Laing O’Rourke Graduate Management Programme I was somewhat apprehensive. My primary concern was being a female, non-cognate (I have a Geography degree) in a male dominated world of engineers. Any fears I had were soon cast aside during my first action packed week learning basic site skills. At the National Construction College I turned my hand to all manner of trades from scaffolding and steel fixing to drainage and brickwork. The evenings weren’t wasted either, using valuable time at the bar getting to know my fellow cohorts!
Suffice to say I never looked back. The construction industry is challenging and dynamic – so far I have had experience in health and safety, procurement and planning. There has certainly been plenty of opportunity for me to get my boots dirty on site.
My next placement on the scheme will take me to the ‘Ivory Towers’ of Head Office where I will spend nine months working within the Corporate Communications team. Although I will miss the banter and pace of site life I am looking forward to getting a helicopter view of how a global organisation operates, besides my leaving drinks are sure to be more than a memorable affair!
