We caught up with Alice, Laura and Terry to see how they’ve settled into their new roles here at Johnsons of Whixley, one year on from when they started.
Let’s start by introducing you all:
Alice Knowles (AK): I’m Alice, I joined the Cash & Carry team as plant centre reception and sales administrator after working previously at RHS Harlow Carr plant centre as a team leader.
Laura Holmes (LH): Hi, I’m Laura. I joined last year as sales administrator in the sales team. Before starting here, I worked in a HR admin role at the City of York Council.
Terry Cooper (TC) I’ve been at Johnsons of Whixley for 4years, but a year ago I moved to work alongside our IT manager as a system support assistant.
How has your first year in your new role been?
TC: It’s been great, really enjoyed it. Honestly can’t believe it’s been almost a year, it has gone by so quick! Is that a sign I’m getting old?
AK: My first year at Johnsons has flown by and it really feels like I’ve been here much longer. It’s been very interesting, and great to learn about the business as a whole, especially how the Cash & Carry works alongside the nursery. I’ve also enjoyed working with landscapers and designers to achieve their designs, that has been very rewarding and great to see the results.
LH: My first year at Johnsons has flown by too – it has been very educational. I’ve learnt so many new things, such as, memorising all the different types of trees and plants you can get. I wasn’t from a horticulture background, so all this was very new to me.
What have you enjoyed the most about the last year at Johnsons of Whixley?
TC: Learning fresh things each day and getting the chance to help people.
LH: The thing I’ve enjoyed the most about my last 12 months would be obviously learning so many new things, but the people here are all so friendly and welcoming, it makes you want to come to work every day! Not forgetting the food days and Christmas party too!
AK: I’ve enjoyed many different things since joining last year. Meeting new people who have helped me gain valuable knowledge has been great. Being able to work alongside the nursery has taught me more about plants and how they are produced in large numbers. The main thing I’ve enjoyed was contributing towards a great year for the Cash & Carry and implementing ideas which will hopefully see the continued success of the business.
Have you experienced any challenges along the way?
AK: Having never worked with bare root and root ball plants, the season from November has been challenging in learning new products during a busy period. Also, even though I have worked with larger suppliers before, having such a wide range available has been challenging to try and get the best products from the correct supplier.
TC: We had a lot of fun when the new Cash & Carry Till software went full werewolf and tried to devour a sizable chunk of the database! We eventually managed to pry the data from its ravenous maw, sustaining a few scars in the process.
Anything interesting you have learnt that you didn’t know before?
LH: Everything to do with plants! From all of the names being in Latin, to the different sizes and varieties you can get.
AK: Just how many plants Johnsons grow. It has been amazing to see one variety of plant in a batch of several thousand growing on the nursery. Also, the trends that appear in designs which are influenced by a client’s social media interaction.
TC: Johnsons spelt backwards is snosnhoj, which sounds like a piece of Ikea furniture.
How has the team at Johnsons of Whixley supported you?
TC: Everyone has provided me with encouragement – it’s an environment supportive of progress and excellent mentoring.
LH: Johnsons of Whixley has supported me in all sorts of ways. If I’m ever stuck on something someone is always willing to help and point me in the right direction. Whether it’s in the office or the yard, they always seem to know an answer and want to help.
What does the future hold for you at Johnsons?
AK: I am really enjoying my time in the cash and carry and look forward to helping its continued growth over a long period.
LH: I hope to expand my knowledge further and customer base.
TC: We have quite a few projects that will improve the efficiency, traceability, resilience, accuracy, usability and productivity of our customer-facing internal and back-end systems. Many of these we are hoping to see implemented in the next 12 months.
Posted 28th Mar 12:46pm
