Jessica Coleman

P&C Advisor

I really love being able to do this as it reminds me of my time in the grad program acting as a buddy in my second year (but obviously with more of a career focus).

7.45 AM

I typically wake up to my kettle boiling (thanks to my google morning routine and my Wi-Fi-enabled Kmart kettle). I then quickly grab a cup of early grey whilst I get dressed whilst my cats harass me for their morning feed. On Mondays, I like to wear my Lendlease rainbow laces because I like to get a bit of Pride work done.

Next, I head downstairs to get them their food and take my vitamins/ scoff a piece of toast with lime marmalade. Once all that is done, I quickly check TripView to check my train times and then run out the door to catch my train!

Lendlease Jessica showing her way to office

8.20 AM

As I arrive at Lewisham station I pop on my mask, and pop in my air pods. Typical morning commute tunes are Belle and Sebastian, the Goon Sax or The National. If I’m in a more focused mood I might listen to a podcast (I’m in the middle of the 4th arc of Serial). I take the train until Wynyard, where I typically walk through the station to International Tower 2 in Barangaroo.

8.50 AM

Once I reach my building, I grab a an almond late (and a muffin if I need a sugar hit) from Toby’s Estate. I then get the lift to Level 16 where I sit down at the desk I booked for the day. I usually book my desk the week before in our Lendlease desk booking app.

9.00 AM

Emails and a snack: Typically, the first thing I do when beginning my day is sit down and check my emails at my desk. Today I grabbed a banana to munch on from the communal fruit bowl first.

9.30 AM

Mentorship Catch Up (as Mentor): After this, I caught up with an employee who I have been mentoring in the team to better understand People & Culture career pathways. On Mondays, we typically have a chat in the morning to check in on how she is going, and I talk through some different tasks she can assist with during the week to broaden her understanding. I really love being able to do this as it reminds me of my time on the grad program acting as a buddy in my second year (but obviously with more of a career focus).

10.30 AM

Retirement Living Team Catch Up: Next I have a virtual team meeting with the Retirement Living People & Culture team. We are spread between Melbourne and Sydney so it’s a good opportunity to talk about what we have all been working on and bounce ideas off each other when dealing with difficult situations and projects. We also like to share a lot of photos (and GIFs).

12.00 PM

External Stakeholder Meeting: Next I have a meeting with an external vendor we are looking to create a learning program with. I talk through our requirements as a business and we discuss what they can provide for us. I like these meetings as they give me insight into what the market is doing.

1.00 PM

Lunch: I like to get lunch from Toby’s Estate (very boring) or sometimes I will get the lunch special at our internal café PURE.

2.00 PM

Data analysis: I have a lot of reporting in my role so I will typically do around 2 hours reporting and report interpretation every day. If there is one thing I would recommend before going into a People & Culture role it would be to watch a lot of Excel tutorials! Today it was going through retention and turnover statistics and trying to find trends for the Retirement Living business.

4.00 PM

Phone Calls: I like to make sure my stakeholders (largely village managers and their staff) know who I am and that I am contactable. Therefore, I typically try to call or MSTeams video call the village managers I support to talk through queries and issues they may email me about. Whilst this takes up time, I think it is worth it to build our relationship. Sometimes I will chunk these calls into 1 hour; or I might make them throughout the day if I want to break up heavier work. I also get a bit of leeway to do this in the afternoon as I look after villages in WA!

5.30 PM

Pride Network Sharepoint Update: Sitting as co-chair for our internal Pride Network I am responsible for updating our microsite with any specific initiatives we are working on. This month it is providing employees information about support for those who have experienced Domestic and Family Violence in line with LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day. Whilst I update this, I also add information to our Strategy document which we are in the process of formalizing. This work is incredibly important to me, and a passion project I have taken on in addition to my role.

6.30 PM

Take the train home

7.00 PM

Dinner: My husband is an excellent cook so typically we have a big meal when I come home. Tonight, however he is on night shift (he is a paramedic) so I make a quick stir-fry and pop the leftovers in the fridge for when he gets home in the morning.

8.00 PM

Gym: After my food has settled, I try and head to the gym for a quick workout. I like that the gym is empty at night so I can dance around and be silly if I want to. I find that working out also makes sure I can focus during the day at work.

9.30 PM

Wind Down in Bed: Once done with my quick gym session I get home and get changed. I then all pile into bed with our 2 cats where I will usually read a chapter of a book. I am just finishing Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney.

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I acknowledge that Murdoch University is situated on the lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people.

I pay respect to the enduring and dynamic culture and the leadership of Noongar elders both past and present.

The boodjar (country) on which Murdoch University is located has for thousands of years been a place of learning. We at Murdoch University are proud to continue this long tradition.