Paige

Interviewee: Paige

Interviewer: Katie Smullen

Date of Recording: 25/07/2022

Recording location: on-line (Google Meet); interviewer in Sheffield, interviewee in Edinburgh

Length of recording: 46.29

Subjects: mini golf, university, aspirations, law, Scotland, Edinburgh, sexual harassment, Covid-19, hospitality, retail, supervisor

Abstract

Summary of conversation: Discussion about their first job: a Saturday job at a fruit and veg shop. Gradually picked up hours up until Covid where they were practically full time. Taught them many skills. Has been able to prioritise studies while working. Their current job is structured differently than their last job, especially since they are now a supervisor. Worked their way up in this position (at a mini-golf place in Edinburgh), which was difficult as they had previously gotten jobs through friends. An enjoyable interview process. Previously was on a 15-hour contract, but could work overtime, but changed to 35 contracted hours during the summer as they needed more hours. Describes a typical day at the mini-golf course. Used to get given a different role every day, but since their promotion there is more structure to their day. Organises the rota dependent on everyone’s skills, supports the team. Their strengths vary on their mood, but they are well rounded as they have worked there a while. Gets a lot of joy from seeing their colleagues succeed. Training new starters can be frustrating for them, but they try to be understanding and ease them into new roles. After university they want to find a career in law, though acknowledges that there is space for progression within their current company. Would like to shadow in law firms but comments that getting your foot in the door is hard. Has connections within the industry so is hopeful. Comments that experience is expected within the field, but there is often little opportunity to gain experience. Studying Scottish law which makes it easy to stay in Scotland but has the option to transfer to English law if they would decide to move back. Regarding Scottish independence, they like that they still have the option to work in Scotland if they decide to re-join the EU. Acknowledges that work is important to live and pay for nice things but feels that work can be a fun part of life. During the Pandemic, work was important to get time way from home. Also sees it as a great opportunity to socialise and make new friends. During Covid, they worked in the fruit and veg shop, but their family members worked on the front line. Comments that they didn’t feel supported in the same way their family members were in terms of safety and PPE and felt a lot of responsibility to enforce social distancing. Comments that their boss at the time did not take the pandemic seriously, making them feel less protected. Comments that it was common for uncomfortable situations to occur at that time due to government restrictions including social distancing. Comments on the absurdity of the situation. Comments on the differences between England and Scotland at that time. Is grateful that they were working during Covid due to the social aspect. Describes the obstacles caused by her manager’s reservations against restrictions, but comments that the environment eventually got better. Had to talk to their family to allow them to keep working due to the pandemic, and comments that working on minimum wage at this time felt wrong. Notes that their best experiences at work were all from spending time with the friends they had made in the workplace. Regarding their worst experiences in hospitality, they comment that many have been as a result of them being a woman. Describes a few interactions where they have been flirted with by customers and it has made them feel awkward, and comments that their uniform for their current job makes them feel uncomfortable and invites unwanted remarks and touching from men, which has led to customers being cut off from alcohol or ejected from the venue. They comment that it happens sporadically in their workplace. Comments that it happened more in hospitality than it did in retail.

Sequential summary:

<0.00-2.34> First job

<2.34-3.22> Current job

<3.22-4.00> Retail vs hospitality

<4.00-7.28> Applying for supervisor

<7.28-10.29> Description of typical workday

<10.29-14.05> Their strengths

<14.05-17.21> Training new employees

<17.21-22.20> Where they see themselves in 5 years

<22.20-24.35> Scotland

<24.35-26.57> How work relates to personal satisfaction

<26.57-36.51> Covid-19

<36.51-38.35> Best experiences

<38.35-46.12> Worst experiences

Excerpt

[00:17:34]

INTERVIEWER:

How do you see yourself progressing in the future… say in five years’ time, what do you see yourself doing?

PAIGE:

So obviously this is just like a part time job until I finish uni. And it’ll probably stay that way for me, personally, just because I’m studying law, so what I want to go into is completely different. But there are so many people who I work with right now who are progressing in the company, which is so cool to see, um, so one of my supervisors that I’m working with, um, she did graphic design at uni, and they’ve just hired her as an in-house graphic designer, um, so she does part-time supervisor and part-time graphic design, and it’s just so cool to see her be able to use her skills, so she’s learning. The stuff she makes is like, honestly phenomenal, I look at it and I’m like, I could never do that. And it’s so nice that they’ve given her that opportunity as well. Um, so there’s so much room for progress within the company, because it is growing and they have different roles. But just because it’s something that I’m not really, like, all about, I’ll probably just stay where I am. I’m very happy where I am, but um, they also really do like, um, they really help me with progress plans. So there’s a guy that started pretty recently, he’s currently off on paternity leave, but he expressed interest ages ago that he would like to, like, um, go further in the company, maybe work his way up to management, maybe work his way up to helping both venues, because we have one in Glasgow as well, um, and they’ve made him a progress plan, so to try and help, like, aid him, fine-tune the skills he’ll need to become management, or like work higher up in the company. So it’s quite nice to see that.

[00:19:08]

[…] [00:24:32]

INTERVIEWER:

So, with work in general, like, not like a specific job, do you see it as part of what makes you fulfilled in life? Do you feel like your experience in work is important to how you feel generally? Or do you feel it’s just something you have to do to be able to do those things, that fulfil?

PAIGE:

See I think it’s a little bit of b–… it is what you make of it. Um, realistically, in, in the society we live in you need to work, to like do everything, like at the moment I’m working to pay rent, to be able to go and do fun things, like go on a holiday, that kind of thing. But I would hate to see it from just that way, because it would just make it such a burden to go to, when really it can be quite – like it sounds so stupid but it can be quite fun. Um, I obviously worked throughout the whole pandemic, and the pandemic was really hard, especially at the beginning, so, you weren’t able to see anyone. My household, back at home, is – not quite toxic but quite like difficult just because there’s so many people and it’s so overwhelming that being locked in that was not healthy at all, so work became that outlet for me. And, I find that every job I go to I get really close with everyone, and it’s like social circles that I just wouldn’t run into in like school or uni, and people like – I’ve met these people here, and it’s so nice to have them, and like I cannot imagine my life without them, like now, and like we hang out all the time, like, we’ll go and get coffee before work or we’ll have drinks after and it’s like… it’s just like a social thing, like I go and I gossip with my pals and I serve a few customers and it’s like ‘Oh yay, I get paid’, glorious! Um, and it’s also working on skills that I am going to use in the future, like it’s a win-win either way. And like, if I had just seen it from the fact of, I just need the money, like, this is just, just so that I can go and do things, like it’s a means to an end, I think I would really start to resent going.

[00:26:27]