For International Women's Day we asked questions to a lot of women who work in the groundskeeping or gardening industry about their work. This time it's Val Croft from Allett Mowers'Accounts Department.
Val has worked in Allett's account department since the TurfMech days and is coming up to her 20th year! What an achievement! Val joins a handful of Allett employees with over 20 years service to the company.
How long have you been working in this industry?
I have been working for Allett for 19 years now! Im coming up to my 20th year in a couple of weeks!
What does the average day look like for you?
I start work at 8am. It's usually a busy start to the day in the accounts office handling a variety of routine admin jobs. Then its onto anything that has come in via email, post etc, prioritising as you go along. The day whizzes by so quickly!
What would you say is the biggest challenge working in this industry/Have you faced any challenges being a female in a male dominated environment?
Like the majority of work environments its about understanding the processes and adapting to change as and when required.
I don’t find any challenges being a female in this role and the company do have an equal opportunities policy.
Why did you choose to work in this industry?
It seemed an interesting prospect at the time for me and still does many years on, providing a good knowledge of accounts within the manufacturing industry.
What advice would you give to women wanting to join the industry?
Go for it. It’s interesting, varied and involves dealing with people from all corners of the world in many different countries.
Finally, what is the best part about working in this industry?
We have a fantastic team with very innovative ideas producing a product we all know i.e. the lawnmower from domestic to professional machines. We also care deeply about the environment. We all have deep passion for our roles at Allett which makes us a great team.
Big thank you to Val for taking the time to answer some of our question for International Women's Day.