This Armed Forces Week provides the perfect opportunity for Capita, as a partner to the UK Armed Forces, to say thank you for the invaluable work they do in keeping our country safe.
Many of our colleagues are serving personnel, reservists, veterans and family members of the Armed Forces Community. So, we wanted to highlight the stories from our unsung heroes who work incredibly hard for our business and dedicate their lives to public service too. Thank you from all of us at Capita.
Life as a Reservist
Jamie from Government Services explains how his career in the Reserves has helped him thrive at Capita:
“An Officer should be comely, sprightly and above all else, confident in his own dress and bearing.” This 1907 passage from Lieutenant General Hubert Worthington describes his ideal military leader and probably reinforces for many, their preconceived notion of a typical British Officer. The same preconceptions would likely have dismissed me, a person who stammers, as being unable to effectively lead or manage people. Like it or not, for most organisations the ability to communicate clearly is often a pre-requisite; it is assumed as part of a recruitment process.
Fortunately for me, I was able to pass selection and graduate with commendation from Royal Air Force College Cranwell as an Officer within the RAF Reserves. In doing so I was able to gain invaluable leadership experience, formal qualifications and a profound respect and admiration for my training staff, who were able to identify and nurture strengths in us all. This very modern approach is a world away from Lieutenant General Worthington’s Army, but is reassuringly echoed within the walls of Capita, who have always helped me manage both my training requirements and any restrictions posed by my speech.
For those who are interested in doing more, I cannot recommend a life within the Reserves highly enough. You can be confident that the experiences and friendships made will be with you for a lifetime. Furthermore, from my experience Capita is very supportive of their Reservist employees; being a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant and openly embracing Armed Forces Week.
