Learning at Work Week is a unique annual event to build learning cultures at work. It aims to put a spotlight on the importance and benefits of continual learning and development. We caught up with Mackensie Dyer, Programme Executive in Octopus Giving, to hear more about his learning journey and personal development.
Mackensie’s learning journey at Octopus:
In May 2019, Mackensie originally joined Octopus, in the Sales and Customer Team as an Accounts Associate which involved solving problems for customers and helping them get the most out of the products available. “What I really enjoyed about that role, was that it gave me a great insight into the products we work with at Octopus and what actually goes on behind the scenes. Being able to start my career in that team and understand the customers, why they choose Octopus and what they get out of it, was really good for me to acknowledge what the business does”.
Mackensie always had an interest in social impact work and CSR which is one of the reasons he joined Octopus. Within 10 months of joining the Sales and Customer team, Mackensie applied for a 3-month secondment opportunity with Octopus Giving. “I wanted to join the Giving team, to learn more about how businesses can behave responsibly and how they impact and give back to communities”. Fortunately, Mackensie was successful with his application and has become a permanent member of the Octopus Giving team. Mackensie went on to say, “One of the great things about Octopus is that internal mobility opportunities are everywhere and highly encouraged”. Mackensie has now been in the Giving team for over a year. “It has been a really interesting time to be in this team, working with charities during the pandemic. We’ve had to understand how to adapt our programme, whilst working remotely”.
Skilling up
From an Accounts Associate to a Programme Executive, Mackensie has not only learnt new skills but has developed and used transferable skills in his role. “In my first role in the Sales and Customer Team, I really benefitted from the problem-solving and communication skills I developed. Since joining the Giving team, I’ve enjoyed greater autonomy and the opportunities to work more independently on areas I’m interested in. I’ve been lucky to work with people from all over Octopus, managing my own projects and contributing to the positive impact we have as a business. It’s been a great learning experience”.
Learning opportunities
- Data
- WordPress
- Marketing
- User experience
“One of the cool things about my role, Is the extent of the opportunity to pick up things you are interested in and go for it.” One of the larger projects Mackensie had worked on was creating a Data Dashboard “I had no previous experience working with data, but I spotted an opportunity in which we could use it to improve the way we work at Giving”. Mackensie worked with the Data Insights team to build a dashboard that gave the team a whole new level of insights into volunteering and opportunities people were engaging in; As a result of this Mackensie learned a new skill set. “It has really shown me the extent of learning opportunities that are on offer.” Additionally, Mackensie has taken on the opportunity to learn further skills in various Octopus workshops such as WordPress, marketing, and user experience.
Words of encouragement from Mackensie during Learning at work week!
“Being curious and wanting to learn more about my interests has given me some valuable insight to the direction I want to take with my career. It’s kept me motivated and given me the confidence to take on new challenges”.
