Introducing Sarah HR Officer
About Me
My name is Sarah Benden, and I am currently in the position of HR Officer at BIC Services.
Born and raised in Far North Queensland, Cairns, I moved to the big smoke 1 week after turning 18 years old to grow independently but also to further my career. 12 years later and I am still here!
I am extremely passionate about all things people and primarily working in healthcare changing industries has definitely opened my mind to the many challenges that arise, and my role incorporates the whole employee lifecycle which spans across training and development, employee/industrial relations, equal employment opportunity, workplace planning and recruitment.
I am strongly focused on ensuring businesses are compliant and are up to date with all legislative changes.
Because I love what I do, I have a steady source of motivation that drives me to do my best at all times.
- How long have you been working at BIC for?
I have been working at BIC Services for 2 months.
- How long have you been in the industry?
I have been in the industry for 2 months but have spent most of my career in healthcare.
- What does your day look like?
Being the first point of contact for any HR related queries my day is heavily spent communicating with our Operations teams and our employees.
My approach is to always provide support, training and guidance where needed to ensure that the information being provided is accurate, so we continue to remain compliant with all aspects of Employee/Industrial relations which includes laws and regulations.
Throughout the day I work on documentation where required and constantly learning about any new legislative changes that occur and how we convey that to our employees.
- What is the most important part of your role?
The most important part of my role is ensuring that we as an employer make a strong and positive impact on our employees.
When an employer doesn’t invest their time in their people, people won’t invest their time with their employer. So, my outlook is to ensure we take our employees on the journey as we develop and grow as an organisation and provide opportunities both personally as well as professionally.
- What do you love most about working for BIC?
I love working for BIC as they put their people first. It is very rare for a company to acknowledge the hard work and dedication, especially to the forefront employees.
The dynamic within my own team is fun and nurturing and am forever grateful to be learning so much from two inspiring leaders.
- What skills and tools do you need to work in the cleaning industry?
Much like the Healthcare industry you need to be switched on, you need to be able to work collaboratively and always have a plan b should challenges ever arise.
Every day for me is always different and many new challenges arise, by ensuring I have a positive outlook and able to put on my critical thinking cap and completely change my mindset has always helped me move through my own challenges and further develops me for future references.
Finally, being able to communicate effectively not only with your peers but also various stakeholders will help.
- Best advice you can give on working in the industry.
This industry is not your standard 9-5. My advice is to understand that there may be times you need to work outside your scope of hours and attend meetings that suits another team member. Be flexible but be willing to adapt otherwise this industry is not for you.
- What is your unique talent?
Does binging all 8 Harry Potter movies in a 24-hour period count?
Join the conversation
