First Impressions

I was fairly late to the party when it came to starting my internship. While most people had completed their placements over the break, or at least organised their placement well in advance, I had spent the last six months living the high life, studying abroad and travelling in America. I arrived home two weeks before semester one began and reality was definitely overwhelming, especially when I realised I had my PR placement to organise. Luckily for me, I obviously had some good karma on my side and everything fell into place and I landed an amazing placement with Programmed Group Services in Burswood. I applied for the internship and went in for an informal, but professional interview with my future boss, Group Communication Officer Kate Sossi. She was so welcoming, friendly and treated me like a professional, not a student, and I knew I was going to love my two days a week interning at Programmed. 

Programmed is a large company, with operations all over Australia and in New Zealand. They operate on a massive scale over multiple industries and departments. They offer staffing, maintenance and facility management services. They are a extremely large and successful company, and also happen to be one of the major sponsors of the Fremantle Dockers football club. 

Thursday 24 March was my first day of my internship. I was so nervous. I feel like as students, we think and talk a lot about working in the PR industry, however it is another thing completely to apply that knowledge in a real environment. Regardless of my three years at university, I still felt unprepared and lacking the skills required to work in a professional environment, however I guess that is the point of completing a placement, to gain real industry experience and confidence. Arriving at Programmed on my first day, I wasn't sure what to expect, or what I would be doing. Kate showed me around the whole office building and told me all I needed to know about Programmed as a company and as a working environment. She introduced me to everyone and made me feel so welcome. I was given my own desk and space, as well as my own computer and office supplies. She had printed out all of the office information and documents to assist me on my first day. I had the official title of 'Marketing and Communications Assistant', so I wasn't even referred to as an intern. I was given an email address, staff log ins, security tag access to the building to keep throughout the duration of my internship, and passwords to all important staff pages. I also had a profile and photo in the staff directory on the Programmed employee intranet. I was so included and felt like part of the company, so I was completely blown away by Programmed, the organisational structure and the staff, especially Kate. 

I spent the morning completing company inductions and online training. My online training was all about the company's stance on workplace bullying, harassment, equality and diversity. There was a module on Programmed and it clearly highlighted their mission, goals and organisational objectives, as well as their high emphasis on safety and the well-being of employees. The more time I spent at Programmed, the more I respected and valued it as a quality workplace, that placed such a high importance on their employees and company culture. Programmed has such a strong vision, mission, values and goals that is woven throughout the company, creating such a unique and inclusive environment. It has a clear strategic guiding objective that drives the company forward to succeed. 

This was further instilled in the design of the office space and the investment the company had in creating a positive and efficient working environment for employees. All employees had their own desk and space over two levels, organised in departments, however everyone is located in one massive space together. Even the higher and highest level managers on level two have the same organisation, with no private offices. After taking so many classes that had emphasised how important it was for a company to have clear guiding objectives and a strategic plan, it was so amazing to see this being successfully implemented in a real environment. Programmed also utilises various technologies to ensure clear communication and easy interaction within the company. They have an email system, instant communication program (like a company MSN), a well designed company website, a internal company intranet with a internal newsfeed/site, and a well designed phone system.

My first day also happened to coincide with the celebrations of Harmony Day in the office, a day dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity and the positive contribution it has on Australian society. They held a massive lunch where all employees came together and ate amazing food from different cultural backgrounds. Not only did this day demonstrate the commitment Programmed has to social causes and the well-being of society, but also demonstrated the cohesive working environment.  

I assumed as I was an intern, my activities throughout the day wouldn't be of high importance or involvement. I was wrong! I became a busy, functioning member of the Programmed team. My next post will be about my role as Marketing and Communication Assistant at Programmed, and just how much I felt like I had learnt and grown in the first few weeks of my placement. 

Thanks for reading!

Chloe