Health, Safety and Wellbeing Graduate Review

Overall, my experience at Balfour Beatty has been extremely positive. There have been so many opportunities for me to develop my technical knowledge including access to regular training and soft skills through the Early Careers Programme. Everybody has been extremely welcoming and is truly invested in your development and I have met so many experienced people in a variety of job roles.

My main responsibility is to support the project team to deliver the job safely. This includes completing site inspections, delivering training and Toolbox Talks and communicating with the client and subcontractors. I’m primarily based on one project, and I really enjoy being part of a large team all working towards the same goal. Seeing the same people every day allows you to build strong relationships, which makes coming to work even more enjoyable. I also love the problem-solving aspect of my role and having the opportunity to help people work more safely and efficiently. At the same time, I enjoy visiting other projects to gain new experiences and learn from different teams and roles, which helps me continue to develop professionally. One of the things I like most is the variety the role offers, no two days are ever the same.

My role includes helping the team create a positive safety culture on site, promoting the importance of reporting incidents and helping the team overcome challenges relating to health and safety. As part of this I regularly contribute to my team and receive recognition, whether this is verbal or through official project awards.

My compensation package fairly remunerates the work that I do with access to a competitive salary, wider company benefits such as discounted gym memberships etc. and flexible travel time if you are working away from home. There is also additional recognition if you are seen to be going above and beyond your job title.

I feel my role is preparing me well for my future career with exposure to significant infrastructure projects and experienced people to learn from. There is very much a learn by doing approach with technical training alongside this. More exposure to different projects and roles could prepare me for to deal with a variety of issues.

Support is very good from both my HSW team and my project team. If I have any issues I always feel like there is someone I can talk to who will have my best interests at heart.

Generally, the work-life balance is good and I believe on site working is essential to gain experience. There could be more flexibility regarding working from home to allow more time for my development plan etc. and improve my work-life balance. Despite this, there are multiple wellbeing initiatives as part of my project team including an on-site gym and wellbeing room/ garden.

Everybody is very welcoming and inclusive, both in my project team and HSW team. There are limited opportunities to remote work as a there is an on-site requirement as part of my role. However, sometimes working from home days are available.

Initiatives are very good when it comes to equality, diversity and inclusion, especially compared to the rest of the industry. For example, the Right to Respect programme which guides all employees to treat each other with respect.

Yes

Balfour Beatty is a great company to work for and I would highly recommend. There are so many opportunities for you to develop formally and informally, and even within different job roles depending on what you are most passionate about. There are also lots of opportunities across different business units that you can get involved with. The benefits packages are also good for graduates and there is a very supportive culture.

The recruitment process had its flaws and unfortunately my designated project was cancelled so I was relocated before I even started. However, this is part of the industry and was not Balfour Beatty's fault and they were very supportive during this time.