23 Jan 2024
An Interview with Harleigh King
As we look forward to all the opportunities the new year will bring, we thought there was no better way to kick-off 2024 than by sitting down with one of the most experienced members of our Speed Medical team.
Harleigh King is our Training and Quality Manager, and over her extensive time with Speed Medical, she has gained a monumental amount of experience in different departments and teams.
Today, Harleigh is responsible for ensuring complete quality is met for compliance regulations within our internal training here at Speed, and touches base with all areas of the business to deliver operational training packages for new employees as they prepare for their new roles.
So, let’s kick off, and welcome Harleigh to the hot seat.
Hi Harleigh, could you start off by letting us know what made you want to join the Medico-Legal industry?
The opportunity came by chance through a relative who worked at Speed Medical, however since being with the business I’ve had the pleasure of work alongside most departments, so I’ve really seen the variety of roles that the industry can offer.
There are so many avenues and opportunities that this industry can take someone down, but not only that, as the whole purpose of our company is to aid clients who have been involved in some type of accident or incident, it means that in any part of the business, there’s always the satisfaction of being part of what makes a positive impact on a negative, and sometimes complex matter.
How long have you been with Speed Medical now?
It will be 9 years this March! I joined when I was 19 as an Operations Administrator, and I knew I wanted to stay because I really saw all the opportunities available to me.
There’s nothing I’ve experienced at Speed Medical that has made me think that I want to move on, and even if I did want to move into a different department or skillset, there are so many avenues to do that within the business and progress my career within Speed.
What was it like working with us in the earlier days when the business was young?
The business was smaller when I joined, which was nice as they had a close-knit atmosphere which was great for me as I was young. This was my first job in an office environment, so everyone made me feel instantly welcome.
But watching the company grow over the years has been great. We’ve created new teams, built new systems and more, so with that there have been some exciting projects, collaborations, learning opportunities, and progression opportunities.
I’m grateful to have been a part of this growth, and with the ever-changing industry, Speed Medical have always been really pro-active with evolving alongside it.
Throughout your time with us you’ve moved upwards in your roles, what was it like experiencing different areas of the business?
I’ve been fortunate in my role as a Trainer that I’ve had the opportunity to work with most teams and departments at some time or another.
Starting as an Administrator for my first few years here meant working on the cases, and liaising first hand with clients, solicitors, and medical experts. This provided me with a well-rounded understanding of the business and the processes we follow. So, I’ve been able to use that experience and knowledge to not only assist my personal growth within the business, but also share through training with new and existing staff.
And as a result of being with us for such a long time now, you’ve had the opportunity to continue to grow and evolve alongside the business too. What was the most exciting part of that journey for you?
The most exciting part of my personal journey here is that I’ve progressed into the role I’ve wanted since I started. On my first day here, I was in training with the Trainer at the time and I remember thinking to myself that training was something I would like to do one day, and fast forward a few years and I’m managing the training and audit team!
I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the support and the opportunities I was provided by my managers over the years. I expressed my interest in training quite early on, so my managers gave me different responsibilities and tasks to build my skills and confidence, so that when the opportunity came up, I was ready for it.
But I would say the most exciting part of Speed Medical’s journey is seeing how far the business has come over the years. Seeing our holding company handl Group grow has also been really exciting as it has given us more progression opportunities and an insight into other areas of the industry.
Excellent, thanks Harleigh. Could you tell us a little more about your role as today Training and Quality Manager at Speed. What are your responsibilities?
Mine and the team’s primary responsibilities include designing and delivering training. That may be training a new starter who’s just joined the business, an existing member of staff who’s progressing or moving to another team or training all staff on a new process which has been implemented to enhance employee skills and knowledge.
On the quality side, I also oversee the audit team who carry out monthly audits on employees where they’ll quality check a random selection of cases which have been worked by each employee. This is to highlight personal skills so we can provide positive feedback, but to also identify areas where there may be a gap in knowledge, or any error trends which may result in further training for individuals or whole teams.
At Speed Medical, both the training team and the audit team work hand in hand to ensure all our staff have the knowledge and support they need to work to the best of their abilities, and that’s something I’m really proud of.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
Every day is completely different, which is one of the things I like the most about my role.
One day I could be welcoming new staff to the business, and the next day I could be training an existing member of staff on a new team’s process who has had the opportunity to progress. I could be designing a new training workshop for a new process and system which is ready to be introduced, or I could be completing a quality audit – no two days are the same and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
How do you think that your experience in different areas of the business really helps to drive our Training and Quality here at Speed?
It means that I’m able to put a personal touch on the training I deliver, because I’ve been in the exact same position that the trainees are in. I’ve worked the same cases that they’re working on, I’ve spoken with the same external individuals they’re dealing with - I’ve been there, and I’ve done it all!
Because of that, I can put my own personal perspective on the training, and I can share the experiences and challenges I’ve experienced, plus how I overcame them. I find that that always makes the trainees feel more comfortable and myself and other trainers more approachable.
As our Training and Quality Manager, delivering new hire training is important for your role, but it can also be a lot of information for people to take in too. Do you have any tricks or tips on how to provide a great onboarding experience for new employees?
You know what they say, first impressions are everything! I think it is important for Trainers to be welcoming, so I always like to start my telling trainees a little about myself and introducing them to others in the business such as their team or team leader and manager to create a welcoming environment.
I truly believe that training should be a safe space, so if training ever does start to feel like it’s a lot or if there is anything they are struggling with, creating that welcoming environment should give trainees the confidence to ask questions and know they have got a team of people there to support them.
I also think it’s important to provide clear expectations and training plans early on so nothing comes as a surprise, but most importantly, I think that feedback is absolutely key. Whether that’s regular quality feedback or just a 1 on 1 catchups on how they are getting on and enjoying the job, feedback will not only support trainees but also help with their training plans too.
What would you say is the key to offering an engaging training experience?
It’s important to remember that everyone is different, and everyone learns differently. Some individuals learn best by watching others, whereas some prefer to learn on the job. Likewise, some enjoy the classroom style of training whereas other prefer interactive training with activities and games included to break it up, and some prefer a 1-2-1 training style compared to those who thrive in a group setting.
Take me, for example. I’m a doer, so I like seeing one or two examples of what I need to do and then getting straight into it myself. I don’t tend to ask questions right away either, I tend to ask as I’m working through something. That’s how I personally learn best, by getting to know the trainees early on in the training and tailoring it to their personal preferences will always result in a much more engaging training experience, and I would certainly say that’s my number one piece of advice for any Trainer out there.
And finally, having been with Speed Medical over so many years now, what is the one thing you would say really makes us stand out from others in our industry?
Firstly, I think our training package really stands out. We’ve received so many compliments from new employees who have said it isn’t like any other training they have had and that they haven’t been as supported at previous job, we’ve also built and adapted out training over the years to perfect it by trying different training techniques and seeing what works best. But we’ve also made changes based on the feedback we’ve had from trainees too, in terms of what they engaged with most about the training or what didn’t work for them.
As well as this, I think the commitment we have to employee development really makes us different too. Recognition is important to us here at Speed Medical – the management team announce monthly spotlight awards, as well as employee of the month and year awards too, not to mention that all staff are able to share e-cards with each other which could be a well done for this, or a thank you for that.
We’ve got a personal environment and some close relationships at Speed Medical which makes a really nice working environment, and like I say, as we’re always growing, we’re all constantly working on something new too, which means all the teams are always hot on coming together to develop what’s next.
Thanks so much for your time, Harleigh, and cheers to the next 12 months!
If you’d like to talk to us about any of our services, please get in touch with our friendly team who will be happy to talk to you.
