Employee stories: Returning back to Columbus

The vast majority of my colleagues shared the same can-do attitude as me. Our processes were fairly informal, but they worked, and everyone contributed to making each project better than the last.

We tended to see problems as challenges to solve, working together to overcome obstacles and find practical ways forward for our customers.

The biggest thing I realised was how much I missed being part of Columbus.

During my time away, I worked for two other consultancy firms. The first was a much younger business, with few established processes and a more disconnected team. It made me realise how many of the things I had taken for granted at Columbus played an important role in delivering projects effectively.

The second was a more established firm, but I noticed far less flexibility in the way customers were supported. The approach was more rigid and transactional, which made it harder to build the kind of customer relationships I had been used to.

What I learned most was just how many things Columbus does well, and how much I valued its culture, ways of working and approach to customer relationships.

I felt incredibly isolated and unsupported in my last company. Following lockdowns, the company had decided that there should be no face-to-face team meetings, so 99% of my working time was at home in my home office.

The senior management team were solely focused on the bottom line. The employees and customers were very much secondary to their thought process. The staff turnover in other organisations was simply incredible.

I missed the Columbus family, and I also missed being part of a team where you knew that everyone had each other’s backs.

I’ve come back in a slightly more senior role. Whilst many of the systems and processes look the same, they’re not all the same under the bonnet anymore.

The role has changed for the better – there’s much more focus on helping the customer and having a solid relationship with the customers, and I can see that the vast majority see Columbus as a trusted partner for exactly that reason.