Employee Spotlight: Steven Belfrage
‘The most rewarding part of my job is working with such a diverse range of colleagues and being part of a fantastic team.’
Meet Steven, one of our Business Support Coordinators, whose dedication and diverse skills shine in delivering exceptional community services...
Hi Steven! Can you tell us about your current job role and what it involves?
I am a Business Support Coordinator in Corporate Business Support (CBS), which is part of Business Operations in the Resources Directorate. My role involves supporting and managing a team of staff with responsibility for providing business support and administration for council teams and services. The team’s tasks include supporting financial transactions, printing documents, taking notes and minutes at meetings and providing exceptional customer service. It’s a demanding and challenging role, but an equally rewarding and enjoyable one — there’s certainly never a dull moment!
CBS supports a wide range of services that are highly valued by residents and make a real difference to their communities. This includes Community Safety, Blue Badge, Housing, Licensing, Revenues and Benefits, and Waste Services, to name but a few. The work we do in CBS ultimately makes our customers’ lives easier and happier :)
Can you tell us a bit about your career journey and what led you to work for the council?
I left full-time education unsure of what career I wanted to pursue, so I entered the world of job agencies and temporary work to get some experience. This led me to temping with Buckinghamshire County Council where I took advantage of the opportunity to move around the organisation covering different roles. This included working in HR, Children’s Services, Education, and Transport, picking up valuable skills and knowledge along the way. I was then fortunate to get a permanent role in the newly launched Customer Service Centre as a Customer Advisor, which I absolutely loved. This role allowed me to combine two things I’m really good at — talking and typing — and it also opened up new doors of career opportunities for me across the organisation.
The Customer Service Centre is the main gateway for customers contacting the council so working as a Customer Advisor is an effective way to learn all about the organisation and its services. This knowledge was a key factor when I successfully applied for my next role as a Business Support Coordinator. Customer Service Advisors are also by their very nature good communicators, quick thinkers and thrive under pressure, which are all handy transferable qualities. I worked in the Customer Service Centre for eight years and although it was fun and had lots of variety, I wanted to progress my career and try something new.
Do you have any interests outside of work? Did any of those pique your interest as a viable career before you joined the council?
I used to dabble in a bit of music journalism, like writing articles for magazines and websites. It wasn’t viable as a career, but I used to get on the guestlist for gigs and get sent lots of free music. I also used to play in a rock band, which was more of a hobby, but my dream job would be to earn a living by making music for films and television.
What do you find gratifying about working for local government?
I think Local Government has more recognition of Trade Unions, so things like welfare, fairness and equality are generally better supported than in the private sector. I previously volunteered as a Trade Union Steward for UNISON and got a lot of satisfaction from helping members and promoting worker’s rights.
Can you recall a memorable collaboration or project where your team’s collective skills and experiences truly shone? How did this impact your work environment?
It has to be the COVID pandemic lockdown in March 2020, which coincided with our transition to a Unitary Buckinghamshire Council. This stands out as the most memorable collaboration, just for the sheer size and scale of what was happening. It was obviously a very worrying time with a deadly virus spreading across the world and the challenge of ensuring public services could be delivered safely. Everyone just seemed to come together to make it work though, particularly in the early months. Colleagues adapted the way they did things and made an extra effort to look out for each other, whether that was embracing MS Teams, adapting the office environment to accommodate social distancing, or covering extra work to help colleagues with childcare, scanning endless post or volunteering for an additional role. Even during those dark days, the goodwill really shone through.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is working with such a diverse range of colleagues and being part of a fantastic team. They are a talented bunch — highly skilled and experienced, but also very nice people which makes them a joy to work with.
Have you taken part in volunteering or anything outside of your job role?
I have volunteered for a few things outside of my job role over the years. I used to be a First Aider and an Evacuation Chair Operator, but I think I have a weird blood-injury-illness phobia so have had to knock the medical-related responsibilities on the head. I now volunteer as a Local Authority Liaison Officer and Rest Centre Manager for the Resilience Service, which are roles that support the council’s emergency response arrangements. I used to have an unusual second role with the council, which was working in a wooden hut in Wendover Woods one night a week, loaning out camping equipment to participants in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. I have supported various roles at the elections, such as counting votes and working at the polling stations. I have also represented the council at Career and Job Shows, and recently put my name forward as a Health and Safety Champion for the Resources Directorate. I’m part of the Climate Change Staff Network. I think joining a network is a great way to collaborate with like-minded colleagues on things you are passionate about and interest you.
Are there any areas you’re excited to explore further through training? Perhaps something unexpected or outside your usual scope?
Our organisation has a vast, almost bonkers amount of training and career development opportunities available to staff. This ranges from in-person training sessions, online courses to e-learning, Mindtools and Apprenticeships — the sky really is the limit!
I would like to pursue a professional qualification to consolidate and develop my knowledge of leadership to the next level. I also have a good track record of recruiting talent and developing staff, so these are other avenues of skills and training I would be excited to pursue. Outside of work, I would quite like to learn a foreign language and the drums.
What advice, words of encouragement or insights would you give to someone thinking of starting their career at Buckinghamshire Council?
I would simply say it’s a great place to work. It’s a massive, diverse organisation with lots of different opportunities to deliver essential services and make a real difference. Take the plunge and go for it :)
Looking for a new role? Check our current council vacancies here: https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/
