Kulthoom Shaikh is our Compliance and HR (Human Resources) Assistant, having joined 365 Response in September 2021. When new team members join, Kulthoom is often their first point of contact after interview, and she is always quick to make everyone feel welcome and included.
Before 365 Response
A recent graduate, Kulthoom attended the University of Leeds Law School, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in law. Driven by a desire to help people, she aimed to work in a role that would enable her to support others. Kulthoom passionately shared, “there is lots of injustice in the world and I wanted to be a voice for those who are not heard.”
Why 365?
As any recent graduate understands, getting into your first job with little to no experience can be very difficult. Fortunately, Kulthoom was able to join the local Job Centre Kickstart Scheme, which was helping young people into work during the pandemic.
Kulthoom explained that when faced with a selection of roles, it was the ethos of 365 Response that encouraged her decision to apply. She shared, “I keenly researched all the organisations that were offering roles. When I visited the 365 Response website, I could see the good work that they were doing in getting transport to people who needed it most, all over the UK. This really fit with my own values of wanting to help people, so I applied to join the Sales team.”
Kulthoom brought a ‘can-do attitude’ and excellent organisation into her role, which quickly resulted in the opportunity to transfer into the Compliance and HR team. She commented, “I had only been in the Sales role for 3 months when the opportunity to move to Compliance & HR arose. I was excited to join the compliance side, and the legal side of the HR role really fit with my law degree.”
The future at 365 Response
When we asked Kulthoom what she likes about 365 Response, she was quick to comment on the culture and helpful nature of those that work here. “Everyone was so welcoming when I joined the business. We are extremely busy in Compliance & HR at the moment, and I have been overwhelmed with the kindness and support offered from other departments.”
She continued, “in addition to the external help that we have available with our Employee Assistance Programme, I also feel relieved that I have so many people within different departments that I can call upon for support when I need it.”
Kulthoom plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth staff operations of the business, and her positive attitude contributes to the morale and wellbeing of the team. She commented, “I know I only work behind the scenes, but it feels good to take part and play a role in the good work that we do. Lots of people are scared to ask for help or do not know what help is available. We are able to step in and advocate for vulnerable patients that need help accessing transport to medical services, or for special educational needs children who need specialist transport help on their routes to and from school.”
Discussing what the future holds for Kulthoom at 365 Response, she shared, “it was my dream to help people in a legal capacity and this is why I worked to gain a law degree. We are in the fortunate situation that with our recent acquisition by global organisation, RLDatix, a world of opportunities has become available. I look forward to one day contributing to the various legal departments within the wider business and I would love to have my own team.”
What does the day-to-day role look like?
Beginning her career in the Commercial team, Kulthoom enjoyed working on sales opportunities and bids, whilst collaborating with other members of the department. Moving into Compliance and HR, she has taken ownership of the role focusing on employment law and enjoying working on the process for new starters, leavers, and assisting with any HR-related issues.
Kulthoom commented, “I enjoy the varied workload and the opportunity to help people when needed. I believe that if you do good things for people, good things will happen in your life.” We are certain that her mantra is working as we excitedly discussed her upcoming nuptials, congratulations, Kulthoom!
Life away from work…
We asked Kulthoom many work-related questions, but we were really interested in sharing some facts that would help us to understand her personality some more. We started with a quickfire round and we were pleased with her biscuit choice!
- Favourite colour: pink
- Favourite car: Mercedes
- Favourite food: a burger or anything Oriental!
- Digestives or Hobnobs? Digestives!
When asked for an interesting fact, she did not disappoint. Her passions outside of work include learning Martial Arts. “I am a purple belt now, so just two more until I reach my black belt. Martial Arts have not only helped with my confidence and with discipline, but I have also had to learn some Japanese! For example, the Japanese word for fingers is ‘yubi’!”
When she is not being active, she enjoys reading and keeping up to date with the latest current affairs. “I’m currently reading The Crown and I am looking forward to reading Prince Harry’s book when it is released.”
For her final question, we asked for a book recommendation; “The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It is a beautiful story about kids in Afghanistan going through war.”
Did you know that our Compliance Department is responsible for our successful certifications to ISO 9001 and ISO 27001? These are incredibly important to everyone at 365 Response and we work together each year to regain these vital certifications.
If you would like an opportunity to join the 365 Response team, we’ve got open roles available and you can find them on our Careers Page.
