A day in the life

A day in the life of...

Samuel Adjei

Mechanical and Electrical Surveyor Mount Green Housing Association Employee since: July 2020 Location, location, location: Wallington Previous employment: Heating Programme Manager at Coalo Ltd

Clear mind

Since working from home, I start my day by going for a 60-minute walk to ensure my mind is clear and ready to tackle the day ahead. I’m on a deadline with a report today, so I want to make sure I’m fresh and energised before opening my laptop.

Daily reports

My daughter is currently being home-schooled, so I always sit down with her to drink my coffee and make sure she’s set before reviewing the automated reports from our gas servicing contractor. These reports provide me with updates on any ongoing gas works, compliance and safety checks.

Priorities

Once I’ve reviewed the reports, I catch up with my colleague to discuss any concerns and outline the priorities for the day. Our contractor has not been able to gain access to carry out safety checks at a few of our homes, after two attempts, and so I ask if this could be investigated to ensure a resolution.

Client meeting

I meet with our gas contractor to review their performance and resolve any issues. There’s nothing urgent to flag but I’m keen to know the progress on our boiler replacement programme. This is a new project we’re undertaking to ensure the most efficient models are in our homes, reducing fuel costs for residents and the number of repairs carried out.

Greener sources

I promised my director I’d send across my report reviewing the emergency and community lighting in our blocks, and the possibility of implementing greener solutions. I started working on it before Christmas but had to commission the remainder of surveys. Now I’m analysing the survey findings alongside the data from our finance and maintenance teams so I can get a full understanding of the current situation.

Managing a complaint

A query has come in from a resident who’s reported that their heating isn’t working. I wouldn’t normally intervene but they’ve told us this has been going on for some time and so I want to understand what’s caused the delay and if there’s anything we can do in the interim.

Interesting data

Back to my report. I’m just tidying up my notes and ensuring I’ve captured everything correctly before finalising my recommendations. Fortunately, the project hasn’t flagged any issues or concerns, but it’s interesting to see where we can make improvements from an efficiency and a cost perspective.

Finally

As insightful as it’s been, I’m glad to press send on the email to my director with the report attached. Fortunately for me, I’ve finished a little later than planned, which means I can’t really scratch one of the DIY tasks off my list without upsetting my neighbours. I’m going to sit down and read with my daughter instead.

05:45

08:00

09:00

10:00

11:30

14:05

14:55

18:20 My perfect day

I used to enjoy visiting our schemes. I found it beneficial for checking in with contractors and being able to observe any important works. So, my perfect working from home day would be reviewing reports and seeing there’s nothing urgent or flagging any concerns around safety or compliancy. Days like this give me the capacity to spend more time with our maintenance team, providing additional support and guidance on customer queries.