'A day in the shoes' of a Dukes employee

Over the past few months, many of our team have experienced a day in the shoes of their colleague.  A 'day in their shoes’, known internally as DITs, is a scheme that we introduced four years ago to give our employees the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a colleague who works in a different department.  

  How it works 

The scheme is designed to give our employees a better understanding of their peer’s role so they can see first-hand how each role impacts the business and / or explore if this is a career they’d like to pursue in the future.  This opportunity is available to everyone who works at Dukes, and surprisingly, there is no limitation to the roles in which are available to shadow.  In addition to enabling an individual to grow on a personal and professional level, and develop skills and knowledge, DITS is also an effective way for peers to network with colleagues who they wouldn’t normally interact with.  

  A day in the life of an Enforcement Agent  

It's not surprising that one of our most popular ‘days in their shoes’ is a day on the road with an Enforcement Agent. This experience provides individuals who are new to our company, and / or to our industry, real insight into how Agents communicate and work with customers. What’s more, it provides an opportunity to understand the variety of debt collection services that we provide to Local Authorities and private companies across England and Wales.  

One of our newest team members, HR & Learning Administrator, Caitlin, recently completed a day with an Enforcement Agent as part of her onboarding process. She commented:  

“I really enjoyed the day and found it very interesting. I was surprised at how busy the Agents are answering calls and knocking doors. It was great to observe how the Agent communicated with different customers and was able to turn situations that were initially very hostile into an open conversation that resulted in payment. 

My role at Dukes is my debut into the enforcement industry, so this ‘day in their shoes’ was extremely beneficial for me. I now feel as though I have a much better understanding of Dukes and the industry as a whole."  

 Life at Dukes 

We strongly encourage internal mobility and career progression at Dukes. Many of our team have received promotions or, with the help of DITS, moved into other departments to enhance their career or pursue a new goal.   

A favourite example of where ‘a day in their shoes’ has facilitated career progression at Dukes is when an Administrator, who had been with us for a couple of years, wanted to learn more about a career as a Bid Writer. She had an interest in creative writing and was looking for a new challenge. After a day shadowing a Bid Writer, she applied for a bid writing role that was vacant and was successful. 18 months on, she has excelled in this career and has since been promoted to Bid Manager.    

If you’re looking to join a company where personal development is valued and career development is encouraged, visit our current vacancies.