What was the challenge?

When George started his role as a Graduate Site Engineer at Balfour Beatty, he was often reluctant to talk to new people because he found it daunting. He said

I remember sitting in a room with everyone the first time I came to Brathay. I was really nervous to talk to anyone, it took me a while to open up.

George, Balfour Beatty Graduate

What did Brathay do?

Over the course of the Early Careers Programme at Brathay, George and his peers were introduced to different personality types through the Insights™ psychometric, to understand more about themselves and others they are working alongside.

To bring the theory to life, George had the opportunity to take part in activities such as rowing whaler boats and hiking up to Loughrigg Fell. He said, “the longer activities at Brathay created a relaxed environment to have conversations with people in my group and made it easier to get to know them”.

What was the impact?

George said, “Now I can talk to new people and develop deeper connections with colleagues I have worked with for a longer time. As I’ve worked in
groups more it’s become more natural to open up and talk to people. I am also more self-aware of my own personality. I can recognise other’s personality types at work and now I understand how I can adapt to make sure we work together and support each other to work most effectively”

At Balfour Beatty you have to change teams regularly to work on different projects. This programme has given me the confidence to integrate myself into new teams, without so much fear of the unknown.

George, Balfour Beatty Graduate