Careers

[Max Aitkins sits on a sofa in a cafe to discuss his Vicinity parental leave]

Hi there, I'm Max, I'm part of the talent acquisition team at Vicinity. I've just returned from my parental leave. I've been away for 16 weeks for parental leave, welcoming our newborn baby, baby boy into the world.

So it's been a very, very full on and exciting time and you know, just a big adjustment getting used to this, this new way of life. So it's, yeah, it's been fantastic.

So the parental leave benefit Vicinity is 16 weeks of leave, which can be taken all at once or over a few different blocks. It's available to all permanent team members and you can get it from day one of starting. And it's been really, really beneficial for particularly my family in general, as it's our first baby that we've, we've welcomed into the world. And it's just given us that time to, to get used to that, that life now and to and without the added stresses of work and things happening.

And, you know, be able to, to share the load of responsibility and look after my partner after she's given birth, which is it's amazing to have that opportunity.

The main highlight, to be honest, would be the, the option I had to see family Interstate. I didn't have that, that that added thing of I need to be back for a certain time for, for this or that meeting or anything else.

And just having that stress taken away has has been really, really good for us to be able to have that quality time with family.

The number one bit of advice I would have would be to just try and be present and in the moment.
It's very easy to get caught up in the day to day worries and everything, but always just taking a step back and being mindful of that. You're not going to have this early period again with this baby. You know, they grow up so fast already. We're seeing that early on.

And I think just taking each day and not trying to really think too far ahead.

My name's Eddie Paynter.

I'm the Centre Manager at Chatswood Chase.

The key to making strategy work as the Centre Manager at Chatswood Chase is really trying to harness the power of the collection of individuals as a collective group, and with that comes clear communication in its entirety.

Good communication builds engagement, fosters a culture of respect, develops relationships, provides important information, resolves conflicts, and creates collaborative, productive teams.

Bringing the right people to the table is a business imperative.

It's really crucial for effective decision making, successful collaboration, and ultimately delivering on outcomes with excellence.

And it's not just about filling seats.

It's about creating a dynamic ensemble with a diversity of skills, backgrounds and experience.

And it's into that play of these perspectives and that collective intelligence that delivers holistic problem solving and consequently outcomes that generate enormous value to Vicinity.

And the other benefit is the right people also influence beyond the table.

They take outcomes and insights back to their own teams, their own departments and the wider business, which spreads alignment and enthusiasm and helps build a business wide culture of collaboration.

What excites me most, we're not just trying to deliver a project, we're consciously and deliberately building an operationally financially sustainable asset for the community that one day my kids will take their kids to and be able to enjoy just as much then as we are today.

Everyone needs a reason to show up their best every single day - a cause more than just a job to be part of.

And a collaborative commutative team provides exactly that, a team united under a shared vision.