Seizing new opportunities at Amazon's Hemel Hempstead Fulfilment Centre

Amazon's Hemel Hempstead Fulfilment Centre has welcomed two new employees who found themselves out of work at the start of lockdown

Adam Barnes-Lewis, who spent the last two and a half years working in a recruitment industry, found himself out of work when the country went into official lockdown on March 23, due ton the coronavirus pandemic.

With the fulfilment centre close to his home, he applied to Amazon and joined as a picker and is responsible for retrieving customer orders from the shelves and sending them to be packed.

He said: “Recruitment was something that appealed to me from a young age, I really like working with people. The pandemic has seen lots of other business shut down, so a lot of recruiters are finding themselves out of work, me among them.

“I chose to join Amazon as it’s an active job and the site is very close to my home. I didn’t know what to expect before starting, but honestly, it’s one of the best moves I’ve made in my career."

Already trained in a number of departments, Adam is looking forward to learning more during his time with Amazon.

He added: “I’ve been given so much support by the team here, everyone has been patient and supportive as I learn new skills. My manager has created an environment where everyone feels valued and that we’re all a vital part of the team.”

Jevgenijs Ivanovs, who owns multiple businesses including a landscaping company and a garden-building manufacturing company, saw his work halt immediately.

With no idea how long his businesses would be closed, or how quickly work would pick up again, Jevgenijs looked to Amazon for a new job and some much-needed stability.

He said: “I’ve been running my landscaping company since 2008 and my garden-building manufacturing company since 2012.

"There were some challenges but it’s always been rewarding to do something good. Work slows down at Christmas and during the holidays normally, but with families being furloughed, people had less money and bookings were cancelled.

“I’m guaranteed work every week with Amazon and they pay extremely well, that’s important to me.”

Jevgenijs also joined Amazon as picker and has been trained in a number of departments.

He added: “I enjoy the team bond with my shift and feel respected by everyone I work with. I do have future work orders lined up for my landscaping company, and I’m looking forward to going back to that when I can.

"But I’m also enjoying the opportunity to learn here and the shift patterns here, working four days a week and having a three-day weekend, means that I could do both.”