A Day In The Life: Avinash Fauzdar, Credit & Accounts Payable Manager of Officeworks

Posted November 22, 2020

Avinash has impressively climbed the ranks of Officeworks over the last decade to rise from Credit Controller all the way up to Credit & Accounts Payable Manager with a staff of 13, including 7 direct reports.

He works closely with the senior leadership and the CFO and whilst he credits much of his success towards them, we would point the finger solidly towards hard work and an inclination to try and learn all facets of his organisation and how their finances are run.

He also credits the company for their attitude to continuous improvement and innovation as being a key reason why he has stayed, learned so much and managed to forge such a successful career – we’ll dig into this a little deeper. But we’d say it’s certainly why Officeworks are the go-to business for individuals as well as organisations and it’s their dedication to improvement and service which has made them such an integral part of 2020 as their demand surged and they continued to deliver.

First things first, how do you start your working day?

‘I was really lucky at the start of lockdown, because I already had a small (albeit rarely used) office setup at home for occasions when I need to answer a few emails or finish something off after work so I stepped into my new routine fairly seamlessly. All I needed were a few extra wires and a printer – luckily I have a pretty good connection!

I’m an early starter so I usually log on at about 7:30am in order to action as many emails and get a head start before the rest of the team starts at around 8:30am. We do have a policy in place around sending emails out of hours – so, you cannot send emails after 6pm or before 8am. I really like this as it keeps clear boundaries in place for everyone. If I ever do send anything outside of these hours I make sure to put a delay on the send so that I’m always respecting people’s time.

Twice a week at 9:00am I have a catch up with all of my direct reports – just a check in to see what we’ve got planned and the tasks that people are focusing on. Other days at this time are when I catch up with my manager to make sure she’s also abreast with all the divisional activity and where we may need support.

From there, I’ll move into project pipelines, mainly liaising with Project Managers and other Stakeholders on updates. I’m in a busy role across Credit Applications as well as the business team and Business Area Managers. Really, I’m an extra check that we’re prioritising our customers and there are no delays in applications.

Getting this structure right from home did take some tweaking, at first I was a bit lax with having a structured lunch break – or sometimes having one at all – and was online for far too late. Frequently hitting 7:00 or 8:00pm still at my desk. Now I’m far more thoughtful about this and lunch is a big part of it; it’s time for me to go outside and spend time with my young daughter or walk my dog.’

Keeping connected

‘Walking has become a big part of my team’s life as well. Staring at a screen all day can be exhausting so we often host walking meetings in which we will all log onto webex via our phones and step outside for even just half an hour of exercise while we chat. The team have loved it and I find it really does lift my mood to get out and change the scenery.

I feel extremely lucky to be part of a business which takes employee health (both physical and mental) so seriously. We’ve got a business wide scheme called The Moving Mind which consists of almost 300 teams of 5 people from across every business division who are set daily challenges to earn points.

These vary from getting outside to walk, run, garden or any other exercise to being encouraged to share recipes and photos of moments that uplift us throughout the day – my dog has featured here a few times! It’s really encouraging to see a voluntary scheme get such a huge uptake and I’m glad that my whole team is participating and really getting something from it. It’s often a big discussion point in our social chats as people share their ideas and experiences from the week.

I also make sure one of our whole team catch ups is on a Friday at around 3:00pm. It’s a great way to shed the working week and chat about weekend plans, especially with lifted restrictions. It’s really about maintaining the great connection we have in person which does take a little more work.’

What’s next?

‘After lunch I tend to check in on my daily stats. This is a really crucial part of my role as I’ve got to keep a close eye on spikes and therefore risks that we might pose. Being in the transactional space means you need to be really detailed and careful about performance.

The last few hours of my day are really about checking nothing has been missed and forwarding updates to all the senior managers – as well as a final check in on my team if necessary. I’m really keen not to micromanage them as we’re a team of intelligent people and I trust both their judgement and their commitment to their roles.

5:00pm is when I’ll delve back into my emails and reply to and action what has accumulated throughout the day. I like to end the day at around 6:00pm with a clear inbox and completed to-do list so that I can move into the next day unimpeded.

At this point I’ll usually spend my time watching a bit of sport. Obviously this has been a difficult year for a sport lover but usually you’ll find me in front of the tennis, cricket, basketball or soccer!’

Advice for ambitious junior professionals

‘Common discourse is often that to get ahead, you need to move around. Obviously that is not my experience, really I would say that what advanced my career were the opportunities to work in lots of different projects across different areas.

I’ve always been presented with challenges and opportunities to learn and honestly they are the best vehicle for professional advancement. The grass is not always greener elsewhere and you should explore opportunities in front of you before making the decision to leave to an opportunity which is more risky.

Being part of a brand which is respected and an organisational culture which prioritises automation and innovation are definitely the things I would recommend that younger professionals look out to. I’ve been very lucky to find an organisation like that very early in my career.

That variation not only teaches you more, usable skills within one business but by moving around in one place you understand how each department functions and therefore the business as a whole which enables you to make more successful decisions.

So really, the prime advice is, that variety is key to progression but to look at what opportunities you can forge for yourselves in your environment before deciding to look elsewhere.’

It was fantastic to speak to Avinash about how he’s been working with his team and to share ideas and suggestions. We’ll be chatting to more Credit, AP and Shared Service Managers about their days and what they’ve learned from lockdown over the coming weeks so if you’d like to get involved please reach out to us.