Meet our Returners

“I was a Business Analyst contracting in the financial services sector for some years and was between contracts when I found out I was expecting my son. I decided it was a good time to take a break to spend some time looking after him. So, I took an extended career break, which turned out to be three and half years.

It was around the end of this time, that I began to feel it was right for me to look for a new role. And I can’t deny that I wasn’t a little bit nervous about it, not having worked for a while. Also, I needed to return on flexible part-time basis and knew this would potentially be a challenge to find.

I was worried that not being in the workplace for some time and a little out of touch with the latest knowledge-based changes could be a problem for some recruiters. And for me, I hadn’t worked from home and knew that I’d have to adjust to the new ways of working. 

What really attracted me to the Lloyds Banking Group Returners was the big focus on flexible and agile working, both are very important to me as wanted to return on a part-time basis. Allowing me the time I needed to be with my son but also contribute to my role and my team.

I had a good network of colleagues already working for Lloyds Banking Group, who were all very passionate about their roles - so it felt the right choice for me and gave me the courage to apply for a Business Analyst role through the Returners. It was a seamless recruitment experience and I was offered a role in the work I wanted to do.

My team have been key in helping my confidence grow, while I adjusted back at work. They’ve been both supportive and patient with me, always spending time sharing their knowledge with me. Team meetings are arranged within my working hours and there’s always flexibility to catch up later.

Through their support, I’ve been able to continue with my professional qualifications, which is amazing. I’m so proud of how quickly I’ve been able to ‘get up to speed’ with the agile projects I’ve been delivering. And I’ve been able to share my previous analytical knowledge with the team, so it’s a win, win.

I’d say if you want to return to work, just do it as you can bring valuable skills and knowledge to your new team. And for me the work life balance through the flexible working arrangements has been so good. The Returners was perfect giving me the time I needed to transition back into work smoothly. It definitely helped me get the role I wanted.”

“I’d worked at Lloyds Banking Group for about eight and half years, having been a Business Manager then as a Business Analyst. And I’d got to the stage in my life where I thought if I don’t go travelling now, I’m never going to do it. So, for me I had a different reason to take a career break than perhaps others do and after having a ‘light bulb moment’ I decided I had to do it.

My Manager was totally supportive and it went from there… I left for a career break and set off on my travels overseas and I ended up living/working abroad for some of it. When I came back to the UK, my partner and I decided it was time to look for full-time work again. The obvious option was to look at Lloyds Banking Group again, as my skill set certainly matched the roles there and I knew the company so well.

I searched for roles at Lloyds Banking Group and the Returners appeared with a Business Analyst role, with colleagues I’d previously worked with - this was a sign for me to apply for it. Having been off work for nearly four years, the Lloyds Banking Group Returners support was great. I was so excited to be offered the role I wanted at the same level as when I’d left.

My whole team have been super helpful and supportive. It was hard getting back into the swing of the workplace again after my time off but I’m a social person and it wasn’t long before my experience of taking a career break was shared with my team. For me, I’m so proud that my confidence has rapidly grown and so has my ability to quickly get up to speed with working life again, which was definitely a concern for me. 

I’m an advocate for the Returners, it worked for me and it’s been such a positive experience that I’ve been able to share with others. Lloyds Banking Group is such a great company to work for with so many benefits on offer and super colleague support for flexible working - it’s endless. I’m very grateful to be back here.

So, for however long you’ve been away from work, the Returners is an ideal path for you to follow. You could be like me working back at a fantastic company with amazing people, doing a job you love. I’d say be bold and do it, no matter what your skills set, or backgrounds are.” 

“My entire career has been in financial services and I left banking following the birth of my twins. I’d been in a global Managing Director role that required a lot of travelling and didn’t fit with where I was at that point in my life. So, I decided I’d take career break, try something different – I wasn’t sure for how long, but it ended up being around seven years.

During this time, I kept myself busy being Mum to my twins as well as continuing to be professionally active in a Non-Executive Director charity role, an adviser for inclusion and diversity plus some contract work - all were great experiences.

And when I decided that I wanted to come back to a full-time role at the same level, as I’d had before my break, I found it difficult as I was often shortlisted but wasn’t the final candidate. So, I looked at opportunities for returners to the workplace and found the Lloyds Banking Group Returners. 

It was clear that Lloyds Banking Group is committed to attracting diverse talent, supporting women as leaders and there was a genuine interest in the valuable experience I’d bring with me. I could tell that it would offer me a breadth of opportunities to move around the company to a completely different place from when I started.

To me, the Lloyds Banking Group Returners exists to create a bridge to find the right professional role for the right candidate, which certainly worked for me. I’m now Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives, Corporate & Institutional Coverage. I’ve been very fortunate as my Manager recognised what I’d achieved previously in my career and valued the ability to ‘tap’ into this knowledge base, in a way that worked for the business.

I’ve also had the space to make a difference, which I was super keen to do. I didn’t realise how important it was to be part of a friendly and welcoming work environment, so working for Lloyds Banking Group feels very much like a professional home. And it’s been great being able to support the Returners by sharing my story with others, the talent at Lloyds Banking Group is so impressive.

My tips would be to apply and just do it. You’ve very little to lose and so much to gain. The experience itself will add to your skills base. It’s fair to say that I’ve never worked in a company where work life balance is so paramount. And there’s a great deal of support towards expanding your own personal development and professional skills.”