My Working Day: Asha Khela

Asha Khela is a Go-To Community Banker based in Birmingham, where she lives with her husband, Jas, and their 20-month-old son Roman. She talks about making a difference to the community, her decade working for Barclays – and expecting twins.

My alarm goes off… at 6am. My son Roman, who is 20-months-old, needs his bottle nice and early every morning. It’s usually pretty frantic – I rush around getting him ready for the day while my husband, Jas, makes the lunch. I drop Roman off at nursery before driving to work – either at the Edgbaston or Harborne High Street branches.

My job involves… a lot of different things. I’m the first point of call when it comes to customer care: it’s my responsibility to ensure we offer the best possible service. On top of that I also have several customer facing roles. I deal with different areas of the business including loans, insurance, mortgages and fraud awareness.

My working day… will often start with a morning huddle – it’s a good chance for everyone to discuss what they want to achieve for the day. Then, once I’m settled, I have several conference calls to deal with, communicating with other departments in the bank. Every day is different. I may find myself taking a fraud awareness seminar, or on the branch floor helping customers face to face. It’s really varied and that’s what I love about it. A big part of my role involves mentoring and coaching those around me, so often at the end of the afternoon we take time to reflect on how the day has gone. That way we can keep on top of things, and address any issues within the team.

I started at Barclays… 10 years ago. I came straight into a personal banking role due to my experience in sales and customer service. Over the years my job has changed a lot – I need to be much more digitally savvy so I can educate our customers. I think I have a lot to pass on to those around me, and that I’m a good role model for my colleagues.

To mark my ten-years with Barclays I was awarded a plaque, with a £225 bonus. I’m expecting twins, so I imagine that will all go on nappies!

The thing I love most about my job… is knowing that I am having a positive impact within the community. I get the opportunity to help so many different types of people. From customers who have just moved to the country and need to open their first bank account, to those who are buying their first property and don’t know where to start. Often people will recommend me to friends and family, which is a nice feeling.