Crossing the Atlantic may not have been part of her original life goals, but love intervened and now Erin Frost is part of a thriving community where life moves to a Latin beat.
Moving to Spain was never part of the plan Erin Frost, team leader at Regus.
Describing herself as “something of a homebody”, she was only supposed to be there for one semester as part of her college course in the United States.
But when love blossomed, her life changed forever. “I ended up meeting my husband and moved permanently to Spain in 1992,” she says. “Anyone who moves away from everyone and everything they know to start a new life in a new country knows it isn’t easy. For me, it was an enormous and, at times, very difficult change.”
But the experience of having to find her feet quickly in a new country gave her the skills she needed in later life. “Now, looking back, I realise making that decision has made me someone very strong emotionally and unafraid to face any challenge that comes my way,” she says.
Putting down roots in a new country meant looking for a new career and, when a friend who worked at Regus recommended it as a place to work, Erin decided to apply. “I was looking for a career change and mentioned it to a friend who was working at a Regus Centre,” Frost explains. “She said I should send in my CV as they were looking for new candidates due to some new centre openings in Madrid. About two weeks after sending in my CV I started my training and haven’t looked back!”
As someone who’s always loved customer service, a role that involved working with a wide variety of clients and helping them to settle in to their new surrounds was an ideal fit for Frost. “For me, one of the most important things is that I wake up looking forward to going to work every day,” she says. “Although there is a routine, I never know what to expect. I like the fast pace of the day, and then the way things slow down on a Friday afternoon, when you feel that you have reached the finish line. And then you come back to work on Monday raring to go!”
She continues: “I love showing prospective clients our centre. I also like getting to know my colleagues better, and definitely one of the best things about Regus is the people who work here.”
Flexible working is often cited as a major factor when it comes to a company’s ability to attract new talent. The days of 9-6 office hours are fast being replaced by working environments that can adapt to suit the needs of the modern workforce.
“Flexible working allows someone to decide how, when and where they want to work,” says Frost. “Some people thrive in a buzzing environment, with lots of networking possibilities and traditional hours, while someone else may prefer to work in a silent area, come in later in the day and work long after everyone else has gone home. Flexible working can help employees work better, be more productive and even happier.”
In her role as a team leader, management skills and the ability to coordinate a wide variety of activities are something Erin says she’s really developed her experience in. “Definitely my ability to multi-task has increased since I joined Regus,” says Frost. “I think everyone who works here knows that you can be involved in a number of different projects simultaneously, so you have to be able to juggle a number of things at the same time.”
Frost says Regus is an ideal workplace for people who are energetic and have a great attitude, excellent customer service and soft skills, and who are not afraid of change. “Be friendly, yet professional,” she explains. “You have to be ready to resolve client issues in a timely manner, build your clients’ trust, let them know you have their best interests in mind and anticipate their needs.
“Our goal is to be sure that everyone has a great day at work – I do that by coming to work with a positive attitude, and ready to assist both the clients and the staff the best way I can.”
Could working in a Regus centre be the right career move for you?