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by Abhishek Nair, Pensions officer NHS Shared Business Services. |
The sun has not quite risen yet, as I sip a cup of tea and prepare for an exciting day as a Pensions Officer at NHS SBS. While pensions might sound complex and not so glamorous, the work we do has a significant impact on the people’s lives. To be specific, the huge chunk of NHS staff (I would call them the heroes of our healthcare system.)
MORNING: STARTING STRONG
We work remotely, having a once-a-month office drop-in which we all cherish. My day normally starts between 9 and 10am. Firstly, I read the daily briefing email that is in our inboxes from the team leader which sets the day for all of us. Next, I turn my attention to the retirement inbox , which contains retirement applications from NHS employees who are awaiting their applications to go through to the next stage in the process, and I start working through it. Every application requires attention to detail as employees get to choose a variety of options available to decide their retirement. After this, I move to the CRM that we use to cater to the more urgent enquiries. This could vary from someone who is a new starter to someone nearing retirement wondering about their pension contributions. Each query is unique, and some may not be as simple as a first-line fix.
I prioritise the most urgent cases first, often those involving retirement estimates or pension adjustments due to the changes in personal circumstances like refunds or opt-outs, and issuing pension estimates, benefit statements and retirement application packs. Different trusts have different service level agreements, so I make sure to manage my time appropriately.
Accuracy and confidentiality are a paramount, so I dedicate my morning towards monitoring queries in the queue, cross-checking any data from the multiple systems to ensure that the response is comprehensive.
MID MORNING: STRATEGY TO FIND A BALANCE
After tackling emails and urgent enquiries, I shift my focus to issue AW8 (retirement application) forms to the employees. I segregate them based on the types of retirement. The employees who are Retiring & Returning (R&R) are given the most priority as I like to attack the complex and long tasks first. Then I move on to Full Retirement (FR) and Partial Retirements (PR). As a part of the process, R&Rs require estimates customised to their retirement dates and membership statements that capture their entire historic service in the NHS. When it comes to PR & FR, the pensions estimates can be based on a simple benefit statement which is readily available to download without so many calculations. All these tasks involve analysing payroll data and adjusting figures to ensure their contributions align with the NHS Pensions scheme guidelines.
One of the rewarding aspects of my role is knowing that even these routine tasks have a long-term impact. The lump sum contributions will one day translate into financial security for someone who has dedicated their life and career to saving lives.
LUNCH: RECHARGE & REFLECT
Lunchtime is often a brief but necessary pause. I ensure that I do not eat at my desk and follow a “No Screens Policy” which helps to take a break from the routine. Although sometimes I enjoy being a part of our Neurodiversity Network lunchtime drop-in meeting or Race & Culture Network meeting catch up with my colleagues from the wider organisation. There are a lot of fun activities and quizzes. Sometimes the prizes to win are so good! I will let the world know if I ever get to win one.
AFTERNOON: COLLABORATION, BRAINSTORMING & PROBLEM SOLVING
It is a Thursday, and we have one of the interesting sessions where we gather some of the complex queries, insights or even some complicated applications which require an intervention from a supervisor. All my colleagues share various insights together and it is the moment of “Best Practice Sharing”. Tomorrow, Friday, like usual, there will be an all-team stats update where we go through an agenda for the week, discuss the highs and achievements from team members. My best bit of the week is the Friday quiz! We normally have a bunch of us who are a part of the quiz where a quiz master (usually the winner from the previous week) throws some interesting questions which keeps us engaged. Trust me, it sometimes gets very competitive! Topics vary from General Knowledge, Country Flags, Sports, Star Wars, History and many more.
END OF THE DAY: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
As the day winds down, I review any remaining queries, ensuring urgent or ad-hoc matters are addressed. Before logging off, I ensure timesheets are filled in correctly and keep an eye on the internal chat to make sure there are no outstanding queries.
It is a privilege to support the people who support the NHS. Though the work can be challenging and meticulous, it is indeed deeply rewarding. I am proud to play a small part in ensuring that the backbone of NHS is taken care of for the years to come. Every AW8 application, spreadsheet, benefit statement has a story behind it, and it motivates me to keep coming back to help them in the best possible way.
Alt + F4 + Shut Down..this is me logging off between 5 – 6pm after an amazing day and waiting for another one!
