A part-time volunteer for emergency service training and full-time Assistant Village Manager, Daniel Briedis prides himself on finding the small opportunities that brighten his day.
This outlook on life comes from doing things that are little unexpected, including his initial jump to Fly-In, Fly-Out (FIFO) after deciding he needed a change from his client liaison role.
“I wanted to go travelling. I wanted to earn a wage where I could pick up and go wherever and experience more things. FIFO seemed to be the job that would enable me to do so,” Daniel said.
After seven years with Sodexo, it is safe to say he found the career path that worked for his preferred lifestyle.
Although the adjustment to ‘on-site life’ took some time getting used to, Daniel began looking after himself in a way that he hadn’t previously, making the most of the amenities – training in the gyms and eating healthily. At home, his choices on swing justified him indulging in as much family and friend time as he could fit in.
“What I learnt quickly with Sodexo was the importance of balance,” Daniel said.
Daniel’s tenure with Sodexo is no small feat. Starting as a kitchen hand then transitioning into a dining room supervisor role, he credits the opportunities for training and progression as a major reason for remaining with the company.
“My belief is that you never know where you are going to end up. If you hang in there, stay the course, the rest will figure itself out naturally,” he said.
Prior stepping into his current role Daniel had been a retail manager. Although daunting, the leap from supervising his tight-knit team to supporting the running of a site with 97 team members and around 1050 residents was something that Daniel took in his stride.
“When my Village Manager came to me and offered me the job, there was no question as to if I was going to the role, I had to. Their belief in me was the kick to be motivated and embrace the opportunity, even if I thought I couldn’t do it initially,” he said.
There are so many resources at Sodexo to get you from A to B. You just have to find them and go for it.”
Over his time with Sodexo Daniel admits there were times where he had considered jumping over to the client side.
“What stopped me,” he said, “was seeing the work that my friends and colleagues who had made the change were doing. Hearing about their day-to-day, I felt like I wouldn’t receive any sense of accomplishment from the work.”
“It is important for me at the end of the day to be proud of what I have done and have some tangible outcome to hang my hat on.
“This is something that I consistently find at Sodexo.”
As an Assistant Village Manager, Daniel uses the exposure to his leaders and supervisors – who have been his greatest advocates – to better engage with his team and empower them as he has been empowered.
To Daniel, this starts with asking the question that he was met with when he started; ‘what do you want to do?’.
“When we ask this, we begin to build out a pathway with our team members. Understanding where they want to go means that we can identify the opportunities to get them there,” he said.
I truly believe there is opportunity for everyone at Sodexo, and it is so important that we lift each other up to make sure it happens.”
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