Lisa Mason, Retail Administrator at WG Davies Cardiff

Lisa Mason joined the team in Cardiff just over four years ago. She took the job at WG Davies on the recommendation of a friend who told her it was a lovely place to work and that, in combination with the location close to her home, made it seem like a great opportunity. We caught up with Lisa to understand what she does and how she feels about the job now that she has well and truly settled in.

Happily, the move to WG Davies was everything Lisa expected and more, she told us “Even with the recommendation I was really surprised at just how kind and considerate the men that I work with are and how interested I would become in lorries!”

As Retail Administrator Lisa is responsible for invoicing, as well as dealing with customer queries regarding invoices or paperwork. She also puts claims on GA for contract jobs and checks that the job cards are filled out correctly, before scanning and filing them. “I am from a sales background, so I like it when we hit our targets. That means the job cards are all correct and we can raise the invoices, then I go home happy, knowing that I have done something to help the business, it is hugely rewarding. I also love dealing with the customers and they know I will always do my best for them.”

Of course, a lot of things have been different this year but Lisa was quick to acknowledge the wonderful feeling that comes from being a part of the WG Davies family. “It really is an excellent place to work, we all look out for each other”, Lisa told us, “From day one I was aware that both
Roger and Gareth are very caring people, so it was no surprise that when the UK went into lockdown, their first thought was for the health and safety of the staff. Even though we are key workers and the business has stayed open to support our customers, Roger did not hesitate to get us
working from home where possible.”

And it seems that care is embraced by everyone in Cardiff, “All of my work colleagues are very much aware of the need to keep each other safe; we are all following the guidelines and we are there for each other if anyone gets down.” Lisa lives with her son Josh and partner Joe, just 10 minutes from the Cardiff depot. As a family they have kept busy during 2020; Joe has been able to continue to work, while Josh has graduated from Cardiff university and found a full time job which he starts in November – no mean feat in these difficult times and definitely worthy of a “proud mum moment!”.

When she is not working Lisa is kept on her toes by her little black kitten Minxy (short for Minnie the Minx) who is really living up to her name. Lisa also loves to cook, some of which is shared with her colleagues “I make biscuits for the boys if they have been good with their job cards!”, she revealed and she also likes to read and listen to music. To keep fit she enjoys swimming with a love of water that comes from growing up near the coast. “I was brought up on the beach,” she told us “my father taught me to swim and it was something I did all the time when I was a child. These days I am a regular at the pool within the local leisure centre but of course not this year.”

For us the most surprising revelation was to learn that there is a very strong spiritual side to Lisa, “As a family, going way back, we were healers and today both my sister and I try to live our lives by those same standards; do unto others … I do a lot of salt cleansing, crystal healing, meditation and Indian head massage. I am a big believer in Karma and that is how I try to live my life; I like to make sure everyone is happy and feeling good about themselves and their work. They make fun of me here, especially around Halloween” she told me with a laugh.

So we had to ask her what she felt we should learn from 2020? “I think we need to be more positive and grateful for what we have. We need to be more understanding, look out for each other. We should look forward to getting our lives back to normal, so that we can spend time with the people we love.” For Lisa that will mean paying a visit to her 81 year old father who lives in Baglan, “He is only 33 miles from Cardiff but it may as well be the other side of the world at the moment.”

I think we can all embrace that message and we hope Lisa can spend time with her father before the year is out. Thank you Lisa.