Two decades at HF

For a company that has been around for as long as we have, we all too frequently get the pleasure of celebrating significant work anniversaries at HF.

Whether it be electricians, gas engineers, comms designers….at HF, we are immensely proud of the loyalty that we have managed to foster within the company as we always strive to put the people who work for HF first. After all, we are at our strongest and most effective when we respect, value and collaborate together as one team.

So today, we get to celebrate yet another work anniversary as Frank Rafferty, one of our Electrical Contracts Managers at HF Mechanical & Electrical hits 20 years working at HF.  To commemorate this, we sat down with Frank to ask him some questions about his time at HF and what it means to him.

So Frank, in your time at the company, do you have any favourite moments?

Summer holidays, Christmas holidays, Easter….only kidding.  My favourite thing working here has been the variety in what I get to do.  It keeps things fresh and interesting, especially over twenty years.  Getting to work on different jobs and at different sites, all with their own unique challenges and obstacles to overcome has kept me on my toes throughout my career at HF and long may that continue.

What do you see as your biggest accomplishment in your 20 years here?

My biggest accomplishment has been getting to where I am right now.  I started out here as an apprentice (so technically I have now been at HF for 21 years though only as a full time employee for 20 of those years) and working my way up from an Electrician to an Approved Electrician and now to a Contracts Manager has been something I am vey proud of. When I started out, it was just a job but it has become a career and I am very thankful for that.

What do you like most about working at HF?

It’s two things really.  Independence and Trust.  With the work that we get to do at HF, there is very little in the way of obstructing hand holding.  The bosses trust us to get the job done and that gives us a lot of independence and freedom to do the job properly without distraction.  Obviously we have to deliver and that brings with its own pressure.  HF have a very high standard and always have done so we need to ensure that we constantly meet those high standards with every project we work on.

Having seen it first hand, how has the work dynamic and work ethic changed at HF over the years?

In my time here, the jobs that we have worked on have become bigger and the responsibility on HF has been steadily increasing. And you can see the dynamic shift that this has created within the HF team on site.  It has created a stronger work ethic and actually helped strengthen the collaboration between members of HF in the different divisions.  For example, we have been working on a large job in Liverpool recently that includes electrical, fire & security and automated controls work.  We are responsible for the full job and the collaboration between what we need to do in Electrical and how that works alongside Fire & Security and the Control System work HF Controls are doing has never been stronger.

What lessons would you pass onto those thinking of a similar career path?

Listen to your tradesman and have a good work ethic.  When I was an apprentice, I turned up on time, I paid attention to what I was being told and I put in the hours.  Not every day is a good day but with the variation in what I get to do and the scale of jobs I get to work in, it has all been worth it.  The early days as an apprentice and an electrician can be tough.  There is a lot to learn but if you are looking for a rewarding career then I would highly recommend it.

Thanks Frank

Faced with today’s business challenges – recessions, pandemics, takeovers and mergers, the family ethos behind HF and the family continuity at management level which is rarely seen is just a part of our recipe for success. The likes of Eric and their experience, skill and loyalty are big parts of the HF success story and long may that recipe continue.

Employees working at HF get to work across a variety of business sectors in exciting, ground-breaking projects.  We make sure that new members who join the HF family join us with a clearly defined development path that is supported by regular reviews, training and ongoing support from our senior level management team.

From the fast paced environment of exciting new telecommunication projects to the diverse and varying workload in the electrical sector, they get to be part of a multi-disciplinary team where, just like Eric, we consider you to be a part of the family and an invaluable assets to our ongoing success.

If that sounds like you then we want to hear more about you. We are always in the market for enthusiastic workers and talented individuals who can deliver and that we can rely on to help further the HF story. If you are looking for something more than just a job, why not get in touch…

Find out more