A Day in the life of ... Ian Shepherd

At Riverside Waste Machinery, we’re proud to have a team of employees possessing a range of extremely varied skills and qualities – each relevant to their own role. So, we’ve decided to let some of our staff fill you in on what a ‘typical working day’ looks like for them. Next to feature is our digital director, Ian Shepherd. Find out more about how he prioritises his day, winds down in the evening, and what he’d be if he didn’t work in the digital world… What time does your day begin and what’s the first thing you do? My day usually starts between 6:00 and 6:30 and my first task of the day is to make my way downstairs quietly without waking anyone else up! Before you start work, what does your typical morning routine consist of? Getting the kids dressed and packed up ready for school before sorting myself out with a brew for the car journey to work. The working day begins – what’s the first task on your list? I ensure that I review all my emails and the task list for the day ahead. How do you prioritise your jobs for the day? Generally, the most pressing deadlines usually dictate my daily jobs. Meetings – do you see these as important or avoid where possible? If there isn’t a pre-planned agenda or structure, I tend to avoid them! Lunchtime arrives – do you take a break? No, I usually just work through lunch. What one item could you not be without to help you do your job? I do love my music — sometimes it’s good to plug your headphones in, stick a motivational playlist on, and focus without any outside interruptions. When does your working day finish? Between 5 and 6pm usually. How do you prepare for the next day? The team tends to plan several weeks in advance, so the following day is already pretty much set in stone. We also like to hold a daily meeting to regroup and look ahead, so we can hit the ground fully focused. What’s your wind-down tactic on an evening? Good company and great food! If you weren’t a digital director, what would you like to be? I always wanted to be an architect. What piece of advice would you give to anyone considering working in the waste industry? It’s never too late to make a change to help protect the planet. Describe your job in one word…. Exciting.

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