Demand Planning Analyst Review

I've had a fantastic year at GSK working in the Consumer Healthcare division. The culture within the company is second to none, and the opportunities to increase your personal levels of responsibility, even as a placement student, are significant. Elements of my handover that weren't necessarily up to scratch did limit me somewhat initially, but there was plenty of support from my team in overcoming these challenges.

I had a really good relationship with my team and members of the wider department, and was able to build these relationships on multiple socials/team outings. People are also really keen to give you feedback and pointers on things you did well and things that could be improved. The GREAT Together Awards within the GB & Ireland Consumer Healthcare division mean that placement students can be nominated for performance related pay awards by colleagues and managers for good work. In my time at GSK I was able to accrue the equivalent of a 10% tax-free pay increase from this rewards scheme. This made me feel an incredibly valued member of the team.

My direct report manager and team manager were very supportive throughout my time at GSK. I had weekly catch-ups scheduled with my direct report who was always approachable and willing to give advice on any issue I was facing. I also had monthly catch-ups with my team manager who was always keen to here about my development goals and what innovations I was making within my role. Both managers were extremely supportive during the work-from-home transition brought on by COVID-19, checking in on me several times a week to ensure I was adjusting and had everything I needed.

This varied from week to week. Initially I felt I had too little do to, however after a month or so I was given more responsibility/found more work to do. There are still one or two days a week were I might not have any meetings booked, but I've come to find this time very useful for catching up on development tasks or getting on with more long term projects.

I had full responsibility for planning the demand forecast for GSK's three eCommerce customers: Amazon, Ocado and Chemist Direct. This initially felt a little overwhelming, however by the end of my placement I was liaising confidently with the Sales team and running monthly forecast reviews to ensure my predictions were accurate and reliable. I also had responsibility for some of our department analysis reports and minute taking during key weekly meetings. This work was then distributed to the wider business.

The skills I learnt and the wider experience of working in a fast paced business environment at a relatively young age will stay with me for the rest of my life. I will certainly go back to university with a greater appreciation for personal organisation and task management. I've also learnt the importance of clear communication and how it contributes to a more efficient team and a better working culture.

I was placed with the GB & Ireland Consumer Healthcare division on Floor 8 of GSK House. Just saying you were on Floor 8 to any other placement student signalled you were probably enjoying your placement. The whole floor was very cohesive and had a great atmosphere. There was a large kitchen area with sofas, table football and free tea and coffee so you could have informal catch-ups with colleagues throughout the day. This space also played host to table football contests, bake-offs, lunch and learns and cultural celebrations throughout the year, including Diwali and Christmas. While we were all there to do our jobs well, there was also an unspoken rule that to do this work should also be fun too.

On a day to day basis the placement was well organised in the sense that I was able to take responsibility for my own work, just like any other full-time employee of the business. We were also given a good induction programme when joining the company. However, on an administrative level the placement was most definitely lacking. As a placement student you are employed through an agency, not directly by GSK. Your payslips, terms of employment, holiday etc. are all organised by this agency. Throughout the placement we were given confusing or misleading information about holiday entitlement, contract length/ability to extend, as well as being told we were barred from obtaining references from our managers at GSK and were not allowed to work from home, contradicting GSK's own policy. Furthermore, as you are not a direct employee of GSK you are not entitled to many of the workplace benefits available to other full-time employees. The agency did not provide any tangible benefits to placement students (workplace healthcare, structured bonus scheme, pension, season ticket loan etc.)

The company provided many opportunities for training and personal development. Many of these were delivered through online portals such as the Keep Growing Campus and MyLearning, however we were also given the chance to attend conferences run by IGD and talks by internal and external speakers on emerging practices, technologies, theories and trends that were relevant to our field of work. The only obstacle to this was time. Often I was too busy with my job that finding time to attend some of these session was a challenge during normal working hours.

Very appealing. I was lucky enough to have my contract extended by three months, meaning I ended up with a 15 month placement overall. As placement students you are also given the opportunity to apply for the graduate scheme as an internal candidate (subject to a satisfactory reference from your manager) which allows you to skip out the first two stages of the general application process.

The placement students on my floor were all very close. There was at least one trip to the pub a week and we always sat together at lunch. We held birthday parties, cheese and wine nights and had Christmas dinner together too. Most placement students lived in West London so it was easy to visit each other and explore the city together at weekends. My colleagues were also a very sociable bunch, again going to the pub together maybe once every other week.

I lived at home for my placement so my main outgoings were on travel to and from work. This amounted to over £60 per week, which was over 20% of my salary. As a placement student I wasn't entitled to the season ticket loan given to full-time employees so this compound the expense. If you live closer to the office then your travel is significantly cheaper. Most placement students either walked, cycled or caught the free shuttle bus from Northfields station everyday. Going out after work was also expensive (often over £5 for a pint), but that's London for you.

A good but limited selection of pubs close to GSK House - we usually rotated around the same three. There is more variety of bars, clubs and pubs a short bus/tube ride away in Chiswick/Ealing/Hammersmith. The one thing these all have in common is price (pretty expensive).

Yes definitely. Placement students are encouraged to get involved in charity work through 'Orange Days' (special leave to take part in a community service/charity project) as well as helping at high profile events sponsored by GSK such as the WellChild Awards, Theodora Children's Charity events, and events involving the Science Museum and Natural History Museum. If these finish late the company will even lay on a chauffer to take you home afterwards. There are also many company sports clubs, however these tend to be most convenient for people who live relatively close to the office (within half an hour's commute) as they were prone to finishing late.