See Linda. It’s a well-used term around the Taylor and Fraser offices; whether it’s a new start looking for direction, someone seeking new stationery supplies, or a project manager trying to recall the details of an old contract, invariably, the advice is, ‘ See Linda! ‘
It’s hardly surprising because Linda has just celebrated 30 years at Taylor and Fraser, and her encyclopaedic knowledge of daily office operations is second to none. Not bad for someone who joined the business as a temporary receptionist for 2 two weeks!
Prior to joining Taylor and Fraser, Linda took time out from work to raise her son. Before that, she had been working in the hospitality sector, specifically in sales for the conference and banquet facilities at the Excelsior Hotel, located at Glasgow Airport. So, she fondly recalls turning up for her first day at Taylor and Fraser somewhat overdressed for an engineering business in Paisley! Still, rather than dressing down, she maintained the standard and 30 years later, she continues to turn up daily, immaculately dressed and ready to greet visitors with a welcoming smile.
The irony is that it’s not her smart appearance that makes her so well known to clients and suppliers, but rather her voice; by Linda’s calculations, she estimates she has said, “Good morning, Taylor and Fraser” over 200.000 times!. For 30 years, she has been the first point of contact when anyone calls (or visits) the Taylor and Fraser offices. And for many of those years, the office staff would regularly hear her voice over the office tannoy when she summoned them to take a phone call at reception.
Things have moved on since then, and staff enjoy the latest communication technology to conduct their daily duties. Linda attributes her longevity to her ability to adapt and adopt new processes, procedures, and technology. But it’s fair to say there’s one thing she misses about the early days in the office, the Tea Trolley! She warmly recalls how you could hear the ‘shoogly’ trolley before you could see it as it did its morning rounds, calling at everyone’s desk with morning refreshments.
As you can appreciate, Linda has witnessed many changes in the operation, drawing boards and plan chests have been replaced by CAD systems and hard drives, and the wooden ‘pigeon hole’ message area has been replaced with Teams messages. Indeed, the arrival of email and mobile phones has resulted in more people communicating directly with team members; however, Linda still manages to maintain an excellent rapport with the many clients, suppliers, and site personnel who expect and enjoy her welcoming voice when they call the office.
During the COVID lockdown, Linda was unquestionably the voice and face of Taylor and Fraser. Contracts with the NHS (primarily at the Louisa Jordan Vaccination Centre at the SEC) meant we were deemed an ‘essential supplier’, so business had to continue. For most of the lockdown, Linda operated the office single-handedly, ensuring clients and suppliers could reach the people they needed to speak to on a daily basis.
Thirty years of service is not the only milestone for Linda this month; she also celebrated her 70th Birthday! Despite the high esteem in which she is held in the office, Linda was genuinely surprised when we threw a surprise celebration in her honour. For many, reaching the age of 70 and completing 30 years’ service would be an excuse to wind down and relax, but Linda is quick to cite her long-time boss, Scott Taylor, who frequently said: “At Taylor and Fraser, we don’t retire, we fade away!”
Linda genuinely enjoys her work, and we truly appreciate how she has become the voice (and face) of Taylor and Fraser. Her warm, friendly and approachable nature has made her a firm favourite in the office and among the many people she speaks to daily. We hope she continues to enjoy coming to work as much as everyone enjoys seeing her arrive every day; she’s genuinely a reassuring constant in an ever-changing world, and she has more than proven her resilience. After all, she was only supposed to be with us for two weeks!
