From driver to HQ

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Meet Kevin and James, two team members that have been around longer than most and have made a similar journey here at HIVED: They started as drivers and ended up at HQ.

James recalls his very first day:

"I wanted to work as a bike courier, and I had tried a couple of other companies but wasn't a big fan of the structure. HIVED allowed me to cycle around the city all day on my bike, delivering things that weren't just fast food. I showed up for my trial shift, the coldest day of winter, and cycled all day and into the evening. I loved it."

"I had a very similar experience," Kevin says. "Lockdown 2020, and I was working from home. Ironically, I had moved closer to work to avoid taking too much public transport and now ended up really needing to get out of the house. So I started looking for a bicycle courier job. I found the HIVED bicycle courier role and thought the job description was fitting. I applied and did my first shift only two days later. It was a perfect match."

The times are changing

But things would start to change as HIVED grew bigger. As time went on, James began taking on more responsibility, sorting out other drivers and riders before a shift and helping out with other general tasks.

"I started to get more involved with live operations, making routes and communicating with couriers throughout the day, whilst still making deliveries and fixing bikes. Being a start-up, I got the opportunity to get into sales, marketing, and customer service," James says.

As Kevin had a full-time job when he first started, HIVED was very much a part-time thing for him initially.

"Whilst Mathias (co-founder of HIVED) and I were walking back home one of the days, he mentioned the chance of me helping out with routing. Before I knew it, every spare second I got was used up helping out before joining full-time in July 2021." Kevin continues: "I still find myself going out on collections and deliveries now and then — it's still one of the best parts about the job!"

The great value

We believe that having people who have started as drivers brings a lot of great value to the company. Since they have been on the receiving end of deliveries as consumers, as well as being involved in every part of the delivery process, they can fully understand problems and know better how to fix them.

"There's less of a disconnect between HQ team and delivery staff because we know what it's like," James says.

Kevin adds:

"Definitely. With both of us starting as drivers, we have a whole different level of respect for the company, customer experience, and the wider driver team. And as drivers who use the technology that HIVED enables — we appreciate the improvements every step of the way!"

Another great thing came out of applying for that rider job at HIVED: a wonderful friendship!

"I think Kevin and I could not be more different. Kev is super high energy, ever the optimist, whereas I'm very much not. This doesn't mean that we don't get on, though." James says and laughs. He continues: "I think we balance each other out perfectly, and when we work together, things just get done."

"Our friendship is incredible. Our differences also allow every pro and con to be considered when dealing with any situation, and regardless of time or place, we'll always have each other's back." Kevin adds.

So despite being two very different people, they somehow found each other. James also mentions that one of the biggest things in common is their passion for HIVED. He adds:

"I think we're both on exactly the same page when it comes to where we want to take HIVED."

Actual progression

Kevin and James aren't the only ones from the delivery team who have made this journey. Channing, Gavin, Adam and Jayed are all fantastic drivers and riders who have been promoted beyond and taken on more responsibilities.

Part of our mission has also always been to have a culture where everyone can feel involved and close that gap between the different teams. For example, the HQ team must make sure to do a drive-along with the delivery team to learn and experience what it's like being out there on the road.

Needless to say, we're incredibly proud of our team of riders and drivers, who are out every day making sure every single parcel gets safely delivered. And we also honestly believe that employees should have a great deal of opportunity in their roles, with career progression and skill learning possibilities.

"Starting as drivers have given us confidence that there are real career progression opportunities here at HIVED. It's such a fulfilling journey when each new opportunity comes along." Kevin adds.

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‍About

James' current position is Lead Operations Shift Manager, meaning he leads the team responsible for ensuring all parcels get collected and delivered to their rightful owners.

Kevin's current role is Customer Success, helping businesses along their journey of using HIVED.

Be part of our mission! We are always looking for new talent to join us. See all available positions here.

And for the latest updates, make sure to follow us on Twitter @HivedHQ, Instagram @hivedhq or TikTok @hivedhq. Have any questions or comments? Feel free to reach out to us at hey@hived.space.

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