Meet Shameem Hussain, the Operations Director (OD) at Muslim Women's Network, UK. Her day in the office can involve having to do two roles at the same time and can sometimes involve having to locate where the emergency supply of toilet rolls are! Here Shameem shares what a day in the life of an Operations Director can entail.

Something past 5am: My hubby wakes me up for Fajr salah. I take a moment and get up, so he is rewarded for waking me up. One good deed –  (I woke up – I’m allowed a good deed for Fajr)

Something past 7am: hubby once again wakes me up and says, ‘can you move your car, please.’ He shoots off downstairs and I try and squeeze in a few more snores; must get up quickly because yesterday he was in the car waiting as I fell asleep (oops).

07:28: nice cup of English breakfast, two 50/50 toast (or as my hubby calls it ‘warmed’ bread) and onto Netflix, I squeeze in a (or 2) episodes of Friends (I’m a 90s kid).

08:30: quick shower, get dressed, brush hair, I’m in the mood for some hoop earrings and lip balm. It’s a nice day so I won’t be too cold or too hot!

09:15: traffic is always mild at this time and I pull up at my usual parking space.

09:30: Affaf is already in and greets me with a lovely smile and asks ‘how was your weekend?’ It’s so nice to have a roommate. For the first couple of years as Operations Director (OD), I had the room to myself and Shaista would join me on some Mondays and most Fridays, unless she is in recess. Before I check my emails, I pop over to say hello to Rizwana and Umma in the next room with a promise to catch up properly later, and then I check in with the helpline team, as I’m covering today as our Helpline Manager (HM) is on leave.

Helpline staff are always cheery no matter what the day holds. I like to be in the loop so try and join morning check-in with everyone on the helpline. I had read the case allocations yesterday, so I’m ready to start check-in. We have 2 new safeguarding cases and another 10 already open – in total there are 40 open cases. Since the changes in the Domestic Abuse Act and lockdown we have been extremely busy and are getting more cases where the risk is assessed.

I do miss my previous role as a Helpline Manager, it was unpredictable and interesting. However, I prefer doing spreadsheets – I know I’m a geek! 

10:15: helpline staff have been briefed about certain safeguarding cases and one of the cases requires a follow up with the police, as we they haven’t updated us. Now, onto supporting  a new recruit on the helpline - it’s her second Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC), so I sit with her and go through the Domestic Abuse, Stalking, Harassment and Honour Based Violence Assessment form (DASH) and ensure all information is accurate.

10:51: I’ve also had a chat with our caseworker, Sumaira whose recently qualified as an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA). She is always on it! We have had a few cases where our service users fled domestic abuse, and either in a refuge or leaving one to a new home. It’s always nice to hear positive stories.

Now, with my OD hat - I start writing the employment contract for the new Helpline manager, while responding to a few more emails.

11:18: I received a call from our telephone provider with an update on the new telephone contract. I make a note so I don’t forget to chase them if they haven’t updated me by next week. Affaf goes through some emails that have come through, a few payments for room bookings required, as well as, spams and offers of various training and conferences.

12:06: how is it midday already! I need a coffee and a chat with Rizwana who attended one of her first meetings as a Projects and Partnerships Manager – I’m super proud of her! We talk about the ups and downs of meetings and getting the best out of them. Umma, is also in so we end up talking about MHM (Muslim Heritage Month) and the possible contacts we have in the pipeline…shh…I can’t reveal them yet but its super exciting!

Umma, is working on comms today – Mondays is usually Helpline and Tuesday she is on comms!!! Umma and I have a similar brain so we have to rein ourselves in - there's always lots of positive ideas on content discussed. 

12:41: Have to put on both hats – OD and helpline hat, as I'm working on a case for hardship. A recent request for a single parent who is struggling financially and has 3 children – now that school has started, the children will have one hot meal at school. The helpline has directed her to food banks, but most don’t offer culturally appropriate food, let alone halal food.

Last week, I attended a meeting about hate crime, I note there is a follow-up from someone who attended that meeting. I email her back to inform her that there will be a discussion on our Anti-Muslim Hate Crime report by our very own Baroness Gohir (aka Shaista), who by the way says she is not writing another report/research but then does! She’s a workaholic.

13:06: I skim read emails responding to a couple of urgent ones, but as I’m managing the helpline needed to prioritise the cases and calls coming through on the helpline. I just completed an afternoon check-in with the helpline team and it’s busy, but steady.

13:53: we ran out of loo roll!!! How!!!? There are some spares we keep in cases of emergency, so I grab a few. I’ve just realised I’ve not had lunch! What do I want? I ask Rizwana and Umma who are both tucking into their lunch at the desk and are unhelpful in inspiring my lunch choices. Tesco meal deal it is! Quick dash to the shops, must remember my clubcard otherwise the meal deal will be ££.

14:09: more emails, bite of my spicy bean wrap and a slurp of a drink whilst I’m writing a case review on the safeguarding cases we are dealing with today. I shout across the hall asking Umma, if we can re-arrange supervision, as its nearly 2:30pm and I know her alarm will go off reminding her to finish work to pick up her kids. Ah well, we both forgot – I make a promise to have the supervision Friday morning before I tackle the finance task.

14:19: Umma comes by updating me on all things comms, as we have a comms meeting next week. She leaves the office telling me she will email me some updates when she gets home.

14:43: Helpline hat! Mustn’t forget them! My office is the furthest away from the helpline room, so I like to pop in, so they know I'm still here. One of the helpline staff returns from a late lunch, I note she had her lunch away from her desk, so give her a high five. We have a natter about how I juggle being a Helpline Manager and OD. As our current manager is going for pastures new, I smile reassuringly and tell team we will have support from Shaista who will be on recess and it’s all about prioritising. I haven’t managed the new staff before and they haven’t been managed by me, but we’ll be fine! Change is good – I tell the team.

We received an interesting email about someone who wanted advice on how to tell her parents she wants to marry a guy she met online; she has multiple disabilities and long-term health needs and is vulnerable, so we discuss how to respond to her email sensitively.

15:40: helpline closes at 4pm, but we have been dealing with a possible safeguarding case for the last half hour. Service user wants to be anonymous but we are worried about her mental health, she is displaying suicidal ideations. Helpline staff are really encouraging and supportive; and managed to de-escalate the situation. We called 111 on her behalf and she is being supported by them. However, another staff member was dealing with an existing safeguarding case, where she has managed to obtain a non-molestation order and the service user feels free for the first time in her 20-year marriage, which was filled with abuse. I offer staff debrief and they manage to finish on time.

17:00: I lock up the rooms not occupied and head back to my desk, I still have not completed the payment for hardship, which I finally do now, then ring Shaista to update her.

17:03: I finish off the 3 emails I started in the morning and finally press send and then move onto writing case reviews for the day’s cases.

17:59: I write a to-do list for this week as it’s the last day of covering helpline and remember I need to send some statistics over to a funder (don’t worry I have done the task just not emailed them). I then start printing invoices that I need to pay this week so it’s ready for me in the morning. My to-do list is growing, and I remember I need to send a diary invite to the Helpline Manager for handover meeting. I write a post-it note, so I remember to log onto QuickBooks tomorrow. We’ve finally moved onto Microsoft 365, so I feel a little disorganised and need some time to sort my calendar and folders too.

18:11: Text from Umma – ‘don’t forget to write the blog on launch of Amal Safety app and a day in the life of’... noted on the post-it.

18:22: I need to go home. I texted my hubby saying I’m walking to the car – since the summer riots I started doing this as it’s a little walk from the office to the car (I like to get my steps in).

19:30: I’m playing tetris on my mobile and half watching Wheeler Dealers (wife duties – having to watch programmes about cars with hubby).

21:30: read my Isha salah and now ice cream time!

22:30: head to bed and maybe play another game on my phone until I get drowsy. I check the house alarm is on and my mobile alarms for the morning (wake-up, get-up and set off)! I put the fan on and hubby wakes up asking/telling me to turn it off as it’s cold! It’s not cold!!!