News

In the Spotlight - Nazir Ali

Posted 29/03/24

This month we profile Nazir Ali, as he talks about his journey from being a trainee Trading Standards Officer to Service Manager for London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, as well as how he adapts his role during Ramadan.

Journey into Trading Standards

My journey into the Trading Standards profession is not a conventional one. I have a science background. Back in 1998, I did my degree in Biochemistry from UCL. However, I had no interest in looking at ‘fruit flies’ and agar jars in a science laboratory and wanted to do something more suited to my proactive and outgoing self. So, I approached a recruitment company called Skillsmatch, which was a recruitment ALMO of Tower Hamlets Council for local people to put them into jobs in Canary Wharf area or the local authority. With Skillsmatch, I embarked on a 4-months management course called “Fast Forward into Management” accompanied by a work placement.

This is where I read up on the role of Trading Standards and enjoyed the enforcement coupled with consumer advice. Also, I read up on some aspects of weights and measures, sampling and the testing of apothecary measures, which somewhat matched my science background. For my work placement, I secured a job in Tower Hamlets Council Trading Standards and to backfill for an officer on maternity leave and work on the Quality Assurance and Quality Manual to ISO 9001systems. Whilst writing up these documents, I started engaging with staff at different levels of the organisation. This enabled me to fully understand all aspects of the service and was interested to continue.

My one-day-a-week job became a trainee Trading Standards Officer by being successful at the interviews. It felt like this job was created for me. Eventually, I navigated through the Diploma in Consumer Affairs, and the APEL Diploma in Trading Standards in 2005. I never looked back and progressed to becoming a Senior Trading Standards Officer and did the Diploma in Management Studies to help me progress.

After more than 21 years in Tower Hamlets, I decided to take on proper management challenges and in June 2021 I moved to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham as a Principal Trading Standards Officer/Team Leader role. I felt I was being headhunted as my current manager wanted me to apply before, so I changed my mind. I wasn’t going to change my mind because it was within the borough that I lived in which meant I was contributing my energy back into making a difference in my own borough.

Being a CTSI Member

The key benefits as a member are gaining access to the latest legislative changes, invaluable training by experts, news, and articles from knowledgeable professionals in their respective fields, great opportunities for networking and using the chartered status to further your career aspirations within the profession or externally in other reputable organisations. I really enjoy networking and reading the Journal, especially, since I have been involved in helping to shape the profession to be more ‘fit for purpose’ in modern-day Britain. I feel proud when my articles are published in the printed Journals as well as the shorter online releases.

Importance of Trading Standards

Trading Standards Service is a very important organ of local government responsibilities for businesses and residents to keep people safe whilst our work directly contributes to enhancing economic prosperity for businesses and the economy. It is a prestigious role within a local authority set up holistically balanced between enforcement, administrative and legal processes. As a qualified TSO, with several years of acquired knowledge and experience, you’re in a unique position to fit into many other jobs quite easily with minimal supervision.

My tips for the newcomers to this profession are to specialise yourself in a field, for example, safety and make yourself known across the TS family, you’ll be head-hunted even after retirement.

Adapting my role for Ramadan

Ramadan started on 11 March and will continue until Eid on either 10 or 11 April. Yes, I will be fasting and working at the same time. During fasting and working, I suffer from a lack of sleep. However, I am grounded in the Islamic faith and work around my daily rituals.

Sometimes work at random hours, at midnight or early morning before breakfast (suhoor), however, it gets very lagging and tiring near the time of iftar (breaking the fast). After a few days, you kind of get used to not eating or drinking during the day, it is truly ‘mind over matter’. However, I consciously try to avoid some aspects of socialising or networking and do more administrative work. Having said that, whilst fasting, I volunteered to do litter-picking with my colleagues, including the director and head of service. Within an hour we collected 18 bags of rubbish dumped on a stretch of road. It is therapeutic and brings humility to one’s self-importance.

My advice for managers would be to be more accommodating and flexible with your fasting staff. If they can observe fasting, then they will also make up any lost time for work. Also, for the fasting staff, you need to know that you’re being paid and make sure you fulfil your responsibilities, even if you must work the extra hour in the day or at weekends remember the saying in the Qur’an; “…surely with hardship comes ease” [Qur’an 94:].

In the Spotlight is the new section in our monthly members' newsletter (Head Office Update), where we shine a light on our members and the inspiring work they do. If you know someone who deserves to be in the spotlight, please let us know here.