Located on Sydney’s south-west edge, Woolworths Macquarie Fields is more than just a local grocery store. It's a place where Louay Khalil is finding his footing and creating his own path.
A fresh start for new team member Louay Khalil
2:07 min read
At just 15 years old, Louay has already made a positive impression in his first few months at Woolworths. He credits his manager, Michelle, as well as Grocery Manager Patrick for his smooth onboarding and enjoys his role in the fresh team, where he loves interacting with customers.
“I think, for Lou, what makes him such a great new recruit is just the great attitude he's brought in with him,” says Patrick.
“Every sort of thing that we give him to do, he'll push himself to get it done. He's easy to educate and he just picks things up so quickly. He's dedicated and he's great with the customers. They love him already, too.”
For Louay, his motivation to enter the workplace has been to fund his passion for building a car alongside his dad. However, he was pleasantly surprised to have gained more than a steady wage on his journey.
“The best part about my job is hanging out in the tea room with my teammates. When we do get a break at the same time, we usually catch up and enjoy a laugh,” he says.
Laughs aside, Louay spends his shifts learning from people like Group Manager Jason, who has been at Woolworths for 19 years.
“Woolworths is a good place for young people to work. It gives them a bit of life experience. They get to work with different team members across the whole store in different departments,” says Jason.
There’s no doubt that connection to customers is one of the greatest strengths our teams have to offer.
“You meet so many customers and get a proper understanding about their community and what's happening around them,” adds Jason.
Louay's mum is proud of her son. Earlier this year, she was concerned about his plans to leave school early. But since joining Woolworths, he's shown a renewed motivation to study and gain valuable work experience.
"This job has shown him he can succeed in a professional setting. His communication skills have improved and he's more confident," she says, "Whether he finishes high school or pursues a trade, I'm happy as long as he's happy.”
