Jeanine Lazili has been an administrative assistant at the same company for 20 years.
Jeanine Lazili, 48, is an administrative assistant at Sun Life Financial in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Q: You attended The New England Center for Children, a school and research institute that helps children with autism spectrum disorders. What was that school experience like?
A: My mother enrolled me on Tuesday, June 23, 1987, when I was 17. I’m good at remembering dates.
I lived in a home there with other students while I went to school and took vocational and other courses. I liked the vo-tech courses and I liked going to the public library.
When I finished school, NECC helped me get a job.
Q: What do you do at Sun Life Financial?
A: Every morning, one of my co-workers drops off a package to me that contains photocopies of policyholders’ checks and other documents like address update forms. I get the documents ready to be scanned.
I remove any staples and tape any rips. I check to see if there’s a work item, like a new address on an address update form. If there is, I put a red dot by that field.
Then I make a copy and put the copy in a bin for a co-worker to pick up and scan. I put the original with the red dot in a file that an NECC job coach reviews to check my work.
Q: How many documents do you work on every day?
I don’t know. But I do a lot of work, and I do it the right way — no making mistakes.
I’ve been here 20 years. I started here Oct. 20, 1997. I used to do filing and document scanning here. Before that I had a job at another company putting files in order by A, B, C.
Q: What’s a typical day?
A: At 8 o’clock a.m., I leave for work. I ride in a minivan with a housemate who also works here. I bring lunch from home. I say hello to everyone.
One of my job coaches, or Rachel, my NECC program coordinator, comes back to the house with me after work. I still live in an NECC residence.
I don’t always know when it’s my turn to cook dinner. Sometimes I watch “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” at night.
Q: What do you like about your job and your time outside of work?
A: I have my own desk and phone. I like preparing the files and seeing my co-workers.
Also, I like vacations. I work like everyone else and go on vacation. I’m going to Vermont in August with my mother. You have to put sunscreen on.
Here, I like going out to dinner at Bertucci’s. Friday nights I like going for Starbucks coffee. On the weekends I like to go out for ice cream. I usually go with a staff member from my house and my housemates.
Q: Do you learn new parts of the job from other people at work?
A: Yes, my co-worker Amanda teaches me. And if I have questions afterward, I ask Brian.
Q: Do you talk about work with people at the New England Center for Children?
A: Yes, Rachel asked me if I feel productive at the end of the day. I said yes.