As part of our commitment to support candidates in developing fulfilling careers, we’ve invited HR Leaders from a wide variety of organisations to share their insights on building a career, the challenges they face and what advice they would share with those hoping to follow in their footsteps.
This week, we had a great conversation with Fay Ball, Stadler Rail’s Head of HR for the U.K. Fay found her passion for HR while working for industries she never envisioned to be a part of.
After starting her career in the legal profession, Fay moved into the HR field working as part of the prison service before joining Stadler Rail. Now CIPD Level 7 qualified Fay.
Can you tell us about your journey into HR. What lead you to a career in HR?
I’ve got quite a varied background. I went to college and started doing English and Law, but I dropped out after the first year and started an apprenticeship doing business administration in a law firm. After that, I worked within the education sector working as an administrator for an apprenticeship provider.
It was after that, that I began my HR career. My first HR role was working for G4S within the prison service. That was quite an interesting industry. When I got in there and realised what it was all about, the main thing for me was to help people. People would come in with a problem or issue preventing them from going to work or dealing with something personal. I felt I could help and make a difference in their lives, and that was what I enjoyed.
I felt previous admin jobs I had, had been a bit mundane, doing the same thing every day. And HR is the complete opposite. You are doing something different every day. At the time, my manager was completing their CIPD Level 5. I could see what she was doing and how that was benefiting her. I then thought that Level 3 would be a good way for me to get a deeper knowledge of what HR is, and not just the day-to-day tasks. I worked for G4S for around two years, and I was getting to the point where I wanted to do my Level 5. At this time, I knew my job inside out, and I was ready to progress in my career. But I was in such a small team. I sent my CV out, and someone contacted me to interview for Stadler.
While they are a worldwide business, they were almost like a startup within the UK at that time. They had no policies or processes yet and just started to look for HR software as they were transferring about 150 staff members. That was attractive to me.
I became Stadler Rail’s HR assistant in September 2017. There were about five or six of us in the office. By the 1st week of October, there were 180 staff they had just transferred over. That situation was a monumental change and a steep learning curve for us. I’ve been with Stadler ever since. The company has grown massively in the UK. There are now around 500 people in the team. I have grown and developed a lot in my career with them. That’s the best way to describe it.
What challenges are you currently facing as an HR Leader?
Working within the rail industry, one of the challenges can be industrial action. With the crisis and the rising cost of living, there are more demands around pay and conditions and things like that. Though I am working on the engineering side of the rail industry, these strikes can still impact us.
The pandemic brought about quite a lot of loneliness, anxiety, and other issues for some people working from home and social distancing while worrying about loved ones and the pandemic.On a positive note, I think that’s helped people be more open when they are struggling. And that is a good thing because if we’re aware we can intervene, help and support. But it becomes a challenge to deal with when you’ve got a lot of those issues as a business. Lastly, one of the big challenges we are trying to overcome is getting more women into the industry. We work in a male-dominated environment, traditionally engineers working in the railway were men. When I joined Stadler, two women worked there. Now, I think we’re up to around 40 out of 500. We’ve also recently had three of our staff nominated for awards within the Women in Rail Awards. That’s something we are pushing for – to raise the women’s voice in the industry.
What advice would you give to those planning to pursue an HR career?
If you find something you enjoy, you need to push forward with it. There will be times you might feel a little bit out of depth or unsure. Just keep going and give your all, and you will get where you need to be.
Also, do not be afraid to try something new. In my case, I did not know what HR was. I jumped from a safe environment of administration that I knew inside out into something where I could build a career. It was a bit scary, but that risk paid off in the long run. And here’s a piece of advice from a woman who has worked in engineering or even the prison service that people think is a man’s job. As long as you feel comfortable and confident in your ability, then nothing should hold you back. Just go for it.
Fay joined Stadler Rail in September 2017 as an HR Assistant. Through the years, Fay
moved up the ranks in the company to being the country’s HR Manager and HR Business
Partner. In 2020, she became the UK Head of HR.
If you are interested in having a confidential conversation about your career or would like
support in growing your team, please get in touch today.