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Author name: amy@recruithuman.co.uk

Is your organisational culture effective or affective?

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Does your organisational culture help your team to succeed or cause them headaches? In today’s competitive landscape, most organisations are looking for ways to gain a competitive edge. While many focus on things like product innovation or market expansion, one area that can be overlooked is the company’s culture and operations. The culture and operations of a company can be major blockages that prevent it from achieving its full potential. Whether it’s a challenging, even toxic work environment, outdated processes, or inefficient operations, these factors can lead to a host of problems, including talent attrition, an inability to hire, operational drag, and flight risk. This article takes a closer look at how these issues can arise and what companies can do to address them. Find out your cultural effectiveness score before you get started here.Ā  Talent Attrition One of the most significant problems that can arise from a poor company culture is talent attrition. When employees don’t feel valued or respected, they are more likely to look for opportunities elsewhere. McKinsey coined the term ā€˜war on talentā€™ way back in 1997 and itā€™s still raging. Poor organisational culture can lead to high attrition rates, which can be costly for a company in terms of lost productivity, training costs, and recruitment expenses – not to mention reputational damage. A strong EVP and good reputation is like gold dust when hiring in 2023. To avoid this problem, companies should focus on creating a positive work culture where employees feel valued and supported – whether they are physically in the office or not. This can involve things like providing opportunities for professional development and growth, opportunities to engage as a team away from a work setting, fostering a culture of open communication and collaboration, being transparent and investing in systems and tools that will make your team more efficient and effective.Ā  Inability to Hire Another common problem that can arise from a poor company culture is an inability to hire. When word gets out that a company has a toxic work environment or high turnover rates, it can be challenging to attract qualified candidates – even outside of a skills shortage. This can be particularly problematic in competitive industries where top talent is in high demand. Improving their employer brand can help alleviate this issue. Steps to take could involve highlighting positive reviews from current and former employees, showcasing and demonstrating the company’s values and mission, and being transparent about the company’s culture and work environment. Operational Drag Poor company operations can also be a significant blockage to success. When processes are outdated or inefficient, it can lead to operational drag, which can slow down productivity and increase costs – not to mention team frustrations.Ā  To address this issue, companies need to focus on streamlining their operations and processes. This can involve things like investing in new technology and tools to automate repetitive tasks, simplifying workflows, and eliminating unnecessary steps in the process. You could try following your own processes to understand how clunky they could be. At Human we stand in our own queue periodically to experience what our clients experience to get a sense of how we can improve or adapt. Flight Risk Finally, a poor company culture can often lead to flight risk. When employees feel unhappy or unsupported, they are more likely to leave the company, which can create instability and disrupt operations. This can be particularly problematic in industries where specialised knowledge and expertise are critical to success.Ā  To address this issue, companies need to focus on creating a culture of retention. This can involve things like offering competitive salaries and benefits, providing opportunities for professional development and growth, and fostering a positive work environment where employees feel valued and supported. A powerful organisational culture can alleviate many issues. Understanding your organisational cultural effectiveness score can also help you identify where the blockages are and how big they might be across your Culture, Operations and People. The Human Cultural Effectiveness scorecard helps you quickly understand your overall score and your score for each business area. It goes further by offering you tips on how you can improve based on which area scores lowest. By focusing on creating a positive work environment, streamlining operations, and investing in employee development and retention, you can overcome yourĀ  blockages and achieve long-term success. Find out your Cultural Effectiveness Score by clicking here.

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Human & Cognisess : HR roundtable – How to create a sustainable and personalised skills strategy at scale

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Recently our MD, Amy Stephenson and CGO at Cognisess, Dr Jared Skey hosted a Human ā€“ People & CultureĀ hackathon, which involved a panel of top HR professionals. The debate that followed was an inspiring discussion about how we view the evolving world of work, and how to enable people to move freely around businesses based on skill. Here’s an excerpt from the blog post created by Cognisess which contains an overview of the discussion and link to the recording. Food for thought ā€“ highlights of the discussion and further reading The panel Q&A was an insightul discussion on how we define skills, the value of different skills, and how we prevent workers being boxed into ā€œswim lanesā€. This led to bigger ideas on enabling young people to understand the work that is suited to them, and the creation of a universal talent marketplace ā€“ where individuals own their own data and create thier own fluidity. Panelist Sharon Frost ā€“ Global HRD at Oxford Pharmagenesis ā€“ summarised these thoughts:Ā ā€œIt is our job as employers to make sure that we really articulate the fluidity, how you can evolve your personal skill-set and how you can evolve your career. Because that brings about so much enrichment to all partiesā€ Assigning people to problems, not jobs and silos. The panel discussed a company-wide approach to skill. The idea that instead of of job silos, we need to hire people into a fully interconnected marketplace, based on skill. Allowing individuals to move more freely between tasks instead of forcing them into ā€œswim lanesā€. Panelist Fiona Williams ā€“ HR Director at Buro Happold ā€“ explained that throughout her career she has heard people sayingĀ ā€œstick to your swim laneā€.Ā She thinks thatĀ ā€œforcing you to be defined by a job description is so demotivatingā€ Panelist Donald MacRae ā€“ HRD EMEA at Starbucks ā€“ pointed out that instead, if we assign budgets and people to problems, and get the right skill sets, weĀ ā€œget into a more inclusive and diverse way of workingā€ This approach is discussed in the bookĀ Ā ā€œWork with out jobsā€, by Ravin Jesuthasan and John W. Boudreau. A recommended read for anyone interested in this way of thinking. Skills hierarchies and transferability Panelist George Stone ā€“ Director of HR at Shields ā€“ raised the thought provoking questions: ā€œIf somebodyā€™s good at one thing, why are they good at it? Why is it a skill of theirs? What are the components that make that up? What is building those skills?ā€ This led to a discussion on skills hierarchies. For example, having a skill such as Java script programming, is a proxy for a deeper set of core skills such as: critical thinking, logical reasoning, task switching. Skill-sets that might well be applicable to a completely different field such a cooking! If we can properly understand these core skills and hierarchies, we can open up true skills fluidity and transferability. This concept has opened up a lot of interesting discussion here at Cognisess. We plan to write more on the topic soon. Watch this spaceā€¦ thank you George for inspiring these thoughts. Hard verses soft skills Panelist Donald MacRae ā€“ HRD EMEA at Starbucks ā€“ said that in his experienceĀ ā€œThe difference between success and failure has often been on the softer skills.ā€Ā He went on to say thatĀ ā€œa lot of people have the skills or knowledge but how do you deploy them in a working situation?ā€ This led to a discussion on how hard skills and knowledge are just the table stakes. If you donā€™t look at how people behave you only understand them theoretically. Behavior is where skills get put into practice. In Jaredā€™s talk he said that defining the skills people have is the first piece of the puzzle. To get the best out of workforce skills, you need to understand the following about all your people: Skills Portfolios ā€“ the skills they have today Skills Potential ā€“ their ability to acquire new skills Skills Dynamics ā€“ how they put their skills to use You can read more about the vital interplay between hard and soft skills in our blog post:Ā ā€œEnter the Skills Matrixā€ Individual development Panelist Steve Farmer ā€“ MD at SPIE Build & Connect ā€“ raisedĀ  the idea of using skills assessment to help young people find the right career pathsĀ ā€œschool leavers would do an aptitude test and it would say ā€“ ā€˜you would be really predisposed toĀ [insert career]ā€™Ā ā€¦ it would throw out the kind of skills you can pick up to make you very marketable based on your own innate abilitiesā€ This idea is exactly something we are working on at Cognisess. We are launching aĀ  version of our website, called Yondur, where any individual can play any of our games and assessments for free; to understand the work that is suited to them. No strings attached. You can watch a video about creating the Yondur brand here: Play Video Or visit the Yondur siteĀ here. And in this blog post:Ā ā€œSustainable Job Satisfaction for allā€Ā you can read more about why, at Cognisess, we think it is hugely important to help as many people as possible find sustainable job satisfaction, and how we are going about achieving this goal. You can watch a full recording of the talk and discussion here: Play Video Find the original post at https://cognisess.com/recruit_human_hackathon_skills_fluidity/

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Can I help you to feel more confident about your CV?

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Nicole Healey, Talent Acquisition Consultant at Human – People & Search shares her insights into improving the quality and effectiveness of your CV. A CV (or Resume for my US connections), either way itā€™s often your only opportunity to make that first impression. Itā€™s commonly known that some hiring managers or selection panels will take as little as 6-8 seconds to scan a CV before deciding on your eligibility for the role in question. As a Talent Acquisition consultant Iā€™ve seen my fair share of CVā€™s and when speaking with potential candidates I often hear ā€œI have a CV but it’s not up to dateā€ or ā€œcan I send you a copy of my CV? but just to warn you, itā€™s not the bestā€, there can be varying reasons for this but I find the most common to be: Lack of confidenceĀ We spend our time making a significant impact in our organisation – looking outwards BUT how often do we take a step back and reflect on the impact we have actually made? Where do we begin? Itā€™s the fear of rejection, the ā€˜putting yourself out thereā€™, if your CV isnā€™t where it could be, the outcome could have probably been differentā€¦. So here are a few suggestions I often share with the candidates I work with: Focus on your achievementsĀ don’t just list your responsibilities. Take a step back and reflect on the significant measurable achievements you have made to your current or previous employer and quantify it in numbers, fractions, pounds and percentages! What problems were you hired to solve? What did you do? How did you do it? What were the results = Ā£10,000/57% etc = achievement number 1 for your new and improved CV! Showcase the benefits you bringĀ Those achievements youā€™ve made, they translate to the benefits you brought to your employer and in turn, we can safely assume they are the benefits you can offer to your future employer too. Keep it concise and cleanĀ stick to two pages if you can, make it scannable! Bullet points are a great way to highlight key points and break up long paragraphs. Use a clear and easy on the eye font. Graphics, images or ā€˜fancyā€™ designs are personal preferences but ask yourself if they could be distracting from the information you actually want to get across. And please, please, pleaseĀ don’tĀ add a photo! If I can help anybody feel more confident about their CV and in applying for their next opportunity, please feel free to drop me a message and good luck! Nicole

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ā€œPeople may show sympathy, but what we need is empathy and emotional intelligence. Whatever you do, you must not forget that you are working with people.ā€ – Minako Honda-Athenor, HR Consultant – Senior Partner of Navis International explains the importance of empathetically balancing priorities between the organisation and its people.

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Today we have the pleasure of interviewing an experienced HR Leader who has faced and overcome various challenges in the field. With many years of experience, Minako shares her insights on some of the difficulties that HR professionals face and how they manage to overcome them. Amy: Thank you for joining us today. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your experience in HR? Minako: Thank you for having me. I have been in the HR industry for almost 20 years and have worked with various organisations across industries. My experience has exposed me to different challenges in HR, which have made me better equipped to handle different situations. Amy: How did you get into HR originally? Minako: I started my career as a teacher in Japan and later in the UK. I enjoyed working with very difficult students, and persistently helping them and teaching the subject until they fully understood the topics. The teaching experience was very rewarding and transferable to HR skills. When I look back, facing difficult students was more difficult than facing challenging employees at work, because there was no settlement option with those students. After being in the UK for a while I realised I wanted to try something different because as a teacher, you talk about the outside world but I had never worked outside of education. For my second job, I had the opportunity to gain exposure to employment law including work permits and taxation. At that time, my boss sent me to take a course about UK employment laws. It was beyond my understanding because it was for employment solicitors, so I was very quiet all day during the seminar. But it was still a good experience and it got me interested in this field. Fortunately, when I got my next job, part of that package was the opportunity to take my postgraduate CIPD course. And that was how I got into HR. Once in HR I moved around some very different industries – from insurance to airlines. And that was quite a big change because insurance was very much based on recruitment and rewards. But when I joined Japan Airlines, the main thing was employee relations – teamwork and building relationships. The nature of HR completely changed. I had an amazing couple of years in JAL. However, I wanted to do a different kind of job and moved to Mitsubishi. It had a different company structure from where I previously worked. I enjoyed working with HR peers in Europe to work on global projects. Looking at my career up to that point, I worked with different people but mainly Japanese stakeholders. I felt I really needed to work outside a Japanese organisation to see different leadership styles and company cultures. With that, I decided to move to a non-Japanese company. My first non-Japanese organisation was Meggitt in Hampshire. The biggest challenge for me was observing the culture in the organisationhow the people behaved and talked to each other. Japanese companies tend to work together, which was the more collectivism approach. On the other hand, British companies have people who express a variety of opinions, more individualism based. I was thinking about how I would be accepted in a non-Japanese environment. Fortunately, I felt accepted very well, actually and even received a massive bunch of flowers from union members when I finished the assignment with Meggitt. I had developed a great relationship with them. It was an excellent memory. Amy: What challenges are you currently facing as an HR Leader? Minako: I think one of the biggest challenges HR Leaders can face is managing company politics. How you can do what is right for the people and the organisation despite the politics. For example, you strive to reach a certain level in the organisation. And when you get into that better position, you run the risk of getting too comfortable, losing yourself and being too concerned about your ego, as driven by politics. In my case, I try to listen to what the people are talking about. I talk to employees in general because I want to be a real authentic HR Director or CPO, so talking with just the senior leaders is not the solution. I always try to find the best way to approach a person when I find something that needs to be fixed. You can do the talk by encouraging someone to change his or her viewpoint, without directly criticising how the person works. Amy: That’s an interesting approach. Can you elaborate more on how you deal with politics in the workplace? Minako: I strive to always be honest with myself and be fair to people from all parts of the organisation. I really want to create an engaged, happy working environment with the goal for each employee to grow more, while developing leadership and executives. To overcome politics, I create an environment where people feel comfortable expressing themselves. I encourage open communication and feedback, so that everyone can share their thoughts and concerns without fear of being judged or punished. This way, I can identify issues and address them promptly. Amy: What advice would you give to aspiring HR professionals? Minako: Being in HR means always finding that mutual point between the people’s side and the rules and procedures. You shouldnā€™t just focus on one or the other. That balance is very important. People may show sympathy, but what we need are empathy and emotional intelligence. Especially in cases of redundancy in an organisation, that is not really the last stage of the situation. We might see each other again at one point so I try not to create a negative environment during the process. The people I met 15 years ago sometimes still contact me to ask for my help which I am happy to do. Or when I post an achievement on LinkedIn, someone who I made redundant years ago would like my post or say a nice comment and I feel

ā€œPeople may show sympathy, but what we need is empathy and emotional intelligence. Whatever you do, you must not forget that you are working with people.ā€ – Minako Honda-Athenor, HR Consultant – Senior Partner of Navis International explains the importance of empathetically balancing priorities between the organisation and its people. Read More Ā»

Skills Fluidity: Human HR Hackathon – March 2023

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Last week we hosted the first Human HR Hackathon of 2023 and had a great conversation. We were joined by a guest speaker Dr Jared Skey and a panel of HR and People Leaders including: Donald MacRae, HR Director EMEA at Starbucks Fiona Williams, HR Director at Buro Happold George Stone, Director of HR at Shields Sharon Frost, Global HR Director at Oxford Pharmagenesis Steve Farmer, MD at SPIE Build & Connect

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ā€œ…failure is okay. Be confident to try something. Moving forward is better than standing still.ā€ George Stone, Director of HR at Shields, highlights the importance of looking at capabilities and potential vs experience in sourcing great talent.

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As part of our commitment to support candidates in developing fulfilling careers, weā€™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 George Stone, Director of HR at telecoms solutions provider, Shields. George, despite only being in his teens then, found his passion for HR while working in hospitality. Can you tell us how you got into HR? I always had an ambition to be a teacher when I was younger. In hindsight, it was probably because of three things: I wanted the opportunity to stand up and talk and to have an impact; you manage people to get the best out of them in the classroom; and lastly, just having the genuine passion to help people develop and improve themselves. So while in secondary school when I was about 16 years old, I got a part-time job at Topgolf, a sports entertainment venue. That opportunity catapulted me into employment. It was a transitional stage for me, and I realised that education wasnā€™t really where I wanted to be at that time in my life. And although I wanted to be a teacher, it was never really the style of learning that worked for me. I transitioned to working full-time at Topgolf. In my first year I became a leader of a team of around 17 people, and I started initiatives that made a difference to people. I realised that people management is similar to teaching; I was a coach and a teacher just to different people. I had a very operational career for the next six years at Topgolf. I was dealing with everything from finance to sales, marketing and day-to-day operations. Ultimately, I believe that you have to get the people right for the business to go well. Topgolf had massive success whilst I was there and grew quite quickly. When I joined we had around 35 people that worked in the venue, and when I left six years later, we had 250. And those numbers were replicated across the three venues at the same time. Suddenly, the volume of things I was doing people-wise increased. This was probably a massive advantage for me. Someone could work in HR for five years and maybe do a hundred interviews. And there I was doing a hundred interviews per week, not to mention the challenging chats, and all those development conversations. After working for Topgolf, I wanted something different. I found this opportunity with the pub and hotel company Youngs & Co Brewery in London. I was brought in to help because some of their larger acquisitions had larger workforces. However, the role wasnā€™t for me. It was a bit too operational than what I wanted. After about a year, I started to figure out that I’m better at dealing with people strategically. I managed to land an opportunity with Shields. They’e been around for 40 years, have a hundred and twenty staff, and operate internationally. They had just opened entities in France and Spain at the time. But they were small teams of three or four people and did not have an HR team. Senior leaders at Shields have an average of 10 to 20 years tenure, and I was coming in probably 20 years junior to everybody else. I had to transition the business and start the people process almost from scratch. It included managing employment contracts to our recruitment strategy, learning and development, curriculums for e-learning, engagement policies, data and analytics and diversity. Fortunately, I was able to apply the high-volume knowledge that I had learned and am enjoying the journey. What challenges are you currently facing? I think that a big topic for employers at the minute is how they are identifying talent – where they are looking and what they are looking for. It goes back to our point about work experience. Working the same year 10 times is not the same as having 10 years experience. Reading between the lines is a lost art when it comes to identifying key talent and that has to change.Ā  At the present, we are in a market where candidates can interview with five companies they are interested in and they get to pick the best ones that suit them. Now their decision is impacted by what the company stands for and how it treats its people. You don’t want to miss great talent just because their CV isn’t great or because they don’t come from the right industry. You need to find people who are passionate about what they are doing and show great growth and transferable skills, which reflects more that they’re going to succeed. When you think about all of the greatest achievers, the great CEOs and business leaders that have done amazing things over the last 50 years, would you have snapped them up when you were 20 years old and they didn’t have anything yet? What were they like back then? Or what did their principles look like? Instead of looking for someone to fit into a certain role, look for passionate people to join the organisation. You, as the business, should let them do the jobs you tasked them with. And if that keeps failing for you, it’s clearly an identification issue. You’re picking the wrong people. What advice would you give to those planning to pursue an HR career? I was very lucky when I was younger, at about 17 or 18 years old, I had a great mentor. Hopefully, everybody can find their mentor at least once in their career because these people are not always easy to come by.Ā  Also, making mistakes is not a problem. The problem is when you continue to make the same mistake over and over and do nothing to adjust or change. But if itā€™s the initial mistake, I

ā€œ…failure is okay. Be confident to try something. Moving forward is better than standing still.ā€ George Stone, Director of HR at Shields, highlights the importance of looking at capabilities and potential vs experience in sourcing great talent. Read More Ā»

Vacancy Alert: Business Development Roles, West Midlands

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In addition to supporting Senior HR Professionals to develop their careers we also support a wide network of CEO’s, MD’s and HR Leaders to recruit for their businesses. This week we have a great opportunity to join an established, growing business in the West Midlands. Get in touch today if you or someone you know might be open to a conversation. Are you ready to take your career to the next level? ???? Looking for an incredible opportunity to work with an industry leader? We’ve got two incredible job opportunities with a highly regarded and fast-growing company based in Solihull. With a winning track record and industry recognition including ‘Business of the Year’ and ‘Contribution to the Industry’ for their outstanding contributions to the field, this company is the perfect place for a driven and ambitious individual to build their career???? Now, they’re looking for a Business Development Manager and Business Development Representative to join their commercial team. As a BDM, you’ll be driving business growth and building strong client relationships. As a BDR, you’ll be generating leads and supporting the sales process. Best of all, the heart of this business is their people ā¤ļø this company values it’s people above everything else. They’re committed to investing in your growth and development, and you’ll be working with some of the most talented and dedicated individuals in the industry. If you’re confident, knowledgeable, and ready to join a company that’s making waves, send us your CV or drop Nicole a message at: nicole@recruithuman.co.uk

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ā€œAs long as you feel comfortable and confident in your ability, then nothing should hold you back. Just go for it.ā€ – Fay Ball, UK Head of HR at Stadler Rail Service, talks about making your mark even in difficult situations.

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As part of our commitment to support candidates in developing fulfilling careers, weā€™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 Railā€™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? Iā€™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 weā€™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.Ā  And hereā€™s a piece of advice from a woman who has worked in engineering or even the prison service that people think is a manā€™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 countryā€™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

ā€œAs long as you feel comfortable and confident in your ability, then nothing should hold you back. Just go for it.ā€ – Fay Ball, UK Head of HR at Stadler Rail Service, talks about making your mark even in difficult situations. Read More Ā»

ā€œIf the work youā€™re doing is meaningful, and you can do it with empathy and genuine care, that will go a long way.ā€ – Interview with Nerida Rooney

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ā€œIf the work youā€™re doing is meaningful, and you can do it with empathy and genuine care, that will go a long way.ā€ ā€“ Nerida Rooney, Head of Employer Brand and Strategic Resourcing at Kier Group As part of our commitment to support candidates in developing fulfilling careers, weā€™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 Nerida Rooney, head of employer brand and strategic resourcing at Kier Group, where she highlighted the value of empathy and authenticity in talent acquisition and HR. A born and raised Australian, Nerida has carried her passion for diversity and inclusion throughout her 19-year career in HR, both down under and in the UK. Her experience is impressive and spans a range of industries, including education, charity and FMCG before her current role within the construction industry.Ā  With her goal to inspire the next generation to fulfil their potential, Nerida joined the Resourcing Leaders 100 (RL 100), Europeā€™s leading peer network for strategic resourcing leaders.Ā Ā  Can you tell us about your first HR role? Absolutely, so as someone of indigenous heritage in Australia, I was able to secure an indigenous traineeship in the HR department at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales once Iā€™d left secondary school. Like many entry roles, my main responsibilities were administrative to start with.Ā  From the outset, what I loved to do was speaking to candidates, and on many occasions being able to offer them a job.Ā Ā  Being a part of such a personal moment in someoneā€™s life really highlighted to me what I wanted from my career. I wanted to interact with people from all walks of life and make that positive impact through job opportunities. This first role came with so many learning opportunities. The biggest coming from a mistake I made early on. I lived every recruiterā€™s worst nightmare and offered the job to the wrong candidate! None of us realised this until their first day, and while I felt terrible at the time, they actually turned out to be the best person for the job. Thankfully Iā€™ve never made that mistake since, but it taught me the importance of attention to detail and taking the time to really get to know a candidate. Itā€™s a story I often bring up when my team comes to me with their mistakes; we are human and I work hard to build a culture of openness and transparency.Ā  What came next in your HR career? So, I found myself ready for a new challenge, and Iā€™d decided to move to the UK, but whilst I waited for my visa to process, I had a short stint in agency work. I loved the people but didnā€™t like the sales-focussed approach to recruitment an agency brings. Itā€™s important to me to ensure the candidate is getting what they need and that the companyā€™s values match, which is so critically important.. Iā€™ve been in the UK for 14 years now and my career has developed and evolved and at Kier, I am leading a brilliant team and I absolutely love watching them grow in their careers.Ā  What challenges are you currently facing in your career? A big one for me is the ā€˜war on talentā€™. We know ā€“ according to the latest forecast trends – weā€™ll need about 225,000 additional people to join the construction industry before 2027 which is an immense task! It isnā€™t feasible to get those numbers through emerging talent alone, especially as roles like quantity surveying and engineering are not one’s students typically think of. We must find ways to get people to pursue a career in the industry which can be a challenge when competing with more traditional roles like medicine, law or teaching which they have a familiarity with.Ā  At Kier we have implemented programmes to support various groups in gaining meaningful employment and help with the skills shortage e.g Making Ground (prison engagement and employment programme), Refuaid (employment support for those displaced due to the conflict) and Armed Forces (employment for those who have served in the military) in addition to our work with 10,000 Black Interns and STEM Returners.Ā  We have also recently updated our Family Friendly policies increasing the offering for both maternity and paternity and support for those through the menopause and baby loss during any gestation period so the support is there when our employees need it. From my perspective of attracting and recruiting talent, I have seen first-hand how much candidates value these policies and our approach, but also the difference they have made to people.Ā  Finding new people isnā€™t the only challenge though. Itā€™s important we focus on keeping hold of the people weā€™ve got too. There always needs to be a focus on career development and succession planning which helps us provide long-term employment, benefiting employees and helping the business grow too.Ā  But these are all tied together with the challenge of managing different mindsets of different generations. People are working longer, and new generations are entering the workforce so how do you target such a wide range of people in an authentic way? What advice would you give to those planning to pursue an HR career? There are a few key things I focus on when it comes to advice. One, leave a legacy. If the work you are doing is meaningful, and you can do it with empathy and genuine care about the people you support, that will go a long way.Ā  Two, inspire the next generation. Personally, I want young girls to know thereā€™s absolutely a place for them here in construction. Thereā€™s that stereotype of a manual and muddy workforce but thatā€™s not the case; thereā€™s plenty of roles that will have you nowhere near a hard hat! But if that sort of role is of

ā€œIf the work youā€™re doing is meaningful, and you can do it with empathy and genuine care, that will go a long way.ā€ – Interview with Nerida Rooney Read More Ā»

“Get certifications. It actually helps in giving you more content and knowledge beyond the academic degree.” – Interview with Uduma Etea

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ā€œThe reality is that remote work is not the future.Ā  It has to be a hybrid model.Ā  There must also be the understanding that there is no template for the next phase of work post-pandemic.ā€ – Uduma Etea, IHS Towersā€™ former Associate Director for HR, expresses his stand that hybrid work set-ups should be considered in this post-lockdown era. As part of our commitment to support candidates in developing fulfilling careers, weā€™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 Uduma Etea, the former Associate Director for HR of IHS Towers, one of Africa’s largest telecommunications infrastructure firms.Ā  Uduma has made his mark as an HR practitioner and leader in Nigeria and England, with 2 decades of working in diverse industries like financial services, construction and real estate, aviation, retail, telecommunications and management consulting. With his passion for people, Uduma firmly believes that his role is not just to help them land jobs but to support them to find their career purpose and fulfilment. Can you share with us your journey in pursuing a career in HR? I’ve always been told by my mom since I was a child that I have a compassionate spirit. And I chose to study psychology at the university because I believed it will give me the capacity to understand people better. After getting my degree back in 1997, there was no HR yet then; it was more personnel management.Ā  My first jobs were more into banking operations but I was constantly looking out for the chance to move into personnel management because I really felt like that was my calling.Ā  Within a short while, I was fortunate enough to get that break.Ā  I got into personnel management (now HR) in 1999 and never looked back. My first big break was in the United Bank for Africa (UBA Plc) where I led the employee services team.Ā  It was a global organisation and I was able to interact with employees across the group. From the UBA, I was headhunted to be the head of HR operations of Resort International, a firm in the real estate, construction and infrastructure sector.Ā  The founder wanted to put proper policies in place because the HR admin system wasnā€™t really as fine-tuned at that point in time. From there, I was also able to join consulting firms like Phillips Consulting and later Total Business Solutions.Ā  These experiences helped hone my rough edges because I felt like I may have the technical know-how but wasnā€™t as ā€˜refinedā€™ in my presentation skills and HR theoretical knowledge back then. I was then again headhunted to join Aero Contractors.Ā  This was an airline undergoing a labour crisis then, with the unions going on strike.Ā  I was interviewed and the CEO found my ideas/ recommendation to be strong and powerful.Ā  About two weeks after I came in, the strike was put off because we had an engagement on the ground and I was able to help resolve the union issues. What challenges are you currently facing in your career, whether professionally or personally? I think the debate about working at the office versus working remotely is a challenge, especially after the pandemic. The reality is that remote work is not the future.Ā  It has to be a hybrid setup. There must be the understanding that there is no template for the next phase of work post-pandemic as we navigate the new world of work, and ways of working. We must look at the context of the organisations location and the circumstances. For example, there are those employees that are able to deliver their best when working remotely. But there are also roles where face-to-face interaction is more powerful. Like in the case of new hires, it would be better for them to do some face-to-face interaction to understand the culture and ways of working with their colleagues. New managers must also be able to build that personal connection with their employees. Also, there must also be humanity and empathy in the organisation as well as work design. I always tell people I work with that the first thing I do is to create initiatives to build an environment where employees can bring their whole, authentic selves to work. For example, if someone is not able to come to work at the designated 8 oā€™clock schedule, let us stretch our understanding to see and understand the reasons why they were unable to, not just invoke policy. When employees feel valued, understood and cared for, then they’re able to really thrive. And when employees thrive, the business thrives as well. Personally, I consider networking to be one of my challenges, especially in the early years of my career. I was the type to come to the office, sit at my desk and do my work. I donā€™t usually walk around to talk to people, or to put myself in peopleā€™s faces so to speak. That wasnā€™t my style.Ā  But I realised later on that the higher I go on the corporate ladder, I should have done more of that; networked more in the office. I probably missed career opportunities because I didnā€™t have much interaction or engagement with more Senior Management. Also, I used to struggle with work-life balance. That was quite a dilemma because there was a time when I was away from my family for months on work assignment and I was not able to spend much time with my first child. I was having a hard time connecting with my son, and as you know teenagers tend to drift away pretty quickly. So I made sure to catch up and invest time to be with him when I came back. I was lucky enough to have another chance to reconnect with him, and I know others may not be

“Get certifications. It actually helps in giving you more content and knowledge beyond the academic degree.” – Interview with Uduma Etea Read More Ā»

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