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Career Advice needed - how do I take a step back?

Jacqueline

Hi all

I'm hoping the collective wisdom of the forums can offer me some advice.  When I started in HR, I worked my way up from HR admin roles to HR Adviser.  I then took a sideways step to be a HR Analyst for 11 years - it was a great role full of variety, dealing with HR Systems, reward, benefits, pensions and some really interesting projects.  But after 11 years I felt I'd exhausted the possibilities of the role so last year I again went sideways into an IT role, supporting Payroll systems.  That role didn't turn out as I had hoped as the projects that I was brought in to do didn't happen, so I was left doing minor system configuration day in day out which was very dull.  So  after 17 months there, I rather hastily took a new role about two months ago, back in HR but completely focussed on Data Protection and Data Governance. 

Now I feel I have made a horrible mistake.  I thought I would be getting back closer to the business and employees by moving back into HR, but I feel further away than ever.  There is a huge amount of work to be done to get data governance up to the organisation's standards and all the work to be done to get the People Function GDPR fit but there's no support or resources internally to undertake the projects.  Work on these things should have started months ago but it's been left until I started - I think they think I'm some sort of magic wand they can wave to fix all these problems.  Unfortunately I don't share that view!  I'm stressed to the point of tears most days and paralysed by the feeling of being so overwhelmed with work I don't know where to start.  I have little contact with my boss who is too busy to offer any support and he is relying on me just to get on and deal with all this.  I've talked to him about how I feel but he's made it clear that there will be no extra resource.  He's a nice chap but he's busy to the point of abruptness and I don't get the impression that he'll manage to give the support I need.  I've certainly had no feedback on how he thinks I'm performing which means that I automatically assume I'm not doing well enough.

I'm realising that I thrive on variety - focussing on one particular thing day in , day out really isn't suiting me at all.  I think I've taken a wrong turn in my career with my last job and this one and I need to find a way back to more generalist HR roles that really add value and excite me.  So my question to you all (finally, after all my moaning!) is what sort of roles should I realistically look at?  I haven't been a generalist HR Adviser for over 12 years, but my HR Analyst role had a lot of generalist elements such as advising managers, hearing grievances, investigating potential disciplinary cases, managing projects, delivering change, supporting redundancy programmes, due diligence for TUPE transfers etc.  I've also done voluntary HR work as a school governor, hearing grievance cases, advising on job shares and restructures and looking at pay and performance. Is it realistic to aim for a HR Adviser role, or should I go back to an administrator level and work my way back up?  I'm know I'll have to take a salary cut  but it would be a struggle to drop to an administrator salary.  There's a small pool of opportunities where I live so I can't afford to be too choosy.  And a second question is that if you were recruiting a HR Adviser or HR Administrator, how would you view me?  Does it look really bad to have changed jobs under two years ago and then two months ago and now be applying again or is it ok for me to say that I've found that such specialist roles don't suit me and I want to get back to generalist HR as that's where I find my job satisfaction?

Many thanks for reading my long story.

Jackie

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  • Hi Jackie

    If I were you i'd be inclined to put your last position (the IT role, supporting Payroll systems) as more of a HR IT role, that shows you as having dedicated HR-relevant IT skills, rather than a non-HR role. That way you were there a year and a half gaining valuable experience.

    Next comes your current role. I believe that almost everyone has at least one role on their CV that is a 'mistake' (mine was a stint in local government that lasted just over 9 months). It sounds like your current role is yours. Decent recruiters will recognise that, particularly if you call it out in your application.

    That's my tuppence on your circumstances regarding your recruitment circumstances. I'd also say this about GDPR:

    GDPR is important and some people believe it to be a massive risk. But do you remember the fears that were peddled when National Minimum Wage was implemented that didn't materialise (where HR people were being told that they'd be sued and fined and black-listed if they didn't apply NMW?)? It's the difference between recognising a hazard and the risk of that hazard occurring. GDPR is a hazard and must be done, but it doesn't have to be hugely risky. We're going through it* in my own (multinational, US-headquartered) company and I keep trying to remind people that for there to be any action taken against us it would require 1) an employee to take issue with how we process their data informally and then 2) formally via a grievance if they didn't like the outcome of step 1, 3) for us to deal with that grievance in a way that wasn't accepted by the employee, 4) the employee to go through a grievance appeal, 5) for the employee to be so unaccepting of the company's processes that they put in a complaint to the ICO, and 6) For the ICO to find any merit in the complaint. I suspect 7) would be the ICO contacting us to investigate, rather than immediately taking us to court. So to me the risk isn't actually that high even though there is a hazard that is could happen.

    Feel free to pm me if you think I can be of any help.

    Good luck!


    * I'm currently writing this to avoid doing work on GDPR...
  • in reply to Owen
    Thanks Owen - you are a breath of fresh air blowing through my murky brain! ;-) You're right - instead of trying to deliver everything (my organisation has defined 16 requirements to meet GDPR and 47 'products' that we have to produce to show compliance), I should just focus on delivering what we can actually manage and what impacts most on our applicants and employees (like decent information notices and understanding when we need to ask for consent) and risk accept the rest. I think I might draft a new plan for my manager that says 'this is what is reasonable to achieve' rather than my gold plated version. Now I just have to find a slot when he's free to talk to me...
  • in reply to Jacqueline
    Hi Jackie

    Glad to be of help :-) Hope you get some time with your manager soon as he see's the merit of this approach!
  • in reply to Jacqueline

    Hi Jackie,

    Terrific, thoughtful responses from Keith and Owen who both make some really insightful comments.

    Knowing you a little bit as I do (!)... I think you have knowledge and experience in an area of HR that will only grow and is increasingly important. I do agree with Owen that you would want other people to view your recent roles through a 'data' lens (vs simply IT per se).

    I always thought the "HR Analyst" role suited you down to the ground - so much so that you often popped on here to effectively mentor others who were finding their way. If I could only 'magic up' a way of translating the support you have given others into a currency that would support you now. I'd glad you chose to post this here.

    Our careers (if that is even what we should call 'it' these days) is not a linear, always upwards 'escalator'. We meander and pause, take missteps and 'wing it' for much of the time. I do agree with Keith that you should press your manager for some of his time. Are there also individuals in other parts of the organisation who might be 'champions' of GDPR? Can you prioritise a few small projects (perhaps with their support) that might demonstrate some impact in the next 6 to 12 months?

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  • in reply to Jacqueline

    Hi Jackie,

    Terrific, thoughtful responses from Keith and Owen who both make some really insightful comments.

    Knowing you a little bit as I do (!)... I think you have knowledge and experience in an area of HR that will only grow and is increasingly important. I do agree with Owen that you would want other people to view your recent roles through a 'data' lens (vs simply IT per se).

    I always thought the "HR Analyst" role suited you down to the ground - so much so that you often popped on here to effectively mentor others who were finding their way. If I could only 'magic up' a way of translating the support you have given others into a currency that would support you now. I'd glad you chose to post this here.

    Our careers (if that is even what we should call 'it' these days) is not a linear, always upwards 'escalator'. We meander and pause, take missteps and 'wing it' for much of the time. I do agree with Keith that you should press your manager for some of his time. Are there also individuals in other parts of the organisation who might be 'champions' of GDPR? Can you prioritise a few small projects (perhaps with their support) that might demonstrate some impact in the next 6 to 12 months?

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