HR Standalone role

Hi Danielle,

I made the move from HR Admin in a team of 5 to standalone HR Officer/Advisor. For me the it all depends on the company. My first standalone role I left after only 3 months as the company just wasn't the right fit for me, I felt unsupported, found it difficult to settle into and very lonely. The role I moved into following this is also standalone however the experience joining couldn't have been more different and I have now been there for 6 months and am feeling very much like part of the furniture.

They hadn't had onsite HR previously and everyone was really pleased to have someone onsite and were very warm and welcoming. The management team are supportive and try their best to keep me in the loop as to what is going on. Although I have my own office it is based just off the open plan office and has windows looking into the open plan, the other teams in the open plan are very friendly and between the 6 of us on that floor we're a small team made up of different teams and roles, so no more lonely feeling. Even though I cannot talk to them about what's going on in my role at times, they look out for me and make sure I'm ok if I'm having a bad day etc.

My advice would be do your research, check out the company more, understand the culture there, does management seem supportive etc. If possible see if you can meet some of the people in the teams around you and check out your working environment. Some companies offer the chance to come in for a trial day. If this is an option you might find it beneficial as it may give you a chance to meet more than just the people who interviewed you.

Standalone can be a great learning opportunity and chance to get involved in many different areas of HR and will certainly keep you busy, but I believe it's important to make sure you pick the right company as this makes all the difference.

Hi Danielle,

I made the move from HR Admin in a team of 5 to standalone HR Officer/Advisor. For me the it all depends on the company. My first standalone role I left after only 3 months as the company just wasn't the right fit for me, I felt unsupported, found it difficult to settle into and very lonely. The role I moved into following this is also standalone however the experience joining couldn't have been more different and I have now been there for 6 months and am feeling very much like part of the furniture.

They hadn't had onsite HR previously and everyone was really pleased to have someone onsite and were very warm and welcoming. The management team are supportive and try their best to keep me in the loop as to what is going on. Although I have my own office it is based just off the open plan office and has windows looking into the open plan, the other teams in the open plan are very friendly and between the 6 of us on that floor we're a small team made up of different teams and roles, so no more lonely feeling. Even though I cannot talk to them about what's going on in my role at times, they look out for me and make sure I'm ok if I'm having a bad day etc.

My advice would be do your research, check out the company more, understand the culture there, does management seem supportive etc. If possible see if you can meet some of the people in the teams around you and check out your working environment. Some companies offer the chance to come in for a trial day. If this is an option you might find it beneficial as it may give you a chance to meet more than just the people who interviewed you.

Standalone can be a great learning opportunity and chance to get involved in many different areas of HR and will certainly keep you busy, but I believe it's important to make sure you pick the right company as this makes all the difference.