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I've just gained my very first HR Advisor role! Any advice?

James Webber

| 0 Posts

26 Feb, 2021 19:36

Hi all,

As the title suggests, today I was very, very happy to acquire my first HR Advisory role after a number of years of trying to progress! 

I'll be working in a team that solely deals with sickness advisory support/case work. I should also state that I've never worked within this organisation before so I'm sure that I'll be able to get some tips and tricks internally when I start in a few weeks time.

However, before that I wanted to try and get some feedback about how you all coped with your step up to the Advisory level?
Was there anything that you wish you'd known then that you do now?
Do you have any tips that you think could make the transitional process easier for me or potholes that I should look to avoid?

Your advice doesn't have to directly related to sickness management, I'm sure that I can make any advice you give, relating to case work/advisor work, applicable to my new role.

P.s. But please don't give me all your horror stories all at once! ;)

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  • Keith

    | 0 Posts

    26 Feb, 2021 19:43

    Congratulations. Great news. Hope it really works for you.

    My only real advice is to listen. Really listen. Often managers will tell you far more about what the real problem is rather than the often surface issues.

    Good luck.
  • James Webber

    | 0 Posts

    26 Feb, 2021 19:49

    In reply to Keith:

    Thank you for your kind words.

    So by that I presume you mean that said managers may initially start discussing a particular issue, but in fact it relates to a far larger problem which they might only allude to?

    P.s. If I've not understood I scouts promise to listen more intently to your reply ;)

  • Keith

    | 0 Posts

    26 Feb, 2021 20:11

    In reply to James Webber:

    Yes totally !
  • Indre

    | 0 Posts

    26 Feb, 2021 21:51

    Congratulations!
  • Peter Stanway

    | 0 Posts

    27 Feb, 2021 08:12

    In reply to James Webber:

    I would add that they need to know you are really there to help them
    Your focus should be enabling good ideas not policing other plans (unless you have to!)

    Good luck
  • James Webber

    | 0 Posts

    28 Feb, 2021 17:31

    In reply to Peter Stanway:

    Thanks for the reply and congratulations Peter.

    So I presume what you mean is that I should try to display myself more as an arbitrator there to help resolve the issues rather than someone there to enforce things from upon high (obviously, unless as you say, that is exactly why I'm there)?
  • Keith

    | 0 Posts

    28 Feb, 2021 18:35

    In reply to James Webber:

    Be careful. You are not an independent arbiter - you are an agent of the company seeking to get the right result for the company ( which hopefully will work for the employee too).
  • Steve Bridger

    | 0 Posts

    Community Manager

    28 Feb, 2021 18:35

    James - this is great news. I recall how disheartened you were back in August. I hope you now don't look back.
  • James Webber

    | 0 Posts

    28 Feb, 2021 18:46

    In reply to Steve Bridger:

    Was it that obvious? ;)

    I certainly hope that this is the start of better things.
  • James Webber

    | 0 Posts

    28 Feb, 2021 18:47

    In reply to Keith:

    Very true.
    It was just my interpretation of what I was being told. I'm happy for said interpretation to be corrected.
  • Johanna

    | 0 Posts

    CIPD Staff

    1 Mar, 2021 09:35

    Congratulations James! I'd suggest you try to fit in some of the CIPD free webinars both prior to starting, and during your new job. The topics covered are designed to be highly topical and relavant to the current HR 'landscape.' So they'll be relevant to the issues your line manager colleagues are dealing with too. They're great because you get to feel part of the wider intl HR community (much like on these discussion boards!) and you'll get a shared understanding of how people are dealing with the key issues of the day! It will make you sound quite well informed too ;) www.cipd.co.uk/.../webinars I'm a little biased as I work for the CIPD but I think they are great!
  • Jules

    | 0 Posts

    1 Mar, 2021 10:59

    In reply to James Webber:

    I couldn't agree more with Keith - I very early on had a manager complain about an employee, made it sound and look like it was a recent issue, when I dug a little deeper it turned out it had been a long running issue between them over a number of years! Not too long later the said Manager left under dubious circumstances!
  • James Webber

    | 0 Posts

    1 Mar, 2021 13:01

    In reply to Indre:

    Thank you!
  • James Webber

    | 0 Posts

    1 Mar, 2021 13:10

    In reply to Johanna:

    Thank you for the kind words and the suggestion to join the free webinars (there's nothing wrong with a bit of self promotion, you can literally take this post of mine as an example of that :) )

    I've just had a look and it seems I can retrospectively stream all the recent webinars. This is especially useful because the titles of historic webinars look especially pertinent to the type of work I expect to be dealing with:

    * COVID-19 vaccine and the workplace
    * Embedding flexible working for all
    * Stepping up and supporting working parents
    * In it for the long haul: supporting employee health and wellbeing

    Many thanks for your help, I'm sure it will be very useful...... and make me sound well informed ;)
  • James Webber

    | 0 Posts

    1 Mar, 2021 13:12

    In reply to Jules:

    An interesting situation Jules and I won't press you for further information!
    I'll be sure to bear in mind your experience when I start my new role.