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Things you wish you knew

Lee

| 0 Posts

18 Apr, 2019 05:24

Hi All, I qualify for my CIPD Level 3 in June, I have worked as an account manager for 15 years but have always had a keen interest in HR so have finally taken the jump and landed my first HR role which I start in a few weeks!

I'm thrilled to be starting this new chapter in my career, I've thoroughly been enjoying my studies and taking as much in as possible however I would like to be as prepared as possible going into my new role!

for all those working in a HR Advisor role, could you please share any words of advice you wish you had been given, or would go back and tell yourself when first starting out?

Thanks for you time!

Lee. 

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  • Kevin Elvidge

    | 0 Posts

    18 Apr, 2019 07:37

    In HR, there is unlikely to be a 100% right answer, it's all about context and what is the most appropriate course of action in the circumstances.
  • Ray

    | 0 Posts

    18 Apr, 2019 08:35

    Congratulations Lee and good luck with your new role!

    To paraphrase what Kevin rightly says - "context is all", or "context is king"!


    Try to understand how the different parts of the organisation work together/interact and to develop a "helicopter" view of the company. Ideally, try to spend some time with the head of each department to develop this understanding.

    Secondly, try to understand how your business actually makes money - volume? margin? operational excellence? cutting edge R&D? and how HR can support these different levers

  • Jacqueline

    | 0 Posts

    18 Apr, 2019 08:36

    Hi Lee

    Congratulations on your new role and good luck! I'd advise that you spend the first few weeks getting to know the organisation and the managers - read all the HR policies and procedures and book in 'getting to know you' meetings with all the key stakeholders and find out what they think of HR. Find out what the organisation's culture and strategic aims are so you have affirm grounding before you look to change anything. ;-) Then look for some quick wins in terms of improvements.

    Kind regards

    Jackie
  • Robey

    | 0 Posts

    18 Apr, 2019 09:09

    Congratulations, Lee. It's nice to hear from someone who has succeeded in making the shift, rather than from someone frustrated by not being able to do so. It would be interesting to hear how you came to make the move from accounts to HR.

    As for what I wish I'd known...

    Data is king.

    When it comes to financial decisions, no business leader would dream of making big plans without looking at the numbers. And yet, people make people decisions all the time on the basis of "gut", "hunches" and "instinct".

    Intelligence arises from the analysis of information. Without information, there can be no intelligence.
  • Deborah

    | 0 Posts

    18 Apr, 2019 09:16

    Hi Lee,

    Welcome to the wonderful(?!) world of HR.

    I would say - hang on to your 'open mind'. You will learn from every issue you deal with - in 20 years time you will still be learning and you will still be adapting.

    Never assume you know how a situation will play out because you will, invariably, be wrong.

    Learn to manage up, down and across - you will do it everyday and in every situation.

    You are going to love it!

    Debi
  • Steve Bridger

    | 0 Posts

    Community Manager

    18 Apr, 2019 09:24

    Welcome, Lee... and great question 

  • Catherine Fehilly

    | 0 Posts

    18 Apr, 2019 11:39

    Welcome Lee. I would say expect the unexpected. There will always be something new that comes up and when you think you have seen and heard everything, there will always be something that makes you throw your hands up in the air and say "now I have heard everything".
    As others have said, get to know the business. Spend time with each department getting to know what they do and why they do it. This will help to build your credibility with key stakeholders. Remember that no question is a stupid question. Look at any data that is available relating both to HR and other areas of the organisation and understand what key data you need to work with in order to add value to your role. Remember that the other departments in the business are your customers and you need to ensure that they are satisfied with the service you are providing to them. Build your relationships and review where you are with things on a regular basis.
  • Teresa

    | 0 Posts

    18 Apr, 2019 12:19

    Congratulations on your new role. That's a fab question to ask. I think my thoughts would be:

    HR is not there to police the organisation - we are professional advisers in the same way as Solicitors or Accountants. This means as a general rule, our role is to provide the manager with information on options, together with the risks etc, so they can make an informed decision. There may be times ,when they seem determined to take a course of action so risky or inappropriate that we need to alert someone more senior, but as a general rule, the manager is the decision maker.

    Having said that, you will come across many managers, who don't want to give a difficult message to an employee and will ask you just so they can say that HR have said 'no'

    When considering courses of action, always try to think about whether that course of action is likely to improve the situation, make no difference, or potentially make it worse. If it would make it worse, you are just creating work for yourself, if it would make no difference, you are wasting your time. There are times, when you don't have much option, but is always good to consider what is likely to happen next.

    I hope you enjoy your new role
  • Peter Stanway

    | 0 Posts

    18 Apr, 2019 13:09

    Build trust and respect.
  • Lee

    | 0 Posts

    22 Apr, 2019 08:27

    Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply! lots of very valuable responses! I will take it all in! thanks again!
  • Steve Bridger

    | 0 Posts

    Community Manager

    26 Apr, 2019 10:34

    In reply to Lee:

    Hello again, Lee... it has been great to see this thread flow, but now seems to be a good time to share this discussion from 18 months ago, which I think complements your thread.

    I asked if people could turn back the clock and start again, would they choose HR? Some truly fascinating stories emerged (which have so far been viewed over 40,000 times).

    Working in HR? If you could start again, would you?

  • Toria

    | 0 Posts

    29 Apr, 2019 14:55

    Hi Lee
    Congratulations on your new role.
    The fact that you have worked hard and are gaining your CIPD level 3, shows that you can do this. Your new employers have thought this too.
    Is someone going to mentor you in within the company? Is the department you are going to work in the only HR department? Network, find and ask questions, never be frightened to ask, remember everyone starts somewhere.
    Also don't forget that you have a great tool here with CIPD, attend as many events and no day is ever the same in HR. :)
  • Helen

    | 0 Posts

    29 Apr, 2019 15:06

    Keep an open mind, listen to all sides before making a decision
    Build trust and respect and be honest
    I always think "how would it affect me", especially when dealing with any change
    Treat people like people not numbers
  • Martha McRae

    | 0 Posts

    2 May, 2019 15:32

    Well done Lee! I echo all the previous comments but would also say keep your business mind which you will have picked up from account management. This is a huge advantage so use it. Secondly, spend as much time with other HR people in your organisation. I'm almost 4 years into my HR career and have undoubtedly only developed so much due to the coaching from others in my department. I also think a huge area of focus for an advisor would be process improvement on the transactional side. Not only will this build your reputation, it will free up your time for more value add activities. Best of luck!
  • Kevin Sean Vincent McCarthy

    | 0 Posts

    4 Jun, 2019 12:11

    In reply to Lee:

    Treat all employee who you come into contact with with the respect that is due to them - including those that are facing allegations of gross misconduct.
    Develop the ability to communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organisation (from the cleaners down to the directors!).