What key challenges are you currently facing in your role?

Thank you for asking Steve!

What key activities are you currently completing in your role?
A rash of recruitment – I work within a department where some tasks are devolved from our central HR, and so for me ‘onboarding’ means not only ensuring contracts/HR records/IT accounts are set up, but also dealing with a lot of queries from higher level incoming staff (relocation, visas, pensions, preparation for teaching in the new academic year, can I have my email account set up early, etc… I find some higher level staff very needy). Setting up contracts for sessional teaching staff. Preparing for the start of the new academic year in October, including inductions.

What key challenges are you currently facing in your role?
With a massive professional staff transformation project going on at my workplace, in order not to be sucked into changes going on in our central HR, and so that my job is not at risk, my line manager has had to change my job title by taking out the “HR” in it. It’s the most ludicrous thing – even more so because departments were told staff dealing with HR work in departments wouldn’t be affected. Goal posts are being moved constantly, and there’s a sense that project managers don’t really know what they’re doing (another example – arranging to meet with all HRBPs as their jobs are likely to change, but at the last minute cancelling the meeting because project managers realised they didn’t know what HRBPs do!).

What challenges can you see coming around the corner in the next few months?
I work with a senior academic colleague on academic staff development (probation, promotion, sabbaticals, mentoring…) and a new staff member is taking over in September. The current one has been a nightmare to work with and I’ll have the challenge of easing someone new into the role (there's a fair amount of managing-up involved). The new person seems super organised, and I get on well with them, so I’m hoping it will go better than the last one.

What is keeping you up at night?
This happens maybe once or twice a week for me. I’ve been looking for other jobs, but don’t seem to be getting anywhere. I’m age is against me – I’ve applied for internal jobs at my company, and have had some interviews, but had no luck and little constructive feedback. I then discover those who got the jobs are always much, much younger than me. Applying for external jobs, especially via agencies, is proving futile (if unsuccessful with one job I rarely hear from the same agency again) and I feel that unconscious bias and ageism may be happening, but how can you prove it? As I have an MA and BA, I’ve deleted “O-levels” from my CV, in case that’s a giveaway that I’m not young! Also, with the “HR” being taken out of my current job title, I worry that this may impact on future applications. I’d hope employers look at the content of applicants’ jobs, but not having “HR” in my title could potentially be an instant turn off. I’ve sought a mentor internally, but senior HR staff don’t seem to want to bother with me. I have to say that I tried a few times via my local CIPD and never heard back. I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself at the moment, and although I’m CIPD qualified, highly capable, feel that still have a lot to give, I’ve become quite disillusioned with HR.

Rose, sorry to hear you are having a tough time. I have very limited experience of the education world but enough to know it is not for me. Is contracting or interim work a possibility?

Rose, sorry to hear you are having a tough time. I have very limited experience of the education world but enough to know it is not for me. Is contracting or interim work a possibility?