Supervision - support for HR professionals - General - Our Profession

5 Supervision - support for HR professionals

26 Apr, 2019 13:54

I work in a medium-sized organisation, in a very small team (one HR officer) - effectively a standalone post in terms of professional support.

I had a tricky case recently that I'd have really welcomed discussing via the community forum, but pragmatically I couldn't give enough details to access support without breaching confidence and probably creating an identifiable data breach. It got me thinking about 'supervision' - the kind of thing that counsellors and psychiatrists are required to have as part of their professional practice, providing an opportunity to sit with another professional in complete confidence and talk through the things that you've been dealing with. The idea wouldn't be so that they could tell you what to do or give advice, but just help look at the issues with the benefit of hindsight and see what you could earn from it.

I was wondering if there was a way to establish this kind of system within the CIPD, for those of us who are standalone or who can't easily discuss matters with colleagues in their workplace? I think what I'd value is a professional 'buddy' - someone I could meet up with a couple of times a year for a coffee, where we had a confidentiality agreement in place and could each speak openly about some of the difficult casework we'd had.

Would anyone else find this kind of system useful (or is it just me ...?) I've no idea how it might work in practice, but wondered in the first instance if it was something others would value.

Do let me know your thoughts, and thanks.

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David Perry | 0 Posts

27 Apr, 2019 13:37

Very interesting thought Nina. I am familiar with the concept and worked in an industry where 'supervision' was the norm. My wife is also a Relate trained counsellor and became a Relate trainer too.

One very big problem for the cipd and anyone else considering introducing 'supervision' in the same way counsellors practice it, might be, as you allude to, is the ability to enable a person to reflect on their own experiences and get them to think about other possibilities and their own issues around change and so on.

This isn't necessarily a skill that comes naturally and it certainly is not a skill that is taught to HR, nor is it a skill that HR practitioners necessary have any innate natural ability or expertise in.

A remark once made to me by a senior HR manager once put the finger on the problem; "I can do counselling. I'm good at listening and giving advice". Because thats what many people think counselling and supervision is all about.
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Rebecca | 0 Posts

29 Apr, 2019 11:14

Hi Nina,

I think this is such a great idea. A standalone role can be isolating and sometimes just talking through a situation can help. I sometimes find myself questioning myself as there are usually multiple ways of approaching a situation, I think it would really help to have someone to confidentially discuss situations like this with.

If you get any further with this or find something suitable please could you let me know!
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Owen | 0 Posts

29 Apr, 2019 11:43

Hi Nina

In my last role I worked in a small team (just me and an administrator) so when I needed more nuanced HR advice I needed to go elsewhere - and something like what you're suggesting would have been really helpful.

I live and work in the Scottish Borders which is a largely rural area, and has several businesses with similar issues - so a number of enterprising HR folks set up a quarterly meeting to discuss issues, as well as having a email round-robin for more time-sensitive questions. Taking this notion one step further and having mentors would probably deliver what you're looking for?

The other option as I see it would be to approach your local CIPD branch and see if anyone there would be willing to be a mentor?
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Nina Waters | 0 Posts

29 Apr, 2019 13:04

Thanks for the replies. I do have people I can discuss HR matters with - clearly I can talk things through with senior management colleagues, my HR Officer, call our lawyers or at CIPD events or other networking. As David said, it's not about getting advice as such, but about being able to reflect on my professional practice and think about how I could have done things differently or not. In a small team like mine (effectively standalone, as my HR Officer wouldn't deal with more complex issues), that independent and knowledgeable ear would be welcome.

I suppose having worked in a healthcare environment for a long time, I'm aware of how important supervision can be if you're dealing with more complex casework, and wondered if there was a way of replicating it within our profession.
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Ray | 0 Posts

29 Apr, 2019 13:23

Strongly encourage others to go down this route which I have practiced since about 1990. Having access to respected peers with whom you can exchange in confidence on a regular basis is a great way of testing ideas and getting sanity checks in a controlled and safe environment.
I have also experienced large companies that establish «mentor» roles where people can exchange freely and in absolute confidence with someone who is in a totally different part of the organisation and has been suitably trained in giving this type of support.
Finally, having a good network of people whose views you respect can go a long way down this same road.
Great post, Steve!
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