Category: Business

Blogging, Business, Career, Career Woman, Christmas Party, CIPD, HR, Human Resources, Uncategorized, women in business

The office Christmas party; potentially HR’s worst nightmare, well may be…

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on The office Christmas party; potentially HR’s worst nightmare, well may be…

office-party

The office Christmas party, it’s the event of the year for most employees but for HR it can be a stressful with a hint of “what the blooming heck is going to happen this year” dreaded anticipation. I’ve even overheard another HR professional refer to it as if to get through it were similar to surviving the apocalypse!

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not Scrooge’s; in fact HR work hard but my goodness don’t we know how to play hard! We just party in a different way to other employees.

The reasons for this are simple, we may be at the party but have to remain professional. All employees should do this however we don’t live in a perfect world, we’d love nothing more than to join in with our colleagues but then we could be placed in a comprisable situation that HR would really struggle to recover from which can have lasting effects on a career in the profession.

Of course this is not the apocalypse nor is it the perfect world and indeed I’m talking worst case scenario here so the purpose of this post is to point out some simple tips on how to survive the office shindig in the most professional way possible.

 

  1. Set clear boundaries and expectations of behaviour; we are all adults and most should know better but the business can still be liable for the actions taken by overzealous employees when an event is held off site. Highlight the company “events at work” policy would be a better approach than to get employees to sign a liability waiver, because let’s be honest there’s nothing better to get the party started then signing a waiver is there?! (sigh)
  2. Include everyone; no one should be left out and remember not everyone celebrates Christmas, I remember going to a Christmas party in the middle of the year so that all faiths were catered for, imagine a mix of Bhangra and East 17’s Stay Another Day, it was one of those things you needed to be there to appreciate it but I assure you it was one of the best I’ve ever been to!
  3. Lead by example; whilst a joke on the boss can be funny at first, the reputational consequences can be long lasting. Ask your team leaders and managers to be hosts at the evening and remind them of their obligations, whilst this may seem harsh, safety in numbers is never a bad call!
  4. Consider the day the event is held on; if the party is held on a school night then may be consider a later start if possible, may be as an early Christmas present but be clear that they are expected to attend work at a set time and that normal absence procedures will apply and for those feeling a bit worse for wear, may be suggest taking a day’s holiday to sleep the dancing feet off
  5. Make sure everyone gets home safely; make sure that taxis are pre-booked and if at a hotel venue, advise on room bookings in advance of the event

I hope you all have a fantastic start to your party season and don’t forget to make the office party memorable for all the right reasons!

 

Blogging, Business, Career, Career Woman, CIPD, Conference and Exhibition, HR, Human Resources, Love, Random Acts of Kindness, Uncategorized, Wellness, women in business

#HRActsofKindness David D’Souza; “Kindness is not a word we normally use…”

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on #HRActsofKindness David D’Souza; “Kindness is not a word we normally use…”

Over the past few days I have asked many different people what kindness means to them and how it can be applied during their work lives.

The first person I asked was David D’Souza on his thoughts on kindness at work;

“When people ask me about the most important traits in someone I’d like to work with integrity, intelligence and a desire to be helpful normally top the bill. Kindness isn’t a word I’d normally use – but maybe it should because organisations would rarely be worse off for an extra dose of it.

The average person works more hours than they’d ideally like – or, if unemployed, would like the opportunity to work more hours than they would ideally like. We live in a tough old world and there are certain things that always make it more palatable. Kindness – without expectation of reward – is a beautiful and scarce resource. It helps us not just get along but helps getting along to be worthwhile.

So if you can just be kinder. The cost may be minimal or the cost may be great – but the payback is a reward not measured in pounds and pence but in a life worth slightly more worth living. And that is priceless”.

 

Administration, Blogging, Business, Career, Career Woman, CIPD, Conference and Exhibition, Health, HR, Human Resources, Love, People Management, Random Acts of Kindness, Uncategorized, Wellness, women in business

#HRActsofKindness pushing the boundaries and what it means to me

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on #HRActsofKindness pushing the boundaries and what it means to me

At the recent CIPD ACE event, Peter Cheese highlighted that HR needs to think outside of the box by being adaptable to the ever changing environment and look beyond our organisations.

The conference was not just made up of HR professionals, there were teachers, coaches, volunteers and recruiters to name but a few and the same can be said for the Midland Area Partnership event in October. HR has become a focus point and whether we like it or not, the expectations upon us are far greater than we are possibly used to so it is up to us to raise the bar and get involved in areas that sit outside of our comfort zones.

HR Acts of Kindness is designed for us to push those boundaries and look at the bigger picture by taking smaller steps into the areas away from the security blankets known as our offices; the everyday activities and endless distractions. By taking ourselves back to our child-like ways and doing things we may not necessarily practice on a daily basis.

I don’t know about you, but for those who attended CIPD ACE 16, did you grab a selfie at the CIPD stand? As my selfie was being taken, the gentleman asked me who admire the most in business and what my superpower would be and as you can imagine I gave a typical HR answer of “I’d make change management in organisations instantaneous!”. Fantastic and definitely a vision from the dream world I’m sure you’ll agree, but upon reflection, I wouldn’t change the profession, not one part of it right now and the simple reason is that I am enjoying the journey. All of those people at the annual CIPD event and those sat reading this at your desks right now; we’re all on a journey and busy shaping not only the future of HR but shaping the future of work as a whole. The journey is where we learn, develop and grow but it’s also where we gain a sense of achievement and appreciation for the work that we do.

On a personal level; my great grandmother, gave me a strong piece of advice at a young age which carries me through every area of my life. She told me to “always do something you are good at” at the time I don’t think I really understood in all honesty but now it makes perfect sense. HR Acts of Kindness is a product of exactly that; I am kind to people, even when they are not to me, I always believe in second chances and I believe in supporting others not treading on them in order to be successful. All I wanted when I originally signed up for my HR career was to make my family proud and the profession proud, that’s the simple and only reason I do what I do when I get up at 5:30am every morning.

Over the coming days I will be bringing snippets from different people and what kindness means to them and the difference they think it brings. There are people from the HR profession, small business owners, teachers, and students alike so watch this space!

I consider myself incredibly fortunate that I can share HR Acts of Kindness, it’s amazing how many of you around the world are involved and promoting kindness in your organisations. Thank you for all of your messages telling me your stories, keep them coming and I’m really looking forward to crowning some kindness champions.

Blogging, Business, Career, Career Woman, CIPD, Conference and Exhibition, Employee well being, Health, HR, Human Resources, Love, People Management, Random Acts of Kindness, Uncategorized, Wellness, women in business

#HRActsofKindness is back!

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on #HRActsofKindness is back!

kindness

In June this year I launched a small idea called “HR Acts of Kindness” after witnessing the impact of the brexit result. The result not only divided opinion but also divided relationships and had a big impact on the way organisations conducted business.

I remember driving home after seeing the impact it had on my work environment and thinking that there must be a way to turn this divide into a positive and to unite people again and that’s when HR Acts of Kindness was born; in the driving seat of my Mini Cooper!

Little did I know the overwhelming response I would receive to those 5 challenges!

Due to the support and people asking me to bring it back; I wanted to re-launch HR Acts of Kindness with a festive twist in hope to keep the kindness going. You don’t have to be in HR, you just need to have a desire to make a difference. Thank you to all of you who have messaged me, told me your stories and encouraged the success of this small idea that escalated rather quickly!

Christmas can be a difficult time of the year for so many people and I’m asking the HR community to help me kick start a kindness movement which will help those who need it most at this time of year.

At the Annual Conference and Exhibition, Peter Cheese spoke of how HR needs to adapt and be relevant to the needs of not only businesses but our communities and by us working collaboratively we can inspire the future of our profession. By launching HR Acts of Kindness, I believe this provides the perfect opportunity for us to make that impact and not to let what we learnt at ACE become a distant memory as we return to our day jobs.

I gave an interview to Ady Howes at DPG during the CIPD ACE 16 event and if you’d like to see it, I have put the You Tube link here: https://youtu.be/cmeotrPzTS8

Unlike the original HR Acts of Kindness, this time around, I am providing a full list of challenges tomorrow morning which will run from now until Christmas and it covers a whole list of different ways we can utilise our skills to support our work environment, employees, families and communities.

What I’d like to do is to get as many people involved and I want to hear your stories, pictures and anything else you’d like to share with me as you undertake one or more of these challenges.

Most of the challenges are free and there’s bound to be something for everyone to get involved with. Get your teams, departments and anyone else you can think of involved, we need as may people as possible to spread the kindness and reach as many people as we can.

As a thank you; when I receive your stories and pictures I have a special gift to send you so make sure you get those success stories in. After all, it’s nice to say thank you for taking part.

Together we can make our communities a better place; one small act of kindness at a time.

 

 

 

Blogging, Business, Career, Career Woman, CIPD, Conference and Exhibition, Employee well being, Gender pay gap, Health, HR, Human Resources, People Management, Uncategorized, Wellness, women in business

#cipdACE16 Exhibitors – Who I’ll be Visiting!

by Natalie Ellis1 Comment on #cipdACE16 Exhibitors – Who I’ll be Visiting!

The CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition is the biggest HR event of the year and although it’s been going for nearly 70 years and I’ve been in HR for 10 years; this is the first one that I will get to attend! 400 people will be attending as well as 180 exhibitors so there is plenty to cover in the two small days that the conference runs for.

The theme for this year is “shaping the future of work” so it’ll be interesting to hear the thoughts of those leading the conference sessions but don’t forget about the themes and trends coming through from the exhibition area! I’ll be making my way around the exhibition area and hopefully bring some Periscope action live from this area, here are just some of the people I’ll be visiting throughout the two days.

  • Acacia Learning Ltd at stand F22, I would not be where I am today without these wonderful people. I studied my CIPD Level 3 with them back in 2011 and they supported me through my nomination at the CIPD awards in 2012 in the Michael Kelly Outstanding Student of the Year Award. I was a highly commended runner up and they were all there on the night with me. You will not get greater support than what Acacia gave me and I can’t wait to see them again!
  • DPG plc – at stand C10. I have done some work with DPG and it’s always good to pop along and show some support to those who have supported you in your career, I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store and what they think the future of work looks like
  • JVP Group at stand B75, I’m excited about this one as they’re doing complimentary caricatures and I’ve never had one before! Perhaps you could do a whole blogsquad one for us?!
  • The Happiness Index at stand B60. I’m looking forward to seeing the future of wellbeing as it’s a subject I am really passionate about
  • Fitnut at stand A15 again it centres on employee wellbeing but it’s an all in one solution so it’ll be interesting to see what they get up to
  • Perkbox at stand G132, I have been interested in what they have to offer for a while but like always it’s difficult finding the time so I’m looking forward to checking them out!
  • CIPD Steps Ahead at 3pm on both days – as a very proud ambassador it’ll be great to finally meet other ambassadors and support the team with their Steps Ahead talk

There are so many more that I’m sure I’ll get to stumble upon during my time there so I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone. I cannot believe the event is almost here, it’s incredibly exciting!