Category: CIPD

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The future is bright and not all heroes wear capes… The key points from MAP Student Conference

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on The future is bright and not all heroes wear capes… The key points from MAP Student Conference

What – a – day! So much to say in one short blog post but I’ll give it my best shot! Firstly, I just wanted to say it was lovely to meet so many people, thank you for taking time to speak to me, it was a pleasure to meet you and I hope you had a great time today.

Today’s student conference was held at Aston University and was focussed upon the future of work, thinking about options to consider to structure your career and ultimately what you need to do to get there.

“You have one career, (unless you believe in reincarnation) so make the most of it”

David D’Souza

After welcoming the delegates and getting into the swing of the day we first heard from David D’Souza – (you’ll be hearing his name a lot in this post!) who talked all things Superman and Jurassic Park and the lessons from this were that just because that things are done in a certain way, it doesn’t make a compelling reason for continuing to do things that way. Start looking at things differently and start today, think of the different outcomes that could be and determine the type of HR professional that you want to be. He finished with a line that really resonated around the room – “you have one career, (unless you believe in reincarnation) so make the most of it”.

“The world of work is changing, don’t jump on the trend bandwagon”

Dr Richard MacKinnon

We swiftly moved into an insightful keynote with Dr Richard MacKinnon who begged the question “is it worth considering the future of anything these days” referring to the appointment of President Trump and Brexit and he’s right, if we were reading these headlines 10 years ago, we would have thought that the world had gone mad! But it’s true, our inability to predict the future from all aspects; technological, environmental or in a work capacity, we as humans are terrible at predicting the future and that is simply human nature.

He emphasised that there are a lot of myths in the workplace, be it about people, situations and others in our organisations so it’s about identifying those myths and challenging them whilst thinking that just because others are doing it, it doesn’t mean that you should. For example technology at work, just because it exists, it doesn’t mean that you have to implement it, don’t get preoccupied with future technology before you deal with the issues here in the present day.

Dr MacKinnon’s speech really was fascinating and he encouraged the room to research science at work; there is a wealth of opportunity to learn and develop yourself by using free papers and simply researching into these subjects.

I would recommend anyone to look at his work, you can follow him on Twitter @WorkLifePsych or view his website here: www.worklifepsych.com it’s perfect for those of you who wanted further information on the world of work from a psychology perspective.

Whilst there was a lot of learning going on, behind the scenes a hitch lightening us of two speakers had happened, our hero of the day in the form of David D’Souza (minus a cape) filled in for two sessions – engagement and digital recruitment proving that even when disaster strikes, the team handled it brilliantly so thank you to David and the MAP team for allowing the show to go on with no further hiccups.

Other breakout sessions including an employment law update; there are plenty of those lurking at the moment! Business analytics with National Grid and how to secure a role in HR/LD career pit stop session. To summarise there’s a lot of things to consider when looking at a career in the profession these days – and you thought a career in HR/LD was about tea and biscuits!

We concluded the day with a panel Q&A with Dr Richard MacKinnon, Tiffany Poeppelman and Carole Carson to discuss their experiences and career highlights, it’s safe to say that the whole room took something away with them in this piece; some were inspired, others motivated and others were considering which career path they would choose to take as all three panellists have different backgrounds proving that we are not all made for the same HR/LD shaped hole!

“Your actions define how people perceive you”

Tiffany Poeppelman

The closing keynote from Tiffany Poeppelman from Linked In was absolutely the highlight of my day as it helped me with an area I feel personally that I have been struggling with of late; Building your own brand through social media and networking. With the activities I’ve been working on of late, since ACE  I had not blogged very much and have let my Twitter feed fall behind a little, whilst Twitter is back in full swing with the events coverage I’m doing, my Linked In profile was in need of a refresh.

There was so much useful information and tips but these are her five top things that you should do to enhance your Linked In profile:

  1. Complete and enhance your profile
  2. Connect and grow your network
  3. Join 2 or 3 relevant networking groups
  4. Follow companies, industries and people who interest you
  5. Be an active collaborator – share, update your status, discuss and post. What do you give to your network?

Understandably there is a lot of food for thought to take away from today’s conference and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I have and I hope to see you at another CIPD event soon. Finally a big thank you to Eleanor Lloyd-Jones for allowing me to Tweet and blog at the event, it’s an absolute pleasure to be a part of.

 

 

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

MAP Student Conference 2017 – T-minus 13 hours… and counting!

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on MAP Student Conference 2017 – T-minus 13 hours… and counting!

Aston University

We’re fast approaching the Midlands Area Partnership student conference at Aston University and the organisers cannot wait to meet, greet and network with everyone attending!

Ok so there is a heck of a lot to get through in just one day so what actually goes on prior to the event? This blog post is to fill in all the details to highlight exactly how much work goes into making these events a success.

First of all there is a lot of organising to do, budgeting, sourcing an appropriate venue, guest speakers to discuss relevant topics, catering (well of course! If you’re giving up a Saturday you need a vast amount of coffee, tea and food to keep those brains engaged!). Then there’s the task of confirming the attendees, any dietary requirements that they may have and any access requests to the venue so that everyone can enjoy the event.

The organisers will be at the venue very early on the morning of the event to conduct final checks and to ensure everything is set up in time for the delegates to arrive, they are of course our guests!

This is just a short burst of what happens behind the scenes, the day itself is much more fast paced, so this year there will be just half an hour to book in all 200 attendees between 9:00-9:30am and waiting to greet you will be Nic, Gill, Max and Janice so make sure this is your first point of contact.

As this event is completely sold out, we don’t want those who were unable to attend missing out so myself, Amy and Priya will be hosting a mini blog squad reunion so pop over and see us as we’ll be gathering the information from our speakers, talking to as many people as possible to gather your thoughts on the event but also you can ask us anything, we’re here to highlight the key topics at the event.

Finally we can then hand over to the speakers, this year we have a welcome address from David D’Souza and an opening keynote from Dr Richard MacKinnon before moving into the breakout sessions which consist of relevant topics in today’s HR world.

One thing I am really looking forward to is the HRD Panel at 14:20pm with Dr Richard MacKinnon, Simon Lewis and Carol Carson so make sure you don’t miss it!

Finally there’s the closing keynote from Tiffany Poeppelman, a really passionate organisational psychologist so this is something I’m particularly excited about attending for so I’ll be quoting from her a lot on Twitter.

In advance of the event, a huge thank you to the CIPD, Midlands Area Partnership, our fantastic speakers, organisers, volunteers, Aston University and personal thanks goes to Eleanor Lloyd-Jones for making this event happen.

I’m off to watch the rugby now and will see you all bright and early tomorrow. Don’t forget to pop over and see me at the Northamptonshire Branch stand after lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging, Business, Career, Career Woman, CIPD, Employee well being, Gender pay gap, HR, Human Resources, Inspiration, International Women's Day, Love, Michelle Obama, Motivation, People Management, Uncategorized, women in business

International Women’s Day 2017

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on International Women’s Day 2017

Inspirational, motivational, encouraging, supportive, collaborative, united.

Today is International Women’s Day 2017 and the above words are what I think of when it comes to this day every year and after seeing the bundles of support throughout my social media channels,  I couldn’t be prouder to be a woman today.

“There is no limit to what we, as women can accomplish”

Michelle Obama

James Brown famously sang “this is a man’s world”, and I think he wasn’t far from the truth; however, we are starting to see the positive changes that so many have fought tirelessly to see. Equal rights, equal pay and more importantly support to make these changes happen. There are exciting times ahead but there is still much more to be done. We are starting to see changes in employment law with Gender Pay Gap Reporting and opportunities with the Apprentice Levy which will allow so many people the opportunity to start their journey to their dream career regardless of age or gender.

The Suffragettes marched through the streets of London in 1915 to campaign for equal pay and for the right to vote, it’s important that as women we do not take what they campaigned for as a given right, they were determined to make a change and they did, this couldn’t be any more prominent in this year’s IWD motto Be Bold For Change.

Today we are fortunate to be surrounded by strong and positive female influences ranging from athletes and entrepreneurs right through to business leaders and there is something we can learn from every one of them. So today take time to listen more and understand the direction that this could take future generations, today is so much more than wearing a t-shirt and saying things only to be forgotten about tomorrow; it’s a movement, it’s about actions and making the world a better place, one step at a time.

I wouldn’t be where I am in my career without the women in my life and those who have helped shape my career, these fantastic ladies all know who they are and I tell them all the time! Consider those who have helped you get to where you are, can you pass your support on to others? It’s easy to forget when you’re working the 9-5 but these small changes and support can make a huge difference. Be part of that change.

I’m very lucky to be from a family that have empowered and inspired me to be the best that I can be, I have a strong mum, supportive sister, a hard working brother and a very proud father and I just wanted to take a moment to say how truly grateful I am to have them. I wouldn’t be where I am now without their love, understanding and support.

However you’re celebrating IWD, enjoy it and have a fantastic day.

 

Blogging, Business, Career, Career Woman, CIPD, Employee well being, HR, Human Resources, Uncategorized, Wellness, women in business

Work you vs. home you; the struggle is real

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on Work you vs. home you; the struggle is real

canva

Every morning of every day, millions of people begin their daily routines; wake up, make coffee, get dressed, brush teeth, grab laptop, cannot locate keys, search for keys, find keys, leave home, commute to work, Starbucks for more coffee, get to office, begin working day.

When I lived and worked in London, I overheard so many conversations on my journey to work, sometimes this was the highlight of my day but on one particular journey I overheard two colleagues discussing their day ahead, they appeared to be nervous and whatever they were heading towards seemed like a big deal. One turned to the other and said, are you going to go in as you, you or work you? To this day I still hear this reference too many times or I see behaviors that demonstrate a work personality and honestly there really is no need for it. As I listened further on into the conversation I thought that being “work you” does not make you either credible nor does it make you authentic. By putting on a work version of themselves I felt that they were putting themselves under unnecessary pressure which was only going to highlight the nervousness of their situation not only in their performance but this would also show to those that they were so keen to impress.

Personally, I believe that people are much more amiable when they are themselves which makes it easier to form genuine relationships, build trust and work collaboratively. We’ve all seen what can happen when people try to be someone they are not such as the recent activity in Celebrity Big Brother; the stitches soon start to unravel and with that follows the breakdown of trust, respect and credibility. So why do so many people still rely upon this behavior in the workplace?

Every HR event I have been to recently all had a common theme; authenticity and credibility as a HR professional. These two elements if ignored can be fatal to your career or development as this is what makes HR exactly that, human. Being yourself can significantly increase your credibility in all areas of your work; especially in situations such as mediation or when presenting at a board meeting, when people know you, it opens a wealth of opportunity, makes you approachable and more importantly someone that the business can rely on.

Of course this is not limited to just HR, I have witnessed these behaviors in every place in which I have worked and unsurprisingly at all levels of those businesses.

It begs the question, are HR professionals expected to be perfect within our organisations? I certainly believe to a degree that this is what people actually accept as true but I also think it has a significant impact upon our ability to be genuine. I think it is categorically important as professionals that we accurately guide employees and managers through the required processes in a way in which we choose without losing consistency. It is the same with directors and business leaders, is it entirely possible to lead and maintain a level of integrity?

It is a difficult balance; some would call it a façade to maintain but so many people feel more comfortable conducting themselves in this way. Could it be that some people prefer to be corporate and professional at all times without letting their guard down as to preserve a certain image or is it that there is a fear of vulnerability and how colleagues would perceive them should they reveal their true persona?

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the need for this sometimes especially when you are new to a role and are assessing the boundaries, this is a sensible option. However it is equally important to allow elements of your personality to reflect your work so that others can relate to it; be it a spread sheet, presentation or even in a training room. It also enables you to utlise your full complement of skills to project your knowledge in a way you fully understand yourself which sounds bizarre but so many have tried to be anyone else but themselves only to trip over in a public forum, because let’s be honest, it never happens when nobody is watching does it?!

It is not entirely limited to work life only of course, there is a crossover into our personal space, the real you . This can have an impact on a work life balance and personal relationships so being genuine isn’t just about a perception at work, it’s also a factor in mental health wellbeing.

And the moral of the story is; these situations are entirely avoidable, just be you. Trust me, you’ll be grateful to yourself that you were.

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!