#InspireHR A New Feature Coming Soon

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I have had the pleasure of attending a few inspirational events lately and have met some wonderful people who have given me that extra motivation and I thought, don’t we all need that from time to time?

So I started thinking; I’ll create a monthly blog feature to inspire HR professionals by reviewing the works of others to inspire and really get that fire back in our bellies! I will be ranging in subjects such as self-confidence, motivation, mediation and a whole lot more!

My first feature will be on 1st November and if you would like me to feature your work, please email me at natalieellis084@gmail.com

#cipdACE16 Blogsquad Assemble!

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I am so excited to be announced as part of this year’s blogsquad at the CIPD’s Annual Conference and Exhibition which is taking place on 9th and 10th of November in Manchester Central.

The blogsquad is made up of 8 HR/L&D/OD professionals brought together in an Avengers style fashion to bring you the happenings of this years event. We are not professional bloggers so expect the unexpected! We will be working our way through keynotes, seminars and exhibitions and pretty much bringing the event to life using the power of social media.

Our job is pretty simple but is by no means a walk in the park! We will be using a plethora of social media methods between us to deliver up to date information about what is going on as and when it happens throughout the entire event; bring on the plasters for our sore thumbs!

The mediums that I will be using are; Periscope, Twitter, Instagram and of course my blog here. If you want to join in or ask us a question, feel free to comment, come and meet us at the event (I am happy to have a selfie with you!) or tweet us.

It is genuinely fantastic to have been asked, my blog is still in it’s early stages but I have managed to build relationships with so many people all over the world – just by writing my thoughts on a blog, it’s pretty amazing stuff really when you think about it!

It is a real privilege to work with these people and I know I keep saying how excited I am but I simply cannot wait to meet (that’s right I’ve not met any of these guys yet!) and work with these incredibly talented and knowledgeable people.

So anyway; who are the blogsquad?

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Tim Scott – I love Tim’s blog, I like to think of him as our very own Ironman, resourceful, confident and loves gadgets! I regularly read his musings and think he really brings his subjects to life

Gem Dale – I like to think of her as the Nick Fury of the blogsquad; knowledgable, smart and brilliantly funny. I am a huge fan of her blog, adore the frankness of her subjects and above all she is a master of blogging

Ian Pettigrew – He is the Hawkeye of the team; organised, knows everything that is happening and works very quickly. He is a blogging master, I know for certain I won’t be as fast as him but I certainly aim to try to keep up!

Damiana Castle – This lady is simply beautiful inside and out, she lives and breathes HR in a very holistic and inspiring way. She is our Captain America; proud, disciplined and always thinks of different viewpoints without judgement

Gary Cookson – (sorry Gary, someone had to be Hulk!) whilst he is certainly not green; Gary is a highly experienced HRD who knows his strategic subjects so I’m excited to work with someone with expertise outside of my comfort zone and hope to learn a lot from him over the two days

Amelia Tickle – I speak with Amelia regularly on Twitter and is such a get up and go kind of lady, she’s highly motivating so hopefully as a fellow newbie we can work our way through the event together, she is definitely our Black Widow; always finding solutions, is flexible in her approach and always has a plan!

Finally it’s the lady known as Priyadotcom – she is now known as our Thor; she is a powerhouse and definitely a force to be reckoned with when it comes to blogging! She is a fan of wine (as am I!) so I think we can work well together. On a serious note, I love her fresh-feel blog and how it can appeal to everyone at all levels, she is very inspiring and I can’t wait to meet her

As for me, I’m probably more like Loki…

So there we have it, this year’s blogsquad are here to entertain and inspire throughout #cipdACE16, time to buckle up and kick social media butt – blogsquad assemble!

 

 

 

It’s time for me to join the circus…

As I write this I am humming the circus tune in my head, because that’s what my life feels like right now – ha-ha!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining; I love my job (which is obvious) but I’ve now joined the struggle that so many face, juggling studying, step children and day to day life can make life feel very much like a circus.

As some of you know, I started my CIPD level 7 journey in June and ever since it hasn’t stopped! This is why I have been so distracted and not on here for a little while.

I’ve also been busy with the aftermath of HR Acts of Kindness and I have carried what I have learnt from you all and the tasks set and incorporated it in to my day to day life which has been really refreshing; I have given to the homeless (coffee’s, vouchers and cake) I am completing my 10,000 step a day challenge for Cancer Research UK (thank you LWR Fitness for keeping me focussed) and I will continue to seek new challenges as the time progresses.

In CIPD branch news I will be attending the CIPD Midlands Area Partnership event on 8th October, yes it’s a Saturday event but with a keynote from the one and only Peter Cheese it cannot be missed. I am incredibly excited so do make sure you book a ticket if you can as they’re selling fast!

I am also attending this years CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE) in Manchester so if you’re attending, feel free to come and find me – we can grab a coffee and even a selfie if you wish! It would be great to meet you so do make sure you come over and say hello. There are some things I am working on with this but I cannot say at the moment but as soon as I do I will let you know! Keep an eye on Twitter too; follow me @natalieellishr.

Thank you for your emails and messages, I adore your support and I am always looking for new topics to cover so do let me know what interests you or what you’d like me to blog about.

 

#HRStar week one: broaden your horizons!


Good morning and happy Monday to you all!
Welcome to week one of my new initiative #HRStar, following the fantastic response to #HRActofKindness so many people asked me what the next thing will be so I thought really hard and came up with a new weekly challenge to get our creative juices flowing!
As a record number of businesses cite innovation as a lacking quality; it’s time to invest in yourselves to progress your development. The key point is to establish what you want from your career, I like to be involved within the business side so my passion generally lays within strategy. It’s all about finding your happy!
We can enhance our development in a number of ways and the suggestions I have for you are not exhaustive so do feel free to put your own spin on things! These are some of the things that I have done to advance my career:
1. Get involved in your workplace – learn how different departments operate, don’t stay hidden behind the screen, it is the small details that make a huge difference
2. Work outside your comfort zone – I say this a lot but it’s all about getting involved in new projects and areas outside your normal expertise; for example at the moment I am developing a L&D strategy – not my field at all but it adds another string to my bow and I’m learning at the same time
3. Join your local CIPD Committee – here you can work with some incredibly talented individuals on projects and events
4. Get networking and meet likeminded professionals on Twitter or Linked In – I have met some fantastic people and I’m fortunate to be able to work with them regularly
5. Become a mentor or coach – I do this as an ambassador for the CIPD Steps Ahead programme
6. Join a local business club to network with professionals from different industries – you never know, you may just find your dream career path!
7. Attend CIPD events to learn something new
So what are your sticking points? This is your challenge for the week to find your happy and tell me your story. Many have said that the challenges are for HR professionals only, but as you can see, you can adapt the above to suit any profession!
Good luck with this week’s challenge and if you submit a picture of you holding up a piece of paper with #HRStar on it I’ll feature you on the blog (I’m hoping to make a collage of you all!)
Have a fantastic week!

Be a #HRStar


We may be used to everyday HR activity so how do we break that cycle and develop ourselves as practitioners?

This is a question I regularly think about and after the success of #HRActofKindness I needed something to follow it up that could also bring a positive impact on HR careers as a whole all through the simplest of channels.
Then it suddenly dawned on me how I could achieve this and #HRStar was born!
I look forward to sharing the opening week with you all on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!