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Give your goals a spring clean and refresh your career

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on Give your goals a spring clean and refresh your career

daffodil

It’s that time of year when everyone wants to dust off the dark and gloominess of winter and hit that refresh button! With the daffodils starting to appear, now is a really positive time of year to review your career and really go for those goals.

We’ve all been there; it’s difficult to keep on track and stay focused when there is a lot of pressure in your working environment but there are ways in which we can remain focused on our goals and creating the opportunities to get us there.

One way that helps me is to find something that inspires you and realigns that focus point which converts into motivation. With a world full of HR topics it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming, especially if you are new to the resources so it’s a case of finding out what makes you tick to get reclaim that motivation and increase productivity.

  1. Find a good book; the hygge enthusiast in me seeks instant comfort in books and whilst the comfort zone is often viewed as the safe place often with negative perceptions; however it can be the starting point of some wonderful ideas. At the moment I am reading “She Means Business” by Carrie Green, it’s full of inspirational tips and whilst I’m not an entrepreneur it gives you plenty to think about and set those goals more specifically
  2. Review your current goals; are they specific to your needs from when you last set them? Have you measured their success? If they’ve not worked then why not? Take time out and review them thoroughly before resetting them to suit who you are now. If your goals have not been reached remember, do not put yourself down or look at it negatively; think of it as a learning curve
  3. Book yourself on to an event, in the next couple of weeks I’m heading to the CIPD Student conference in Birmingham, even though I have experienced so much it’s important to always remember that you’ll never know everything, there will be new people to connect with, different speakers to learn from and you never know, you might just find something that really interests you
  4. Be honest! Be honest with yourself and remain realistic, always. It’s really important to continuously review your progress and adapt when necessary otherwise this can make you feel really disheartened when you don’t get to where you wanted to be at that particular time. As many well respected business professionals would say “you cannot put a time limit on success”
  5. Spend your time wisely, make some time for you and ensure you keep to a good time management routine, make time for family and friends. It sounds really basic, but quality time away from the desk makes you realise exactly what you are working so hard for
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!

 

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#HRActsofKindness Be Excellent to Each Other!

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on #HRActsofKindness Be Excellent to Each Other!

Throughout #HRActsofKindness I have spoken to so many people about how they view kindness – watch this space David Ulrich, I may write my own model on this one day!

Gary Cookson was part of the Blog Squad this year at the CIPD ACE event, when he wrote this for me I couldn’t stop smiling so thank you Gary for your excellent take on kindness:

“Bill and Ted famously said “Be Excellent To Each Other”.  Maybe they were onto something but used the wrong adjective. They should have said “Be Kind To Each Other”. After all, who wants to go to a workplace where people are cruel to each other?  We spend 35-40 hours a week at work and that’s a big proportion of your entire week to spend NOT being kind.  If you treat others the way you’d like to be treated yourself, then you will indeed be kind to everyone. In HR we have a duty to encourage this behaviour amongst all employees and to lead by example.  My eldest daughter, when she was 3, asked what I did at work. Its hard to explain HR to an adult let alone a 3 year old child, so I settled on “Daddy’s job is to make people happy at work” and to be honest, as a definition of HR, I’ve not been able to better it since. If I can make people happy by being kind to them, or showing them how to be kind to others, then I’m all for it.”

If you’re not saying “Excellent!” in Ted’s voice already, you need to watch the film again 🙂

The man behind the ACE art is Simon Heath, back in September he wrote a fantastic post about kindness in the workplace and if you’re a #HRActsofKindness fan, this blog post is certainly something you need to read. Simon mentions that kindness can transcend work, age, ethnicity, gender, geography and politics. It can cost nothing and simultaneously hold immeasurable value. It needs no permission, business case, training or instruction to implement. It tends to be highly infectious. We’re all carriers. Give it to someone else. Check out his fantastic post here:  https://workmusing.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/love-virally/

Amelia Tickle was also part of this years Blog Squad and her take on kindness is:

“Kindness costs nothing, if that is in the workplace or out in public. Everyone can give kindness weather it is holding an door open for someone or writing a thank you card. The definition of kindness is “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate” that can transpire at work or in the community. Kindness is all around us, we receive it from birth, then all the way through our life’s. kindness carries a great value and has a ripple affect between person to person, we are all guilty of getting a high from receiving kindness. No matter where you are in the world, kindness can be translated. The power of that is priceless.”

 

 

 

 

 

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#HRActsofKindness Kind words from the CIPD Northamptonshire Branch

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on #HRActsofKindness Kind words from the CIPD Northamptonshire Branch

As many of you know, I work voluntarily as part of the Northamptonshire CIPD committee and when I attend meetings with them, there is a real team spirit and I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to work with them.

I spoke to Gill Amos about what she thought about the #HRActsofKindness initiative and I’m so pleased that I have got to know her this year. She has been a pleasure to work alongside and I can’t wait to work with her again in the new year! Here’s what she had to say on all things kindness:

“I think it is consideration for others and their needs.  It starts with the small things – good manners.  It is about genuine acts of thoughtfulness when people know that there are difficult things happening elsewhere.  Thinking about how you can help rather than being out for yourself.”

Paul Beesley is also on the committee and he has been incredibly supportive of me this year by supporting my development so thank you Paul for being there for me in 2016, I hope we get more opportunity to work together in 2017.

Paul’s company; Beyond Theory has a simple but highly effective mantra, where kindness is pretty much built in as standard; “Look after your people and they’ll take care of your business.”

Kindness is simple and something we can all do, it should be part of our daily working lives. Can you imagine the possibilities if people work together and we’re kinder to each other?

Don’t get me wrong, we cannot get along with everyone that we work with but we can certainly share ideas, be more innovative and demonstrate respect throughout our professional lives. Being kind doesn’t mean it’s boring either, it’s easy to make someone’s day just that little bit brighter, the important thing is not to take our days for granted and not to focus on the negatives, we simply learn from them.