HR musings with added sparkle!
With just over a week to go, the countdown really is on for this years CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition! There is always such a brilliant buzz around this event and this year, the focus is all upon Leading The People Profession which certainly is a powerful theme!
Ok so what does this year’s event have in store for us?
“I believe that everyone has the ability to share their experiences; by doing so, you have the power to inspire the next generation of professionals”.
The above quote is one that I wrote back in April 2017 when I was leading a session for the CIPD Northamptonshire Branch member to member mentoring scheme, so it is quite personal to me, but is is one that I wholly believe in.
As HR professionals, we have a world of resources at our disposal; our network being one of the strongest assets that we have, this may not be unique to the HR profession, but it is certainly one that is powerful and has a solution to almost every challenge. This is particularly useful for mentoring, as the mentee may not even know some of the things that you do.
This was one of the many reasons why I decided to become a mentor in 2012 when I joined the CIPD Steps Ahead programme, since then I have been fortunate to act as one of their ambassadors in addition to mentoring job seekers. In 2017 I successfully supported 8 people into work; this was a range of people with different backgrounds some were returning to work after a period of absence, some were working parents looking for a career or returning to work, and others had just left university and were unsure what options were available to them. In addition to this, I co-founded the CIPD Northants branch mentoring scheme in 2016 which is beginning to grow in popularity.
The beauty of mentoring, is that you are supporting people using your existing skills and knowledge so it is not particularly difficult to do, all it takes is about an hour of your time every other week and you can make a big difference to someone’s life. It offers the opportunity to support others to encourage career development and support whilst unlocking their full potential.
Continue reading “National Mentoring Day 2018 #MentoringRocks”
For many new parents, the thought of returning to work can be a daunting one. As part of my blog collaboration series, I am joined by Laura Izard known as the Comeback Girl (@C0mebackG1rl on Twitter) to discuss how parents can prepare themselves before returning to the world of work.
Whether you are at the end of your maternity leave or you’ve taken a career break, returning to work can be one of the biggest decisions you’ll make, and confidence can play a big part in the decision-making process. Having children changes your life so thinking about returning to work and putting yourself first can make you feel guilty as a parent, but it shouldn’t. Returning to work can be fulfilling, exciting and rewarding, but most of all, it can make you feel like ‘you’ – pre-children!
Understandably, when you become a parent your priorities change in a big way, so firstly, it is important to understand and be realistic about the expectations you have for yourself. You may feel guilt about leaving little ones at home, that’s normal and it’s also normal not to feel it. It’s vital self-care to consider your needs too.
Continue reading “Returning to work when juggling life as a parent”
Brexit started a lot of things when it was announced over two years ago, and since then it has caused a lot of controversy and divided the nation. Irrespective of your political views on Brexit, one good thing that came out of it was that it inspired HR acts of kindness.
Never could have I anticipated how well received the project would be at a time when surrounded by uncertainty, shock and anger; and as we continue to face challenging times as a whole, may be this project gave some hope through the HR community. Therefore, I wanted to make it a much more permanent feature on my blog and support our profession with one small act of kindness at a time. Every Monday morning, there will be a new HR Act of Kindness challenge set for the week and as always, I’d love to hear your stories by sharing them right here on the blog.
Continue reading “It’s time to practice some HR Acts of Kindness!”
Wowsers what a few weeks it has been! Apologies for the quiet time, but I quickly realised that I am nearly halfway through my CIPD Level 7 Diploma and everything has started to happen at once, both in my personal and professional life. This has lead me to take some tough decisions such as not participating within my local CIPD branch as much as I’d like, I’m also not exercising as much as I’d like or reading as much as I usually do; but I’m keeping in mind how important this is to me and why all the hard will be worth it in the end.
I’m not going to lie, these past few weeks have really tested my ability to juggle everything and I needed to take some time to re-proritise my extensive list so I have set myself a deadline, to complete my Level 7 Diploma by October; that’s one research project and two exams to complete; three modules in total. I can do this!
Continue reading “First module of my CIPD Level 7 Diploma – Done! #ICSRealStories”
Natalie Ellis HR 