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“All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey…”

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on “All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey…”

“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits”

Samuel Butler

Autumn is by far my favourite time of the whole year, cozy jumpers, hot coffee, leaves falling in the crisp air, and nothing beats a hot stew from the slow cooker after an walk outdoors with my dog Bron!

A lot of people experience the blues after a glorious summer, but to me, the Autumn season brings a whole new kind of energy, filled with optimism and opportunity.

After completing my final CIPD exam at the end of September, it is time for me to complete the final pieces of outstanding coursework for my Level 7 and bring the focus back to the blog, and I couldn’t be more excited!

Continue reading ““All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey…”” →
Blogging, Business, Career, Career Journey, Career Woman, CIPD, Goals, Health, HR, Inspiration, Love, Motivation, People Management, Recruitment, Uncategorized, Wellness, women in business

It’s A Level results day! Your career journey starts here…

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on It’s A Level results day! Your career journey starts here…

When we were little, we knew what we wanted to do for a career as we’d proudly stand in front of our classmates at a tender age of 5 and exclaim “I want to be a Policeman” “a vet” “I want to be a nurse” one beamed with pride.

I remember sitting there, I politely passed my turn to another child and went last. The teacher then asked me again “Natalie what do you want to do when you grow up?” I stood at the front and told her that I’d really thought about this question because when you have a job, you’re doing it for a long time. I then said to her that I knew wanted to work at Heathrow Airport for British Airways, just like my dad. She asked, “why British Airways?” I simply said “their people are always smart, they wear buttons on their uniforms when they’re good at work, they’re friendly and they always smile but most of all, I want my mum and dad to be proud of me”.

I sadly never made it in to British Airways in my dream role as cabin crew, but ironically my sister did and whilst my mum and dad are proud of me. I’m equally proud and grateful to them, my passion to perform well in my role is a driver I inherited from my dad.

To cut a long story short, my  point is that not everything in life goes to plan so prepare for the curveballs that now fire your way! whether that is choosing the university for you, getting into the world of work or simply figuring out your next steps, they may not be as you planned or first thought!

You’ve read the books, completed your coursework and faced the exams head on; today is the results day you have been waiting for and I wish you all the very best of luck and no matter what, you’re already a success story waiting to happen.

If your results are not what you hoped for there are a number of things you can do and you may need to adapt your plans slightly but you never know, you might prefer the new plan better!

Regardless of your result, now is an incredible time of opportunity, with an increase in demand for apprenticeships, universities opening their doors to welcome new students and a buoyant employment market, now is the time to get that first foot onto the career ladder.

Good luck and all the very best wishes from me.

 

 

 

Administration, Blogging, Business, Career, Career Journey, Career Woman, CIPD, Conference and Exhibition, HR, Human Resources, Inspiration, Love, Motivation, People Management, Uncategorized, women in business

Time to write my own chapter; my first HR book is in progress!

by Natalie Ellis1 Comment on Time to write my own chapter; my first HR book is in progress!

Books

Hello everyone,

I’m back in my writing chair with my tea companion (yes finally!)

I’m looking forward to sharing all of my new blog posts with you (and there’s quite a few!) that I have been working on behind the scenes. I’ve been exposed to varying situations over the past couple of months that has required a high degree of reflection to allow me to bring the situations to life on the blog; so thank you for being patient with me.

As many of you know, I adore books and always have since I was a child; naturally, it has always been an ambition of mine to write my own book but I never thought I would have anything to write about! Then I started my career in HR and my life changed, so what better subject to write about?

Therefore, I thought it would be an appropriate time to share the exciting news that I am in process of writing my first HR book, which really is a dream come true and I cannot wait to share it with you.

This book has taken various experiences that I’ve had to inspire those new to HR, the seasoned professionals, people considering HR as a career or those who have simply hit a career slump and want to bounce back. This book is about the practical realities of the profession to truly bring it to life; the practical pieces that cannot be taught in a classroom.

I started writing the book in March and it has come on a long way since then; I’m hoping it’ll be ready for release at the end of this year/beginning of 2018.

Watch this space and I look forward to releasing my next blog post tomorrow morning!

Best wishes,

Natalie

 

Love, Manchester

When the world throws hate; don’t throw back, just be kind

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on When the world throws hate; don’t throw back, just be kind

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Following the Manchester terrorist attack at Ariana Grande’s concert on Monday night; I am astounded yet not surprised at the response of the people of Manchester.

Manchester is a unique and beautiful city that has been rocked by this attack, but a clear unity and defiance of it’s people has created a stronger bond that evil will not be able to break apart. My heart goes out to the victims families, friends and colleagues in this time of tragedy.

Another element of this is the incredible response of the emergency services who have worked tirelessly to support those injured and the bereaved families. These services should never be taken for granted and to face these circumstance would take tremendous courage and bravery yet they carried it out with the utmost professionalism.

Out of the darkness came acts of heroism from all backgrounds, even homeless people gave everything the could to help save lives as the emergency response arrived. This is a time when everyone should look out for their local communities.

I sit here writing with my usual cup of tea and on my desk is a picture of my husband and I with my two beautiful step children, Charlie and Sophie who are the same ages of those who attended the concert on Monday. Sophie is a huge fan of Ariana Grande and we can often be found dancing along to her music around the house or watching her on Nickelodeon TV; Sam and Cat is one of Sophie’s favourite shows.

I also sit here looking at their faces and thinking how blooming lucky I get to see them soon when there are parents out there who will not see their children again.

It’s easy to get caught up in the media headlines and forget about what really matters in life, I guess one of the lessons we should take from this tragedy is not to take anything for granted.

The good people of Manchester will stick together and love will always overcome hate.

Blogging, Business, Career, Career Journey, Career Woman, CIPD, Employee well being, Health, HR, Human Resources, Inspiration, mental health, Motivation, Uncategorized, Wellness, women in business

Taking care of your mental health wellbeing #MHAW17

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on Taking care of your mental health wellbeing #MHAW17

Whilst it is important to promote the wellbeing of others, you cannot adequately support other people without having your own mental health as a priority. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and on the blog I am releasing some quick references to generate awareness of the subject but also to present practical advice for you to use, regardless of your profession.

Mental health awareness is something we can all promote and actively be a part of, whether it is for you or to support someone close to you.

How we are feeling can vary in our day to day lives, it often depends on circumstance in that present moment, or it can be impacted by significant events such as the anniversary of a bereavement. According to the Mental Health Foundation statistics; one in three of us will experience a traumatic event at some point in our lives, this is not just an incident, it is something that stays with us for the rest of our lives.

When we are in good mental wellbeing, we are able to cope with the stresses of everyday life, are able to adapt to the environment and situations around us and feel engaged with the environment around us. If we are not in a good mental state, it is easy to feel detached from people and the environment, lack confidence in our abilities to cope with daily life and most of all, unable to freely express emotions and maintain relationships.

Keeping this in mind, it only underpins the importance on supporting your own mental health, here are some quick and easy tips to help you support your mental health wellbeing:

  • Talk about your feelings; if you are experiencing a difficult time, having an open conversation with your friends and family can halve the problem and they may be able to offer help and guidance to support you. Just by having a conversation can make you feel a lot better
  • Learn to accept yourself; this is such an important part of our mental health wellbeing. Don’t compare yourself to others, this only damages self-esteem. This is so difficult with the influence of social media and this “perception of perfection” is not realistic, be yourself and acknowledge your positive qualities
  • Exercise; I run three times a week now and have done since January. I’ve never felt better, I’ve never been a gym bunny but getting out in the fresh air can really change your perspective on things and has a positive impact on my mental health, I find I worry less, sleep better and most of all, it’s an activity I enjoy
  • Diet; having a well-balanced diet has really complimented my new exercise routine and it makes me feel healthier and happier
  • Relax; as with everything these days there is an app for that! You don’t need expensive yoga classes or massages (although these are great too!) try Buddhify which can really help you to switch off and relax. This app has really helped me especially on those days when it’s difficult to clear the mind of the working day