Get yourself a cuppa

I am almost two weeks into my new role of HR Consultant with AJB HR Consultancy Ltd., and I have been invited to tell you a little about myself by writing this month's blog!  Get yourself a cuppa!

I found HR by default back in May 2008, when I worked in a part-time position as a Hotel Administrator at our local four-star hotel, Brandon Hall.  Our then HR Manager and HR Assistant both left the business when a new owner bought the hotel group, and I was asked by my General Manager to “look after the personnel files”.

Baptism of fire

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This was my first baptism of fire!  Over the next few weeks, I found myself relocated to my own private office, with a queue of employees and their various enquiries ensuing.  My General Manager asked me to go full-time.  I was a then single mum and by accepting the full-time role, I ended up £400 a month worse off (due to benefits stopping), however I believed it was the right next step for me.  

I then enrolled with Henley College and spent the next year studying for my CIPD Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Human Resource Practice.  Self-taught on the job experience is all well and good, but to be able to support our staff properly I needed the specific HR knowledge that this course gave me, to ensure we were compliant with all aspects of HR. I toiled and I cried over those next 12 months, it was tough!  Suddenly though, I seemed to “know” some of the answers to our employee issues, and I realised the learning was working.  I never looked back.

Working in hospitality in a HR role is exciting and challenging.  I got to know all of our managers and employees personally, all human with their own foibles (like us all), and all with their own aspirations, needs, and expectations.  The next 8 years in this role were a privilege.  

Feeling unwanted

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I was then made redundant and moved to another hotel as their HR Manager in another stand-alone role.  More-or-less starting from scratch here with all HR needs, I had a blank canvas to implement tracking systems, training modules, sourcing of new uniforms, writing the staff handbook, and all other aspects of staff support.  Working with two colleagues from my previous hotel, it was like “coming home”.  They were also good days.

Another redundancy 20 months later, in November 2019.  Redundancy is difficult, and you can’t help feeling unwanted. In reality, the business had taken a financial downturn and needed to save money.  Organisational strategy is a key focus in all businesses, and as a HR professional I respected this decision (this is why outsourcing your HR is a lot more financially appealing to many organisations).

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I’m lucky to have a very supportive partner, who runs his own business. Financially, we didn’t need for me to work and so I took a few months off to settle our new puppy in at home. Dotty was, and still is, a delight.  

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Goodbye to hospitality

Covid then struck!  What a strange time for us all that was.  It’s true that things happen for a reason.  If I hadn’t been made redundant back in November, I wouldn’t have Dotty, and I would have lost my job anyway with all hospitality etc. closing down to skeleton staff.

My partners’ business is a garage and he stayed open throughout the lockdowns. Dotty and I enjoyed our time together, but by August that year I was getting itchy feet.

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My daughter works as a nurse for IQVIA, a global data science company, and they had recently been granted the contract for the COVID-19 Infection Survey, working in conjunction with the Office for National Statistics, Oxford University, London Schools of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and reporting to UK Government.

Completely stepping away from HR, I spent the next 2½ years with IQVIA in various roles working on this ground-breaking survey.  I met our participants, who supplied swab and blood samples for analysis; worked with 15 schools and their Daily Contact testing (in an attempt to keep our schools open); I was introduced to data analysis, data quality and quality assurance.  I worked with an incredible team of people, ultimately delivering the statistics to advise Government and to keep our country as safe as possible from COVID-19.

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Everything happens for a reason

We were told before Christmas last year that the project may not be extended further after March 2023.  Another potential redundancy, I was getting old hat at these!

As I said before, I believe things happen for a reason.

Having a nose on LinkedIn, I saw a HR Advisor role pop up for a firm called AJB HR Consultancy Ltd., located in my own village – what are the odds of that! I immediately updated my CV and sent it over.  Some things are meant to be.  

Moving into The Priory

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Andrew called me and we chatted for an hour.  We then met the following day at the office in The Priory (now known as TP).  Wolston Priory is an old monastery, a beautiful building steeped in history.  We chatted for longer, and my interest for this potential position grew.  Andrews’ ethos of “Your people are your biggest asset” and his enthusiasm for providing AJB’s clients with a completely bespoke, fully outsourced HR function totally resonated with me.  The individuality of the business and Andrew's future plans were exciting, and I was thrilled when I was offered the position of HR Consultant.  This new role has been created to work alongside Andrew to look after our valued clients and support them with all things HR.

Being a people person, HR is my true love.  I’m passionate about all aspects of it, particularly employee engagement and encouraging the best of people.  I’m also passionate about success, and Andrew's vision for the future growth of AJB is contagious.

It’s early days, but I’ve hit the ground running and I’m looking forward to getting to know our current clients better, and working with potential new ones, to support them with all things “Human Resources”.

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If you are an employer and you would like to discuss your company's HR, please do not hesitate to contact me for an informal chat about how AJB HR Consultancy Services can support you and your team.

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