This month marked my 1st year work anniversary with Involve HR which I always find a great time to think back and reflect on all that has been achieved and changed.
Having spent the previous 18 years working in various HR roles within Aberdeen and shire, this time last year, I decided it was time for a new challenge; to join Involve HR LLP (Involve) as a Senior HR Advisor. My career had been mainly with oil and gas companies and I saw this as the perfect opportunity to expand my experience across a variety of sectors and organisations.
When starting with a new company, even for an HR professional, it can be nerve wracking entering a new culture and wondering what you are stepping into. Thankfully I have known Emma Barker for many years, and having met with Gillian Tierney, I knew that working at Involve would be challenging and stimulating, but also great fun.
Over the last 12 months I have been working with several clients onsite as a dedicated HR professional. I am very familiar with delivering a stand-alone role within small to medium organisations, but with Involve, even if I am fulfilling that role with a client, I have the added bonus of having the Involve team behind me, should I ever need to ‘phone a friend’.
The recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has altered my working locations, but I am pleased to say that I have been kept busy throughout the lockdown period. Working from home has taken some getting used to, but with video conferencing being the new way of meeting clients it hasn’t affected my workload. Weekly catch-ups and the occasional virtual Saturday nights out with my colleagues has ensured I am keeping my sanity! That said, I am looking forward to being able to spend more time face to face in the future.
Being in the Involve office can be very reactive, you never know which company or what issues will be at the end of the phone each day, but I am also a key player in our project work. This allows me to be more proactive, assist in managing change within an organisation as well as ensuring that policies and procedures are in place and up to date, and that information is being communicated to the wider company to allow transparency and hopefully minimise issues arising.
Any HR professional will tell you that no two days are ever the same but when working for an HR consultancy, it provides an added variety and experience when supporting such a diverse range of clients each day.
Even though we are not physically working together each day, the team work here is real. We each have specialisms in key areas, and we work collaboratively to ensure that clients have access to the expertise and perspectives of the combined team. All of us continue to evolve and learn from one another and this is what excites me most about my time with Involve HR.
Despite the challenges we have faced in lockdown, my first year has been fantastic and I am looking forward to what the next 12-months will bring.