Pester Esther: 'Creativity?'

Q. I work in a generalist HR role in a firm in the Midlands: it’s my first job and I’m not sure it’s for me. For some reason, I thought HR would be an opportunity to be creative, in terms of policy, reward, comms, etc. But it seems to me it’s more about following, and implementing, policy. Will the role become more creative as my career develops, or am I better off getting out of HR altogether?

A. Nooooo, stay in HR! It’s a fantastic profession. HR at its best can be creative, fun, rewarding and can make a big difference to organisations. Yes, there is always an element of process, policy and procedure to follow (often dictated by Employment Law or some regulation or other) but how you implement policy can be all-important.

If you want to be creative about policy, offer to do a critical review of the policies in place. Ask yourself: do we really need this policy, and does it add value? If not, chuck it out.

Or ask yourself: can I get the key policies that really matter down to one page each? I did this recently and it’s refreshing to know that you can fit a Maternity Policy onto one page, not nine. You’ll save paper too! And consider engaging with the creative fields of employer branding, engagement, job design, recruitment process, and technology.

HR needs more ‘outside the box’ thinking and organisations need it to stay ahead in a very competitive market. I don’t know the sector you work in, but there are fantastic HR teams in all sectors getting recognised for innovation. Just make sure you’re working in an environment where policies are simple and effective – and remember that you’re part of a team that should be creating the policies in the first place.

Q. Everybody in my department assumes I’m straight, but I’m not. The time has come for me to come out to my colleagues, but I’m not sure how – drip feed the news, make an announcement, send an email? Incidentally, I’m female and think LGBT empathy is very strong in my workplace.

A. I understand you wanting to be true to yourself, but why do you feel the need to ‘come out to your colleagues’? What difference do you think it would make to them or how they treat you? It shouldn’t matter at all what your sexuality is. It’s who you are at work that counts, and how effective your performance is – not your sexual preference.

If you want to come out, then making an announcement seems a bit over the top. What would you do – gather everyone around and say it out loud over tea and biscuits? Might that come across as a bit show-off? Would some of them be a bit embarrassed? Would a straight or black person be expected to do the same? All things considered, I would certainly advise against a big announcement.

Sending an email too seems very impersonal. Also, some people don’t even read emails. And it might go externally to clients or others by mistake. Besides, how would you word it?

My advice is – if you definitely feel the need to tell – ‘drip feed’ to those workmates closest to you, those whom you trust and those who have the most empathy. The rest will find out at some stage. And for what it’s worth, I suspect many will claim to have guessed already, and nearly all won’t mind one way or another.

Q. I’ve recently been given a pay rise, but I don’t think I want it. It puts too much expectation on me (and puts me in a higher tax bracket). How should I go about talking to my boss (an HRM) and negotiating my salary down?

A. Congratulations on the pay rise, but ouch! Yes, higher tax brackets can be painful. But do you really want to negotiate your salary back down? How would your boss feel having just given you that reward? It might seem very ungrateful and they could judge you very differently at the next pay review.

I think you have a couple of options other than ‘please take my well deserved pay rise away’. Consider the following: Is it possible for the organisation to incrementally increase your salary to counterbalance the amount of tax you pay? Or could you ask for the pay rise to be deferred for a year, so you can be better prepared and plan ahead for the tax increase?

If you’re concerned that expectations will have been increased based on your salary rise, sit down with your boss and determine if there’s any additional workload or projects coming your way.

And consider the possibility that you’re now actually being paid the market rate for what you actually do. It may be worth you exploring salaries for similar level roles in other organisations. If you find you’re on parity, then go out and celebrate the pay rise.

Send your HR queries in confidence to Esther at editorial@hrville.co.uk

About the author

Esther O'Halloran

Esther runs an independent HR Consultancy offering business-savvy commercial skills, practical solutions and insights to senior leaders and HR teams. She has been Managing Director at Paul, and worked as an HR practitioner for organisations such as Jigsaw, EAT, Pret a Manger and SpaceNK. Esther is a Fellow Member of the CIPD and enjoys Extreme Baking in her spare time.