Pester Esther: 'Sad HRD'

Q. I’ve just been appointed to an HRD role, and whilst I like the money I don’t like the job. (I’d rather be doing something operational, not sitting in endless meetings.) Could I step down without it looking bad on my CV?

What is it about the job you don’t like? Just the meetings? If so, maybe you could change the frequency of some of them and put them further apart. You could also offer to chair them yourself so you have more control on timing and content, delegate one of your team to attend some  in your place, or suggest to the organisation that certain meetings can last no more than one hour tops.

If it’s also the content of the meetings that frustrates you, say something. Challenge the real purpose of the meetings and ask what precise value they bring. I would imagine that the cost of senior team members sitting in endless meetings amounts to quite a high figure. Try showing this cost by doing some simple sums. After all, you’re in a position to know everyone’s salary.

Being the HRD should mean you can control how much involvement you have in operations and which part of the business you spend your time in. I loved being out and about in operations, talking to staff on the shop floor, understanding their issues, concerns and ideas. Just think how much value you could have in shaping the people strategy from an operational perspective if you have this insight.

So, arrange your meetings out in the business – never in your office – and book time with other departments to talk about the bigger picture and learn about their work.

In short, it really is up to you how you shape your role and how much influence you have on the operational side of the business. I wouldn’t step down just yet. Give the new role a chance. It’s early days, after all.

Q. I’ve heard coaches and mentors can be good for career development. Should I have one – and if so, how would I find a good one?

Both can certainly be good for career and personal development. However, there is sometimes confusion between coaching and mentoring, which are two different things.

Which is best for you? In simple terms, you go to a mentor for advice and guidance. They will most likely ask you leading questions and suggest solutions. Mentors are often ‘role models’ and are used for their experience and as a sounding board. Conversations with a mentor are usually 50/50, meaning that the talking is shared fairly equally.

To find a good mentor you could approach someone you admire. (Maybe someone who is already be in the organisation, or someone you’ve worked for in the past.) There are some great schemes around that offer mentoring support, particularly for women. Maybe your organisation already offers a mentoring scheme – do ask.

A career development coach will offer you a different type of session. Coaching is 100% focused on you, so the majority of the sessions will be you talking. A coach aims to bring out all the answers you have inside you via a questioning technique: they’ll get you to talk about what your goals are, and explore where you are now. They should never make suggestions for you, should not let you dwell on the past and should eventually get you to a point where you have a number of career options from which to choose.

How would you find a good one? Ideally, you want someone recommended to you, so ask in your network if anyone has one. If not, there is a list of registered coaches who have been trained and accredited with ICF (International Coaching Federation).

Q. The manager I share a pod with is extremely competent, but speaks with a thick Russian accent. I can’t always understand her, but have asked her to repeat herself so often I’m embarrassed. Now when she says something I can’t catch, I just smile and nod. What’s the best thing to do?

That can be awkward. What if you’re nodding and agreeing to something you really shouldn’t, or might be wrong for your organisation? Then you might end up really embarrassed, but for other, more important reasons.

Do others in your office have the same problem with understanding her, or is it just you? How much do you and others engage in general day-to-day conversation and chitchat with her, or is it all about work?

Maybe she just needs to practice her spoken English with native speakers. Try talk radio in the background (such as Radio 4) that she can listen to. Maybe, at lunchtime, you could help her by identifying certain words she uses that you struggle to follow.

Embarrassing though it may be, consider her needs as well as yours and honestly tell her when you can’t follow what she’s said. Maybe in those extreme situations you could get her to write it down for you.

If it is really that bad, perhaps your company could help her with some voice coaching sessions. I know a BBC actress who does terrific ones.

Q. I’m launching a Diversity & Inclusion committee, and the obvious lead for it is transgender. Will her appointment look like tokenism, and impair the impact the committee hopes to have on the business?

In the first place, well done for setting up a committee focused on such an important thing.

What you haven’t said, though, is why the transgender employee is such an obvious lead? Obvious to whom? It might indeed be tokenism. To avoid this, be very clear as to why she is the obvious lead by spelling out the skills she will bring to the committee.

You may want to consider having a rotating Chair that changes every third or fourth meeting. That way, it can never look like tokenism and other people get a chance to experience chairing the committee as part of their own personal development.

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.