We asked Becky what a typical day is for a successful HR Director. This is what she had to say.
6:30am
Rise and Shine! I like to have my morning cup of tea before the children rise, this gives me a chance to make sure I’m well-grounded for the day. Once they are up at 7am we are firing on all cylinders and multi-tasking like superheroes! Then it’s off on the school run.
8:30am
Typically this is when I arrive at the office if I don’t have any early meetings scheduled. I like to catch up with my emails whilst it’s still relatively quiet and review my plan for the day, completing final preparations for any meetings and events that I have scheduled.
9:00am
I have a call from a client regarding a long term sickness issue and discuss with them the best way to approach the situation.
9:15am
Carrying on with a HR health check for a new client – it’s always good to start off with a new client reviewing what policies and procedures they currently have in place and sets us up for a strong working relationship going forward.
10:30am
I head to one of my main clients for our regular monthly ‘catch up’ meeting where we discuss all things HR. I keep in regular contact with my clients and it’s great when they like to do this face to face, it keeps us all in tune and builds a strong professional relationship. I return to the office to action the items discussed and check whether any new calls or queries require my attention.
11:45pm
I will grab a bite to eat early today as I have a seminar later. Usually I’ll go for something relatively healthy as I like to take care of myself. In the summer I like to sit outside on the patio which we are lucky to have at Focus… it’s such a sun trap! If the sun’s not shining I will eat at my desk and catch up with the local news. I try to keep up to date with everything that’s happening on our beautiful island, I like to keep ahead of the game with any relevant HR articles that could be helpful to us and our clients.
12:30pm
The team and I attend an employment Seminar for updates on Managing Employment Exits – Compromise Agreements and Without Prejudice Privilege. Seminars are a great way of keeping up with best practice and legislation and can be an effective way to network.
2:00pm
I conduct an investigatory meeting on behalf of a client. This is the final meeting on this particular case so I put together an investigation pack, write up my conclusion and recommendations. I enjoy wrapping up an investigation, especially a large scale one as they can be very time consuming.
3:30pm
On a day where I’m not collecting the children from school I try and hit the gym – exercising is a great way to clear your mind after a busy day whilst keeping fit at the same time.
6:30pm
After sorting the children with their homework, walking the dogs and taxi-ing to various after school activities it’s time to sit down with my family for dinner and hear about everyone’s day.
10pm
I need my sleep so time to hit the pillow and get rested ready to face another day!