Life is pretty unsettling and downright strange right now, and those of us lucky enough to still have jobs are busy finding new and inventive ways to get things done. And while it’s a tough time for all of us, we know it’s extra demanding for those of you in HR – the department on the front line of supporting our country’s businesses through something we haven’t planned for and the likes of which have never been seen before.
You’ve told us your inboxes are full of advice on what you should and shouldn’t be doing, and you’re firefighting more than ever in the face of some pretty epic adversity - many of you are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the challenges you’re navigating, so we thought we’d take a break from the serious stuff and send a little (socially distanced) cuddle to your overloaded inbox this month.
Here are the top 7 things we all love about people who work in HR.
1. You give the best advice on getting a job (and everything else)
With a friend in HR, you never have to worry about what to say on a job application or how to properly format your CV – you guys can turn even the most tragic attempts at sounding competent into job-winning gold. And you’re the best at interview advice too. Although we can’t help but feel you sometimes get too much of a kick out of role-playing a particularly difficult line manager, just so we’re ‘prepared for anything’.
2. You can instantly find 17 ways to get around a new company policy
Not only can you draw up the finest corporate policies, you can also find all the loopholes. If we’re ever feeling restricted or confused by a new policy at our workplace, we know you’ll throw us a ton of workarounds within minutes of reading it – because you’re the masters of fine print (and how to interpret it).
3. You always know what to say
It doesn’t matter if it’s finding the words for a message of condolence or striking the perfect balance of small talk and doing business at a networking event, you can spot an HR professional in any social environment from their ease with people and themselves. Probably because you love people and are interested in what makes us tick, you always know what to say when most of us feel like fish out of water.
4. You tell the best workplace stories
We’ve never heard funnier, scarier, weirder or more shocking stories about offices (and the frankly bizarre people who work there) than from our HR friends! Whilst strictly adhering to confidentiality rules (of course), we know a catch up with you guys will have us cringing and cackling in equal measure!
5. You’re our personal agony aunt when we’re dealing with annoying co-workers
You’re the best at imparting helpful advice on dealing with the people we find most challenging at work. Even when we’re at our wits’ end with Dave in Finance, you’re there with the two things we need most – practical tips we can put in place to cope better with the situation, and hilarious stories about the nightmare colleagues you’ve dealt with that make Dave seem positively saintly in comparison.
6. You plan the best parties
If we ever need to plan a celebration, we know the best people to turn to are our friends in HR – aside from knowing all the best places (and how to get us into them), you’re meticulous in your planning and have everything covered down to the finest detail. There’s not a dietary restriction, travel issue, outfit crisis or guest list conflict you don’t know how to navigate with ease. (Seriously, is it part of your training?)
7. You make the best friends and partners
Your love of people, ability to read between the lines, super-human levels of self-awareness, natural peace-keeping tendencies and genuine interest in understanding and helping those around you make HR professionals some of the most wonderful people to spend time with. (And there’s definitely a wicked sense of humour that seems to come with the job too!)
Thank you for everything you’re doing for your businesses and your colleagues during these difficult times – we see you and we appreciate you. If you need us for anything (even just to rant or sob), we’re here – call us on 01932 355000 or email hello@amber-employment.co.uk. We’re always happy to help.