Can you explain what your role is all about and what you are responsible for?

In essence, it’s around anything to do with the colleague or employee lifecycle at Restore Information Management, all the way from onboarding to when people eventually leave. It’s about operations but also strategic and all seen through the lens of what we are trying to achieve as a business.

And how long have you been involved in the world of HR?

It’s about 35 years now, so a long time – and I’ll have been with Restore Information Management for four years very soon. Across my career I’ve worked in a wide range of industries, from blue chip companies to corporates, hospitality, retail and public sector.  And from huge businesses to SMEs. I feel like the skills I’ve learned over that time and relevant to any organisation and it’s an advantage to have seen it from so many different angles. I’m trying to pick best bits of HR that I’ve seen along the way!

Do you think there is a misconception on what HR is and how powerful it can be?

That’s true in some cases and there are certainly some misunderstandings. HR is not fluffy and ineffectual, it’s strategic and transactional – it helps businesses bring their vision to life.

How would you describe the strategic aim you are trying to achieve at Restore Information Management?

It’s all about people. We want to help our people be more capable, happier and productive colleagues who are customer focused and understand the values of the business. Also, importantly, for them to feel empowered to be their real, entire selves at work.

What would that mean in real life for you as a leader?

It’s about starting to live that mantra with my own team. We want our people to feel they are in a safe environment, one where they can try things out, knowing that if you fail that I’m the one who is accountable. So, my role is to be a support mechanism on a regular basis, helping people raise their capabilities to ensure they can achieve what they to achieve in their career. A lot of people aren’t confident in the first place, but they keep those kind of things close to their heart and open communication is important to find out how they feel. After that it’s about avoiding micro-management. Thinking you know best is not always the best ethos, so how can you become comfortable with delegating?

Here’s a big question! We want to know what the most important part of the job is to you. If you only had one hour a day to do your job, how would you use that hour?

I’d spend it doing one-on-ones with my teams. Because this job is all about communication. Then, I’d follow up after because that’s crucial if you want the kind of results that make a difference,  maybe you’ll need to give me two hours!

I think it’s about how far we’ve come since I first arrived. HR was in its infancy when I got here. There wasn’t an HR representative on the SLT, for instance. Now we have put systems, initiatives and tools in place to support mechanisms that weren’t even in place in those first weeks. I’m very proud of that structure.

Four things: Capability, Productivity, Culture and engagement – and Retention

We needed a people plan to get those things in place and we need to start listening. So, we created the Colleague Voice Forum, with representatives from across many sites with our Managing Director, Nigel chairing.  That was important. I’d also mention Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). We have a lot of inclusive people in Restore but we didn’t have a strategy behind it. Now we do. We have a range of colleague networks that we run, including Minority Ethnic, LGBTQ, and Armed Forces.

We go and see them in person! We have our People Roadshows that go to every site across the year to have open discussions and listen to each other. It makes colleagues feel really valued. Then we have our People Review, a document that goes through the entire employee lifecycle with line managers of all types. It’s a fantastic coaching and culture tool.

I do. I’m DEIB Group Ambassador, I lead on Risk and Health & Safety, as well as group-wide resourcing and leadership and development. We have 900 employees at Records Management but we are one of five businesses inside the group and it’s about supporting shared goals and culture.

It would certainly include one-on-ones with my team and with colleagues on the SLT. Perhaps visiting a site or a colleague forum. Maybe the People Committee, sharing strategy across the group. Or supporting and coaching my own team. There’s a lot of variety.

We have invested in dedicated trainer, Chris Moore, who is our new People Development Manager. This was because colleagues were asking for more training and development, so we listened and acted.

I’m going to give you two! Firstly,  played baritone in my school brass band. Secondly, I was on the TV quiz, the One Per Cent Club. I didn’t win but I got to 35 per cent before going out – so that’s no bad. Room for development, though!