How did you get into HR?
I didn't set out with a particular plan to work in HR. My career has evolved through different roles and experiences, but I’ve always been interested in people, how organisations work and what makes a workplace a genuinely good place to be. Over time, that developed into a career in People and HR, with my work moving from the more day-to-day side of HR into organisational development, culture, leadership and strategic people work. What I enjoy about HR is that it sits right in the middle of the business. You get to understand how the organisation works, work with people at all levels and hopefully help create the conditions for people and the business to do well.
What do you love most about your job?
The variety, without a doubt. No two days are really the same, which suits me. I enjoy being involved in the bigger conversations about where the business is going, but I also really value the people side of the role. Sometimes it's about stepping back and looking at the bigger picture and sometimes it's about helping someone work through something that's important to them. I particularly enjoy taking something that feels complicated and finding a way to make it clearer and more manageable. If I can leave something better than I found it, that's usually a good day.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
I'm a big believer in making the most of time away from work. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, going out for good food and getting away whenever I can. I love travelling and discovering new places, so I'm usually planning the next trip before I've finished the current one. I'm also happiest when I have a good balance of things going on, although I'm getting better at remembering that doing absolutely nothing is
sometimes a good plan too!
Is there a recent/current project you want to spotlight?
The work around employee-ownership is probably the one I'd choose. For me, employee-ownership is about much more than the structure of the business. It's about how we work together, how we make decisions and how everyone can have a genuine sense of contribution and responsibility for the future of Buttress. I've been particularly interested in how our People work can support that, including the competency framework, progression and succession work and how we think about leadership and development across the business. There's still plenty to do, which is part of what makes it interesting. I think we're at a really important point in shaping what employee-ownership means in practice for Buttress.
What’s your favourite memory of Buttress?
It's probably less about one particular moment and more about being part of some of the conversations and changes we've gone through as a practice. The transition to employee-ownership has created some really interesting conversations about who we are, how we want to work and what we want Buttress to become. I've enjoyed seeing different perspectives come into those discussions and watching ideas develop. There have also been plenty of laughs along the way, which I think is important. Work can be serious without taking itself too seriously, and that's something I really value about the culture here.
What is a memorable achievement of the past year?
Professionally, I'm proud of seeing some of the People work move from ideas into things that people can actually use. Developing the competency framework and linking that into progression, succession and appraisal has been a significant piece of work. For me, though, the real achievement is creating something that gives people more clarity about their development and where they can go next. On a personal level, I'm probably most proud of maintaining some kind of balance through a pretty busy year. It's something I'm still working on, but I'm getting there!