All business functions need to deliver on measurables and HR is no exception. HR metrics can include engagement, retention, attraction, gender pay gap, overdue reviews or D&I. So, how can HR professionals go one step further and deliver impact? This was the topic for our most recent GRN Masterclass.

Kindly hosted by ICAEW, London on 10th December, members were treated to insights from both Higher Education and Inhouse recruiters by Lynne Hamilton-Gow from ICAEW and Ami Bartrip from Metaswitch. Jenny from GRB did a fantastic job opening and chairing the event and also welcoming for the very first time our livestream viewers who are based outside of London.

In attendance to hear these insights were senior HR managers from forward-thinking recruiters such as Amazon, BDO, Knight Frank, Liberty, John Lewis Partnership and Siemens. After an engaging Q&A session, GRN members were enlightened with practical advice to go back to their teams and their next board meetings. So, what were some of the key takeaways?

  1. Be a chameleon in the workplace.HR brings you into contact with all staff members, in potentially all departments and at all levels, being adaptable is key to your effectiveness! One technique was described as mapping out your colleague on a chart, looking at whether they are assertive or submissive, warm or cold and adapting your style accordingly. To quote Ami, “the more you know about yourself, the more influence you will have.” This has proven to work, especially with tougher conversations or new ideas!
  2. Join forces.The best firms don’t work in silos anymore. Seek opportunities to share the load on projects and share the credit when it delivers! Examples may include, Employer Branding projects where you can work with the marketing team or if it’s your ATS maybe your IT team. Your skillset and personal development will get a boost along the way too.
  3. Use BLUF. Remember, who are you talking to? What do they need or want to hear? For rapid decision making in your firm try using a useful technique called BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front). Some colleagues may not want the detail and may just need to hear the solution when you are making recommendations. Have the detail ready if it is needed but start with the end solutions using the costs and benefits in your pitch for fresh investment in an HR project e.g. new onboarding system.
  4. Offer more short-term work experience/internship opportunities. There is huge demand coming from students and graduates looking for short term summer internships. They are forming great pipelines for your graduate intakes and it seems that there still aren’t that many employers across all sectors offering these shorter-term opportunities!

This GRN Masterclass was recorded for our sixth release in the GRN Masterclass Podcast series available now. This will give members who were unable to attend (and those based outside of London) an opportunity to benefit from these learnings. Do you have something to add to the debate? I’d love to hear examples of best practice to share with GRN members so do send me an email at d.hawes@grb.uk.com.

This is just a flavour of the topics covered during a typical GRN event. To join GRN please apply for membership and receive invites for future events. Our 2020 events calendar is as follows;

It’s free and a fantastic opportunity to develop as a professional graduate recruiter in your sector with a diverse range of graduate recruiters facing the same challenges.