HR Director of RSPB Anne Harley reveals her feelings on having to do “horrid things” to people, and why HR is perceived as a “no” culture.

1. How strategic is your current role and what does it involve?

I am a member of the management board and participate in all strategic decisions. In particular I make sure that people and the organisation itself are properly taken into account. This is especially important when we are developing our strategic plan.

2. How is the HR function perceived within your organisation?

We have our critics, which I think is inevitable when HR is a function that among other things requires systems and processes to be followed, and sometimes have to say no. However, in general I think we are seen to help managers with some of the trickier things and make the organisation more effective.

3. How does your business use HR practices to get ahead?

Conservation is a very people-intensive business, so having the right people with the right skills in the right jobs is essential. We try to consider the people dimension in all the big decisions, and put a lot of time and effort into developing our people and the organisation to meet the demands of the future.

4. Why is your company such a great place to work?

We employ 1,500 fantastic people. 59.5% said they were in their dream job and many are very personally committed to the cause. But just about everyone does a first rate job – and it’s infectious! We have deliberately tried to keep the ‘family feel’ in our culture, because we believe it provides a working environment in which people thrive.

5. How does HR win hearts and minds in your business?

By being fair and being approachable. We cannot please everyone all the time and sometimes we have to do horrid things to people, but we can still be people and treat others as individuals. We try to say yes rather than no to requests – with the huge volume of regulation that is around it is very easy for HR to be seen as only ever saying ‘oh no, you can’t do that!’