Like many before her, Corinne Spencer’s route to HR wasn’t planned but having picked up the reins as HR Director for Towry Law Group she continues to crusade for better management and recounts her frustrations with bullies and poor direction – read on to find out more.
1. What is your current job title? Briefly describe your current role.
My current role as HR Director for Towry Law Group has involved significant project activity for example in-sourcing HR, implementing new HRIS, changing payroll providers and contracts for all employees as well as supporting the business through restructuring activities.
In addition, to ensuring we are developing our people capability we are launching a management development programme and designing and delivering training & development activities to support the breadth of service capability provided by Towry Law as well as training activities to respond to changes within the regulated operating environment. A key aspect of the role has also been spent developing the team and aligning activities to key strategic business priorities.
2. What challenges do you come across?
Embedding changes into daily practice, encouraging people to manage proactively and navigating a course through sensitive issues where conflicting needs and expectations exist.
3. What activities do you spend most of your time on?
Over the last 16 months the activity has been significantly focused towards projects. The next period I envisage will be spent around future business improvement and employee productivity and development.
4. Describe your initial training within the profession.
Prior to joining the HR profession, I was an operations manager within a financial services organisation. Being offered a role in HR has provided enormous opportunity for new experiences and personal development through operating in organisations undergoing significant transformation.
My introduction to HR was being shown where the new desk was and then getting on with it! Fortunately, discovering the CIPD I signed up to take my qualification as soon as I found out about the organisation which provided the foundation to my background knowledge in HR. However, I strongly believe that understanding people, respecting individuals and operating with a collaborative and objective approach and by treating people fairly has been a successful recipe.
5. What positions have you held?
Business partner roles in InterContinental Hotels Group Plc (formerly six Continents), Bell & Howell Ltd and Nationwide Trust Ltd.
6. Is there a significant event you can tell us about which had an impact on your career?
Having worked with a number of managers who were at best poor at managing individuals and at worst, bullies, it has made me more determined to influence the culture of the organisation and acknowledge the importance of the individuals who contribute to building a constructive, energetic and high performing environment. It remains a frustration that often in workplaces the majority may be managed by the unacceptable actions of a few.
7. What has been your greatest achievement?
I’m still planning on having it!
8. What is your biggest career mistake?
Fortunately I haven’t made it yet . Although I did not choose to work in HR – it just kind of happened! All my previous roles have provided an opportunity to learn something more about me and others. From Saturday jobs, leaving school and in my current job there have always been opportunities to learn and there isn’t ever a point when you know everything!
9. Which of your colleagues played the biggest role in you getting where you are today?
I have worked in a number of organisations across sectors experiencing major transformations. Within this type of setting there is the opportunity to see people at their worst – you learn how not to behave! Conversely, having had the opportunity to work with an inspiring entrepreneur gave me both the insight and opportunity to develop an HR service that was commercial, responsive and highly regarded within an environment where HR had previously been viewed as an unnecessary overhead. The key was not to rely on someone else to do it – but to make it happen and to deliver.
10. What influences do you think have had the greatest impact on the HR sector in recent years?
Operating as business partners/internal consultants is widely accepted and talked about – however, there is still some way to go before the sector operates as a true partner and that the profile and professionalism of great HR people is seen as the norm and not the exception..
11. What advice would you give to someone thinking of entering the profession?
Be prepared to be independently minded and you have to want the best outcomes for the business and the people within it and somehow navigate that path. Be honest with yourself and with others and don’t expect to give people answers they want to hear!
12. What are your plans for the future?
To continue in the HR Profession and broaden and challenge the remit of the debate typically expected from HR. I also want to improve my work/life balance so that I can have some fun along the way!
Previous career profiles can be seen on the How Did I Get Here? page.
