The various jobs and responsibilities may have changed over the years, but for John Hardman, HR director at HSS Hire, one thing has remained constant. “Dealing with people is what I do, and what I love,” he says.
His natural people skills were noticed early on by his first employer, NatWest. Hardman had started on a management programme, but the bank quickly recognised his communications flair and pointed him in the direction of HR.
Even though his career has been on an HR trajectory ever since, Hardman has never lost interest in other aspects of business operations and has made a point of building up his skills outside of the traditional HR sphere. At pharmaceuticals firm Pfizer, for example, he became a business director in sales as well as heading up the HR business partner team.
“The job of business director is a senior position in Pfizer. People talk about talent management, but they really did it,” Hardman recalls.
Although on paper, he didn’t have the requisite experience, Pfizer gave him the chance to apply for the sales director role and, after passing a two-day assessment process, he landed the job of running a 50-strong team with a sales target of £43 million. “Handing over to someone who had never done this before was a big risk,” Hardman points out.
At Phones 4U, Hardman again assumed responsibility for activities outside of the HR domain, this time running a customer contact centre. Although again it was something he’d never done before, Hardman’s approach was simple and effective: talk to people, understand their motivations and problems and work out how to make the department run more effectively.
This ‘experience of the business’ theme continued when he moved to tool and equipment rental firm HSS, where alongside his HR role, Hardman has also taken on the additional position of operational support director. He is one of only five senior team members, which includes the chief executive, who set the agenda for the company.
In practice, such investment means spotting internal talent and giving people the opportunity to take on more responsibility or change their career path – just as Hardman was able to do with his former employers. And there are internal examples to prove that this policy works: the HSS sales director, for example, started off as a driver for the company.
Although investing internally is crucial, Hardman is also currently attempting to expand the company’s talent pool. “One big thing I’m working on is trying to broaden our attraction as a company. People have heard of HSS, but they don’t know much about it. I think it’s got great opportunities for women and I need to find a way of pushing that message out to people.”
While many people think of HSS as a consumer tool hire firm, such activity accounts for only 10% of its business. The rest is focused on dealing with key business-to-business national accounts, Hardman points out.
“I need to find a way to drive the diversity profile in the business and get a blend of a different type of the workforce – more women and part-time workers and getting a better balance. This is a big challenge,” he says.
So what’s the secret of his success to date and how does he believe he made it to the top table?
“What’s worked for me is talking to people,” Hardman says. “It’s important you understand your business and you’ve got to be hardworking, but reasonably humble too.”
I really admire social workers because they are never told when they do a good job. They work in a highly pressurised job and have to make decisions that can be about life and death.
What’s your most hated buzzword?
I hate the lot!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Be the best John Hardman you can be.
How do you relax?
I don’t take the job home with me at weekends. My job at the weekend is to be the best dad.
