Shareen completed a two-month secondment at a client site just 4 months after joining us as HR Graduate here at Vero HR. It’s really important for us that our advisors become an extension of our clients’ operations, and Shareen immersing herself within their operation gives real first-hand experience of the Company and its culture, allowing us to deliver on our commitment to being a client’s Trusted Partner.
We were excited for Shareen to get her first experience of working at a client site – one with over 700 employees – and to be able to get stuck into a fast-paced environment with exposure to all things HR.
The time had come, I was heading to my first day onsite with a client as part of what was to become a 2-month placement. I was feeling nervous and excited but couldn’t wait to get started! Working with a new team of people in a different environment was just as I’d hoped – everyone was really welcoming which helped me to settle in quickly. I knew that the client operation would be extremely fast-paced, working at what would feel like a hundred miles an hour on my first day – so I had to get my trainers on and hit the ground running. I was eager to learn, looking for a challenge and ready to get stuck into anything thrown my way!
From the first day, the biggest change from my previous assignment was being able to speak with managers and employees face-to-face rather than just over emails, video calls or phone. I had lots of people from different teams coming to see me with their queries, it made it easier to be able to communicate first hand especially being in an environment with multiple teams and hundreds of employees to manage. At times we would joke we needed a traffic light system with all the queues!
I was 1 of 3 Vero colleagues based on this client’s site, and I could immediately tell they really valued our presence. With so many employees to manage, having me there enabled the HR Advisor’s to complete their own work, leaving the HR admin to me. I felt I was able to be more responsive to the client whilst working onsite and found that aspect really rewarding.
I could never have predicted the volume and variety of the workload. In particular, I found the levels of sickness absences I would have to monitor really eye-opening. Being involved in managing the admin and attending absence review meetings meant I was able to gain new skills in this area as I had the opportunity to take notes for some. The exposure to managing these scenarios was something I really enjoyed, taking learnings from the first meeting into the next and understanding how to manage different types of employee reactions in the same circumstance.
My placement was full of exciting new tasks and challenges, all whilst still juggling my responsibilities back at the VeroHR office. On-site, I covered everything from advertising job vacancies to welcoming the employee on their first day and even creating their ID badges for them. All whilst continuing some of my document management and project management tasks for the VeroHR head office team.
The experience reinforced the importance of time management, teamwork, organisation and knowing how to prioritise work.
I loved getting involved in lots of different tasks and being able to use Cezanne and Adobe more regularly. I was sending out multiple job offers and using areas of Cezanne I didn’t even know existed before!
I definitely got to experience how clever the technology we use is and gained valuable insight into the key part it plays in helping us to manage our HR tasks so seamlessly, especially on such a big scale.
I enjoyed developing my own skills on a larger scale, things like keeping on top of probation reviews, monitoring sickness absences, scheduling meetings and the processes for starters, movers, and leavers. I was juggling a load of balls at once but getting into a good pattern of doing so. I really enjoyed keeping busy and on top of tasks, so in all honesty two months felt like a lot longer because I was so immersed in everything going on.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I am delighted I got the opportunity to fulfil the role.
I look forward to keeping you updated along my journey with Vero HR in the next blog post to come!
Shareen
Work experience can be a valuable opportunity for individuals to gain new skills and insights into their chosen career path. Work experience at Vero HR is also highly valued as part of our recruitment process. We offer a range of opportunities for individuals to gain work experience, from internships to apprenticeships.
We are always looking for graduates and other trainees to join our team here at VeroHR. If you’re interested in kickstarting a career in HR, get in touch.
