International Women’s Day – Meet our HR team
For International Women’s Day, we spoke to our two-person, women-led HR team!
First up, we spoke to HR assistant, Pamela!
Pamela is resilient while remaining true to herself, often ready with a kind word or a check-in message or three!
What’s a book or film that changed how you thought about life?
I recently finished a book called “The Mother Load”. It was very relatable as it was about a working mum with two boys and one had ADHD and autism, it was so funny. It made me think that it’s not just me and it’s ok for things not to be ok.
Where was your first job and what did you enjoy about it?
My first job was when I was 17. I left school and completed a hairdressing apprenticeship. I really loved to chat with people. It was nice to see people leaving feeling happy and better about themselves. When I left hairdressing I did a variety of roles, working in different departments from waitressing, reception and housekeeping at the Gleddoch hotel before I started my first role in HR. I started my HR career after maternity leave for a better work life balance and then joined the Hospice in 2017 in the HR team.
What was the most significant “pivot” you ever made, and what gave you the courage to do it?
The biggest change I made was moving into HR and I got the courage to do it from my new born son. I had volunteered doing HR before and enjoyed it. I realised I was passionate about HR and people.
How do you view your role in supporting the next generation of women?
I don’t think any amount of training will prepare you for the juggling you need to do as a working mum and balancing it all. My advice would be to trust and believe in yourself and I am always helping other new mums to believe they are doing great.
Are there any things from your working life that make you laugh every time you think about it?
Lots of things, I smile thinking that I have a workplace where everyone gets on, it just makes you happy and a close runner up is karaoke with Joanna!
What’s on your desk?
It’s quite tidy, three choices of water bottles, a snack (always) and a can of coke zero!
Gaye has a fountain of knowledge and brings an air of calm and confidence to every room.
What’s a book or film that changed how you thought about life?
The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. I found this during lockdown and it inspired gentleness in me that I think I crushed in favour of pushing through and getting the work done. It’s ok to pause and reflect. It helps that it was beautifully illustrated.
Where was your first job and what did you enjoy about it?
My first job after leaving school was at Kinloch Electronics. I worked on the production line making cable harnesses, some of which went in the inside of cash machines. I enjoyed working in a team, learning about other people’s lives and how people motivated themselves through the working day, with work that was monotonous! It helped that Clyde 1 was on in the background! I stayed there a year before going to college and then university, before starting my first HR job at Clairmont Electronics before moving to HR roles in legal firms.
If you could see a “highlight reel” of your career so far, which moment would be the most prominent?
Two moments stand out for me, the moment I got my first HR Director role, I almost couldn’t believe that a wee lassie from Greenock was an HR Director. I was delighted that I got the opportunity to help an organisation, bringing my brand of HR to help their people grow. The second was being made redundant and starting my own business, no matter how hard it is to pick yourself up, the experiences that you have will lead you to finding things that really set you alight and that you enjoy doing.
How do you maintain your authentic self in environments where you might be the only woman in the room?
That can be difficult. I think I am lucky in my career that I felt safe to be myself and be open with the people I worked with. There will have been times that I shared too much but often I found being curious about others helped settle people and I added value in that room by recognising other people’s skills and points of view and giving them the opportunity to speak that others might have missed.
Are there any things from your working life that make you laugh every time you think about it?
Oh there are too many stories from the HR world that I could write a book about, it wouldn’t be publishable! I had a great team in the first legal firm I worked in and we had many many laughs! The team at the Hospice make me laugh daily from Irene’s song for every situation to Gavin trying to tell me a dad joke that went right over my head!
What’s on your desk?
Stationary, books, coloured post-its and an elephant facing the door (My mum and aunt said it was good luck to bring wealth to your home)
A huge thank you to Irene, Pamela and Gaye for sharing their stories with honesty. We are very lucky to be working with such resilient women in our HR department.