Making sense of our HR experiences

Support for HR personnel in the course of their work

The government announcement that they do not intend to proceed at this time with the Covid vaccine mandate has offered respite to managers across the service who were involved in discussing this with staff.

There is some suggestion that those working in HR were experiencing some difficulty in terms of how people perceived their role in this exercise. In some cases, this felt somewhat hostile to some staff working in HR.

This comes on the heels of a difficult two years for our workforces, where HR – in all of its manifestations – has been actively involved with supporting our people through all of this.

Research undertaken by the NHS London Leadership Academy recently suggests that our NHS people would benefit from space and time to reflect on the recent past; to sense-make in terms of their experiences; and to consider their presence and practice in the present.

In light of all this, there appears to be an outstanding need for our HR personnel to be given the opportunity to come together in safe spaces to engage in these important conversations.

The NHS London Leadership Academy (LLA) is offering all HR staff the opportunity to access facilitated sessions throughout the months of February to May 2022 that will provide peer support in terms of candid exchange and meaningful dialogue.

Groups will convene for 75 minute sessions at least once a month (and potentially more frequently), so as to offer participants a contained and confidential space in which to reflect on their experiences and also to explore how best to acknowledge and manage the ramifications of all that has been faced recently and presently in terms of people management.

These groups will be facilitated by Dr Mark Cole FCIPD, who works for the LLA and has a particular professional interest in supporting people to find their voice in organisational settings.