Rosie Ranganathan
It had to be done! This is the first blog I have ever written. What are the chances I will end up addicted and enjoy the whole experience of sharing bits of my life with cyberspace?
OK, introduction. I am the Head of H R Operations here at channel 4. I have been here just over 2 years (it’s flown!) But been working in H R for over 10 years. I have been lucky enough to work in media companies for pretty much most of that time. If someone had told me I’d be doing this job at C4 I would not have believed them so I feel pretty lucky.
Right then, guess you want to know about what goes on? The thing with what I do is that, no matter how much I try to plan, the day can always turn on its head. Essentially people are unpredictable creatures and as much as we try to anticipate and understand them, you can never be complacent. I manage the Ops team, the Reward team and the admin team (the most important people - they make sure we get paid!). I am fortunate to have a great team who love getting involved in projects and trying to improve the support we give to the business.
So what do I do? Good question. I will get involved in company wide projects that affect our people. I’ll also get some of the trickier Ops issues to manage. But what really floats my boat is working with the people on their development. I love a good old coaching session.
We are working closely with the 4talent team looking at our appraisal system so this morning was spent with a bunch of our senior managers getting their feedback. It was great to get people involved and hear their thoughts and ideas. Loved it! Tomorrow could be totally different….
In this job, you need to be an expert on employment law and be able to apply it, you need to understand the business and mix both of those with a range of communication skills - listening, questioning, influencing and a whole load more. A sense of humour also stands you in good stead as well as a pair of broad shoulders. Top this off with my fabulous shoe collection (I had to mention it!) And you too could be the next Head of H R.
Maybe this blogging lark has something going for it after all….