Career Pivot: It’s time for a change!
By Tracey Chrystal
During 2020, the HR sector has faced unprecedented challenges with very long hours, endless ‘Teams’ and ‘Zoom’ calls, rolling-in, then rolling-out the Government’s furlough scheme, salary reductions and regrettably many redundancies with many more to follow.
So, the furlough veil has finally been lifted and what we are left with are unrecognisable organisational structures and to top it all off, no one is sure what will happen with the economy in the next few weeks, let alone the next few months.
From conversations I have had with HR colleagues recently, many have discovered they have simply reached a state of burnout whilst furlough envy has crept in, with no sight of time off, gardening, decorating, keeping fit, Netflix or wine – anytime soon!
In the early phase of the pandemic, the effort by HR colleagues trying to manage resources with ever-changing restrictions, was time consuming with the onset of regular business reviews and the drive to protect jobs becoming more precarious during the summer months.
Just when we thought the dust had settled and the merry-go-round had stopped, where you could safely reach for your toothbrush before your mobile phone began to ring and your laptop inbox began to ping – wait a minute – not so fast!
If there is one certainty about this pandemic, it is here to stay for the long term and with no obvious sign of giving up its grip on the economy, our health and wellbeing or our civil liberties for that matter, with greater restrictions being announced as I write this article, we all must think carefully about what is important.
And then it hits you – what on earth are we doing? Life is too short …and the strange thing is, it’s not just HR professionals who have been affected. We’re all affected!
Employees across the sectors have made moves for career changes, reduced hours and raised early retirement questions – we have seen the biggest change in mindset in the world of work in a generation, with millions of workers anxious, if not, a little bit intrigued with the prospect of working remotely and no longer wasting time travelling to offices.
I was one of the lucky one’s, I saw the light, reduced my hours and have reignited my own business, even in the face of adversity, before it is too late.
Being in the moment can be both productive and insightful however like many professionals, HR life may not be the same again after 2020.
They say that variety is the spice of life and following my career pivot experience, I am now able to support employers in a new world and happily delivering a personalised bespoke service, covering the full employee life cycle – which is pretty much everything that you could imagine when you are employing others in your business.
Engaging with leaders through executive coaching and supporting them to achieve the results that are important to them and the long-term success of their organisation is exceedingly rewarding and when you’re passionate about helping people create positive change, and able to help them find new ways to do more of it, for me there is no greater sense of achievement.
Today, reward for me is gained not only carrying out my paid work for small and medium sized businesses but also in supporting two large charity organisations in Glasgow with a free professional service – believing this is a great way of giving something back.
For more information please visit: Chrystal HR & Chrystal Coaching
Author: Tracey Chrystal
