Ruth Cornish, Managing Director, Ruth Cornish Ltd



Working for myself and having an understanding supportive husband who is also based at home are two critical success factors for me. This means during the week we can usually cover each other, but if a client needs me urgently for an investigation or a disciplinary I can go straight away.

I’m currently the main breadwinner as my husband has been at home with our children. Unfortunately there are still some businesses that have an old fashioned approach to flexible working but its been key for me as I have three children – 24, 5 and 4 - so I’ve had childcare responsibilities the whole of my working life. Family and health are important to us, so a core principle for my business is ensuring that between us there is always one of us around for the children.

I’m in relative control of what work I do and when I do it. If I decide to work all weekend or get up early, work while my children are at school, and again in the evening to deliver for my client and still be able to collect them from school and spend time with them – that’s what it is all about. I also work at clients’ offices so I can really focus when necessary.

I’m good at juggling, working quickly and with focus, multi tasking and making use of any time I get, especially travel time.

A current client is a small firm of chartered accountants. I’m working on a joint venture with them, offering integrated HR, health and safety and payroll services. One of the partners also owns a garage and is a successful local businessman. They would describe themselves as down to earth and very focused on the bottom line. So influencing them to see the value of how a good HR service can give them (and their clients) competitive advantage has been great.

Like any good HR professional, I’m involved in every aspect of their business, as we can remarket them to help their business grow, work on cultural issues, deal with problem staff and how to retain the talented ones.

Smart diary management is important as we work towards our launch. While its important to have separation between work and home, it is harder to juggle if you work for yourself. So the family is aware of what I’m involved in and we try and plan ahead, thinking about key work and family issues. I know all the best soft play and bowling alleys near my clients!
 

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