Sam is currently an HR Officer at McDonald's
Sam's story
I graduated from University in 2008 and have since been working for McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd. I started off in the Benefits and Compensation team supporting the reward strategy for both restaurant employees and office staff before moving into a generalist position within the Corporate HR team and supporting office based employees.
I currently hold the position of HR Officer within the Corporate HR Team at McDonald’s, advising department heads and line managers in a generalist capacity on all areas of HR. I have held this position for 18 months.
Working for a progressive business that really puts HR at the top of the agenda, has changed my perceptions in terms of how powerful a HR function can really be. The great thing about working in a generalist capacity is the variety of projects and elements of HR that you are able to get involved with. I’ve had experience with Employee Relations, Reward, L&D, Recruitment, Strategy, Performance Management, Organisational Design, and Organisational Development, all of which have presented challenges and development opportunities. So far I have had the chance to meet some very interesting people – quite a few ‘top dogs’ in HR along with some great colleagues, suppliers and customers.
Why HR?
I had made a choice to work in HR from quite early on. My undergraduate degree was in the field of HR Management, and so I had a pretty good idea of what the profession involved. I’m not sure why I chose to study HR, I always knew I wanted to study business – mainly because of its practical nature – but also wanted to specialise. This led me to think about HR, the more I thought about it the more it appealed to me. As my studies progressed, the values and underlying philosophy, especially the value placed on people, were definitely a fit with me.
HR's role in business
I think that the role of HR within business is changing however it really does depend on the industry and the leadership of the organisation. Within retail for example I believe that HR is growing in influence as people are beginning to understand that an organisation’s people are a major driver of business success. However, I believe that it depends on the senior leadership’s views on the function and whether HR has a ‘seat at the table’. Generally I think that HR is very rewarding but of course every profession has its difficulties and downsides. The main one for me is trying to separate emotion from doing the right thing for the organisation. Usually I find that what’s right for business is what is right for the people working there, but occasionally there are some difficult decisions to make. In addition, trying to influence people that do not fully understand what HR is about and the value it can add to the organisation can be frustrating. However, I’m lucky in this regard as people at McDonald’s understand this and are willing to partner with you to drive the people agenda.
Future ambitions
I am, as friends and family would attest a very ambitious person. However, I believe that any career move or decision needs to be right for me. Everything that I do has to be both challenging and rewarding, and something that makes me happy. Eventually I can envisage myself as a HR director of a large company, in the UK or abroad but for now I’m really looking forward to the enjoying the journey in getting there.
Career advice and tips
My advice to anyone considering their career options would be to make sure that whatever direction you are thinking of going, that it is the right one for you. That you understand the profession, by reading up and talking to HR people and make sure that it’s something you think you’ll enjoy. Many organisations will also offer work experience so that you can be sure that any decision you make is the right one.
I also think that there are some core competencies that HR professionals should aim to develop including strategic direction, patience, credibility and influence. However, I believe that everyone is different and it’s this variety and diversity of skills, talent and qualities that really drives a HR team that adds value to the business.