I started out in operational management. I gained a real appetite for HR working on activities such as employee relations, training, employee development, and transformation projects. The senior management team supported and facilitated my career development and I successfully managed to move into HR. At our end-of-year ceremony I was awarded HR Employee of the Year, which was a great moment for me.
I was attracted to HR by the intellectual challenge it provides. Finding solutions to organisation-wide challenges really engages me. Also no two days are the same, and there is such a variety of activity.
The profession needs to be closer to its internal and external customers, develop a real understanding of the organisation, and be able to contribute to commercial decision-making.
The biggest issue on the horizon for HR is having accurate data to provide meaningful insight. It’s also helping organisations to embrace and adapt to the pace of change and digitalisation, and creating clear career and development paths for employees.
Keeping me busy at the moment is supporting the digital transformation of Saint-Gobain UK and Ireland – recruiting for some key roles within the digital and customer functions, supporting the creation and rollout of customer and employee value propositions, and leading a number of group transformation projects.
In five years’ time I’d like to be leading a group HR function within an ambitious and values-driven organisation. I’d love to develop and lead a high-performing team to support the growth of a company by having an engaging culture and engaged employees, therefore contributing to the commercial performance of the business.
The most rewarding bit of my job is seeing the benefits of my contributions. Whether it’s supporting an employee returning to work from an absence, recruiting for a key role, leading a consultation process, or providing some coaching to an employee facing a challenging situation, I go home feeling proud and fulfilled because I’m able to make a difference.
Faisal Musa is senior HR business partner at Saint-Gobain
This piece appears in the November 2019 print issue. Subscribe today to have all our latest articles delivered right to your desk
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