Her particular interests are in considering both organisational and individual perspectives; linking talent management and employee development more strongly with changing business needs, and helping managers and employees to tackle these career- and future-related aspects of employment more clearly and more confidently. She finds involving both managers and employees in shaping context-sensitive approaches to people management makes for better solutions and avoids the agony of trying to ‘sell’ ideas generated by HR working in isolation.
Hirsh finds the mix of applied research and consulting gives her access to a wide range of ideas and practices, while also keeping her feet on the ground and making sure new approaches are doable. She migrated to HR from maths via operational research and workforce planning so reaching for data and evidence – qualitative as well as quantitative – is second nature.
Hirsh is principal associate and honorary fellow of the Institute for Employment Studies, an associate of the Roffey Park Institute, fellow of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling, visiting professor at Kingston University, and visiting professor of career development at the University of Derby. She has been a regular research contributor for the Corporate Research Forum, recently on how more effective performance discussions with individuals could improve organisational performance.
Recommended content
Research paper: Talent Management: Learning Across Sectors
HR magazine article: Tailored talent management
HR magazine blog: Time for HR to let go of performance management?
IES report: Wendy Hirsh, ‘Effective performance, development and career conversations at work’, IES Perspectives on HR 2018, Institute for Employment Studies: Effective performance, development and career conversations
Guidance for employers and case studies: How to support careers and enterprise activities in schools
CIPD blog: Wendy Hirsh, Use workforce planning intelligence to focus your talent management activity, CIPD blog, March 2019: Workforce planning/intelligence
Duncan Brown, Wendy Hirsh and Peter Reilly, Strategic Human Resource Management, in Practice – From HRM Strategy to Strategic People Management, IES Report 519 with CIPD, April 2019 - Strategic Human Resource Management, in Practice: Case Studies and Conclusions
Book contribution: ‘Positive career development for leaders’ in Leadership in Organizations: Current issues and key trends
Book: Planning Your Career in a Week
Social media handle: @wendyhirsh
