Jess Gray - Outsourced HR Advisor (dealing with everything HR has to throw at you)

My guest on this episode is Jess Gray who has recently joined a solicitors as part of their outsourced HR team. However, we cover off so many interesting aspects and situations within this episode. 

Jess found her way into HR and Training after university and gained her Level 5 CIPD. It was always the plan to do some travelling though so she took a break in her fledgling HR career to go overseas and taught English in Thailand.

When she returned home she found it incredibly challenging to secure a new entry level HR job, despite having adequate experience and the qualification under her belt.

She then joined an organisation and experienced a reduction in the HR team, a change in leadership, investment and growth of the team once again. Jess explains what it was like working through this turbulence and how the priorities changed for the HR function at various stages.

Her next company was an Academy Trust which presented a whole new set of challenges. She was now operating in environments where there had barely been a HR presence before and Jess explains how her much of her work had an emphasis of building and nurturing relationships to get those building blocks in place for her to make an impact.

Very recently her career has taken another twist by moving into outsourced HR. Jess shares what it has been like adapting to this version of HR delivery but what she has found inredibly enjoyable about it too.

This is a highly fascinating conversation shedding light on some aspects of HR that many wouldn't be aware of. I hope you enjoy listening.