What I can do for you …

I am The HRC… The Human Resources Coach & Consultant. 

An organisations most valuable asset are its employees, I'm here to empower you on your working journey.

Through mindfulness I create change and transformation in you the employee. I empower you by igniting your confidence, compassion, resourcefulness and mindfulness. I’m offering a bespoke personalised coaching & consulting service for you. 

With over 20 years experience working with people, in the legal field and HR arena, I have extensive knowledge and experience to resolve and support you with your HR Issues. 

I’m here to support you with your HR queries & provide HR Advice and Legal advice, I facilitate with better communication for line managers & I offer employee relations advice. 

My services are bespoke, facilitating with the creation or updating of HR documents, policies & procedures & HR Letters. My partnering services assist with specific projects & I offer flexible HR support & a presence onsite.

As an external investigator I manage any HR Issues you need to resolve discreetly; any grievances or disciplinarians that need action.

In my HR function, as a mediator, I provide coaching, consulting & clear advice on conflict resolution to ensure you can communicate effectively & are able to tackle any issue or problem in the workplace. 

I consult on HR issues you require support on:

• CV and application form writing
• Interview Preparation Techniques and Questions
• Looking for a New Job, Your New Start
• Techniques on Effective Communication
• Creating a lasting impression in the workplace
• Want support with active listening in the workplace
• Negotiating your pay rise
• Your exit strategy 

One of the most important resources of any organisation are its people, selecting the most suitable candidates is key and retaining these employees by investing in their training and development, will enable their growth and the knock on effect will enable you to see the growth in your organisation.

I manage my business under complete confidentiality and privacy, an assurance for you.

EXPERIENCE

I am an experienced HR Professional with nearly 20 years experience as a coach and mediator in the legal and HR Fields. As an associate CIPD qualified member with strong communication and organisational skills, with in-depth HR knowledge. I have experience in a variety of fields, sectors and industries and liaise with a range of people. I coach managers and employees and offer influential solutions.

Articles on Emotional Intelligence and Communication

What is emotional intelligence? 

It is the capacity to understand and manage your emotions; this is a vital element in the workplace and in everyday life. 

Some Benefits in the Workplace 

1 -   Having emotional intelligence in the workplace can change strained working relationships, into unforced, comfortable, calm ones, and will create a much better environment for working relationships to develop. 

2 -   One of the main benefits of having emotional intelligence is creating a space for increased collaborations with colleagues and the wider working networks, and ultimately the growth of your organisation.

3 -   Another major benefit is having a nicer place to work with happier employees; this is probably one of the most fundamental elements in understanding and managing emotions in the workplace. 

Understanding Emotional Intelligence is for the Individual 

When undertaking any sort of new training or understanding a new concept which has an impact on the individual personally, as emotional intelligence will, can be a frightening experience as the individual will be looking into emotions that occur whilst dealing with working scenario’s and situations and understanding and managing them within the workplace so as to create more harmonious working relationships. 

5 Skills Involved in Emotional Intelligence 

There are a 5 skills involved in emotional intelligence 

Self-Awareness– this is about understanding yourself, knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are, what you value and what drives you in the workplace, and importantly what impact you have on others around you, so in essence there is a great amount of intuition involved in relation to others. Most importantly, as a participant of understanding emotional intelligence in yourself you would need to be open to constructive criticism and have the self-confidence to listen to the information and understand your behaviour. 

Self-Regulation or Self-Management– is having the ability to control your emotions, your moods and any sudden urges to act in an unreflective way. By regulating yourself, it would involve acting with integrity, and being at ease with ever changing situations in the workplace, being in control of these emotions allows you to trust in the situation and channel any emotions in a positive way aligning your passion for the work at hand with your emotions.

Motivations – this is having a passion for your work you do, being optimistic and having energy to match this, going into work or tacking your own business with a sense of enjoyment and achievement everyday. Having this skill creates an association with emotionally intelligent people.

Empathy for Others– is understanding other peoples emotions and considering their feelings, when communicating with them on work issues and making decisions in the workplace which effect them. Most people can learn this skill, however I would advise this skill is something that will be achieved once you master self-awareness and self-management. 

Social Skills– When you are in a place of self awareness, you know how to manage yourself and have empathy for others as well as being motivated in the work you do, this last skill is about management of others using the skills you have learnt about emotional intelligence, by being interactive and building relationships and creating new networks for future work. This is the 5th skill and vital in your growth and the organisations growth, leading to more working collaborations and ultimately transformation in the work you do for the organisation. 

I believe we all have the ability to be emotionally aware, what takes time is self- awareness, this is an on going process which requires spending time and the time spent will be valuable for your growth and the organisations growth. 

Understanding the source of your emotions when working in teams or managing teams, will enable effective conversations and effective communications with others, that hand in hand with the skill of having empathy with others and their emotions will lead to greater collaborations. 

Contact me to invest in your employees after all they are your best asset and training and developing them will only create new collaborations with new networks of people and that is when your organisation or business will transform and grow. 

Author – Serita Shah - 10/04/2019

Communicating with Tact, Diplomacy and Mindfulness in the Workplace

In the workplace, all to often you can be caught up in a discussion with someone and not know how to respond or react in a way you did not wish to react, this can often lead to disputes, conflicts or distance between staff. 

I have worked in varying working cultures, the corporate sector, local authorities, charities, retail and more and I can guarantee no two people will respond to a situation in the same way and all with varying levels of tact, diplomacy and mindfulness. 

As an HR Coach, I have written some guidance on communicating with tact, diplomacy and a positive mind, this is to enable your work conversations and communications to run smoothly or when dealing with a difficult conversations. The guidance will help create a workplace where you can voice your work opinions with tact, diplomacy and positivity in a mindful way, leading to less disputes, conflicts and less animosity in the workplace. 

What type of personality to you have? 

Do you consider yourself to have tact, diplomacy and mindfulness? 

A Person with Tact, Diplomacy and Mindfulness

A person with tact is attentive and listens well, they take a pause before they speak, they listen attentively and they have good rapport and are polite, they can communicate with empathy and have an understanding of the other person viewpoint by acting with diplomacy and with a positive mind. By having a positive mind, you can analyse situations, and based on the analysis the person can communicate in accordance to ensure the situation is handled appropriately and diffuse any conflicts. 

A Person Without Tact, Diplomacy and Mindfulness 

Someone who does not have tact, is someone who acts fast without any concern for others, they speak without any filter and without a thought for what they say and have no understanding their words might affect the person they are speaking with. These people enjoy debate over any constructive dialogue. This can occur on social media where you are not physically speaking with someone and thereby the person is anonymous, there is not much care and knowledge of who the person is. 

Tact and Diplomacy Model 

There is a tact and diplomacy model I have found on linked in (Credit to Tatiana Kolovou – Senor Lecturer Kelly University / Stewart Hall, a cultural theorist studied the impact on social media in the 80’s) I will share some of this with you all here, with some mindfulness as well. 

Encoding – understanding and formulating the message you have just heard. 

As the Message Giver – Make sure your message is clear and it is easy to understand and deliver the message with empathy. Do not be harsh in the delivery instead speak softly, or frame your email in a sensitive way so as to build rapport, be mindful of the words you use & think about the context, there are many mediums to deliver a message, think about how the other person will feel and or react to your message and the delivery. Also take into account any history between you and the person the message is being delivered to.

As the Listener - Be polite, attentive and listen to what is being said, use empathy to understand the view point of the messenger and by doing this you will build trust and rapport with that person

Decoding – translating the message you have heard, what was the speaker actually saying, listening attentively, hearing the words said and understanding the meaning. 

At this stage you can ask more questions to gain clarity & understand the intention of the messenger, this will enable you to have empathy hearing the message, being delivered. 

Whilst decoding also pay attention to the non-verbal cues, facial expressions, gestures and silence as well, smiling and nodding. 

The above will assist you in deciphering the message being delivered and help you to understand the messenger. 

Being Polite – it is so important to respond and deliver your message in a polite, clam and understanding way - this was the audience can decide if you come across as trustworthy, honest, caring and honourable, first impressions are very important. 

By being the above you will find you connect with others with your similarities and appreciate your differences. 

Avoiding phrases that address the need for others being imposed or inconvenienced by listening to you, as your message is an important one and should be said and heard with politeness. 

The Timing – this is so important in the workplace, this must be judged in accordance to the situation in front of you, sometimes the message can wait till the next meeting, other times it might be appropriate to speak sooner. 

By confirming your understanding of the message, acknowledging the experience and understanding the point of view as each situation is different, you then have time to decide to deliver the message at that time or later. 

Delivering the Message – it is all about delivering your message with the correct tone, being mindful and using the correct words so you do not offend and always think about the approach you will take with the person and the channel you chose to deliver your message, be it via email or in person. 

I would suggest delivering the message in person in most occasions, over the telephone, as hearing a person’s voice and the tone is very important. Being mindful in your words is a great rapport builder and a great communication tool to use. 

Having great interpersonal skills is so important in the workplace to enable engagement, respect and trust of others, being a colleague other colleagues could go to if they wanted advice or guidance, this will show you to be a great communicator with tact, diplomacy and mindfulness. 

Be mindful when delivering your message to your audience, ask yourself these questions - What relationship do you have with the person,? look at the dynamics, Are they are customer, your leader, a colleague? 

Direct and Indirect Approaches 

Sometimes the message you were delivered requires collaboration with colleagues or others to produce work required, sometimes the message must be delivered straight away, be mindful of the intention of the message and ask questions for clarity and when a response is required when others are involved. 

Different Approaches to Respond 

• Face to Face

• Phone Call 

• Email

• Text

• Written Document 

• Voice Message 

All these approaches may depend on time zones, the urgency of the message, be mindful when thinking about the person you are to respond to, which is their preferred method of communication and how urgent the message is, think about the words you use carefully and take into consideration how the message will be heard by them based on the information you have gathered, be polite and choose the timing of your message. Aim for clarity so as to achieve objectivity and think about the end result and aim to build positive relationships in the workplace at all times.

Being mindful and having tact and diplomacy in your communications in the workplace will lead to greater connections and increased personal development and a continuing in building relationships with rapport and you will be able to deal with difficult conversations. 

What type of personality to you have? 

Do you consider yourself to have tact, diplomacy and mindfulness? 

Thank you for reading the article and hope this helps you out with your communications in the workplace.

Author – Serita Shah – 02/01/2019

Communicating Through Change Management

As a HR Professional and Coach in Human Resources and having recently been through change management, I have created some guidance from my Human Resources perspective and background on communication during change management.

Change can be delivered by different communication methods commonly used in organisations, however making sure the right message is delivered to the right people at the right time is key. The message of change should be delivered in a transparent and honest approach and not in a forceful way. I have put together some information on being the communicator of change and how receptive employees can be to the change.

Communicator of Change

As a communicator of any change in your organisation you must ask yourself 5 questions;-

Who?

Why?

When?

How?

What?

These questions must be explored and answered authentically. When delivering the communication on change, show flexibility and adaptability, listen to your employees and understand their issues in delivering the change

The Who ?

1 - Think about who will send the message of change to those affected

A person will embrace change by those they trust

A line manager rather than someone they do not see on a daily basis

A person in the organisation who embraces the organisation who would embrace the change proposed

2 - Who is to receive the message for change

You must consider the directly affected employees and also

You must consider each and every linked department and how they would be affected by the change

As there are a lot of people effected you must also tailor each message to each individual

Do not make any assumptions, have tailor made messages for all your employees

The Why and When?

You must be very clear in your answer, and provide a straightforward reason as to why change is required, if you are not aware of all details, explain this at the initial meeting/email.

Be specific and build awareness, at this stage as an organisation you are looking for acceptance in your proposal and finding out from your employees if they have any concerns and by getting input the change can be reviewed

Make sure you research and know every eventually with each person, this is something that takes times to get correct.

When a change is communicated within the organisation it must be communicated as a big campaign, an initial meeting and / or email to announce the change, at this stage you are building awareness of the change.

The How?

In the initial meeting you must set out what you propose, inform the affected employees they will be met to introduce and understand the change fully, if more meetings are required you should follow through with this.

Further to those meetings you must make clear when you will have individual meetings setting out in detail the change and the effects of the change, this must be done with all the employees affected in the form of 1:1 meetings.

If your employees require more meetings then I suggest scheduling these in, they are the ones who are to accept the change.

The What?

The main questions employees will ask employers once change is announced is:-

What exactly is the change?

Why does the organisation need to make the change?

How will the change affect me?

What will change in my role?

How will I know once the change is implemented, will I be ok?

The employees will want to know if they have support throughout the change process.

By providing free communication in the individual meetings; and by making the employees appreciate the benefits and the results of the change, the employees will be able to see what can be achieved, the end result before the change has occurred.

Will the Employee Support The Change?

Employees will trust someone with credibility to deliver the communication of change; they are more receptive to someone they feel is qualified to deliver the message, this is someone who is trusted, perhaps a line manager.  You will know the person when you look in your organisation.

Your employees are more likely to embrace the change more rapidly in these circumstances. The message must also be a positive message of change detailing the results and benefits of the change.

Listening is a great trait for the communicator to have, understanding the concerns of employees, acknowledging these and responding to these in an informed and understanding way.

Exploring commonality between the employer and employee is something that can be utilised and you can show understanding towards the employee with their concerns.

If you are faced with employees who do not like the uncertainty of change and who distrust their manager, follow this up with open-ended questions, listen to the response and be proactive in meeting with them to have catch ups, be honest and transparent.

Empathy is a core for communicating change in an organisation, you must understand the employees perception and point of view, empathise with the employee.

Additionally look for any non-verbal cues e.g. folded arms, unhappy faces and such like, everyone has an unique filter these can be so important to understanding what an employees perception is.

By leading the change communication from the heart, explaining why it is so important for the organisation, knowing as a manager why you are so committed to the change and by explaining all the reasons with authenticity you will gain the trust of your employees.

Stories also resonate with employees; gaining trust with your employees will build credibility for you to deliver the communication of change.

I hope the above article was helpful

Author – Serita Shah – 03/10/2018