Hello PPMA Members and friends

On 6^th July at 2:00pm you are invited to join us to help inform a piece of research currently being developed by the 2021 Peer into the Future cohort. The group is seeking to understand what it has been like to lead ‘from the top’  through the pandemic  – the good and bad, what they learned and how this can assist future leaders.

To complement this piece of research, we want to examine what being “on the ground” in HR has been like throughout the pandemic; from operational tasks to wellbeing, and support the leadership view with additional operational insights and experiences.

To get the best qualitative feedback here, we need YOU! Our sub-project is called ‘Peer from Within’, and we want to run some focus groups over lunch time, to have some open discussions with our HR community to gain your experiences on operations, culture and wellbeing during the last 18 months within your organisation.

So bring your sandwiches (and ice creams if the weather stays as glorious as it has been the last few weeks), and join us for a very open, informal and collaborative discussion- see you then!

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://oracle.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIodOyopj4jE9d1t8CkYmuwz1bS6lPAlrn7

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

A huge thank you to our sponsor Oracle who are facilitating this piece of research with us.

Leatham Green
Interim Executive Director

Hello PPMA Friends

The PPMA Peer into the Future Programme reflects our passionate desire to stretch and develop HR & OD professionals and we’re looking for current or aspiring HR & OD professionals to join our next cohort which will be starting next February.

Our organisations need future oriented, forward thinking professionals – those who can both think outside the box and especially don’t see a box at all. In this way we see HR & OD people as business leaders whose expertise happens to be in workforce related matters and enables business to innovate and transform.

Peer into the Future provides participants with an opportunity to take time out from day to day business to reflect on the key business and workforce issues of the day; and share, learn and develop with colleagues. Participating will enable them to enhance personal leadership and professional skills as well as extending professional networks.

Delivered in 6 one-day modules, participants are encouraged and expected to take an active role in their learning and sharing experiences with cohort colleagues. All modules will be delivered either virtually or in locations that best suits the needs of the cohort. We will determine the finer details closer to the time reflecting the latest government and local guidance relating to COVID -19.

So if you are a current or aspiring HR & OD professional, operating strategically within your organisation or you are aspiring to operate at Director level, then this programme is for you and you can find out more information and how to apply here or contact admin@ppma.org.uk or Leatham at executivedirector@ppma.org.uk. Places are limited and the closing date for applications is Tuesday 12th January 2021.

Shawnna Gleeson, Deputy Director, HR at Manchester City Council is joint winner of this year’s programme and in the video below she explains what she got out of taking part.

We hope it inspires you and that you will join us in 2021!

Hello PPMA friends

Here’s the second in our series of 4 questions for the winners of our PPMA Talent Programmes from Emily Drake. Emily is Head of Payments, Systems and Registrars at Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council and the joint winner of our Peer into The Future programme 2020.

• What has been the biggest lesson you have learnt from your career so far?

It’s a really good idea to move around the business to get a different perspective on HR/OD from the operational side.  It helps you to empathise with what other managers are dealing with in their day job and become well rounded as a professional.

• If you were Chief Executive of your organisation what one change would you make (in an ideal world!)

We are very lucky to have a personable and approachable chief executive who really does value the organisation’s people and their views and opinions, regularly reaching out for individual ideas and feedback.  If I was CX I would definitely continue that legacy and would challenge myself to meet a different employee on a regular basis to understand their role, achievements, ideas and challenges.  I think that would be a great connector throughout the organisation and keep me in touch with the day to day things that affect our people.

• What one superpower would you like to have to make people’s lives better.

I would love to have the power to fly…..then as a little pick me up when people are feeling down I would whisk them into the skies and let them see the beautiful world below and I bet that would bring a smile to their face!

• If you were able to give your 18 year old self one piece of advice today what would it be?

Don’t worry about what other people think of you – as long as you are kind to yourself and others you can’t go far wrong.

As part of our recent Virtual Conference we asked all of the Peer into the Future finalists to record a short video talking about the personal legacy they each were asked to prepare as part of the programme…and here is Emily sharing hers.

Thanks to Emily for her thought provoking replies to our questions. Over the coming weeks we’ll be posting the answers to these questions from our other Talent Programme winners, so watch out for those. Applications for the 2021 cohorts will be opening soon – so if you’d like more information then contact Grace at admin@ppma.org.uk

Hello PPMA members and friends,

Sonia Grewal, HRD at Swindon BC, was crowned Peer of the Year at the PPMA Annual Conference in Bristol last April. She’s had an amazing year and as her term is coming to an end, she shares her experiences with us.

“The opportunity to participate in Peer into the Future (the partnership between Penna and PPMA) Cohort 4 was made available to me as I was joining Swindon Borough Council and local government from the NHS.

I was delighted when my application was accepted, but also slightly apprehensive as to what to expect. My aspirations from Peer into the Future were to tap into a strong network of other senior HR & OD professionals within the wider landscape of local government as well as the opportunity to benchmark and learn from others in the sector.

The structure and content of the sessions, featuring some truly inspirational guest speakers, together with the opportunity to have some clear thinking space, allowed me to reflect on the position of HR & OD in Swindon very early into my role.  There is no requirement to complete assignments or work outside of each module – it’s truly action learning. However, reflection and input to each session is essential, so taking some thought away about how you are going to implement them or consider them in the workplace is a must.  This is a great space to share ideas and challenge thinking in a safe environment.

Input from the guest speakers really sets a direction for how HR & OD professionals in local government, as well as across the public sector, develop and move into a wider space to ensure they are skilled to support the strategic challenges that our organisations are facing.  Much of this is about thinking in a different way as it is resetting our narrative and how we operate in a changing landscape. I took reflections from each session along with the shared learning with peers on the cohort back into Swindon, both in terms of my professional role and development as well as wider organisational challenges.

Peer into the Future has been fantastic for the networking opportunities and learning in the present, and has allowed me to develop into my first HRD role. It has also helped me reposition the critical role that HR & OD professionals play in the challenging context of local government.  This has significantly shifted the profile of HR & OD within the Council  from a traditional, transactional service to a true strategic partner sitting alongside the Corporate Team.

Each of the modules are really well thought out with great speakers and subjects but you get out what you put in.  It is beneficial to have a plan for how you use your time on the Peer programme and also for what comes after.

I enjoy being part of the PPMA Board and Vice Chair of South West PPMA as well as helping to shape the future of the PPMA as the national voice for the public sector HR/OD profession. I’ve also supported members of my team to attend Peer into the Future to ensure ongoing development for them and the organisation.

If you’re looking to reposition the role of HR & OD in your current organisation, I would certainly recommend Peer into the Future.  You’ll be given the opportunity to create some clear thinking space for yourself and become part of a network of past and present Peers’ and the PPMA.  There will also be access to coaching and mentoring as well as the opportunity to become involved with the PPMA in order to support other fantastic programmes such as Rising Stars and Apprenticeships.”

Sonia Grewal, PPMA Peer of the Year 2017, HRD at Swindon BC and Vice Chair of PPMA South West Region