HRBP Review

I am HR Business Partner for Post Office's Central Retail functions. My client group of around 200 employees includes five direct reports of our Retail CEO and their respective teams. These include roles across a wide range of areas including finance, banking, product development, sales, business development, account management, transformation, project management, and others. I provide HR support across all aspects of HR including recruitment, engagement, reward, ER etc. A large part of my role relates to change and restructuring teams to maximise effectiveness and I also provide expert guidance as business partner to line managers.

Through the CIPD Level 5 apprenticeship I have developed my existing skills and learnt new skills. Each of the eight modules has been incredibly valuable to my role, especially Employment Law and Employee Engagement. The workshops have also helped me to build my network with HR practitioners in other organisations across different sectors. It has been really great to hear examples from other types of businesses and how they manage their HR strategy. It has also been great to learn the statutory / minimum legal requirements that companies have to adhere to and compare this to the way Post Office does things.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the programme so far. I find the workshops to be a real highlight as it's great to have the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with fellow students from different backgrounds and sectors. The quality of the tutoring has been exceptional, in general, with some really great real-life examples of HR in practice, brought to life in a dynamic and engaging way.

It is reasonably well organised but there were a few teething issues at first where I didn't feel very clear about the different systems I should be uploading things to, completing e-learnings on etc. I was also a bit unclear about deadlines and the overall course structure. These concerns were addressed about six months into the programme and now things are a lot better. My new Talent Coach has been an excellent source of support and guidance. I have also found there is a good level of flexibility in terms of allowing extensions on assignment deadlines when necessary, changing dates if there are specific circumstances to take into consideration. This has been really helpful for me.

Post Office is really supportive with my apprenticeship programme, allowing me the time I need to attend workshops and related development activities as well as study time to complete the assignments in line with the deadlines set. My line manager is very encouraging and keeps on track of my progress at each stage through the regular reviews with my programme Talent Coach. I think it's great that Post Office promotes development opportunities like this.

I feel like I receive the right level of support from the training provider. There are regular check ins and progress reviews and I have a named point of contact who I can go to with any concerns or queries. They have been very supportive and flexible with my specific requirements. I feel well supported as I have been working towards the qualification and things have been clearly explained at each step of the journey.

The level 5 CIPD qualification is definitely an asset in terms of building a career in HR. It shows a level of understanding and competency in all the core areas of the HR discipline. I also feel that it helps me perform better in my role because I can link the theoretical models I have learned to the practical, day-to-day application.

There are many extra-curricular activities at Post Office including societies and networks for various groups (supporting our Diversity & Inclusion agenda), team and functional social events and professional networking opportunities. We also have regular talks and engagement sessions from internal and external presenters. I recently attended a development day for International Women's Day which included a fantastic session about gravitas - very valuable and I will definitely be applying the learnings in my role.

Yes

We are a fantastic employer in terms of opportunities for progression. Our culture is flexible and accommodating, and we encourage people to move around the business, broadening their skills and experiences. We are just the right size - not too big to feel like a massive machine, but not too small, so we have great policies and procedures in place that mean in general things work smoothly. There are lots of benefits of working at Post Office including generous entitlements (much more than statutory) and knowing you work for an organisation that is highly commercial but has a genuine social purpose.

Be open minded about your career path and what you can bring to the organisation. We are not just a retailer, we are also a huge franchise operator, so think about the organisation in those terms as well. Everyone who works at Post Office is friendly and approachable, so feel free to ask questions (no question is a stupid question!) and be curious. Get involved and stuck in - we like the kind of people who put their hands up for opportunities and drive their own development. Make sure you understand what our core values are and what these mean to us - it's a really important part of who we are so make sure you are familiar with these and that they align to your own set of values.