Our business is all about people – and we know that our clients love getting to know our team better. This month, we’re putting the spotlight on Sam Croston, our HR Business Partner.
Time at PMHR:
Three years – and they know what they say about time when you’re having fun!
Job title:
HR Business Partner
What does that mean in real terms?
I help businesses develop their teams to ensure that both the employees and the businesses owners are working productively, efficiently, and happily.
Ensuring happiness is the most important element of my job – people spend half their life in work and so it’s crucial that they actually want to be there. This comes from feeling fulfilled, appreciated, being absolutely clear on what is expected of them and having a supportive management team. At the end of the day, everyone wants to go to work with a smile on their face!
The most memorable/amusing/crazy query you’ve ever had from a customer?
Gosh, there have been so many – from the serious to the downright crazy! The most memorable has to be an incident that happened when I had only been with the business a few months and was new to the HR industry. Let’s just say it involved lots of rumours and it will forever be referred to as #horsegate. I’ll just leave that with you!
How should employers handle millennials?
I think that millennials can receive a bad press, and have almost become a caricature of demanding, entitled and spoilt new kids on the block. Employees need to remember that millennials are the future of their business – often very talented and with lots to offer. They have been raised in a different era to many of us, and it’s worth being mindful that they respond well to a fast moving, technological approach.
What’s the way forward for HR in our digital age? Could the job ever be automated?
Some parts can – take our fantastic Breathe HR system for instance. Yet no matter how fantastic a system is, it still relies on people to utilise it correctly, through the right understanding and application. Crucially, we must also remember that machines can never take human emotions into consideration, which is a key element of a successful HR function.
A little-known fact about yourself?
I am a mother to Aubrey who is 4.
What’s your superpower?
Memory – tell me something once and it’s there forever – a useful tool in this game!