Yvonne Dawe
- Name
- Yvonne Dawe
- Age
- 29
- Role
- HR Consultant
- Company
- Royal & Sun Alliance
- Degree / University
- BA English, Loughborough University
Why did you choose the insurance industry?
I had worked between school and university for an insurance company in the claims area and decided from quite early that I wanted to return to insurance after graduating. The industry is so varied and competitive but it still retains a very high degree of professionalism. I think a lot of people's perceptions about the industry are wrong or ill informed - people image it's going to be austere and quiet but in fact it's dynamic and very fast-moving. There's so much going on in product and service innovation - the industry's constantly changing.
I also decided that I wanted to work in HR - I had an uncle who was an HR director in another industry and he helped me to understand what a strategic and valuable role HR can play. It's a field that gives you exposure to all the different parts of the business and enables you to partner with them in organisational change, recruitment and talent development.
What have you done in your career so far?
I joined the company on the Business Management programme, which gave me a series of placements around the business to build my knowledge and give me a good understanding of how the various aspects of insurance fit together. I started in underwriting and then moved to a call centre, then worked in process support in the Life businesses, then internal communications and finally a project role looking at people transformation.
Coming off the scheme I worked as an HR consultant in Business Services, reporting directly to the UK HR director. That was a great opportunity for me to be exposed to some very high-profile work. After that I spent 18 months working in graduate recruitment and development and I'm now an HR consultant supporting Claims. So although I've always worked in an HR capacity, I have seen a lot of the business, made a lot of contacts and enjoyed tremendous variety in my work.
What's the most challenging aspect of your job?
One thing I've learned is that people rarely understand the HR role. Of course it is about people but it also has a gritty, hard edge when you are dealing with organisational change or employee relations. Sometimes it's about making tough decision and then seeing them through in the right way and that can be very challenging. Being on the frontline during a period of organisational change and dealing with people who may be leaving is always difficult. You have to make sure that they have all the information and the support they need.
What training have you received?
The Business management scheme gave me a really thorough grounding in the business and the firm has also supported me through the CII exams, which have given me a much better theoretical appreciation of the industry. Having that qualification under my belt also helps to establish credibility when you are talking to people in the line - it shows that you understand what they do and where their concerns lie.
I've also had a lot of skills training over the years, from general business skills such as influencing and negotiation, to HR-focused skills such as coaching and conducting psychometric tests.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
The variety and change. The business agenda is constantly moving on and your goal is to maintain an up-to-date understanding of the needs of the business and help to align the people with the strategy. HR is very much about adding value and working in partnership with the business
I think the highlight for me has been my involvement with the talent academy - and initiative to identify people with leadership potential early. It's great to see people moving on into bigger roles. I've also enjoyed bringing graduates into the business and seeing them develop.
What do you need to be successful?
People always talk about HR as being a people business but it's more than that. It's strategic and very commercially focused. You have to be able to appreciate the needs of the business and help it to grow - even if that means tackling some difficult issues. Dismissals are hard and the only way to deal with them is to be confident that what you are doing is right for the business and then be completely professional.
To be successful you need to be tenacious, empathetic and have great communications skills - it's all about communication.
