Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

HR practice

My best and worst decisions: Huw Davies, HR director, Aliaxis UK

by Personnel Today 3 Feb 2010
by Personnel Today 3 Feb 2010

Best decision

Before I was in HR, I was a company secretary for about 12 years, but to say that I was dreadful at it was a bit of an understatement.

I had done a business qualification, then extended that to doing the chartered secretary qualifications – I fell into the function. Unfortunately, my attention to detail is really poor and I ended up, as company secretary, sending a non-executive director into the City for a board meeting – on the wrong day. He was Bristol-based, and not best pleased. That error eventually resulted in me leaving the organisation.

I ended up working in the dispatch department of food manufacturer Ginsters, in Cornwall, where I was living at the time. They were advertising for an HR officer, and I got the job, without any previous HR experience. On reflection, that was the best thing that ever happened to me.

As a company secretary, I ran insurance portfolios, car fleets, and managed property – it was really varied, but the minute-taking, checking share certificates and liaising with the stock market wasn’t for me.

At the end of the day, people are much more interesting than share certificates.

Worst decision

Early in my career, I encountered a very aggressive, assertive operations director. He wanted to do a 360-degree appraisal, which I facilitated.

When I’d gathered the information, he was very keen to see the feedback – but with people’s names on it. I let him see it. As soon as he got the information, he took issue with anyone who’d given him negative feedback.

That was a real lesson to me about the integrity of HR, and that part of the role was to do with the advocacy of people.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

I grew up in HR that day. I realised I’d been taken for an idiot, and steamrollered. I had to face my colleagues, to tell them that it was me who’d given the operations director the names, and to apologise to them. I did so willingly, as I would never have given him the information if I’d known that he would use it in that way.

He retired soon afterwards – he was due to retire anyway – but it wasn’t his fault. It was my fault for not standing up to him. It was about toughening up and growing up, from an HR point of view – and understanding that not everyone has the same values base as I do.

Personnel Today

previous post
Leading in Turbulent Times
next post
How I made a difference: Vivien Rodger, business adviser, HR Business Task Force, St Helens Chamber

You may also like

What do HR specialists enjoy most about their...

21 Mar 2025

King’s College London get top marks for HR...

20 Nov 2024

Personnel Today Awards 2024: The shortlists in full

13 Nov 2024

CIPD launches HR support pilot scheme for SMEs

7 Oct 2024

Are managers equipped to handle workplace conflict?

24 Sep 2024

Reimagining the employee lifecycle as a public sector...

5 Sep 2024

Employers urged to take action during riots

7 Aug 2024

HR changes save NHS Wales board £740k and...

6 Aug 2024

HR ‘unprepared’ for AI workforce revolution

29 May 2024

Tarantula-pranking train driver reinstated and awarded £40k

28 Feb 2024

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+