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Human Resources colleague

“I’ve been a professional working in Human Resources for over twenty years now, and I’ve worked my way through all sorts of HR roles in all sorts of industries – child care, manufacturing, house-building, and then I found myself here at FCDO Services. This is my first time working within government, and considering I’m a commercial person through and through, this organisation is such a good fit for me.

For a start, I’d adopted two children before I joined, so I needed somewhere that would give me the life-balance I needed. What I found here was a place where you could pursue a professional career, but also find support for your family. 

I’d adopted two children before I joined, so I needed somewhere that would give me the life-balance I needed.


In the private sector, I think you’re used to people being very demanding of your time, so finding a good work/life balance is challenging.  Here, the pace is quick and everything has to be efficient, but you’re also supported in finding the right balance for you. I can be there for my family. I’m there for dinner, and to make sure the kids get their homework done. It’s been a real shift for me.

I think you also get a lot of investment in your learning, with opportunities to better your skills. I’d only just started when the business paid for me to go and get two qualifications that would help me deliver an HR project for them; one in online training facilitation and one in online training design. That kind of trust so early on was amazing. And I get a lot of recognition for the work I do too: I won one of our staff awards for digital capability as a result of that training and my subsequent work on the project.

When I started, I had the chance to be heavily involved in shaping our ambitions; in establishing our diversity networks.

I’ve also been given plenty of responsibility, in terms of things like our Diversity and Inclusion strategy. When I started, I had the chance to be heavily involved in shaping our ambitions; in supporting our Diversity Champions; in researching and establishing actions that help us head in the right direction to bring in colleagues from all backgrounds. 

Now, I work with our leaders and networks – our women’s network, for instance – and get their feedback on policy to help us improve further as we move forward. It’s brilliant to be part of that and see the progress we’re making.”