International HR Day – In The Spotlight with Shannon Güngör

To celebrate International HR Day on Monday 20th May, we have our wonderful HR Manager, Shannon Güngör. She is giving us an introduction to herself and telling us about her journey so far with Heart of England Training. As well as what she does on a day-to-day basis as a HR Manager.

Shannon’s Journey

Shannon began working within Heart of England Training back in September 2011. She took her Level 1 Employability and Personal Development Award. This then peaked her interests in the Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy industry within HOET. She then decided to take on a full-time study programme. Starting off with her Level 2 Beauty Therapy at our Rugby Academy, which she completed in a 6-month period.

Shannon then saw an opportunity after completing her apprenticeship as a receptionist at Heart of England Training Head Office. This meant that she could complete her Level 2 and Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeships. Shortly after completing her Business Administration apprenticeship, Shannon decided to take a leap into the world and left Heart of England Training.

“During my time away from HOET, I became a sales supervisor. I wanted to explore other avenues in my potential working life.”

Shannon returned to Heart of England Training 8 years later in November 2019  and took up the role of being an Assistant to Directors. That has evolved into her being our Human Resources Manager and EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity) Lead.

“When I returned to HOET, I continued my journey by complete my Level 3  Team Leader Apprenticeship. When I worked in sales, I felt that I was still developing a lot of skills that I didn’t have the full knowledge on. But by achieving my Level 3 Team Leader Apprenticeship, I now have a much better understanding of everything that I was doing. This includes the importance of teamwork, diversity, and the dynamics of a company.”

Shannon currently has two apprentices at Head Office, Joshua Brown, and Louisa Barby. Both are studying the Level 3 Business Administration Qualification. Shannon said she is excited to see them progress and follow a similar career path to her in the future.

What is HR (Human Resources)? – International HR Day

In honour of International HR Day, Shannon shared her journey in to industry “I took on the role of being a HR Manager during the COVID period in 2020. This meant that I was learning the new skills that others in the industry were also learning. I felt at ease knowing everyone was experiencing the same challenges….

At one point I was attending a webinar with another HR Manager who had been in their role for 20 years. They were learning the same skills as me, I felt that I was quite privileged to have joined when I did as it meant that I was on the same page as everybody else.”

HR is a fundamental part of any organisation. It is all about looking after your resources, and most importantly, your employees.  Making sure that they are happy within their job role and the company. Within Human Resources, there are sets of legislations and rules that fall under the HR umbrella. These will result in a happy, safe, and steadily functioning company.

“I think that the main area that we look after the most within Heart of England Training is recruitment. This is where HR comes in to play the most when someone is starting their journey with us. We have a strong support system surrounding EDI  (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity). I am proud to support and be a part of it. This means that during our recruitment process, we follow all the necessary laws and legislations to ensure we are electing our staff correctly.”

International HR Day – Shannon’s Role

With Shannon’s job role constantly evolving and changing, and with new laws and legislations to be implemented into our company, we wanted to know what Shannon’s favourite part about her job role is.

“I would say that the thing I enjoy most about my job is onboarding new staff members. I feel I am really privileged to be able to see their growth from the first day that I meet them, to handing them a successful probationary pass letter 6 months later. To go from reading their name on a piece of paper to seeing the growth that they have made on their first day is just an amazing process to watch over.”

Special Thanks

Shannon then told us that she wanted to share some kind words about the people that have helped her from start to finish, and why those people have been such key figures in her working life.

“I would firstly like to share my thanks to the Managing Director of the company, Jill Gibson. Jill is also somebody who oversees all of the work that I do for the company. She has been a fantastic manager since day one. She provides me with all of the support that I need and more. In terms of my personal development, I feel that I can always be open and honest with Jill. If there is an opportunity for me, Jill will make it happen. I couldn’t ask for a better boss.”

“I would also like to thank our Office Manager, Ruth Dawson. She is someone that has helped me the most and got me to where I am today. Ruth started off as my manager when I first joined. She also gave me my first and second interview when I came to starting my apprenticeship back in 2011. She has been a huge inspiration to me ever since I was 17.  I went away  thinking  “If I ever am in a management position, I want to be a Ruth!”

About Shannon

Shannon has told us previously that she has a favourite question to ask when conducting interviews with potential staff members. That question is, ‘What is one word that would describe you?’ . So, we thought it was time to hand the microphone to her and see what her one word would be!

“One word that I would use to describe myself would be Tenacious. I’ve always described myself as the same word ever since I had my first interview at HOET. I cannot give up on anything that comes my way, I’m always looking to give people one last opportunity and push them through to get to where they want to be. I believe that everybody deserves a chance and will not give up until I feel that they are happy and on the right path.”

Shannon’s Life

Shannon then continued on to tell us a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes. Shannon explained that when she is not at work, she loves attending the gym regularly. She feels it keeps her grounded as well as keeping her mental health in check.

“I enjoy the benefits that I get out of going to the gym. I’m really into my health, wellbeing and mindfulness. The gym helps me keep on top of it all and it keeps me happy.”

Shannon also loves to paint her nails! This is a long-term hobby of hers and she actually has a collection of over 200 nail polishes. No day is the same for Shannon’s nails. She loves to demonstrate her love for colour and comes in each week with a wonderful new pattern! She further elaborates that this will always be a passion of hers as it reflects her journey from start to current.

We then discussed a bit more about International HR Day, the HR role and discussing the common perception that surrounds HR. Shannon went on to say…

“HR’s sole purpose is to be that support system for the employees whenever they need it. To protect them and make sure they are getting the right resources and access to the things that they need. As well as keeping tabs on the rules that the company follows that fit hand-in-hand with HR. If more people had a better understanding of how beneficial HR is, more people would want to be in a profession such as mine.”

Heart of England Training Feedback

From starting in the beauty industry to where she is now, Shannon has undergone a massive amount of growth and improvement. Doing her qualifications gave the underpinning knowledge to be able to carry out any administrative role in any business.

“The beauty of doing qualifications with HOET is that you can take the knowledge you learn and run with it. You can progress in any company and continue to learn more skills that will help you to progress further.”

“By giving my apprentices a background into other roles at HOET, they are getting parts of knowledge that will broaden their understanding of the business. What ever path their career evolves to, they will have the knowledge to develop into any role.”

Shannon is continuing to look out for new avenues to help benefit our company and help it grow. She is also ensuring the stability and happiness that surrounds Heart of England Training. We are so thankful for everything that Shannon does and continues to do. She is thrilled to be celebrating International HR Day!

Happy International HR Day everybody