Meet Lauren who is part of the Human Resources Graduate Programme

My graduate programme, why I chose it and why I chose Babcock:
I was initially interested in working at Babcock due to their involvement in the Marine and Nuclear sectors. The size of the company also caught my attention as I believed this would bring many opportunities. Being an international business there was the added prospect of potentially completing a placement abroad and collaborating with teams from different parts of the world.

My typical day:
My typical day varies depending on the placement I’m on. However, some of the general tasks and responsibilities I’ve been given include:

• Employee relations – resolving employee concerns and conflicts, helping to maintain a positive workplace culture
• Training and development – designing and delivering training programmes to help employees improve their skills and advance their careers
• Data analysis – reviewing HR metrics and data to identify trends and areas for improvement
• Policy and procedures – developing and implementing HR policies and procedures, ensuring they are compliant with relevant laws and regulations
• Recruitment and onboarding – conducting interviews and assessment centres, and welcoming new hires to the company.

Working in HR is fast-paced and there are plenty of opportunities to learn and develop.

My favourite part of the job:
Working on diverse projects, across various HR teams, and within different sectors and locations has helped me gain a wider view of the HR function. In turn, this has helped me identify the areas of HR that interest me the most and has helped me in discovering where I want to take my career next.

I’ve really appreciated the chance to work with and learn from, experienced HR professionals who have given me valuable guidance and mentorship throughout the programme.

Initially, I couldn’t imagine being part of the projects I’m currently involved in. However, with the support of my peers and guidance from my managers, I have evolved into a self-assured HR professional.

The most challenging thing I’ve ever done to date:
One of the most challenging projects I’ve worked on was contributing to the HR section of the Annual Report.

Collating HR metrics and KPIs across different countries can be challenging, as laws and requirements differ across countries. Plus, the time-sensitive nature of the annual report meant we were working to tight timescales.

Working on this project gave me an excellent opportunity to collaborate with senior leaders globally, ensuring we had accurate and up-to-date data. Due to the size of the organisation and the number of departments, managing all stakeholders effectively and reporting the correct information to our shareholders was a challenge. However, the experience allowed me to develop project management skills and gain a deeper understanding of HR reporting on a global scale. I also developed a better understanding of Babcock as a whole.