A Conversation With... Mrs Maria Moir

In our first 'A Conversation With... ' of this half term we talk to HR Manager, Mrs Maria Moir. Mrs Moir joined us at the end of summer 2020 and loves being part of the Shiplake team. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family and friends.

What is your role at Shiplake and how long have you been here? Where were you previously?

I am the HR Manager here at Shiplake and I joined in July 2020, not long after life took an unexpected turn due to the pandemic.

As the HR Manager I am responsible for all our staff and that can mean anything from making sure our new joiners feel part of the team before they join, to supporting someone through personal challenges and ensuring that we are compliant in all areas of HR and everything people related in between.

I started my HR career at Toys R Us UK in 1991 when I joined the HR Department as a Secretary, gosh that feels like a long time ago! I was fortunate enough to have a fabulous mentor in the shape of the then HR Manager who shared her extensive knowledge with me and I subsequently became HR Advisor, Senior HR Advisor and then Head of HR, responsible for a department of 15 colleagues (at its largest), looking after an average of 5,000 staff. 

While working at Toys R Us I undertook further studies which included completing the Certificate in Personnel Practice and the CIPD qualification as due to personal circumstances in the shape of losing my mum when I was 15, I had not taken A Levels or attended university in the usual timeframe and I wanted to prove that I could do it. I firmly believe that it’s never too late to learn. I enjoyed a great career at Toys R Us and had the pleasure of working with some amazing Geoffrey Kids (that’s what employees of Toys R Us UK were known as) until sadly we entered Administration and after 27 years employment I, alongside our dedicated teams, worked with the Administrators to close over 100 sites and finally the Support Centre in Maidenhead. While Administration was not an experience that was on my bucket list, or an experience I would choose to repeat, I am a firm believer that every situation gives learning opportunities and I took loads from it. Our teams were just fabulous in the face of such adversity and really pulled together right to the end, I was so proud of all of them.

I then moved to work as Head of HR Partners/Operations at a veterinary group in Watford which presented a great opportunity to bring HR partnering to the wider business. Once the HR Partner team was set up and making significant contributions to the business I moved over to work in the Watford Support Centre to work on the HR Operations side of the business before being made redundant in March 2020.

What does a normal day look like for you?

HR as you might imagine, and particularly in a highly regulated environment such as education, can be admin heavy. It’s really important to me that I have the foundations in place to ensure that we comply with our regulatory and safeguarding requirements so I work hard to ensure that our HR processes are as smooth as they can be. I work in partnership with the Senior Management Team on day to day issues as well as looking at the way things are done here and how we might streamline or improve them. The best days are the ones where you feel that you have made a difference to someone personally such as supporting someone through an illness or bereavement. I always try to treat people the way that I would want to be treated and that’s true even when dealing with some of the less enjoyable elements of my role, such as restructuring.

What inspired you to get into HR?

When I left school I didn’t really know what I wanted to do and took a role working as a Receptionist and Accounts Clerk in a small video post-production company which was a great first foray into the world of work. My interest in HR was really piqued when I moved to Toys R Us and could see how wide ranging the role is. It was lovely recently hearing from two of my Geoffrey Kids, one a Store Manager and one a Purchasing Assistant, that their subsequent moves into HR were because I inspired them. 

What is the best thing about Shiplake?

I have been speaking to a lot of people recently about roles that we have available and I have told each candidate that there isn’t a day that I drive down the drive and don’t smile because this is where I work. It’s a beautiful environment, the team are so warm and welcoming (even during a global pandemic when we had to keep our distance) and are so committed to our students. If I had to identify one thing, and this might be a bit strange bearing in mind I am support staff rather than teaching staff, it’s the buzz when the students are on site – Shiplake College comes alive when the students are here and it’s lovely to hear them out of my office window.

Why do you think Shiplake is such a great place to work?

The people, the people, the people – catering, maintenance, teaching, admin, students and everyone in between, the people are what make Shiplake (you were probably expecting that, I do work in HR!). Their energy, enthusiasm and warmth are a credit to them and the College.  Since joining in July 2020 I have experienced patience in the extreme as I have asked more questions than I have answered while on my learning journey and I am hugely grateful and honoured to be part of this team.   

What do you like to do in your spare time?