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Finding Your Village: How to Build a Support Network - AND a Thriving Career as a Single Parent With Rosemarie Fox · Work It Like A Mum

• 0:00
  Rosemarie Fox: I am.
• 0:00
  Rosemarie Fox: I am a single mother to Noah.
• 0:02
  Rosemarie Fox: He is now six years of age.
• 0:05
  Rosemarie Fox: He is the light and shining of my days.
• 0:08
  Rosemarie Fox: He is a fantastic little boy and keeps me on my toes.
• 0:12
  Rosemarie Fox: But obviously I have worked now six years.
• 0:16
  Rosemarie Fox: I originally worked when I was in the farmer company.
• 0:18
  Rosemarie Fox: I originally.
• 0:19
  Rosemarie Fox: Then I went on maternity leave, but because it was based in Dublin, it was like an hour and a half drive.
• 0:24
  Rosemarie Fox: And maternity leave, but because it was based in Dublin it was like an hour and a half drive.
• 0:27
  Rosemarie Fox: So I used to be up at six o'clock morning and not home to seven and I just knew I couldn't do that anymore.
• 0:29
  Rosemarie Fox: And it was before the times where there was probably that level of flexible working.
• 0:34
  Elizabeth Willetts: Yeah, and then five day in the office type five days in the office and sitting in traffic.
• 0:39
  Rosemarie Fox: I was like I can't do that, like I will miss this child's first life.
• 0:44
  Rosemarie Fox: So when Noah was eight months old, I actually switched roles.
• 0:47
  Rosemarie Fox: I went into the, the food industry, but like that it was five days a week solidly.
• 0:52
  Rosemarie Fox: And then last year, two years ago, I came to Sangoban and it has just completely changed my relationship with Noah.
• 1:01
  Rosemarie Fox: I am I have the flexibility of getting to drop him off at school now because he's in school and come in maybe that little 30 minutes later and get in the time at another point, or working from home, like Noah is currently actually going through speech therapy because he suffers with his pronunciation, and my boss kindly here he's been amazing to me allows me then to take that time off.
• 1:24
  Rosemarie Fox: Go, take Noah to his appointment, get home and log back on for an hour or two in the evenings just to catch up on emails.
• 1:31
  Rosemarie Fox: And it's not even that point for you where he wants me to catch up on the emails in the afternoon.
• 1:35
  Rosemarie Fox: But he's just given me that level of flexibility, saying I know you will get the work done.
• 1:40
  Rosemarie Fox: Please go have that appointment.
• 1:42
  Rosemarie Fox: And it's great that you don't have to rely on a grandparent or a childminder to be there for those appointments, because it's as a parent I think I'm sure, liz, you would know this like for appointments like that you actually want to be there and understanding what you can do to help, because you would do anything for your child, like because that's it, like you're just, they have power completely over I think as a young girl I was 25 when I had Noah and I was having a great time in life and, like when I had him, I just kind of realized at that point I was like, oh my God, this is actually what pure love.
• 2:16
  Elizabeth Willetts: Hey, I'm Elizabeth Willits and I'm obsessed with helping as many women as possible achieve their boldest dreams after kids and helping you to navigate this messy and magical season of life.
• 2:29
  Elizabeth Willetts: I'm a working mom with over 17 years of recruitment experience and I'm the founder of the Investing in Women job board and community.
• 2:38
  Elizabeth Willetts: In this show, I'm honored to be chatting with remarkable women redefining our working world across all areas of business.
• 2:45
  Elizabeth Willetts: They'll share their secrets on how they've achieved extraordinary success after children, set boundaries and balance, the challenges they faced and how they've overcome them to define their own versions of success.
• 2:58
  Elizabeth Willetts: Shy away from the real talk?
• 3:00
  Elizabeth Willetts: No way.
• 3:01
  Elizabeth Willetts: Money struggles, growth, loss boundaries and and balance.
• 3:04
  Elizabeth Willetts: We cover it all.
• 3:05
  Elizabeth Willetts: Think of this as coffee with your mates and mixed with an inspiring ted talk sprinkled with the career advice you wish you'd really had at school.
• 3:13
  Elizabeth Willetts: So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, make sure you're cozy and get ready to get inspired and chase your boldest dreams, or just survive mondays.
• 3:23
  Elizabeth Willetts: This is the work.
• 3:25
  Elizabeth Willetts: It Like A Mum podcast.
• 3:26
  Elizabeth Willetts: This episode is brought to you by Investing in Women.
• 3:33
  Elizabeth Willetts: Investing in Women is a job board and recruitment agency helping you find your dream part-time or flexible job with the UK's most family-friendly and forward-thinking employers.
• 3:45
  Elizabeth Willetts: Their site can help you find a professional and rewarding job that works for you.
• 3:50
  Elizabeth Willetts: They're proud to partner with the UK's most family-friendly employers across a range of professional industries.
• 3:57
  Elizabeth Willetts: Ready to find your perfect job?
• 3:59
  Elizabeth Willetts: Search their website at investinginwomencouk to find your next part-time or flexible job opportunity.
• 4:07
  Elizabeth Willetts: Now back to the show.
• 4:10
  Rosemarie Fox: Thank you, liz.
• 4:11
  Rosemarie Fox: It's a pleasure to join.
• 4:12
  Rosemarie Fox: Your podcast is inspiration, especially for women in the workplace, and developing in that.
• 4:20
  Rosemarie Fox: Oh, thank you.
• 4:22
  Elizabeth Willetts: So you've been in HR for eight years.
• 4:24
  Elizabeth Willetts: Is that right, correct?
• 4:26
  Elizabeth Willetts: Did you want to be in H?
• 4:28
  Elizabeth Willetts: You know, what did you want to do when you were growing up?
• 4:30
  Elizabeth Willetts: Was it a career?
• 4:31
  Rosemarie Fox: I actually wanted to be.
• 4:33
  Rosemarie Fox: Well, we would call it a guard, but I'm guessing you call a police officer.
• 4:36
  Rosemarie Fox: I actually wanted to be a guard and I actually wanted to be a detective for some reason and I learned.
• 4:41
  Rosemarie Fox: Obviously I did work experience actually in a garage station when I was in school and I learned that if you wanted to be a detective you need to go to college.
• 4:50
  Rosemarie Fox: So I went and actually done a business degree and in my second year I traveled and worked in America for nine months and over there you had to work like from the ground up.
• 5:00
  Rosemarie Fox: So when I first started working there I was scraping plates in a basement with a lot of people that just spoke Spanish.
• 5:05
  Rosemarie Fox: I was the only Irish girl amongst them and you got to work your way up and I actually cross-trained in a HR department when I was there it was the first time getting a glimpse of HR and fell in love with it and came home, finished off my college and actually went on and done a master's then in HR and that's how I got into it.
• 5:22
  Elizabeth Willetts: Oh, no, police.
• 5:23
  Elizabeth Willetts: I can see the link between police and HR because they're both dealing with people.
• 5:27
  Rosemarie Fox: Yes, very much.
• 5:28
  Rosemarie Fox: My whole like.
• 5:29
  Rosemarie Fox: I worked from in retail from when I was 15, so I was so used to working with people and I think that's something I always kind of thrived on.
• 5:36
  Rosemarie Fox: And I like getting into knowing how people are, how people deal with, and I think that's where the kind of detectiveness came out of.
• 5:44
  Rosemarie Fox: And then you get to do that within HR, even just sitting down, having an interview with someone, finding out what type of person they are.
• 5:50
  Elizabeth Willetts: I find so interesting yeah, what's your favorite bit about HR?
• 5:53
  Elizabeth Willetts: Then what's your favorite bit about your job?
• 5:56
  Rosemarie Fox: oh, I think my favorite bit is actually just dealing with the workers, like, if they have a question, getting to actually do something for them like we have.
• 6:04
  Rosemarie Fox: Like obviously, I think, like everyone, inflation is massive at the minute and housing crisis going on here and guys trying to get mortgages and that for their houses and just getting help from them, filling out forms, salary sets and maybe doing extra letters, trying to get it pushed along for them, and then them coming up and saying, jesus, thanks so much for getting that across the line for me.
• 6:25
  Rosemarie Fox: I really was happy with your advice and your extra little bit to it.
• 6:29
  Rosemarie Fox: so it's just that little thing of just kind of helping them as best you can.
• 6:33
  Elizabeth Willetts: Yeah absolutely so.
• 6:34
  Elizabeth Willetts: How did you find your first role in HR?
• 6:36
  Elizabeth Willetts: My first role, I worked in pharma.
• 6:38
  Rosemarie Fox: So pharma is um, pharma is an interesting one to actually kind of get in on because pharma is so structured in regards to the, because it's pharmaceutical products going into the lives of people.
• 6:51
  Rosemarie Fox: And it's interesting because it actually relates back to Saint-Gobain, because we have Saint-Gobain Lifescience in City West, which I also help out in, which is that pharma industry, which is that pharma industry and you can see, like the complete difference, like a pharmaceutical going to, obviously, food and then going to construction, because all elements, even though they're extremely different, all relate to people and their lives, like um.
• 7:15
  Rosemarie Fox: So I love the ethos around sangoban, because our purpose is to make the world a better home and, like, I think that is just a great thing, whether it's getting the correct products into people's houses, our carbon footprint and lowering that and making it more efficient for the world itself.
• 7:31
  Rosemarie Fox: And I think farmer actually links into that as well.
• 7:34
  Rosemarie Fox: And so does food, because without food obviously people wouldn't survive.
• 7:38
  Rosemarie Fox: Without the pharmaceutical movements in the world, people wouldn't be living as long.
• 7:42
  Rosemarie Fox: And then having the construction element things as well, keeping people safe and in homes is it's amazing that they're actually kind of all linked in some what way?
• 7:51
  Elizabeth Willetts: So have you always been a generalist, hr generalist.
• 7:53
  Rosemarie Fox: I started off my career as a junior HR admin, then I moved into a HR assistant and then I actually joined Sangoban, originally as a HR generalist and then recently moved and got promoted into a HR business partner.
• 8:07
  Rosemarie Fox: So Sangoban is very much big on developing their people into new roles, getting into kind of new areas that you haven't worked in before, which is amazing.
• 8:18
  Rosemarie Fox: Like this is my first time, obviously, working in a union based company and even working with the guys on a day-to-day.
• 8:24
  Rosemarie Fox: Like it's great, like to see their kind of concept and my kind of concept and actually obviously coming to agreement then as well.
• 8:31
  Rosemarie Fox: Like there's nothing wrong with it, but it's.
• 8:33
  Rosemarie Fox: It's definitely interesting from non-unionized to unionized.
• 8:37
  Elizabeth Willetts: Yeah, I was gonna say so.
• 8:38
  Elizabeth Willetts: What's the difference then?
• 8:39
  Elizabeth Willetts: Do you feel that you have to deal with the union?
• 8:42
  Rosemarie Fox: you're dealing with the unions, yeah, so you're constantly in communication with any kind of changes or anything like that, and you're obviously taking what they have to say on board as well, because they're the people that's actually out working on the factory floor.
• 8:57
  Rosemarie Fox: They are the people that is producing the product that we have.
• 9:00
  Rosemarie Fox: So you have to kindly work with them, even though, like, obviously with the non-union roles, you realize that as well.
• 9:06
  Rosemarie Fox: But you're just in constant communication with person that is directed to actually communicate with where non-union roles like you'll go out and communicate with everyone, type thing.
• 9:16
  Rosemarie Fox: But I still try to do that, obviously, because I do like to try and get out on the floor and get talking to people in the different roles and all that as well.
• 9:24
  Rosemarie Fox: So it is good to have that kind of presence there, definitely in HR, because I always say, like we wouldn't be here without the people that's actually on the floor manufacturing or the guys that are putting it on to, um, a lorry.
• 9:37
  Rosemarie Fox: That is just kind of putting that presence out there that they know like listen, I appreciate what you are doing there yeah, that's nice, because why do you think so?
• 9:45
  Rosemarie Fox: you know, hr have sometimes a bit of a reputation that they're the ones that are stopping maybe the business doing certain things or fire people or yeah, it kind of falls back like when we were talking like obviously, how I got into HR, like I never knew what HR was and I think, like the concept of people in HR is, oh, here's HR, about our what's it like?
• 10:07
  Rosemarie Fox: Oh, who's she going to see, who's she going to talk to, and like I'm trying to break down that barrier because it's not that type of role and I think young people today don't realize the career that you can have in HR.
• 10:18
  Rosemarie Fox: If you are a people person, it is an amazing career to get into because it just doesn't look at being the bad person.
• 10:25
  Rosemarie Fox: It looks like as elements, as you said, like wellness.
• 10:28
  Rosemarie Fox: So we launched a lean, we launched 6MHS here that looks at a mental health support for all our employees.
• 10:34
  Rosemarie Fox: We've launched many different initiatives.
• 10:36
  Rosemarie Fox: We had a free HI well-being check where it was a machine that checked everyone's blood pressure, weight, height and all on site like Like it was a great initiative.
• 10:45
  Rosemarie Fox: We've had cancer fans come in to check people over because, as I always say, we get our cars MOT'd or NCT'd as we call it, but people actually never do it for themselves.
• 10:56
  Rosemarie Fox: So you have that fun element of HR where you actually get to look at what you can do that will benefit the employees around site and it's not just, oh, she hires and fires people type of thing.
• 11:08
  Rosemarie Fox: I think that is a miss.
• 11:09
  Rosemarie Fox: I think in schools today because it's not sold as an amazing career that it can be.
• 11:16
  Elizabeth Willetts: So you're a single parent, is that?
• 11:17
  Rosemarie Fox: I am.
• 11:18
  Rosemarie Fox: I am a single mother to Noah.
• 11:19
  Rosemarie Fox: He is now six years of age.
• 11:22
  Rosemarie Fox: He is the light and shining of my days.
• 11:25
  Rosemarie Fox: He is a fantastic little boy and keeps me on my toes.
• 11:29
  Rosemarie Fox: But obviously I have worked now six years.
• 11:34
  Rosemarie Fox: I originally worked when I was in the farmer company.
• 11:36
  Rosemarie Fox: I originally.
• 11:37
  Rosemarie Fox: Then I went on maternity leave but because it was based in Dublin it was like an hour and a half drive so I used to be up at six o'clock morning and not one to seven and I just knew I couldn't do that anymore.
• 11:45
  Rosemarie Fox: And it was like an hour and a half drive so I used to be up at six o'clock morning and not home to seven and I just knew I couldn't do that anymore.
• 11:49
  Rosemarie Fox: And it was before the times where there was probably that level of flexible working.
• 11:52
  Rosemarie Fox: It was like a five day in the office type Five days in the office and sitting in traffic.
• 11:57
  Rosemarie Fox: I was like I can't do that, like I will miss this child's first life.
• 12:01
  Rosemarie Fox: So when Noah was eight months old I actually switched roles and went into the food industry, but like that it was five days a week solidly.
• 12:10
  Rosemarie Fox: And then two years ago I came to Sangoban and it has just completely changed my relationship with Noah.
• 12:17
  Rosemarie Fox: I have the flexibility of getting to drop him off at school now because he's in school, and come in maybe that little 30 minutes later and get in the time at another point, or working from home, like Noah is currently actually going through speech therapy because he suffers with his pronunciation and my boss kindly here and he's been amazing to me and allows me then to take that time off, go take Noah to his appointment, get home and log back on for an hour or two in the evenings just to catch up on emails.
• 12:47
  Rosemarie Fox: And it's not even that point for you where he wants me to catch up on the emails in the afternoon.
• 12:51
  Rosemarie Fox: But he's just given me that level of flexibility, saying I know you will get the work done, please go have that appointment.
• 12:58
  Rosemarie Fox: And it's great that you don't have to rely on a grandparent or a childminder to be there for those appointments, because it's as a parent I think I'm sure, liz, you would notice, like for appointments like that, you actually want to be there and understanding what you can do to help, because you would do anything for your child, like because that's it, like you're.
• 13:17
  Rosemarie Fox: Just they have power completely over you, I think as a young person like I was 25 when I had Noah and I was having a great time in life and like when you, when I had him, I just kind of realized at that point I was like, oh my god, this is actually what pure love is.
• 13:32
  Rosemarie Fox: It's amazing, like, and all you do is worry.
• 13:34
  Rosemarie Fox: I used to never worry.
• 13:36
  Elizabeth Willetts: All I do is worry now I do know what you mean.
• 13:39
  Elizabeth Willetts: And then you read a horrible story you won't know.
• 13:41
  Elizabeth Willetts: You know it really.
• 13:42
  Elizabeth Willetts: I know it's the funny thing, isn't it being a know?
• 13:43
  Elizabeth Willetts: It really protects you.
• 13:43
  Elizabeth Willetts: I know it's the funny thing, isn't it being a parent?
• 13:46
  Rosemarie Fox: It is the level of flexibility that Soundgoban have given me to be, especially being as a single parent.
• 13:53
  Rosemarie Fox: Like you're, it's the, the brink is with you.
• 13:56
  Rosemarie Fox: Like you don't have that partner where you can turn and support.
• 13:59
  Rosemarie Fox: Like I don't have that at all.
• 14:01
  Rosemarie Fox: Like, so it's just me, like, and it's great that the company actually understands.
• 14:07
  Rosemarie Fox: Like it is just me and they're they're very kind of supportive of me and anything that I need in regards to like, even when Noah's sick, like oh, I can't make it in, just work from home, just work from home.
• 14:17
  Rosemarie Fox: You're grand, like, and I never had that before, so now that I have it, um, it's just a great place to work.
• 14:23
  Rosemarie Fox: So it is.
• 15:15
  Elizabeth Willetts: So actually this leads on quite nice to my next question.
• 15:18
  Elizabeth Willetts: So I've had a few messages recently from single parents looking for tips on how to balance work, parenthood, obviously that mental load, which which you know is huge, you know, with children and you know, and I have such huge admiration for single parents because it gets to the end of the evening and I am exhausted, and you know that's me with a partner that's fairly hands-on, so I don't, you know, I'm like hats off to you.
• 15:41
  Elizabeth Willetts: So any tips for single parents that are listening to this, how to carve out, as well you know, that space and time for you Is it possible, you know what?
• 15:51
  Elizabeth Willetts: What would be your tips for them to look after yourself as well as your child?
• 15:55
  Elizabeth Willetts: I?
• 15:56
  Rosemarie Fox: think like, obviously, as you know, like with kids, you're just continuously washing clothes.
• 16:01
  Rosemarie Fox: Yeah, it seems like that.
• 16:03
  Rosemarie Fox: Yeah, so you just need to carve out for you.
• 16:05
  Rosemarie Fox: It seems like that.
• 16:08
  Rosemarie Fox: Yep, so you just need to carve out where you actually, when you get the child down, that you kind of it's harder to say it, but you kind of have like 30 minutes where it's just you and you really have to force yourself to do it, because if you don't, you're going to be up getting the uniform ready again, the lunch ready, but you just actually have to take a debrief and I'm actually I've got, I think, better at it over the years.
• 16:25
  Rosemarie Fox: It does take time because you're always trying to be one step ahead, but I always find sometimes you try to be one step ahead, something happens.
• 16:32
  Rosemarie Fox: So you're better off actually taking that, whether it's 30 minutes watching the most silliest program, like I watch some silly programs because I don't have to think about them.
• 16:44
  Elizabeth Willetts: You know, like that type of thing.
• 16:46
  Rosemarie Fox: Yeah, like so modern family where it's just a comedy and you just kind of it's a 30 minute slot and you just laugh and, like you know, when it's over you get back up and you're kind of a little bit re-energized.
• 16:56
  Rosemarie Fox: Now it could be a book for someone, but I think you have to.
• 16:59
  Rosemarie Fox: When you read a book, like, you're obviously very much concentrated.
• 17:02
  Rosemarie Fox: So you need to find that thing that's 30 minutes, that you don't have to concentrate and you can have a giggle.
• 17:10
  Rosemarie Fox: You can kind of still kind of look at your phone and then if you choose a program, that is that slot, when it's over, then you're back up and you're getting your bits and pieces ready and kind of getting yourself ready then for the next day as well yeah, I mean you're lucky because you do have a flexible employer, but do you have a support network around you?
• 17:26
  Elizabeth Willetts: do you have grandparents?
• 17:27
  Rosemarie Fox: I do.
• 17:27
  Rosemarie Fox: I'm very lucky.
• 17:28
  Rosemarie Fox: I have great parents.
• 17:30
  Rosemarie Fox: I have two brothers, I have sister-in-laws, who are fantastic.
• 17:34
  Rosemarie Fox: I have aunties and uncles.
• 17:35
  Rosemarie Fox: I would come from a very, very close family.
• 17:38
  Rosemarie Fox: Yeah, and I remember one thing my mom told me like, obviously, when I had Noah, and she was like you're going, I don't want to be looking at you in this house every weekend, like for a person that used to always be out doing something, and she was like this is what you need to do in life, rosie.
• 17:52
  Rosemarie Fox: She goes.
• 17:53
  Rosemarie Fox: You get yourself a very good childminder and get yourself back into work.
• 17:56
  Rosemarie Fox: And she goes you get yourself two or three babysitters that you always have one to back, follow and get out at the weekends, because if you don't do that, she goes, you're what it's just going to consume you.
• 18:06
  Rosemarie Fox: And that was from her speaking like a woman that had three children, and I actually remember it as a childhood, like we used to have babysitters in on a Saturday every so often and my mom and dad would go out and enjoy themselves and I think that was their reboot and I think people get kind of caught up in it and they're like, oh, I'll not leave my child with, but it's the best thing ever, because your child is actually seeing you go out and enjoy yourself and coming back re-energized and putting your energy back into them on a Sunday.
• 18:34
  Elizabeth Willetts: Yeah, that's really good.
• 18:35
  Elizabeth Willetts: And what about asking for help?
• 18:37
  Elizabeth Willetts: I guess that does tie in nicely.
• 18:38
  Elizabeth Willetts: A lot of people feel they've got to be quite stoic about it and, you know, push or fall on them and sacrifice a lot of them and who they are and what they enjoyed their child.
• 18:49
  Elizabeth Willetts: But what would you say about asking for help and being yourself as a parent, I think?
• 18:54
  Rosemarie Fox: I definitely think barriers have gone down.
• 18:56
  Rosemarie Fox: Well, I hope barriers have gone down, that people are okay with asking for help.
• 19:00
  Rosemarie Fox: It's the same with a mental wellness and all that like a point of view, like if you don't this, the more you say it, the weight that comes off you is completely different.
• 19:10
  Rosemarie Fox: So if you have that relationship, like I know I have that relationship with my mom and dad, like I could go ask them absolutely anything and they'll support me in any type of way which I'm sure you have with your partner and that as well but I think like if you hold it in, it's only going to build up either anger, a grudge, or actually affect you and your wellness, and then you're not able to put that back into your child as well, so it's going to have that negative effect.
• 19:35
  Rosemarie Fox: So with anything I say what's the hardest?
• 19:38
  Rosemarie Fox: That I always think to myself, like if I don't ask, what am I going to get?
• 19:42
  Rosemarie Fox: No, yeah, there's no big deal like getting no.
• 19:47
  Rosemarie Fox: No, actually we can't do that today, that's fine, I'll reorganize it.
• 19:50
  Rosemarie Fox: But they could easily come and say, no, but we can do it tomorrow, can you do tomorrow?
• 19:55
  Rosemarie Fox: And you work that way around like, so everyone's always out there to help each other and it's just having that support network around that you know that will support and help you when you need it.
• 20:05
  Elizabeth Willetts: Yeah, so why did you decide to join?
• 20:07
  Elizabeth Willetts: So you were in the food industry, weren't you?
• 20:09
  Elizabeth Willetts: And then it was COVID, was it?
• 20:13
  Rosemarie Fox: Sango Band.
• 20:14
  Rosemarie Fox: Like Elsie and I mentioned, obviously their purpose is making the world a better home.
• 20:17
  Rosemarie Fox: It's very much based on what they want to do to the world in regards to their carbon footprint, that kind of global footprint as well.
• 20:26
  Rosemarie Fox: From a career point of view, that was one of my key things to join Sango Band and I just really appreciate from even like what we're doing here on site in Ireland at the minute.
• 20:37
  Rosemarie Fox: We're looking at carbon reduction across the site, which is amazing to see because obviously, as you know, as a mother, like it's our kid's future or actually that's in our hands at the moment.
• 20:46
  Rosemarie Fox: So the fact that Zango Band's ethos is to actually reduce this carbon down from their sites is amazing.
• 20:53
  Rosemarie Fox: And then, obviously, having that kind of global footprint like I have the joys of working with some of the guys in the UK, working with some of the guys in other sites across the world, which it's just given you that kind of support network which I didn't have within the food industry and I have with Zango Ban because you just have, like you can go easily over to some of your colleagues that are in the UK and ask them a question have you dealt with this before?
• 21:19
  Rosemarie Fox: Like, if it's, it's just asking the question and having that kind of support.
• 21:23
  Rosemarie Fox: But actually I'll push you on to this person here who has dealt with it before.
• 21:27
  Rosemarie Fox: And even there, recently we actually went and we celebrated our top employer consecutive award for nine years and we actually went with our UK colleagues and it was just that great celebration of the night that it's just that community focused thing of how HR can all come together and look after our employees as one.
• 21:46
  Elizabeth Willetts: You.
• 21:46
  Elizabeth Willetts: You joined not long ago and you've had a promotion.
• 21:48
  Elizabeth Willetts: So how did that promotion come about?
• 21:51
  Elizabeth Willetts: Were you approached?
• 21:52
  Elizabeth Willetts: Did you put stuff forward?
• 21:55
  Rosemarie Fox: I think I have Paul who is my manager.
• 21:57
  Rosemarie Fox: He's very much on development and I think he is obviously a father of two kids himself.
• 22:04
  Rosemarie Fox: So I think a lot of the time he actually sees his kids and some of the people across the site and he wants to develop them like he's very good.
• 22:11
  Rosemarie Fox: In regards to because I always told him I wasn't big on titles or that just giving me the extra bit of work that I get involved in certain things.
• 22:19
  Rosemarie Fox: So it is nice to get the recognition, obviously, of the new title, but what I like about it actually is getting involved in other things that I haven't done before in regards to the wellness initiatives, working with the pensions, work more closely with the unions.
• 22:34
  Rosemarie Fox: Before that, like I was doing a lot of the kind of payroll and bits and pieces like that, where now I kind of get that creativeness out of it and that's what I love about it.
• 22:43
  Rosemarie Fox: And I think he saw in me that I kind of wanted that kind of step forward and obviously when I started doing bits and pieces, he could see and he's been very gracious in giving me some praise, but like every Irish person does not like to hear praise, but sometimes you do have to be like yeah, ok, I get it, I'm not doing too bad type thing.
• 23:01
  Rosemarie Fox: Yeah.
• 23:02
  Elizabeth Willetts: Did you get any training or anything like that when you started in your new role?
• 23:06
  Rosemarie Fox: I did the frontline Sangha Ban are great and we don't.
• 23:09
  Rosemarie Fox: I don't have frontline managers course through Sangha Ban, through our open university that we have there.
• 23:16
  Rosemarie Fox: So it's basically it's a two day course and now I'm looking potentially to do actually a diploma in psychology.
• 23:23
  Rosemarie Fox: I really know what's going on in people Through Sangha Ban, through Sangha Ban.
• 23:28
  Rosemarie Fox: That's fantastic, yeah, yeah, I'm lucky I had them at the minute it was.
• 23:33
  Rosemarie Fox: Paul came to me there and, obviously moving newly entered the role.
• 23:36
  Rosemarie Fox: He kind of just said, like, have a look at what you maybe want to do something in, and he obviously knew I had the master, so he goes if you want to branch out, maybe into strategy or or psychology.
• 23:48
  Rosemarie Fox: And I kind of looked at both and I was like, oh, I think psychology would be really good.
• 23:51
  Rosemarie Fox: I says I'll be able to read people's minds, hopefully.
• 23:54
  Rosemarie Fox: I'm open, but like it'd be really good to kind of get down more so into the nitty-gritty of how people present themselves and what would that mean, type of thing.
• 24:02
  Rosemarie Fox: Yeah, so Sangamon are, they are great, like they are very open to the development of the people because we are probably the future people that are going to be still here within the company yeah, so do you hope to stay at sangoban?
• 24:17
  Elizabeth Willetts: what's and what's next for you?
• 24:19
  Rosemarie Fox: yeah, yeah, I really enjoy it.
• 24:20
  Rosemarie Fox: I really enjoy the culture here.
• 24:22
  Rosemarie Fox: It's a very supportive culture, like, and like I do be on site a good bit, which I like, and I do like having the flexibility of being at home, but like it's a thing where if you have to ask a question, a lot of people would just get up and walk down to the parish and not and you have that culture and joke, and then you're back up and you're re-energised at your desk again and you're working away.
• 24:42
  Rosemarie Fox: It's just that type of there's a bit of fun in it.
• 24:45
  Rosemarie Fox: So there is as well.
• 24:46
  Rosemarie Fox: And I think, like for Sango Band, like HR is shown in such a positive light in what we do for the employees and our managers would all kind of support that then as well.
• 24:58
  Rosemarie Fox: So I think HR is not good without the support of managers.
• 25:01
  Rosemarie Fox: A manager aren't good without the support of HR.
• 25:04
  Rosemarie Fox: So it has to be a very much a kind of focus together that we, what we love to do, that we all kind of are on the one path together.
• 25:12
  Elizabeth Willetts: Yeah brilliant, and obviously you're in HR, so you will have a very good overview.
• 25:17
  Elizabeth Willetts: But what kind of roles you know you interest do you hire for within Sangamon?
• 25:21
  Elizabeth Willetts: What sort of people are you interested in hiring?
• 25:24
  Rosemarie Fox: Well, we obviously we're big on diversity, inclusion, so we like to kind of open it up for all kind of candidates.
• 25:31
  Rosemarie Fox: We do an initiative here where we obviously take in apprenticeships for electrical and mechanical and last year we actually got our first mechanical female apprentice.
• 25:41
  Rosemarie Fox: So currently we have four female apprentices three doing electrical, one doing mechanical and it's great to see like those people kind of getting into those roles that aren't typically a female role and actually seeing them do amazing, like our apprentice.
• 25:58
  Rosemarie Fox: One of them were recently nominated Unfortunately did not win but was nominated for Apprentice of the Year, which is fantastic to see like the want in that kind of industry that those walls aren't built up anymore, whether you're female, whether you are trans, whether you are, have a small disability, like we kind of want to open up that our candidates, that it is that type of environment that you are welcome in.
• 26:23
  Elizabeth Willetts: Yeah, I mean I've been, you know, working with Sangamon for a couple of years and everybody I've met has been very, very different.
• 26:29
  Elizabeth Willetts: But I think that, like you said, it's such a nice thing and everyone you know gets on, seems to always say lovely things does we actually a few different cultures like?
• 26:37
  Rosemarie Fox: we have some guys that actually came over from san gobern, france, and have me pestering them, asking them to teach me different words in french, but it's just learning their kind of cultures, even like their Christmas, like in France, like their big dinner is on Christmas Eve for us in Ireland and I'm sure it's in the UK our big dinner is on Christmas Day and actually seeing what their culture is like, it's just I love that kind of thing and I love I think that's what I love about HR too is kind of meeting all those types of people and getting what their kind of cultural differences are, whether their religion or whether their even their family kind of culture, like what they do as a family, like it doesn't have to be just on their demographics.
• 27:19
  Elizabeth Willetts: And it's all different roles, isn't it?
• 27:21
  Rosemarie Fox: I mean, obviously you recruit for head office roles and we do we have anything from sales, we have anything from production apps, we have anything from apprenticeships that we run every year.
• 27:31
  Rosemarie Fox: So we actually, through the apprenticeships which I mentioned, like we actually go down to our local schools and we actually take the whole schools into site and actually show them a tour of the manufacturing site so they can actually see what they're actually going to get involved in.
• 27:45
  Rosemarie Fox: Recently we actually done an initiative with um fourth year students we call them ty within ireland and we took five students for five weeks, one day a week for over five weeks.
• 27:56
  Rosemarie Fox: Yeah, they actually learned how to plaster so good.
• 28:01
  Elizabeth Willetts: So someone's yeah, someone's listening to this and they've got a child that's maybe like 17, 18 and they don't you know we're going to learn about university.
• 28:08
  Elizabeth Willetts: Then definitely consider an apprenticeship with.
• 28:11
  Rosemarie Fox: Sangibann yeah, so it's that because our apprenticeships are supported by SOLUS in Ireland and it's actually looking at how we can expand that.
• 28:19
  Rosemarie Fox: Do we take apprenticeships within HR, do we take apprenticeships within sales?
• 28:23
  Rosemarie Fox: And we take apprenticeships within sales, and it's kind of that's.
• 28:26
  Rosemarie Fox: I think a big goal for us this year is actually expanding that out and obviously then keeping obviously production running by the key roles that we need.
• 28:33
  Rosemarie Fox: Like engineering is a massive thing in Ireland at the minute and there is a massive shortage in Ireland in regards to recruitment, because it's so competitive out there at the minute like that after COVID the kind of with inflation and people wanting different things.
• 28:50
  Rosemarie Fox: Like obviously from COVID came a lot of your flexible work and you're working from home and people want that now in their careers.
• 28:57
  Rosemarie Fox: So it's looking for those candidates that we can offer what they're what they're looking for, and then that allows us then our initiatives in regards to our wellness and all that then keeps them on board yeah, absolutely so.
• 29:08
  Elizabeth Willetts: How has it changed, I guess, at Sanger Ballen, do you think more generally across the industry, since Covid?
• 29:13
  Rosemarie Fox: I think Covid has changed things for a lot of people.
• 29:16
  Rosemarie Fox: Obviously we have obviously the work from home, but I think in regards to people, it definitely has taken on more kind of diverse in regards to a lot of junior people because of the way the world is there at the minute, like people are moving obviously for more so different monetary values, where maybe we need to look and develop our junior people up within the company and that might retain them even more.
• 29:42
  Rosemarie Fox: So COVID has completely changed the environment, that from the work from home, like everyone through teams and through emails and all that.
• 29:51
  Rosemarie Fox: And, as I do say to you, like there is that element where I think the culture here ourselves.
• 29:56
  Rosemarie Fox: Obviously people do work from home, but the culture would be here if you needed someone.
• 30:00
  Rosemarie Fox: You nearly get up your seat and walk down, whereas during COVID times you were completely away from all of that.
• 30:05
  Rosemarie Fox: You couldn't actually go do that now and I actually thankfully think that has kind of come back around, where we're all sitting down in a canteen talking about who was watching Love Island last night and I'm like who, like no, but you know that you have that kind of back and which is great to see because when COVID came in, it affected the workplace is very much so, because people were very much disconnected from each other because they were just talking through teams and emails and they actually and you know yourself, when you're emailing someone, you can't have like any empathy through an email, like not at all, like it's actually created a conflict in the workplace because people are thinking is that being, is she being short with me there in that email where it was just being an email?
• 30:50
  Rosemarie Fox: But if someone actually came and said that physically to someone face to face, you wouldn't think that.
• 30:54
  Rosemarie Fox: So I'm glad COVID's gone.
• 30:57
  Elizabeth Willetts: Yes, I know, I think I think a lot of people I think, amen, I think a lot of people would agree with you on that.
• 31:02
  Elizabeth Willetts: So if someone's listening to this and they want to learn more about South Bank and some of the careers on offer, where should they go?
• 31:08
  Rosemarie Fox: So we have our lovely colleagues in the UK.
• 31:10
  Rosemarie Fox: I believe you met Jagna previously, so Jagna looks at our Instagram page.
• 31:15
  Rosemarie Fox: She puts up jobs for us.
• 31:16
  Rosemarie Fox: We're launching our careers website as well.
• 31:18
  Rosemarie Fox: That will be coming up through our Instagram page.
• 31:21
  Rosemarie Fox: We have a LinkedIn account, which is Sangoban Ireland that we post jobs in as well.
• 31:26
  Rosemarie Fox: That's basically like we're quite on social media, which obviously is the way we are in the world today and we have a very good footprint on that and we sell ourselves in a way like not just by posting jobs.
• 31:39
  Rosemarie Fox: We actually sell ourselves in a way by posting what we do.
• 31:42
  Rosemarie Fox: So we have posted videos actually on a lot of social media pages of our people that we have and their careers within sangoban, but also like some of our initiatives and some of actually our processes here.
• 31:54
  Rosemarie Fox: So it's a good way, I think, of selling us.
• 31:57
  Rosemarie Fox: But you'd definitely find us on all those sangoban instagram, sangobanan LinkedIn, all the social media pages, yeah, and your website as well.
• 32:05
  Elizabeth Willetts: I know there's a lot of isn't there a lot of nice meet the employer?
• 32:08
  Elizabeth Willetts: You know video day in the life, because I've seen a lot that's done.
• 32:11
  Elizabeth Willetts: If you want to get a real understanding of types of people that fit into Soundgoban and the types of roles that they do, then those are definitely.
• 32:19
  Rosemarie Fox: I would definitely say anyone is more than welcome to drop me a line on LinkedIn.
• 32:24
  Rosemarie Fox: My page is there.
• 32:25
  Rosemarie Fox: I can share what's your LinkedIn Remind people.
• 32:27
  Rosemarie Fox: Yes, so it's just there like because, are you Rosie?
• 32:31
  Elizabeth Willetts: Marie or is it Rosemary?
• 32:33
  Elizabeth Willetts: It is Rosemary.
• 32:35
  Rosemarie Fox: Rosemary, yes, m-a-r-i-e as I say.
• 32:39
  Rosemarie Fox: That's why I always say Rosie, because there's different ways of saying Rosemary.
• 32:44
  Rosemarie Fox: And it's actually one of the reasons I called Noah Noah, because I was like they can't shorten his name.
• 32:48
  Elizabeth Willetts: if they shorten it, it's no, I like that we'll put all the links in the show notes, including Rosie's LinkedIn profile, and I'm sure she'd be happy to chat with anybody that's interested in Sankaban, interested in a career in hr, interested in the apprenticeship team on offer as well.
• 33:07
  Rosemarie Fox: Brilliant liz, thanks so much for having me.
• 33:09
  Rosemarie Fox: No, thank you so much for coming on lovely.
• 33:14
  Elizabeth Willetts: Thank you for listening to another episode of the work.
• 33:17
  Elizabeth Willetts: It like a mum podcast.
• 33:18
  Elizabeth Willetts: If you enjoyed this episode, please, please rate, review and subscribe, and don't forget to share the link with a friend.
• 33:25
  Elizabeth Willetts: If you're on LinkedIn, please send me a connection request at Elizabeth Willett and let me know your thoughts on this week's episode.
• 33:32
  Elizabeth Willetts: You can also follow my recruitment site Investing in Women on LinkedIn, facebook and Instagram.
• 33:37
  Elizabeth Willetts: Until next time, keep on chasing your biggest dreams.