As part of our leadership series, we have been fortunate to interview Tess Bunting, People Director at HR consultancy hoomph. Throughout Tess’s impressive career, which spans nearly 20 years, she has worked in various sectors, including distribution, creative, and healthcare, before transitioning into HR three and a half years ago.
In her insightful interview, Tess discusses how the sector has evolved during her career and shares advice for professionals entering the field of HR as well as for fellow Directors in the industry.
How did you get started in HR and how has your career developed since?
I discovered the world of HR midway through university while studying psychology. Coming from a family that ran their own company, I’ve always had a keen interest in the factors contributing to a business’s success. As soon as I delved deeper into what HR entailed, I knew it was the right path for me. My first graduate role was HR Assistant, which also introduced me to generalist HR – a field where I’ve remained throughout my career.
Since then, I’ve followed a pretty traditional career path – becoming CIPD qualified and progressing from Assistant to Advisor, to Manager and Business Partner, then Head of HR before being promoted to People Director a couple of years ago. Since moving into consulting, I’ve mainly worked with tech start-ups and scale-ups, which I love due to their inherent fast-paced nature.
What aspects of HR do you enjoy the most?
I’m a relationship builder and thrive on creating and maintaining connections. I’m driven to support business leaders in achieving commercial outcomes through their people, and I also embrace change – when it’s warranted – which fuels my interest in organisational design. Overall, I appreciate the diversity of a generalist role, and I‘m happiest when juggling a wide range of responsibilities.
What do you believe are the fundamentals of a successful career in HR?
I’ve always taken a keen interest in the commercial side of the businesses I’ve worked with. I absorb as much information as I can from different functions, so I can truly understand all aspects of the organisation. I’ve always got this at the front of my mind when I’m navigating people challenges, and I think it’s enabled me to arrive at the right solutions more quickly. More broadly, I believe that curiosity and listening are key skills that have contributed to my success, as well as managing relationships.
Have you faced any challenges over the course of your career?
Fairly early in my career, I had a particularly challenging boss who really undermined my confidence. At the time, I had strong peer relationships in my HR team who supported me. This taught me the importance of having a great network in HR. We often need a sounding board and a safe space to talk openly. I will always make time for a colleague, and I am fortunate to have a wonderful team that will do the same for me.
Do you have any tips for young professionals entering the world of HR?
I believe that values alignment is critical for people to thrive. I’ve experienced both sides of this, and I know I have been much more successful when I’ve felt a strong alignment with the values of the company and its leaders. Another important lesson to learn as early as possible is that an interview is a two-way process. While the company is assessing your fit for the role and their organisation, you should also evaluate these aspects equally. Be sure to conduct thorough research on the company before the interview and ask questions that will help you determine whether you truly want the job, rather than just the questions that you think will impress your interviewer.
How does working in-house compare to consulting for different businesses?
This is a question we regularly discuss within our team at hoomph. We’re a unique group of HR professionals who all have in-house backgrounds, which sets us apart from other consultants. Although we work on a fractional basis with multiple clients at a time, they still feel like we’re always there for them and that we are truly part of their team. We’re rooting for their success and want to do everything we can to support them. On the flip side, we are part of an amazing group of HR consultants with a wealth of experience behind us collectively. There is rarely an issue that one of us hasn’t faced before, so when our clients hire us, they might only be paying for one fractional HR consultant, but they are actually benefiting from the whole team’s input behind the scenes. This is not only a huge advantage for our clients, but personally, I gain immensely from having a great network of peers just a Teams message away at any time.
From a professional development perspective, this has been supercharged for me over the last three and a half years, as I’ve had the opportunity to work with many diverse clients. I love the mix of working with a regular client for an extended period (up to three years with some of them!) and balancing this with shorter-term interim or project work. It keeps things fresh and challenging. My clients, then, benefit from my broader range of experience, making it a win-win situation. For me, consulting is the best of both worlds, and I’m really happy I’ve found my place at hoomph.
Have you ever received any transformative advice in your career?
After returning to work from my second maternity leave, I wasn’t enjoying my role, and a good friend recommended a leadership coach to me (Penny Strutton). It was through that programme that I not only identified HR consulting as my route forward, but also landed my job with hoomph. The coaching process gave me the confidence to pursue this pathway and also provided a deep self-awareness of my strengths and passions.
What advice would you give HR professionals in their early-mid careers?
A growth mindset is absolutely key. You need to be passionate about continually learning, as things are always changing. This could involve changes in employment law, technology, or even moving to a different sector, which may require a completely new approach to fit the culture of the business you’re working for.
In HR, there is rarely a clear right or wrong answer, so it’s important to maintain an open mind and consider the various factors present in each situation. I’ve worked in a variety of sectors, which has provided me with a strong perspective on what type of organisation I’m best suited to and prefer to work in. I would encourage others to explore this as well, rather than being confined to a specific industry. I’d say that transitioning between sectors is much easier earlier in your career.
Since your career began, how do you feel the HR sector has changed or evolved?
I’ve been in HR for almost 20 years now. Looking back on when I first started, it has changed a lot! The biggest shift is the relatively recent move from traditional HR, focused on compliance and processes, to the emergence of a people function, with a more holistic emphasis on employee experience and culture. This evolution has mirrored my own career progression, as I’ve moved from operational roles to more strategic positions.
On an operational level, much of the change has been driven by technology – we’ve moved away from paper files and sending hard copy letters (when we had to master mail merges for salary reviews), which has significantly increased the efficiency of operational activities. We’re also utilising various platforms to facilitate processes such as 360-degree feedback for reviews, which are much more valuable for supporting development.
Technology can play a crucial role in enhancing the employee experience, and it’s important to select the right tech platforms that align with the culture of your business. These platforms are also constantly evolving, with new options emerging every few months. As a team, we regularly share insights into different HR tech tools we’ve encountered or tested.
Do you have any advice for fellow HR Directors to push themselves further?
I recently worked on defining my professional purpose and found it very insightful. It has enabled me to think more critically about my future and what truly drives me. It’s not something you do just once, so it’s important to stay connected with this and re-evaluate periodically. I’ve also found coaching to be very beneficial in the past, so if you’re struggling to navigate this type of exercise independently, consider finding a good coach to partner with.
Thank you to Tess for sharing her HR career insights with us.
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