In this episode Maria Hawley, Director of People at Fisher German LLP, shares her journey from selling underwear on a market stall, to a career in nursing, through to building a successful career in human resources, working at law firm Nabarros, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, and eventually her current role as Director of People.
Nic and Maria also discuss Maria’s recent success winning “HR Leader of the Year 2023” at the British HR Awards, and the importance of Maria’s team in supporting that success. Maria talks about the diverse nature of the work Fisher German carries out and the challenges of managing people issues in the professional services sector. Maria also discusses the challenges of attracting and retaining talent in their business and some of the initiatives they have set up to address this.
Maria shares her thoughts on current trends in the world of work like the 4 day working week, the impact of social media and press coverage on employers managing people issues, and the importance of treating departing employees with kindness and compassion, to ensure they are ambassadors for your organisation.
Nic asks Maria why she is such a prolific user of LinkedIn, the benefits that she finds that brings, and why there aren’t more HR leaders visible on social media.

We hope you enjoy this episode!
Supplier shout out:
Worklife Central - WorkLife Central
Maria’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-hawley-fcipd-7850543a/
Nic’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-elliott/
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