The ARMA Secondments Blog: Stepping outside of my comfort zone

In the fourth of our ARMA Secondments blog series, Sophie Crouchman, strategic projects and research manager at Universities HR, explains how undertaking secondments have shaped her working life.

When I look back over my career to date – 16 years working in higher education – some of the most significant experiences that have shaped my working life have come from undertaking secondments. I feel very fortunate to have had opportunities to step outside of my comfort zone and to undertake roles that I likely would not have had chance to if it weren’t for the use of secondments – both internal and external. The thread that runs through all of these experiences is the support that I had from my managers at the time and I am grateful to them for seeing the value that both internal and external secondments can bring to an organisation.

My journey starts around three years after I joined Loughborough University for a role in the Planning Team whilst finishing my PhD (at the same time – would 100% not recommend!). I was able to take up a role as HR adviser on a secondment basis. The role was to cover a period of maternity leave and I undertook it as a job share on a part-time basis, juggling it with my substantive role in Planning. This was a really formative experience for me – up until that time I had relatively little experience of HR, and working within a team of experienced HR professionals was absolutely fantastic. I learned so much, not just about HR, but about myself, my working style and what I was capable of if I really challenged myself. I felt so welcomed into the “HR world” and my colleagues were amazing – not to mention extremely patient! So I didn’t think twice when, at the end of my secondment, an opportunity arose to jump straight into another secondment – this time as the campus Space Manager (possibly the best job title I’ve ever had!). I undertook this on the same basis – working part time and juggling two sets of responsibilities. Again I became part of a wonderful team, developed my skills, and was able to get involved in some fascinating projects – I felt extremely fortunate that my employer supported me in undertaking these opportunities. Both my manager at the time and those in the roles I went into were really open-minded and realised that not only would I benefit from the experience, but the wider institution would as well.

Five years and two jobs later, I was back in the Planning team at Loughborough – this time as a Senior Planning Officer, a role which was really diverse and which I felt comfortable in. With a pre-school child at home, and working part-time, I felt busy enough and so when I saw a call out for secretariat to support the REF criteria-setting phase, I was initially reluctant to put myself forward. However something nagged at me about the opportunity and with the support of my manager – who told me “you won’t know if you can do it until you try” – I applied and was successful in being appointed. The secondment spanned the period when the REF sub-panels met to draw up the guidance for REF2021, and I averaged around 2 days per month as secretary to three of the sub-panels. It was a fantastic experience, I got to work with some of the country’s most prestigious academics, learn from a great group of colleagues at Research England, as well as be part of a really supportive network of other panel secretaries and advisors.

I drew on all of these experiences, and more, when I made the move to work for Universities HR (UHR) as Strategic Projects and Research Manager and I can honestly say that I use the skills that I developed every day. I would urge managers and organisations to embrace the opportunities that secondments can deliver and I believe that HR professionals absolutely have a role to play in making secondments work for both individuals and employers – something which I am looking forward to exploring further with our UHR members. Undertaking secondments has been extremely valuable for me on a personal level and I would absolutely encourage others to seize the opportunities they offer – it’s much easier to push yourself outside your comfort zone and try a different role if you know that it’s not going to be forever! Who knows, you might even discover strengths you never knew you had.

Sophie Crouchman, Universities HR

Click here to learn more about the ARMA Secondments Project.