This is my very lightly seasoned, festive blog. I can assure you that working during this period means a bit more than an extra espresso shot in your coffee, the customary Secret Santa and extensive train delays. After a busy few weeks, a recent performance review with my Line Manager has given me the opportunity to look over the past few months, and forward, to my development in 2012.

I remember upon my first arriving in London I was introduced to the UK Wealth HR team, and was immediately submerged into the unfamiliar world of Project Management. What initially appeared so overwhelming was the number of projects that my team was involved in. My efforts have therefore been focused on reacting to deadlines; supporting colleagues where I can and trying to keep up with the pace of multiple projects that one would expect.

The past month has seen significant changes in the operations system the group uses to manage the restructure projects I am involved in. Whilst group-wide support is still available, many of the responsibilities that were previously the onus of divisional teams now lie locally. Fortunately, this has allowed me to adopt, or be adopted by, much of this work. It has given me the opportunity to work a niche, from which I can add a noticeable and quantifiable value to the team – however unglamorous it may be! Where I previously played a simply reactive role, where I can, I now am able to manage the workload and expectations of not just myself, but also those around me and take a more proactive approach to Project Management.

Exciting stuff – beyond my role, I’ve also had opportunities to shadow the HR Advice & Guidance case managers in Edinburgh, meet our legal team and recently to spend a day with Chelmsford’s Corporate & Commercial team. This has given me some real context in understanding HR’s key function – supporting the business. The great thing is that there are countless offers to undertake such opportunities. I hope to have similar experiences in the New Year to talk about!