Claire Webster is the HR Director for Avantia. Avantia is the parent company to Homeprotect, a specialist provider of home insurance. The married mother-of-three, who lives southwest London, has responsibility for developing and delivering a people strategy, as well as overseeing day-today HR functions. Claire has worked for the company since 2015. She has held various senior and global HR positions in the financial services sector and consulting.
I usually wake up at 6am unless my four-year-old feels particularly energetic. If it’s a work day, I get up early to shower and get my kids ready for the school day. Since I only work part-time I use my commute time to check my email and keep up with any new information. This helps me to know what my priorities are for the day. On my days working from home, I set clear goals to help me prioritise.
No matter if I am in the office, or working at home, my first step is to check in with the team and ensure they are receiving support for any HR issues that may be afoot or on-going projects.
We truly believe in a culture that encourages flexible working. Most people at Avantia work in a hybrid style, and we have a lot of faith in our people to balance their lives. This has helped us to attract talent from all over the country and outside the industry. It’s a big reason we’ve received the Great Place to Work award for five consecutive years.
I usually have a 1-2-1 meeting with a member of my team to see if they require any assistance or guidance on a project or current issue. After that, I might have a board or SLT meeting. I usually have a couple more meetings that are related to an ongoing project. Recently, we have discussed developing our Human Capital Strategy for next five years, implementing a new people system and discussing future leaders’ programmes. I spend most of my time on priority projects and informal office meetings.
We have been able to attract talent outside the industry.
A virtual meeting that I had with our CEO Mark Eastham was to discuss the upcoming Town Hall event, which we hold in person a few times a year. This is a great opportunity to bring the entire business together to hear from various teams, and to invite an external speaker. This time, it’s John Sills of customer growth consultancy The Foundation. We’ve previously worked with him to improve transparency in our customer journey.
Lunch is an opportunity to reset. I bring leftovers from home or a healthy meal I have frozen in bulk. This allows me to enjoy chocolate guilt-free at night. When we host a Brunch Bunch, which is something we do every month for our employees, I enjoy the opportunity to socialize and indulge in delicious food.
Claire Webster: I actively work to retain and attract top female talent.
With the rapid advancement of AI and tech, work roles are becoming increasingly technical. We’ve noticed a shift in employee-employer relationships. While some companies are trying to get people back in the office, there is a wider shift. People expect more out of their jobs, whether it be flexibility, growth opportunities, or a feeling of purpose. Employers who fail to adapt to the changing expectations will struggle to retain and attract talent.
Our strategy has always been to adopt machine learning early, both for our technology and how we support and structure our people. In 2017, we invested in developing our first proprietary platform. We have created a unique culture and employee structure, bringing in talent from other industries to help develop our own platforms.
Organisations will have to invest in their employees as automation reduces administrative duties. This includes investing in new technical skills and supporting career transitions. It’s important to support employees who had envisioned themselves in the roles they are currently in for the rest of their career.
People are looking for more in their jobs, whether it’s flexibility, opportunities for development or a sense purpose.
I would advise anyone who is interested in advancing their career in Human Resources to be proactive and open to new opportunities. In HR, there are many career paths and experience in various areas can be very valuable.
I began my career in training and then moved to a generalist position. I have also worked in change management, project management and other areas. I have worked for large matrix organizations and smaller companies with 40 employees. I have worked primarily in the UK, but also had the opportunity to work with teams and take on projects from other parts of the globe.
Homeprotect is a company that’s always on the lookout for new ways to work. We built our own decision-making tool when we couldn’t locate the best one for our clients. Tech specialists now work in our entire company to ensure that our digital tools are as intelligent as we are. The same attitude applies to career development: accepting new challenges and adapting can lead to unexpected opportunities.
In my afternoons, I often mix strategy with collaboration and problem solving. My role includes ensuring our inclusive culture at Homeprotect is not just words on paper but is lived by everyone.
I spend time examining ways to improve gender diversity in all areas of business. I am extremely proud of the fact that our efforts helped increase female participation from 27% in 2018 to 45% by 2024. I work actively to retain and attract top female talent.
My afternoons are spent working with colleagues from different departments to make sure we’re always evolving. Whether I’m reviewing approaches to hiring based on skills, maximising team and individual performance, or improving communication within the company, my goal is to create an atmosphere where employees feel empowered and supported to succeed.
My role can lead me to be involved in a lot of unexpected discussions. I plan my week in advance so that I know how much time to allocate for critical tasks. It’s not always possible to complete all the work by the scheduled time. But it allows me to manage the time that I have for other ad-hoc tasks.
The train ride home is where I switch my mind. After I respond to my last email, I will catch up with the news of the day or listen to podcasts before switching into home mode.
In order to maintain a competitive edge, organizations will have to invest in their employees, both in terms of acquiring new skills and supporting career transitions, as automation will reduce administrative tasks.
I maintain a core set of working hours to meet my family obligations. I know that HR leaders need to be flexible, and I am always available if an urgent situation arises. Flexibility is important to me. One of the things I have learned about flexibility is how to balance responsiveness with burnout.
I cook for my husband unless he has worked from home first and is finished. Then we get the kids to bed, pack their bags and lay out the uniforms for the next day. We’ll chat about the days and watch the latest TV show. Renovation planning is on the agenda as we are currently renovating a 1930s home.
I usually go to sleep around 10pm. Homeprotect has had sleep experts speak to us about how to get the best night’s rest possible. I would like to state that I do not look at screens or spend time journaling. I still watch TV, or read emails and personal messages. I usually fall asleep within 60 second of the lights being turned off.
