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Sarah Moulton is a rare professional breed – she calls the shots when it’s time to leave, but only when her work is done. An HR professional who has worked in some of the most harrowing professions to some of the most esteemed, she shares her stories and her discipline: early morning routines of meditation, exercise and gratitude journalling.
'My first job was at a wallpaper manufacturer'
A big birthday is on the horizon – next year she turns 50. Rather than being appalled, she is looking forward to it, because she radiates the sunny side of life, not by default but by learning. She writes down what she is grateful for every morning. “I have shelves of my journals,” she says. This unbending focus on seeking the good has helped her career, which started after her degree in public administration and law at Southampton University.
“My first ever job was in my early 20s – a wallpaper manufacturer in East Peckham, Kent, where I used to live,” she says. The role was admin-based and heavily male dominated. Moulton and her friend Fran, still a lifelong pal, were among few women. Part of the job was recording employees’ clocking in and out times.
After three years, she moved on. In 2001, she joined Sevenoaks District Council as Personnel Officer. The pull of home came a year later, when she was lured by a shorter commute to MCCH – the Maidstone Care and Community Housing charity, now merged with Choice Support. “It’s a company still very dear to my heart. They care for disabled adults with profound mental health conditions. It was a wonderful place to work – seeing humanity at its best.”
I became HR Manager for a young offenders’ institute, but the cases I was exposed to were traumatic
In 2004, family life began when her eldest daughter, Hannah, was born. As family expenses grew, Moulton was offered bigger remuneration, but the move wasn’t right. “I became HR Manager for a young offenders’ institute, but the cases I was exposed to were traumatic.” Horrific gang rape crimes came at a time when Moulton was learning the ropes of motherhood herself. The combination was too much – she left after 11 months, knowing she couldn’t simply switch off.
It was the right decision. In 2006, she moved to Anchor, a not-for-profit provider of housing, care and support for the elderly, as Regional HR Adviser. “It was there that I cut my HR teeth.” Part of her remit was visiting a home in Devon. “I’d fly down and be running along Plymouth Hoe thinking how lovely it was!” Her own experience of her father suffering from dementia gave her unique insight into the high levels of care families deserved.
