My journey with AAB People (so far)

I joined the AAB People team in August 2021 and even though it has only been 5 months, it feels like it has been about 5 years (in a good way of course!) as I settled in so quickly. Currently, I am the only Glasgow based AAB People employee, and due to the pandemic, I have only met my colleagues in the flesh a handful of times; thank goodness for Teams meetings!

Luckily, I have been able to go into the Glasgow office a few times and each time I have felt welcomed by other colleagues within the wider AAB Group. AAB People have ambitious and very exciting growth plans, so I am sure it won’t be long until I have some new colleagues joining me in the West!

Prior to joining AAB People, I worked for another HR Consultancy for five and a half years but my work there was more focused upon employment law best practice and employee relations.

As much as I enjoyed the fast-paced environment I was in, I knew I wanted to get back into the more strategic side of HR and how to be proactive for my clients rather than being reactive when things begin to turn sour.

HR can quite often get some bad press within workplaces and I have always been passionate about ensuring this isn’t the case, making sure employees (and employers) know that HR’s job is to better the organisation, whilst also promoting a positive experience for employees. I knew I had to jump ship to achieve this and I am happy I have taken the plunge with my career choice taking me to AAB People. I must admit, I wasn’t actively looking for a new opportunity, but when I was made aware of the opportunity, I just couldn’t say no.

During my first few weeks, I decided to not go in too heavy handed and instead took the approach of getting to know my clients and how their businesses work to better understand their culture and working environments before offering suggestions and guidance. I have really enjoyed feeling like I have a ‘seat at the table’ rather than feeling external to my clients which has been a welcomed change from my previous consultancy role.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with AAB People as the culture is that of autonomy which is a welcome breath of fresh air. Being able to plan my own workload and objectives is something that doesn’t normally happen within the workplace, and I am grateful our wonderful founder Lisa has such trust and confidence in not only myself, but my colleagues’ abilities. Being able to suggest and offer fresh ideas to clients on how to drive their business forward is something I don’t imagine many HR professional will get exposure to.

Over the next few months, I look forward to further developing my own skillset in areas I haven’t had as much exposure in, such as culture and values, organisational design and strategic planning. Here’s hoping that I can also get out and about and meet more clients face to face and have meetings in person rather than virtually!

By Ailsa Smillie, Senior HR Consultant