Ciara
McEleney

WHO I HELP

SMEs.

HOW I HELP

Provide advice and support that is tailored to each client and give them the information they need to be able to make fully informed HR decisions.

SECTORS/SUPPORT

Across a broad range of sectors with a particular focus on the private sector.

“PROVIDING HOLISTIC, PEOPLE-FOCUSED SUPPORT.”

Ciara McEleney is a Senior HR & Employment Law Consultant based in our Glasgow office. Ciara specialises in providing hands-on advice and support across the employment life cycle to a range of organisations. In her day-to-day role, she supports and advises on all areas of employment law and works with our clients in place of an internal HR function, or alongside their HR or Senior Management team.

Trust & Honesty

“An ideal client relationship is based on trust, honesty, and transparency. I like gaining a deeper understanding of my clients’ businesses and helping them achieve their goals in any way that I can.

Clients can always rely on me to provide honest, professional, and legally compliant HR advice and support whenever they need it. Along with advising them on HR best practices and legal requirements, I believe our clients also want to hear a balanced opinion and be provided with tailored solutions that are realistic and work for their business.”

Thinking outside the box

“I always strive to take a creative approach to providing HR advice and do this in a way that suits each individual client. Each of our clients’ businesses is unique so we need to look at a problem from all possible angles in order to find the best solution and ensure the best outcomes for them. Sometimes this means challenging clients to view things differently and working with them to find realistic solutions to meet their objectives.”

Striking a balance between technology & the human touch

“As a tech-enabled business, we integrate technology with the human touch to provide our clients with a personalised and enhanced service. For me, I enjoy adapting to how my clients work, and for some, this means taking a more hands-on approach and visiting them on-site regularly. On the other hand, particularly for clients who are further afield, virtual meetings and video calls have been hugely beneficial for building relationships. Whether I’m working with a client virtually or on-site, I aim to use technology to work in the most efficient way possible to maximise the time I’m able to spend adding value to their HR strategy.”

My strengths

“I’d say my greatest strength is my ability to collaborate with my team. I enjoy working together and feel I’m at my best when working alongside my team, as there’s so much to learn from each other and so many different angles to look at the same problem. I believe by working together we can achieve better outcomes to the challenges our clients face. In addition, I’m also able to stay calm and composed when faced with challenging situations. It’s often comforting for clients to know that they can rely on me during tough times.”

The greatest challenge

“One of the key challenges in HR is that employment law and best practice are always evolving and there isn’t always a straightforward answer when advising clients. But this aspect is also one of the things I enjoy most about my role as it means no two days are ever the same.

In addition, over the past few years the recruitment market has been particularly challenging, and employers have had to adapt their HR strategy to focus on retaining employees. In response to this, we not only advise our clients on being legally compliant but also strive to provide more holistic, people-focused support to help them build an engaged and supported workforce.”

Spreading positivity

“We spend so much of our lives at work, so I feel it’s so important to have fun while we’re here. I love working with people, whether that is clients or my colleagues, and I find that being positive and enthusiastic is the best way to deepen relationships. This makes working towards a shared goal much easier and helps build trust with clients more quickly.
Having clients say I am a pleasure to work with and that they want to continue working with me is always so rewarding to hear. I’m passionate about working with clients and helping them reach their HR goals, so it means a lot to hear positive feedback like this.”