Fiona
Winning

WHO I HELP

Start-ups as well as more established companies.

HOW I HELP

Acting as an HR department and providing support on a variety of different things. Strategically identifying ways to improve HR functions for clients, so that they can manage employees more effectively and increase employee engagement and retention.

SECTORS/SUPPORT

A variety of different sectors including Software, Investment and Trading, Manufacturing and Film Distribution.

I FIND IT SATISFYING TO SEE THE POSITIVE IMPACT THAT PURPOSE HR HAS HAD.

Fiona Winning is a Senior HR Consultant within the team. She works with various different clients to provide them with HR support, on a strategic and operational level. Fiona provides proactive and reactive support that is tailored to her clients; she continually reviews her client’s requirements to ensure they are getting the support they need. She carries out a variety of different client work and acts as her client’s HR department, being a point of contact for her clients, the management teams, and their employees.

RELIABILITY

“The ideal relationship with a client is when they know they can rely on you, as they would an in-house HR Manager and they consider you to be part of their team, rather than an external resource. I like to spend time with my clients on-site, when possible, which I find helps build these relationships. Some of my clients work primarily remotely, so we have been able to keep in touch via video call and through being part of various internal Teams channels and we have regular catch-ups to ensure I am able to support them as needed. For many of my clients, I am also visible to employees, and they also have my contact details, as they would if the HR team was in-house.”

GOING BEYOND COMPLIANCE

“My clients expect that I will provide them with professional advice to ensure compliance with employment legislation, whilst going beyond this to adopt a best practice approach, which focuses on employee engagement. My clients need to know that they can rely on me and that the advice given is in their best interest, as well as that of their employees.”

THE INITIAL AUDIT

“I really enjoy doing an initial audit with a client, to identify areas which are positive, as well as areas for improvement. This allows me to take the necessary steps to make genuine improvements to the business and I find it satisfying to see the positive impact that AAB People has had.”

INNOVATIVE & EXCITING

“I think from an HR perspective it is important to understand that certain legislation requirements need to be adhered to and I will always ensure my clients are operating in line with this. However, with my clients I want to go beyond this, and it is important to consider what approaches we can take that are innovative and exciting and truly engage employees and improve the HR function. HR can often be seen as bureaucratic and sticking to a process, but it is much more than that and I reflect that in my approach with my clients.”

CREATING VISIBILITY

“I like to take both a virtual and hands-on approach and I tend to reflect the set-up my client has. For many of my clients, a face-to-face presence is important to create visibility for all employees and I genuinely enjoy going out and visiting my clients where possible. For others, they are often communicating in a virtually, or may have global teams where meeting face to face would not be possible, so I ensure to adopt my approach accordingly.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANISATION

“Working with different clients is what I enjoy and is a part of my role that I love. When you are working on a consultancy basis with different clients and have competing priorities, it is really important to be organised, to ensure that all clients are getting the level of support needed.”

TAKING ON NEW CHALLENGES

“I really enjoy working with AAB People and for me personally I am looking forward to continuing to work and progress with AAB People and AAB, taking on new challenges and meeting new clients. As we continue to take on new clients and grow as a team, it is a really exciting opportunity for us to get involved in different sectors and grow our client base. Being part of AAB had increased the offering to our clients and allows us to improve the services available.”

DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS

“I believe my strengths are in working with clients and developing relationships with them, through understanding their business and what they require from HR support. I have always worked in consultancy with different clients, so I understand how to adapt my approach to fit my client’s needs. At AAB People we offer a lot more to our clients than reactive HR support and work with our clients to proactively support their people function, which is something I really enjoy.”

PART OF THE FAMILY

“One of my clients once told me that my support has been invaluable and that they consider me to be part of the Company “family” which was lovely feedback to receive.”

DEVELOPING & ENGAGING

“I think HR is often seen in a negative light and if HR is present then employees should be worried about their jobs. I really dislike this perception of HR and it’s not the case, HR should be about developing and engaging employees and we are there as a support to both employees and management. There are a lot of positive things about HR that don’t always come across, although I think this is beginning to change.”