Meet the team – Elaine Burns, HR consultant
In this blog, we speak to Elaine Burns, one of lead consultants at Gravitate HR. We ask Elaine about what drives her passion for HR and explore the exciting world of ESG!
“Tell us about yourself, how did you get into HR and what brought you to Gravitate?”
Having worked with Gravitate previously, I am pleased to say that this is my second spell, re-joining the business in October 2022.
I began my HR career in 2008 after relocating from Aberdeen to Edinburgh, taking on a role as an HR Assistant with another outsourced HR company. This helped me realise my passion for HR, leading me to pursue a full-time Master’s degree at Napier University. After earning my MSc, I joined Gravitate as an HR Assistant. Over the subsequent years, I successfully obtained my CIPD chartership and remain a chartered member to this day
“What is your role?”
As one of the lead consultants on the team, my primary role involves building strong relationships with key stakeholders and providing extensive support and advice to our diverse clients. Additionally, I support my fellow consultants in their roles, ensuring cohesive and effective service delivery.
“What projects are you and your team working on at the moment?”
Recently, I have been deeply involved in supporting a client in building and implementing a new HR system. This has been a successful project that involved data cleansing in accordance with relevant retention periods and data protection regulations. The online platform is now operational for recruitment (applications through to onboarding) as well as absence monitoring, expenses claims and annual review processes.
Whilst working on this platform build, I have also been keeping myself and my other clients up to date with the legislative changes this year and ensuring they are prepared to manage these changes.
“What is the best thing about your job?”
Apart from the current project I’m involved in, what excites me is the variety of work and the diverse client base I get to engage with. I enjoy the opportunity to meet new clients, uncover what keeps them up at night, and identify what’s working well for them. With my existing clients, it’s incredibly rewarding to have built such strong relationships that they feel comfortable reaching out to me, even if it’s just to bounce ideas off. It’s this blend of new challenges and trusted connections that makes my role so fulfilling.
“With HR support, what are the main opportunities for businesses right now?”
ESG is front and centre right now. I have been working alongside Margery, Gravitate’s Founder, to conduct ESG audits for across our client base. From an HR perspective it is crucial for organisations aiming to align their practices with sustainability and ethical principles.
Our audit allows us to delve into areas of social responsibility, inclusion and employee engagement and retention to drilling down into how organisations communicate their strategies and values with their employees and ensure that they align with employees’ values. HR can be pivotal in shaping culture where employees feel connected to a shared purpose.
However, ESG isn’t just about financial performance, but about creating a positive impact on people, the planet and governance. By integrating ESG principles into HR and organisations’ practices, those businesses can drive meaningful change and build a sustainable future.
“What do you do outside of work?”
Outside of work I am mum to a 5 year old, so family time is important to me. Where I do find I have some spare time to myself, I like to play ukulele and supporting my football teams, although haven’t physically been to a match for a while.
Want to find out more about how our HR services can help your business? Get in touch at: info@gravitatehr.co.uk
