Today, we’d like to introduce you to Haley McNeal.
Haley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My career in HR sprouted from my various roles in administrative functions, including HR, where I was encouraged to explore all aspects of business by my then corporate leader and mentor. Unlike some successful young professionals, I did not attend college immediately after high school; in fact, I began that journey years later once I established a love for business, mergers, and acquisitions and understood the inner workings of what it takes to be successful.
I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Project Management in the fall of 2013 as a 28-year-old single mother of one. By 2016, I earned my Society for Human Resource Management Certification as a Certified HR Professional, SHRM-CP – which, by the way, is a beast of an exam!
While I considered law school at that time, by this time as a single mother of two, to dive deeper into employment law – my passion, I ultimately decided to further my HR studies with a focus on HR compliance and risk mitigation. In 2019, I graduated with my Master’s in Human Resource Management shortly before founding Thrive Consulting Firm, the BEST decision of my professional career and personal life thus far.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Yes and no! Some aspects of the services I provide come easy because it’s my passion, and with that passion comes a personal inability to “turn off” the business aspect to allow and engage in a healthy work-life balance. Growing my business, hiring a team, and providing the best possible services to our clients have not been an issue, thankfully. I’ve been blessed to have amazing clients and have learned better discernment to ensure clients are the right fit for myself, my team and the level of service we pride ourselves in and provide.
I’m happy to say that the work-life balance has indeed improved after all the long hours of work and growth it has taken to get to this point in life and business. Words of wisdom to any professional looking to step into entrepreneurship should consider that they must invest 110% in their business because it takes laser-focused drive and dedication to make the thing you are most passionate about successful and revenue-generating.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Thrive Consulting Firm is a Human Resources shared service. Shared services work the same as a CPA and Law Firm where you have an HR professional and team of professionals that manage your HR projects, handle necessary implementations, create employee documents and handbooks, compliance reporting to state and federal agencies, workplace investigations, payroll processing, provide direct support to your leadership teams and employees. Additionally, many of our clients prefer to have the Thrive Consulting Firm team as their direct HR department because they understand the value associated with having a team that is not only compliance-focused but also focused on providing employee-facing support and guidance.
Our approach to being authentic and relatable to leadership and their workforce sets our firm apart. To have employees say, “you’re a cool HR person,” is such a compliment in a world where HR is often looked at as the corporate police or outdated. I like to think I make HR look and feel accessible and authentic because my team provides that rare touch that’s fun and exciting but also very business-focused while doing what’s best for the employee and the organizations we support.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The COVID-19 crisis taught us much about humanity, grace, and the reality that everything can change in the blink of an eye. Organizations have shifted to “the new normal” and are slowly progressing toward pre-COVID working conditions. The state of remote work and expats working internationally have greatly increased since the onset of COVID, and I think most of us learned that there are many roles that can be completed remotely, which in turn saves money for organizations; however, more importantly, we learned that there are other roles that are best suited for in-office, depending on the industry.
More and more leaders are now open to the idea that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work and has unpleasant impact on their bottom line. Additionally, from an HR perspective, we too learned the importance of engaging the workforce for feedback, not only about their working conditions but also their immediate emotional needs and how that impacts their teams, leaders, and overall organization. Supporting an organization is more than policy, it’s truly about the people that make each organization great, and I’ve learned to make that part of our mission in addition to understanding and learning every business model we support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mythriveconsulting.com
- Instagram: @mythriveconsulting
- Facebook: @mythriveconsulting
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thrive-consulting-firm/
Image Credits
Michael Dawkins
