When HR Doesn't Know

 

Building An Effective HR Team

 

When your current HR department is limited in handling the many responsibilities in the core functions of HR, contracting with a Senior Level HR Advisor  should be your next move. An HR Advisor not only handles the needs of the employees, but also has knowledge about all areas of HR, including risk management, and understands most aspects of your business.  Contracting with an HR Advisor that understands your industry is a plus.

An HR Representative or HR Generalist, along with your Senior Level HR Advisor  should be able to: 

• Support Your Company's Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals
• Formulate Processes
• Manage Change
• Build Strategic Relationships both within and outside the company
• Align Human Capital with the company's strategic plans
• Evaluate Outcomes
• Understand businesses trends
• Ensure all HR activities comply with federal, state, and local laws and regulations
• Manage Risks  

Often HR Representatives and HR Generalist get frustrated with the day-to-day challenges that come with the job, but when you provide your HR person with a partner to assist, when needed, you can create an atmosphere that produces greater business outcomes and higher retention rates amongst your team members.  

HR Partners

 

Internal Partners

Internal partnerships are important to HR. Typically, a Small Business HR Manager will consistently connect with the Owner(s), an Attorney, Finance, and Employees.

 

Business Owner(s)

When proposing new strategies, it is important to get buy-in from the Owner(s) in order to gain the trust and support of others in the business. The Owner(s) can assist HR in promoting and enforcing policies.

 

Attorney/Legal

Federal, state, and local laws are important considerations in all aspects of HR - recruiting and staffing, employee relations, labor relations, compensation and benefits, and training and development. For example, it is imperative that HR seek legal approval for certain documents, such as a non-compete agreement, to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and does not expose the business to legal risks.

 

Finance

The Finance department owns the budget and is to be consulted regarding hiring and other large HR expenses. Although the hiring manager usually controls department-level budget, changes can occur at the business level, so it is a good practice for HR to ensure that the manager has the appropriate approval to open a job requisition and hire a new employee. The finance department can also provide quarterly and annual financial information for HR metrics, including recruitment costs to determine cost per hire, HR technology fees, vendor payments, and other HR-related costs.

 

Employees

Partnership with employees is equally important as partnering with other departments for business accomplishments. To promote a safe workplace and ensure a reliable workforce, HR should consider seeing employees as partners in the company. Training and Development will be more effective when employees feel they are partnered with HR for their career growth and engagement in the business culture.

 

External Partners

Assisting with the management of employees and managers, supporting the company's mission, and continuously improving HR processes can take a big part of an HR Manager's work day.   Forming partnerships with various HR Vendors will help alleviate the pressures of the daily grind and free up time for the HR Manager  to focus on more strategic functions.

 

Some HR areas that businesses may consider partnering with external vendors  would be activities such as reference checking, background screening, drug testing, payroll activities, and conducting exit surveys.  

 

Vital Business Solutions has worked with many HR Professionals that needed assistance periodically to ensure their department was compliant and organized.  We have also worked with lots of Small Business Owners, who weren't sure what HR was supposed to implement and just needed a brief HR review to guide them in the right direction. We welcome your questions, please contact us at 202-832-1388.

 

We will address this topic with greater details during our April - Small Business Owner Workshop.  More information will be sent your way soon!

If the Federal Government Shuts Down 

 

What would happen should the federal government shut down? With the current highlight in the congress and in the press, many business owners, especially those with federal contracts may be wondering what should they do if a shut down occurs. How would employers handle employees' time? Should employees use PTO during this time?  Would the employees eventually be furloughed? Would contract funding be impacted?

Here is a recent article in the Washington Post addressing what might happen if this becomes a reality.
What might happen if federal government shuts down again
Government shutdown: Facts and figures

If you need assistance with an Employee Notification Memo to send to your staff before the 4th of March, please do not hesitate to contact us!  Thank you.

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