Outsourced HR Support For Small Businesses
This article is part of Rea & Associates’ Small Business Corner series, which is designed to address challenges and considerations regularly faced by owners of small- to mid-sized businesses. The series appears in The Rea Report, the firm’s quarterly print newsletter. Check out past Small Business Corner articles at www.reacpa.com/small-business-corner.
Maintaining compliance in key areas of HR is tough during a “normal” year. Unfortunately, normal no longer exists and the pressure to meet the changing organizational demands resulting from COVID-19 throughout your organization has never been higher.
Small- to mid-sized businesses, in particular, are unlikely to have the HR support necessary to meet the growing list of compliance responsibilities resulting from changing regulations and government mandates. Additionally, across many industries, identifying and recruiting top talent continues to present a significant challenge – not to mention the work that goes into training and retaining your existing staff. Regardless of whether your business is confronting budgeting issues or struggling to keep up with a robust growth rate, you can’t afford to put off key HR functions.
The Right Amount Of HR Support
Hiring an HR professional can be costly. There’s the salary to consider, insurance and benefits to provide, and the additional concern of determining whether you have enough work to keep a full-time HR employee busy enough to make the addition worth your while. Fortunately, you don’t actually need to hire a full-time HR professional to get the support you need. The first step on your journey to secure the right amount of HR support for your business is to consider the possibility of outsourcing all or part of your company’s HR function.
Outsourced HR support isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon. In fact, you may have already outsourced various HR-related projects in the past. However, now, with the influx of regulatory changes occurring as a result of COVID, business owners are regularly seeking out HR assistance to maintain compliance, retain existing staffing levels, and avoid large fines. Moreover, due to the complex and confidential nature of human resources, it’s vital that you work with trustworthy organizations and individuals.
Once you identify the amount of support necessary to address your organization’s specific HR needs, you’ll be able to effectively protect your business from HR compliance risks without the overhead that accompanies hiring a new employee. On the other hand, HR subscription services can also complement your existing HR department during busy times of the year or to accomplish major projects on time and on budget. Some popular projects to outsource to a professional HR consultant might include:
Outsourced HR support isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon. In fact, you may have already outsourced various HR-related projects in the past.
HR Compliance Review
If you aren’t properly filing your employee records and I-9s, the government is going to take notice. A compliance review can help you get up to speed and implement a process that helps you stay on top of this essential function.
Employee Training
Whether it’s completing and documenting harassment training in the workplace, confronting workplace violence, or brushing up on safety protocol, make sure you have a qualified HR professional to lead these trainings and position your organization for success.
Strategic Recruitment Strategy
Having trouble finding the right people for the job? It could be because you aren’t looking in the right places or maybe you need help developing a benefits package that sets your organization apart from the competition. A professional HR consultant can help you identify a plan that will help you strategically target top talent.
Succession Planning
When was the last time you looked at your workforce with succession planning in mind? What are you doing to ensure continuity of service if somebody were to leave your company tomorrow? An HR professional can help you develop a plan of attack.
Employee Retention Strategy
Once you’ve put forth the effort to get your ideal employee in the door, how are you going to encourage them to stay? A skilled HR consultant can help you identify areas of opportunity when it comes to coaching and developing your existing team in an effort to keep them on the payroll and your business humming along without interruption.
Click on the button below to download a brochure that outlines all Rea & Associates’ monthly HR subscription packages.
The Next Level Of Outsourced HR
For those in need of assistance beyond one or two HR projects, subscription services are available. These services often provide businesses with access to regular HR support and guidance, regular consulting and special project hours, ongoing compliance checks, and more.
CPA firms have developed a reputation for integrity among business leaders, which is why many firms have made a shift toward offering consulting services to drive additional growth and sustainability beyond the areas of tax planning and accounting. The Rea team now includes HR professionals committed to providing greater organizational structure and growth through the implementation of the projects outlined above, in addition to the development of employee handbooks, policies and procedure development, compliance checks, and more.
Additionally, Rea now provides a monthly subscription service that consists of four distinct levels of HR support. The firm’s custom services are designed with your organization in mind and are guaranteed to provide you with assistance maintaining regulatory compliance, developing key policies and procedures, and reinforcing your company’s overall culture while promoting the safety and wellbeing of all employees.
If you would like to learn more, reach out to me directly or visit www.reacpa.com/service/human-resources-consulting/
subscription-services/. I would be happy to offer you a free, on-site HR consultation to review your existing HR procedures, identify compliance concerns and other areas of risks, opportunities for improvement, and more.
By Renee West, SHRM-SCP, PHR (New Philadelphia CPA Firm)