Business Resources

How To Choose HR Services: Tips For Small Businesses

How much time are you spending in the “HR office” instead of your own office? If your business does not have an HR professional on staff or an HR services provider waiting on call, you could be shortchanging your company and spreading your talents too thin.

HR specialists can help with a number of tasks, the critical HR areas include hiring, employee relations, benefits, compensation, and employee policies.  Whether you are an HR professional, or a manager responsible for employee management issues for your company, the following are core services to keep in mind:

The Manager's Guide to HR: Hiring, Firing, Performance Evaluations, Documentation, Benefits, and Everything Else You Need to KnowHiring: For each open position, managers can waste time reviewing 50 to 100 unqualified resumes. HR services can provide the initial screening, leaving only qualified applicants for you to interview and hire. For high-level or specialist positions, HR professionals can also act as headhunters, using network connections to woo desirable applicants. HR professionals should be organized, deadline-oriented, and familiar with staffing needs in your industry.

Employee Relations: Do you have access to an impartial mediator to resolve employee conflicts and minimize lawsuits? Do you know the secrets to asking legal questions on sensitive topics? Are you familiar with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as their subsequent updates? HR services provide the education and experience to comply with active legislation and prepare businesses for future legal changes. When assisting with employee relations functions, HR professionals should be well-educated, able to mitigate risks, and willing to understand and address complaints.

Benefits and Compensation: Are you risking fines by failing to comply with federal laws as your business changes? Are you wasting money on benefits that do little for motivation and retention, while leaving small but impactful changes out of the employee handbook? HR services can not only create cost-effective compensation programs but also administer time-consuming functions like payroll, insurance enrollment, and FMLA time off. Successful service providers should have real-world experience, a focus on costs and benefits, and an eye for emerging issues.

Policies: Is your employee handbook growing dusty because you have more important tasks on your plate? Outdated policies can contribute to entitlement issues, cost overruns, lost revenue, and legal sanctions. A qualified HR services provider can suggest opportunities for improving policies and keep the manual up to date.

A knowledgeable HR services specialist can act as a collaborative partner, a risk manager, a functional administrator, or all of the above. By choosing the provider that meets your company’s unique needs, you can reclaim your sanity and redirect your attention to where your business needs you the most.

 

Dianne Shaddock is the Founder of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips.  Through the Employee Hiring and Managing Tips podcast, blog, and weekly ‘quick tips’  e-newsletters,  Dianne offers expert advice on how to make better hiring decisions, manage difficult employees, develop employee policies, motivate staff, and so much more.   No stuffy, corporate HR policy lingo; but straight forward, easy to understand and implement advice for businesses just like yours.  Stay ahead of the curve and go to Easy Small Business HR for more tips on how to hire and manage your staff effectively.

 

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Employee Handbook – The Top 9 Policies That Should Be Part Of Every Employee Handbook

Does your company have an employee handbook?  If you don’t you should.  An employee handbook serves three purposes.  It highlights your expectations for the workplace, puts in writing any legal requirements requirements and sets employee guidelines for workplace practices and behavior in black and white.

Even a bare bones employee handbook is better than no handbook at all.  Here are nine policies to help you get started on your employee handbook.

1. Basic Rules of Conduct – Make it very clear which actions will not be tolerated and could lead to immediate termination. Property damage, sleeping on the job, substance abuse, theft, or other factors along these lines could all be included.

2. Specific Problem Solving Procedures – This is the portion of the handbook that should include more specific disciplinary action that might be taken, short of actual termination. It can serve as a problem solving resource for employers and supervisors alike.

3. No Discrimination or Harassment Policies – Make sure that your company shows that it has a zero-tolerance policy on workplace discrimination or harassment of any kind.

4. Workplace Security and No Weapons – Workplace security is at the top of everyone’s list these days.  Your handbook should not only outline a zero tolerance policy, but it should include specific information on security procedures.

5. Drugs and Alcohol Policies – Employees need to know your expectations around substance abuse in the workplace.Create Your Own Employee Handbook: A Legal & Practical Guide

6. Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality – To protect intellectual property or any other specific pieces of company information, you’ll want a policy in the employee handbook that outlines expectations around employee confidentiality as well as what constitutes a conflict of interest.

7. Electronic Communications Policy – Highlight your restrictions if any on how and when email and the Internet can be used; both before and after business hours.

8. Family Medical Leave – The Department of Labor as basic standards that all companies with a minimum of 50 employees must adhere to when it comes to family and medical leave.  Companies can create additional policies based on business needs.  Read more about what you need to know regarding family medical leave to inform how you should write your policy.

9. Benefits Policies – This is where you can highlight a summary of benefits and related requirements.  Things like medical insurance, time off, tuition reimbursement, can be included in this section.

Whether you create your own employee manual, or you use employee handbook software, it’s important that your business have some type of policy manual that outlines your company’s policies and procedures and that helps your business stay legally compliant.

Dianne Shaddock is the Founder of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips.  Through the Employee Hiring and Managing Tips podcast, blog, and weekly ‘quick tips’  e-newsletters,  Dianne offers expert advice on how to make better hiring decisions, manage difficult employees, develop employee policies, motivate staff, and so much more.   No stuffy, corporate HR policy lingo; but straight forward, easy to understand and implement advice for businesses just like yours.  Stay ahead of the curve and go to Easy Small Business HR for more tips on how to hire and manage your staff effectively.

 

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