Guest Post: Three Ways an Outsourced HR Consultant Will Benefit Your Company’s Bottom Line
Many companies today do not have a full-time Human Resources (HR) professional on their team. Some businesses may be starting up and are not yet ready to hire a full-time HR professional. Other businesses may have recently experienced turnover in their HR team and are looking for interim help until the positions can be filled.
HR consultants are outside HR specialists who work with businesses to resolve this gap and provide support related to a broad spectrum of HR-related tasks. HR consultants can be engaged to work on an hourly, per-diem basis or on a contract basis to provide interim or long-term support by way of HR expertise.
Whatever your situation and whichever engagement arrangement, there are numerous benefits to bringing on an outside professional to help manage your business’ many HR needs. An outsourced HR consultant can directly benefit your company’s bottom line by:
1. Removing the burden of HR from your leadership team
When a company is starting up and has not yet reached the threshold to support a dedicated HR professional or there are talent gaps within an HR department, the many responsibilities of HR are typically divided amongst an already stretched thin leadership team. With different people handling the many different HR responsibilities, such as talent acquisition, documentation, compliance, risk management, orientation, training and conflict resolution, the HR process quickly becomes unorganized and inefficient. Plus, every minute that a manager spends on HR responsibilities is a minute they could have spent focusing on growing the business or mentoring their team.
Hiring an outsourced HR consultant can remove that extra burden from your executives, allowing you to focus on your areas of expertise, while also ensuring that your HR process is streamlined, cohesive and strategic in the hands of a seasoned strategic, HR partner.
2. Helping you recruit excellent new team members
A great HR consultant will not hire just any candidate to help you meet your goals for growth. He or she will tirelessly search for the most qualified individuals available and will aim to make the right hires the first time to minimize your cost-per-hire.
Talent acquisition is a time-consuming responsibility that involves developing job descriptions, posting those job descriptions on dozens of job boards, and sifting through potentially hundreds of resumes – half of which may be unqualified or overqualified for the job. Then, scheduling and conducting interviews, performing background and reference checks, and finally negotiating the job offer.
In short, recruiting is a critical and very intensive process that warrants having a dedicated and experienced team member at the helm.
3. Retaining your employees by developing and executing strategies to make your company a great place to work
An HR consultant’s job is to not only hire the right individuals, but to retain them by making the company a great place to work. HR consultants have many years of experience in employee relations and can provide guidance as you continually develop your company’s big-picture HR strategy.
Once your HR strategy is in place, your HR consultant can then oversee the many different HR functions that will contribute to your plan’s success. He or she will be well versed in administering any HR-related tasks such as payroll and benefit administration; conflict resolution; personnel file maintenance; and guidance on what should be included in your personnel manual.
Contact the BSSF HR Consulting Practice team today!
In summary, having a dedicated outsourced HR consultant on your team will allow you to enjoy all the benefits of working with a trained professional while saving you the expense of a full-time professional’s salary.
Have you decided that you would like to work with an experienced outsourced HR professional? Contact the BSSF HR Consulting Practice Team today! We look forward to speaking with you!
Contributed by Susan T. Yohn, SPHR, SHRM-SCP; Director of Human Resources at Brown Shultz Sheridan & Fritz (BSSF)
Susan T. Yohn, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the Director of Human Resources (HR) at Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz (BSSF). Susan has over 14 years of experience managing all areas of the BSSF HR Department including talent acquisition, employee relations, HR compliance, employee benefit plans and policy creation. Additionally, Susan serves as an outsourced HR consultant for numerous clients, helping them manage all aspects of HR and overseeing the recruitment process from vacancy to hire.
