Small businesses must deal with a lot of tasks related to HR, and without a department devoted entirely to it, or the help of a third party, they can become overwhelming, fast.
Below are some of the most important HR tasks for small businesses, which only serves to highlight the great responsibility that comes with them, not to mention the time it takes to carry them all out effectively:
- Policy communication – every time a new employee is hired, it’s your company’s responsibility to ensure that they’re formally introduced to the culture, processes and policies of the business. In order to limit liability and help employees to succeed, each policy related to behaviour and performance must be well-defined and effectively explained.
- Employee development plans – a business is able to far more effectively plan its hiring and training needs if there is a detailed employee development plan in place.
- Employee positioning – the only way for any small business to be a true success, is if it maximizes the skills and talents of its workforce, and this starts with a hiring process that targets high-potential employees.
There are also a vast number of mistakes to avoid when conducting payroll, and if you work with a payroll provider, you won’t have to worry too much about any of the following:
Not hiring well
In general, it’s always worth investing time, energy, money and resources into recruiting the right candidates for the right positions within your business, and this includes conducting background checks and reference checks. Hiring the wrong person can sometimes have devastating consequences for the business as a whole.
Failing to document everything
Even smaller businesses must take note of, and document, any performance related issues and be ready to present them formally to the employee in questions, with a clear plan in place as to what the next course of action may be.
Not creating clear and accurate job descriptions
By giving employees an accurate representation of what the job entails, you’re enabling them to get a positive start, and giving them the best chance of success.Be sure to include what skills, training and educational qualifications they should possess in order to fulfil the role to the best of their ability.
Failing to understand and adhere to the law
Employment laws must be adhered to at all times, and if they are broken, whether inadvertently or otherwise, the consequences can be extremely damaging for the business.
Not properly classifying workers
The U.S. Department of Labor’s guidelines are in place for a reason, and failing to adhere to them by misclassifying employees to save money, is never a smart move.
5 ways that hiring HR professionals can help your small business
If you want to save time and money on the essential HR functions highlighted at the beginning of this post, and avoid the many costly mistakes listed above, you should consider outsourcing your HR requirements.
Here are just 5 of the many ways that doing so, could help your business:
- By establishing an employee handbook
- Ensuring that new hires are ready for, and capable of, success
- Keeping you on the right side of local, state and federal employment laws
- Enduring that you only ever hire the very best talent
- By bringing in professional partners when you need them
Smart recruiting, organization, policy implementation and proper training are just some of the many HR functions that an outsourced provider could help you with, and if you’re struggling to keep up with the demands of HR for your business, now could be a good time to sample their services.