Human Resources does not need to be a permanent department employed by your company however there definitely needs to be either internal knowledge and support on this or it should be a service that is purchased to keep you on the straight and narrow. HR Interim Services can be purchased from many companies that offer this professional service. It may be something that you think is not required however if you get yourself into a tricky situation (potential employee relations issues) the guidance support and structure given by these companies can prove invaluable. Here are some of the different services that a HR Interim Service may provide you:
- Recruitment – A key to the success of your business is getting the right people employed with the correct skillset. Doing this can be a pretty time-consuming task and if you don’t get the right people employed – trying to manage them out the company can prove to be even more difficult. HR can support with defining specific job role criteria and put you in contact with different credible recruiting avenues. In addition to this, they may even offer support on interviewing packs and tips. When it comes to the job offer stage, they will also support in the set up of a new employee – what is needed in respect to contracts, documents, communications and induction.
- Pay – Although most people have an accountant and bookkeeper that physically does the transactional items around pay the HR involvement on this will be around pay setting. If you have a large company then transparency on pay is important to ensure that you are paying people at the correct level to reward performance but also maintain your current good staff (high turnover of staff again has its own problems). Many companies will ensure that HR give them guidance on the industry standard pay for the job type but also help potentially add incentive and reward programs in the company (this could be things like a bonus for hitting targets or even a voucher for “going that extra mile”. Good pay and reward programs in the company help keep morale high, reduce the risk of high turnover staff but also make staff feel appreciated. If pay negotiations are on the table, HR will help give you the right level of guidance around this to ensure that a fair approach is taken taking into context the positions of the employees but also the specific situation with your business performance and direction.
- Grievance – Sometimes employees will feel aggrieved about an issue and even for small companies it’s important that you have a process around this to make sure their voice is heard and they have the opportunity to raise this with management. The HR team would firstly help you make sure that there is a defined process to do this but if it is used they will be on hand to support you. Unfortunately, grievances can be common in specific job types therefore it is really important that you get professional guidance and support on how to deal with specific items. If this goes wrong, then you could potentially find you or the company in court.
