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01798 890 021In the next blog in our series around working with outsourced HR consultants, we look at some of the most common issues an outsourced HR consultant may be able to help you with. You can read our previous blogs around the reasons to consider working with an outsourced HR team here, and key questions to ask before you bring a team on board here.
From navigating and simplifying complex legal frameworks (and regular legislation changes) to fostering a thriving workplace culture and finding and keeping the right people, the HR demands on businesses can often feel daunting. With so much to stay on top of, alongside growing the business and delivering key services, it’s common for business owners to feel overwhelmed and not know where to begin! And that’s OK, it’s not your area of expertise.
This is where an outsourced team of HR consultants and professionals can step in, offering expertise and support to tackle these challenges head-on to let you get on with focusing on running your business. Whether you’d like a full HR management approach to take care of all of your HR business needs, a project or problem-solving approach focusing on a key area, or a pay as you go sounding board that gives good advice and counsel when needed, the right support is available to you.
So, let’s take a look at some of the most common areas that HR consultants / an outsourced HR team can provide expert support and guidance with:
1) Ensuring Compliance with HR Laws, Regulations and Best Practice – Staying compliant with employment laws and regulations is an absolute non-negotiable for businesses – well, unless of course you are happy for it to cost you money and become a risk to your business. With regular changes and updates to these regulations, it can be pretty challenging to stay on top of this with so much else to do. Outsourced HR consultants and consultancies specialise in interpreting and implementing these regulations, ensuring that businesses understand how to operate within the correct legal boundaries. This also mitigates the very real risks that are associated with not properly following the law which could result in ending up in a costly employment tribunal.
2) Support with Recruitment and Talent Acquisition – Attracting, finding and retaining the right people is hugely important for all businesses. And according to industry experts, Blanchard, it is more challenging than ever now to find the right people. Outsourced HR consultants are incredibly well connected. They can provide support in this area by leveraging their extensive networks, as well as their specialist expertise to streamline the recruitment process, from creating well-structured adverts and job descriptions to conducting rigorous candidate interviews and screenings.
3) Employee Training and Ongoing Development – Once you’ve recruited the right people on board, investing in their continued growth and development is key to maintaining a skilled workforce, ensuring that your business goes from strength to strength. Outsourced HR consultants can help businesses identify skills gaps, design training programmes and facilitate professional growth opportunities to enhance employee performance and satisfaction. They can also help you reclaim back the cost of training if someone leaves shortly afterwards through Training Agreements to protect your investment.
4) Performance Management – Setting clear performance standards and providing constructive feedback to your team are two essential components of an effective performance management strategy. It can often take time to build momentum and trust, but HR consultants can help businesses fast-track this process and optimise employee productivity and engagement, by encouraging clarity around vision, values, roles and expectations, and implementing proven performance management systems and strategies. Helping employees back into work and keeping them at work when times get difficult or they are unwell is also important.
5) Employee Compensation and Benefits Management – Developing a competitive salary and benefits package is a delicate balancing act. There are several important things to consider with this, in order to create a total reward package that attracts and retains the right people for your business. Your people need a fair wage that matches up to the rising costs of living, and at the same time, you need to keep an eye on profit margins and your cost to income ratio. To support with this, HR consultants can conduct a comprehensive market analysis and design compensation packages that align with your business values, objectives and team expectations.
6) Employee Retention – In today’s fast-paced world, retaining your people can be a continuous challenge for many businesses. Outsourced HR consultants can support you with this, from delving into the root causes of employee turnover to implementing retention strategies that address issues such as workplace culture, career development, and managerial effectiveness. It’s incredibly important to have an employee wellbeing strategy and plan to support a healthy working environment, something an outsourced HR Consultant can support you to develop.
7) Managing Employee Conduct and Misconduct – Managing staff conduct can often take up a significant amount of time and energy. Resolving conflicts, addressing misconduct and managing staff underperformance are delicate tasks, requiring tact and diplomacy. This is where an outsourced HR consultant can be a trusted partner in the process, offering impartial guidance and intervention strategies to mitigate workplace disputes, without getting too involved with the internal politics, whilst maintaining a positive culture. Fair and appropriate exits are just as important as careful and thorough recruitment.
8) Leadership Development – For many businesses, identifying and nurturing future leaders is critical for their long-term organisational success. An outsourced HR consultancy can support you with this, by helping you to identify individuals in your organisation with high potential, develop leadership programmes and provide coaching, mentoring and training to inspire emerging leaders.
9) Day-to-Day HR Admin – An outsourced HR consultant will have worked with many clients and had access to many frameworks, HR information management systems, customer relationship management systems, and processes and procedures making it quick and easy to set up systems and ways of managing your day-to day HR admin with ease.
These are the most common areas where HR consultants can be of most service. It is by no means an exhaustive list, and each business will naturally have its own unique needs and issues that must be addressed.
By partnering with an outsourced HR consultancy, businesses can gain access to a wealth of expert knowledge across a range of HR topics, along with tailored solutions to address their own unique needs. It is a fantastic solution to navigating through the breadth and depth of issues that crop up for businesses around HR, but without the need for a full-time HR Manager or Director salary and on-costs.
If you’ve been struggling to manage the HR requirements in your business, we hope this has helped you to envisage how working with a team of outsourced HR consultants could work for you. Here at Metro HR, we pride ourselves on offering a range of flexible solutions for businesses of all sizes and across all sectors. Whether it’s navigating a legal issue, optimising your recruitment processes or ensuring the continued development of your staff, we’re here to support you every step of the way, we’ve got your back on all things HR.
If you’re ready to explore how Metro HR can support you, we invite you to book in for a complimentary 30-minute consultation with us. During the call, we’ll delve into how you’re currently managing HR in your business, listen to what you’re finding most challenging, and then identify some tailored solutions that align with your business goals. There’ll also be time for you to ask any questions you have about the process of working with us.
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