You just learned that your HR Director needs surgery and will be out of commission for 12 weeks starting tomorrow or your HR Business Partner turned in her resignation and with a two-week notice there is no time to hire and train a replacement before she leaves.
Don’t stress! An interim HR director can step in and provide your team with the assistance and guidance you need. When you reach out to a company like Helios HR for help, we will discuss a few things up front:
Do you need us to start next week, next month or yesterday?
While we can’t guarantee 100% of the time, we can have someone start within 24 hours, we have been known to make that happen. We do, however, find it much easier to plan if we have a couple of days or weeks’ notice.
Under ideal circumstances, an overlap between your staff and the Helios HR leader provides virtually no disruption in Human Resources services to your employee population. Helios can quickly get up to speed about the current priorities for your HR Department or learn the processes that need to be maintained. If there is no time for a transition, we will jump in and keep programs and processes moving forward. All the while, minimizing any service disruption to your employees’ experience.
You might be wondering how we can respond so quickly. (And I think it’s important to clarify that we aren’t a temporary staffing firm, and our consultants are not 1099 independent contractors, they are true Helios HR W2 employees who stay on our payroll.) We can respond quickly primarily because of the size of our firm. We are small enough that we are nimble and flexible, yet large enough that we have enough team members to take on additional work.
What does your HR position look like today?
An interim HR consulting engagement can provide support for any aspect of Human Resources from Department Head to Recruiter to Benefits Administrator. With the average Helios employee having more than 15 years of HR experience, we have the talent to meet your needs.
From strategic leadership to operational management, to foundational administration, we can step in at any given moment and pick up where your ex-colleague left off. Our clients love that they don’t have to worry about our depth or capability, knowing they are partnering with certified, seasoned HR and Recruiting professionals from a reputable brand.
Once we have identified your HR need and get an idea of your culture, we will introduce a Team Leader. We ensure that we match the best fit in terms of expertise and cultural alignment with your organization’s needs. Our Team Leaders have a wealth of HR knowledge and can provide a variety of options related to recommended skill mix, time needed to keep your HR function running smoothly, and interim HR consulting support models.
How we determine the right interim HR consulting support level
The minimum level of support we provide for our interim HR consulting engagements is ten hours per week. That is usually one day a week onsite and a few hours remotely throughout the week to answer questions, provide support, finish projects, etc. We generally do not commit to a full-time, 40-hour work week with one dedicated consultant. If you need that level of support, we will do so as a team approach, which is a great value add to your HR department.
You decide if you want the HR leader to be onsite at your location, work remotely or a combination of both. We will make a recommendation on how many days/hours is the right mix based on the type of HR service you need and your business priorities. Your business needs will also drive the length of time our HR consultant is available to your organization. An interim HR consulting engagement can be for as short as 2 months or as long as 12 months and beyond (we just start to call it something different once you decide to stick around with us for a while!)
So what’s the cost for an Interim HR Consulting engagement?
Helios HR’s interim HR consulting engagements are charged on an hourly fee basis determined by the level of experience starting from Associate HR Consultant to Senior HR Consultant. Each engagement includes oversight by a Team Leader to ensure delivery success and quality outcomes.
How we will work together
As soon as the details of the assignment are determined and the contract agreement is signed, a Helios HR leader will come to your locale and begin working with your current staff (should this alternative be available) to learn the software systems in place, the responsibilities that need to be maintained and the programs that need to be launched or implemented. If a transition period is not available, the Helios HR leader will quickly research and identify the internal resources with knowledge of the HR function and begin work to ensure HR services are provided to your employee population. Each Helios HR leader has significant experience working on interim HR consulting engagements where there is a transition period as well as where there is an immediate vacancy of HR skills.
Each week, you will be provided written updates giving you an overview of the accomplishments by the Helios HR leader so that you are always informed about our progress and current priorities. And while you will likely work with just one dedicated HR leader, you will also have the reach back of the entire Helios HR team for specific expertise, advice, and counsel.
Ready for next steps?
If you have made it through this article and haven’t already called us, what are you waiting for? Let’s talk about your HR vacancy and determine if we may be a good solution for one another. I’ll be honest, we aren’t the perfect fit for everyone, but if your organization is looking for top-notch HR professionals that you can trust and rely on, we may just be the right partner for you.
One last note, if you are not sure if interim HR consulting is the right solution, but you need a great HR leader for your organization, you should know that we specialize in HR placements. Helios would be happy to explore if we could be successful in a search for your next HR leader.
Book a no-obligation consultation call today!
