When your small business takes off, it’s an amazing feeling. You’ve got more customers, more revenue, and your dreams are one step closer.
But growth can also be a headache. You’ll need a team to help you grow, which means that you have to invest in recruitment, onboarding, and creating a superb employee experience. HR for small business is hard enough. It gets much harder when your company starts to take off.
The transition from small business to mid-size enterprise is one of the most important moments in your success story. The right HR support can help you keep you on the path to growth.
5 signs that you’ve outgrown HR for small business
At some point in your growth journey, you will need dedicated HR support to look after your team. But how do you know when it’s time?
The size of your team is one indicator. Once you employ over 50 people, you become subject to certain employment laws like Family and Medical Leave Allowance. This can lead to additional HR-related overhead, for which you’ll require a qualified HR consultant.
There are also some other signs, such as:
- You’re not involved in each hiring decision. Small business owners usually hand-pick each team member. As the team grows, you may have to delegate your hiring process to your trusted managers and your HR team.
- You’re providing a menu of benefit options. You will need to offer an expanding list Total Rewards to appeal to your growing team. Eventually, you’ll need someone to manage these rewards and the enrolment process.
- You need to bring in specialist staff. Need to bring in highly skilled employees or specialists? If so, you'll find the recruitment market is extremely competitive. You will need an expert who can optimize your hiring process and connect you with candidates.
- You have a multi-location business. If your business is split across multiple locations, you might find it hard to apply policies consistently. An HR expert can help maintain your culture throughout the whole organization.
- Your team is unhappy (or leaving). If people are unhappy—or resigning—it could indicate that there's a problem in the employee experience. You'll need an HR expert to d0iganose and
If you notice any of these issues, then it’s probably time to upgrade your HR function. The question is, should you hire a full-time human resources team or outsource your HR for small business needs?
5 advantages of outsourced HR for small business
Building an in-house HR team is generally a good idea. But it’s not always the best option for companies that are in a growth phase, especially if you’re moving from a small business to a mid-size enterprise.
During growth, it might be better to look at an outsourcing option. HR for small business consultants can offer the following advantages:
1. Immediate start
Building an HR team takes time and money. You’ll need to hire qualified people, onboard and train them, and integrate them into your structure. When you need to scale up your HR team, that requires investment.
HR Outsourcing allows you to skip this hiring process. If you find a trusted HR partner, they will provide you with a skilled HR consultant who is ready to get to work on day one. This can be important if you need to tackle urgent HR issues.
2. Expert knowledge of compliance
Compliance is one of the biggest problems for any business. As an employer, you have to follow a complex set of local, state, and federal regulations. Breaking any of these rules—or failing to keep adequate records—can lead to fines and penalties.
Experienced HR consultants will have an in-depth knowledge of all applicable laws. They will help you understand which rules apply to you and how to document your processes. If your consultant is part of a larger HR outsourcing firm, then they can call on their firm’s legal team for advice on tricky compliance questions.
3. Greater pool of candidates
The recruitment marketplace is highly competitive, especially for hard-to-fill positions. Your advert on a job site isn’t enough. You need an expert who can connect you to potential candidates. Often, this means working with a recruitment agency.
An HR consultant can also help. They know the job market, so they can tell you exactly how to get your message out there to potential candidates. Plus, an HR consultant will do something that recruitment agents can’t—your HR consultant will help you optimize your recruitment process to secure your ideal hire better.
4. Choice of support level
HR consultants usually offer different levels of support, depending on your needs. These levels are:
- Foundational: Basic day-to-day HR admin tasks, including payroll and responding to employee requests
- Operational: More complex HR management processes, including recruitment, benefits administration, and dispute resolution
- Strategic: HR Director-level support, which can include designing your HR processes and setting up HRIS systems
Your HR outsourcing partner should be able to talk you through the options available and identify the solution that’s best for you.
5. Scale as you grow
Your HR needs might vary over time. For instance, say you decide you’re going to open a new branch. You’ll need a lot of HR support to help you hire the new team, onboard them, and get them all set up on payroll.
With HR outsourcing, you can bring in some experienced HR people to get you through this challenge. They’ll support you for the term of the contract, and then you can scale your HR team back down. This kind of flexibility is ideal for a company in the early stages of growth.
Getting started with outsourcing HR for small business
When your small business starts to grow, HR becomes vital. You need someone who can help you engage and retain your growing team, and create an outstanding employee experience.
Outsourcing is a great solution, especially when you’re starting to become a mid-size enterprise. A trusted HR outsourcing partner will help you navigate through the growth phase and prepare for the next stage in your journey.
Want to learn more about outsourcing HR? Book a no-obligation call with a Helios HR consultant today.
