Think back to when you decided to start your own business, we’re guessing HR wasn’t one of the areas that you gave much thought to. Unless that is of course you were an HR Consultant starting an HR business!
Your businesses is constantly evolving, growing, moving in ways that you could have never predicted when you first started out. With every exciting new change, staff member and restructure there are more and more considerations. Holidays to cover, absences to manage and more people issues to handle.
At some point, dealing with people issues will need more specialist knowledge and you might ask yourself “do I need some HR support?’. (The answer by the way is yes). Probably not in house and not full time but definitely a presence. Maybe in the shape of, hmmmm, I don’t know, someone like us, an external HR Consultant.
So, how do you choose the right one for your business?
What Are Your Challenges?
Before you go ahead and start googling HR Consultants you should ask yourself some questions first. Take some time to think about what your business challenges are right now. Are you struggling to retain good people, or is finding the right people a problem? Have your customer service levels dipped? Are your team making decisions you’re unhappy about? Take a long and honest look at your business and identify any conversations you’ve been having too many of (or that you’ve been avoiding), and you’ll start to see where you can use support. Whatever your challenges, a good HR consultant will help you explore your needs long before they get anywhere near suggesting solutions.
What level of service do you need?
Do you want to have a dedicated consultant who gets to know you and your business? Will you be happy ringing a call centre where the next available operator takes on your query? Do you want a Consultant who will come out to your premises when needed? Are you happy with a remote phone support service only? How quickly will you get a response? Ensure the HR Consultant you choose really provides the services that matches your expectations.
Choose Values, Not Just Technical Know-How
There’s a lot of value placed on technical skill, both for employees and consultants, but the biggest challenges business owners usually face are about behaviour differences, values and characteristics. You might have spent a lot of time working on your company culture, and the last thing you want is to bring in a consultant who is going to work against that. So when you’re shortlisting HR consultants, take a look at their values. Do they practice what they preach? Are they aligned with your company? Will they represent your values in the same way when working on your behalf? Of course, they might not share all of the same values as you, but finding someone who you feel aligned with is half the battle.
Get Some Recommendations
Before you set up any meetings with prospective HR consultants, take some time to look them up online and check their reviews. Look on their website, on Google and anywhere else you might find reviews to see what people say about them. After all, they’re always going to say they’re great, they want your business. In the age of digital selling, it’s all too easy to make promises you can’t deliver on, and since you’re not an HR expert you can’t be sure what to look for. On top of looking for reviews online, and we feel far more valuable would be to ask around your contacts, the people you trust, and find out who they would recommend. You’ll get real, honest opinions and examples of challenges where the HR Consultant has contributed positively to the ongoing growth and success of the business and it’s employees.
Ask The Right Questions
When you’re in front of potential HR consultants and chatting about how they work, make sure you ask a lot of questions. More specifically, ask them how they handle queries or issues, what their processes are, and even for examples of how they work with other clients. Most importantly, ask them how they plan to get to know you and your team so that they can tailor their service to you. HR is a fluid sector, things change all the time, and new challenges come up every day. A good HR company needs to be able to adapt to anything you throw at them, and do it with a good level of service. On top of all that, you should also find out what their capacity is like and what they’re able to dedicate to supporting you, so that you know what to expect.
There’s a lot to think about when you’re deciding on any service provider, let alone something as sensitive as HR. There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution, and you really need to find a consultant or company you feel an affinity with. So do your research, meet lots of different HR companies, and make your choice based on a lot of information, reviews and a healthy dose of gut feel.
If you’d like to know more about how we work at vivoHR, or ask us any of the questions above, just give us a call and we’d be happy to help.