by Julianne Mercer, Negosentro.com | Most enterprises today outsource their HR functions to professionals with the capacity to help them meet their objectives. As enterprises grow, it gets increasingly challenging for entrepreneurs to handle all the paperwork, emails, and staff matters. The decision to hire a company for all or part of your HR functions can be an overwhelming one. For one, it is a crowded marketplace with numerous firms which include recognizable brands and startups. And the ever changing technological systems also have an effect on their operations. Before you put your trust in an HR solution, make sure that you perform due diligence check on the firms that you are considering. Here is a comprehensive guide that will help you single out an HR company that’s right for your business.
Nature of Services
The idea of outsourcing HR functions involves having a company at hand that you can call when your business hits a problem that can’t be handled internally. The most important aspect of the selection process is finding professionals whose services meet your needs. Choose a reputable firm and ensure that when they say they are ‘just a phone call away”, they mean exactly that. You want to be assured that in the event of an emergency, you won’t be redirected to an admin person or a call center, but you can get straight through to a professional consultant.
Additionally, go for a company that offers a broad range of services. Besides employment law, you need one that can provide other services such as recruitment, training, retirement planning, risk management, and health and safety. These are critical areas in human resource management that can significantly impact your enterprise, and professional consultants should handle them.
Specialized Experience
Whether you are looking for a recognized brand or a startup, working with a credible firm that has experienced professionals is critical for your business. This applies in particular if you are running a small business. Companies that are just starting out require a team that understands what the enterprise is about and can make a positive contribution towards it.
Find an HR company that has experience in handling businesses of your nature and size in the past. A firm that has never dealt with a startup may not be the ideal choice for your small business. Make sure that they are knowledgeable, credible, and are willing to offer HR services in the long-term as your business grows.
Data Access Resources
Most entrepreneurs and business managers spend most of their time organizing data and only a small proportion of it on value-added analysis. Accurate data is required for strategic planning and efficient forecasting of critical business decisions. For this reason, you need an HR company that can provide instant access to your data and industry information for planning and forecasting purposes.
Real-time access to data can be achieved through the use of specialized HR tools, resources, and technology such as cloud computing. Such resources and technologies are possessed by companies like Allegis Global Solutions, Manpower Group Solutions, Korn Ferry, and Novotus. For example, Korn Ferry compensation and benefits data can help in making projections relating to employee salaries and benefits based on the prevailing inflation rates and industry trends.
Implementation Process
The process of outsourcing human resource functions involves among other things transferring data to the company. The process can be daunting and time-consuming, especially if you are expected to do most if not all of the work. As a manager or entrepreneur, involvement in the data transfer process can stand in the way of other duties or lead to missed deadlines. Before hiring a company, ask how they manage the implementation process and to what extent you will be involved in it. Go with a company that has set up a team to handle the entire process so that your involvement can be minimal.
Follow these guidelines to find a suitable HR company for your business. If possible, get testimonials from current or former clients so that you can have a clear view of the company’s operations. All this will give you peace of mind as you make this critical transition in your business.
