Can’t hire a full time HR professional? Need one?

It is fairly common for small to mid-sized organizations to call upon us to set up human resource programs and policies, as well as provide customized training and coaching.

For one such company, a small, highly entrepreneurial direct-to-consumer e-commerce enterprise, we conducted an initial needs assessment, and then, based on the client’s needs, assigned a member of our team to be their dedicated consultant for the next year.

What followed was the implementation of a pay for performance system coupled with performance appraisal and performance improvement policies; a complete and current employee handbook; a complete set of job descriptions for all employees; an employee awards program; town hall meetings for all employees to explain the new policies; training programs that included supervisory/delegation skills, interviewing/selection, sexual harassment and other topics; and executive coaching for an employee whose job was previously ill-defined and problematic.

Since the company’s size did not justify a full time Human Resource professional, we mentored a member of the management team throughout the year to take over day-to-day HR activities. Our consultant is now an on-call resource for the company to help deal with individual situations that require expertise in areas such as compliance.

We are proud of the feedback we received from our client. The President of the company told us that his organization is better off because of our assistance, that we have contributed to more effective management of their employees, and that the future growth of the organization will carry our imprint forward.

What’s your HR outsourcing story?