HR Is More Than Just Personnel – What We Do and How We Do It
Large national and multinational corporations can afford to have an entire department devoted to the ever-complex and growing importance of effective human resources management. The top firms understand that the key to increased productivity, profitability and adaptability in an ever-changing economic climate is the development of a comprehensive, coherent HR strategy.
HR Management Services on Demand can provide that same level of service and support to small and medium-sized businesses throughout Eastern Ontario.
We offer one-time transactional pieces where we can facilitate one hire, or we can do more in-depth, ongoing retained services agreements, whereby we develop a true working partnership with our clients and are able to serve their varied HR needs and challenges on a scheduled and/or on demand basis. We devise custom HR solutions and programs based on the individual needs and resources of each client, and work to build an open, mutually beneficial and positive working relationship.
Our Suite of Services Includes
Creation of an HR infrastructure for new or existing firms, including the development of job descriptions, policies and procedures
Sourcing, selection, recruitment and retention of employees
Employee performance appraisal, development of disciplinary/remediation procedures and advancement plans
Facilitation of termination procedures, ensuring all legal requirements are met
Strategic short, medium and long-term HR planning, including succession planning
Compliance with current government regulations and codes
The go-to source for dealing with any Human Rights Code investigations
A Solid Foundation – The Value of A Comprehensive Human Resources Strategy
Entrepreneurs are wonderful people who invest a lot of time, energy and money into opening and growing their business. But, like anything you build, if there isn’t a solid foundation, serious problems will arise and those small cracks could escalate and bring the whole structure crumbling down. Part of that solid foundation is developing the human resources infrastructure. Hiring the right people is crucial, but you need to have the building blocks to keep them performing at their best in place first.
This includes the creation of sound employment contracts, developing good workplace practices and procedures (aka policies), creating accurate and workable job descriptions and being intimately familiar with the various and ever-growing suite of government regulations governing various aspects of any workplace.
Just as most companies now have IT (information technology) specialists, HR has become an equally intricate, ever-changing and growing component of business, and it too requires specialized skills, experience and savvy.
That’s where HR Management Services on Demand Comes in.
Top 5 HR Missteps
‘The internet has all the HR info I will need:’ There is a lot of online information regarding HR rules, regulations and protocols, but it is often incomplete and incomprehensible to those not trained or experienced in HR. Relying on your own resources and online research usually creates more HR problems than it solves.
Hiring without proper job descriptions and/or employee contracts: If you don’t exactly know the role and expectations of a new hire, how will your new employee know what their job is, what your expectations are of them, and the parameters for discipline, advancement or training? This leads to a more stressful work environment for all, strained employee/employer relations and lowered productivity overall.
Waiting until there is a serious problem before developing a comprehensive HR strategy: Unfortunately, our first introduction to most of our clients comes when they are desperately seeking help to put out an HR brushfire. We can do that, but then it’s important to sit down with us and develop a proper HR infrastructure.
Poor communication skills when dealing with HR issues: If you are not the ‘warm and fuzzy’ type, but more the ‘strong silent type’ it will be incredibly difficult to deal with some of the sensitive situations or issues that may arise at your workplace. In an age where there is rightfully heightened vigilance over sexual harassment, violence in the workplace and Human Rights violations, it is crucial to have someone with not only the expertise, but the tact and sensitivity to facilitate such issues as they arise.
Thinking you don’t need professional HR help at all: Even if you are very resourceful and can stay more or less on top of all the HR trends, rules and best practices, the amount of time and energy you as the entrepreneur or senior manager spend on HR issues is substantial, and will take away from the time and energy you spend growing your business.
How We Operate – Building a True Partnership
In most instances, we are brought in at a moment of crisis for a company. We respond quickly to set up a face to face meeting with business owners or senior management to triage the problem, learn as much as we can about the business and begin to develop a workable, effective and efficient solution to the immediate problem. Like a firefighting team, we extinguish the blaze, but then we work to develop the infrastructure, procedures and protocols to prevent similar ‘fires’ from breaking out again .
Most of what we do when we are brought on as partners on retainer is preventative, positive and constructive. We spend a lot of time with ownership and senior management to truly understand all aspects of their business. It is nearly impossible to offer any kind of effective solution or develop the appropriate HR infrastructure if you don’t know what the company does, how it works, what its goals are and the actual work that their employees do.
We work with a carefully-chosen group of experienced, successful partners to help administer our services. These include:
Employment and Human Rights lawyers
Employee Benefits specialists
Leadership Development and Organization Change specialists
Health & Safety specialists
These individuals share the same level of professionalism, approachability, commitment to our clients and their employees that our clients have come to expect from us.
In The Office – Why It’s Important to Also Serve Employees
We are a resource for the entire company, not just the ‘bosses.’ We work with everyone in the organization to ensure there is cohesion, clear communication between all parties, an understanding of expectations, goals and needs.
Employees need to know they can contact us; that they can trust us, and that’s because we have worked hard to build relationships with them, to understand their jobs, their challenges and their own career goals. We strive to build credibility and trust with all employees so they feel welcome to approach us, knowing that their concerns and communications will be held in the strictest of confidence.
Whether it’s personal issues, possible conflict with co-workers, a desire for advancement, or concerns that certain workplace polices or government regulations are being violated, we will act as the voice of the employees and a compassionate, objective advocate.
We want to be in the office talking to the staff, no matter their function or level of seniority. We know that when the employees know they have policies and procedures in place, when their job descriptions are relevant and empowering and when the company’s goals and expectations are clearly communicated to them, they will be more productive, more responsive to change, more excited and energized about their jobs – and that’s good for the bottom line.
Contact Ann Rhodes by phone at 613.540.1123 or
email at info@hr-ondemand.ca