You’re thinking about outsourcing certain aspects of your HR provision? This is excellent news! It’s a sure sign of business growth. Expanding your team in this way brings additional resource to service your organisation, but it also brings fresh challenges.
There’s no doubt that such a decision poses plenty of questions. In this post, we’ll try to answer them and help you decide whether it makes sense to outsource.
How do you know when it’s time to outsource?
In a small business, responsibility for Human Resources usually falls to the business owner, a director or other senior member of staff. Managing the employment issues of a small workforce isn’t so time consuming, but once you add in your day-to-day responsibilities, staying on top of everything can be difficult. Equally, if you’re the sole resource for your organisation, you might be struggling to manage every aspect of HR on your own and would benefit from the skill and experience of a seasoned professional in this area.
Either way, as an employer it’s your responsibility to understand your employment law obligations, to have the correct documentation in place, and ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of your people.
A few signs it might be time to outsource:
- Managing HR and employment law is slowing down your productivity in other areas.
- You lack knowledge or skills in particular aspects of HR or health and safety.
- It’s difficult to keep on top of the volume of HR issues that accompany a growing team.
- You’re unsure whether your business is compliant with current employment legislation.
- You haven’t enough time to dedicate to manage people-related projects.
What kind of HR tasks can you outsource?
It’s possible to outsource virtually every aspect of HR support these days – from contracts and documentation to recruitment, training and employment tribunal representation. Thanks to the evolution of HR Software, you can also access an array of HR services online, including the management of employee data, payroll, pensions and benefits.
What’s vital is finding a third party service provider that can provide the consistent level and quality of support you need.
Common concerns
Losing control is one of the most common fears held by business owners. If you’ve been used to managing activity yourself, the best way to allay any such fears is to discuss these with the potential provider.
Other concerns you may have include:
- “We don’t want to lose our local knowledge”
- “An outsourced service won’t be as seamless as our in-house support”
- “It’s hard to find all the skills we’re looking for in one person/business”
- “I don’t trust a third party to manage such an important part of our operation”
Any outsourced provider worth their salt will be able to give you practical examples or case studies that demonstrate how they’ve overcome such reservations previously.
Benefits of outsourcing your HR support
As an outsourced HR, health and safety and employment law provider, it’s our job to address client concerns in our initial discussions.
When you outsource HR support to a company like EML, you gain access to extensive skills, knowledge and experience. The ability to tap into specific expertise in health and safety, employment contracts, employment tribunals and grievances brings a wealth of benefits.
It’s our job to keep up-to-date with changes in employment law so you can focus on growing your business. Outsourcing is an effective way of sourcing skills for a specific project, such as a disciplinary investigation or grievance appeal. In these situations, it’s often better to have an independent person to oversee proceedings.
Whilst clients have a dedicated account manager, our whole team remains up-to-date on projects so any one of us can respond to queries. Our flexibility means you can call us at any time of the day (or night!).
We make a point of getting to know the culture and operation of your business and offer a refreshingly personal and commercially focused approach to dealing with HR and H&S issues. We know our subject inside out, and we’re great listeners.
What to look for in an outsourced HR supplier
- A proven track record in the services you need. Search their website for testimonials and case studies, and if you can’t find relevant material, ask!
- A practical, up-to-date knowledge of HR, health and safety, and employment law
- Value for money
- Honesty and integrity
- People who complement the skills in your team, but will challenge where appropriate.
Once you find a provider you trust, you should feel confident about outsourcing. Sourcing the right HR support is essential for building a happy, productive and engaged team. It should also enhance your ability to retain talent within your organisation.
Outsourcing HR support can be a daunting task, but when you find the right supplier, any fears should be put to rest. On this note, if you’re thinking of outsourcing your HR or Health and Safety support, or you need an additional pair of hands on an upcoming project, please contact our team for a no-obligation chat.