Without a dedicated Human Resources expert in your business, the struggle is always on to find the right people, develop and keep good staff, manage conflict when it arises, and generally keep on top of your HR obligations. In this article, we take you through the three most common HR problems SMEs encounter and give you some advice about what to focus on and how to get it right.
Getting HR right matters
All employers are faced with HR challenges from time to time. But when you are running and growing a small business, you are often forced to juggle too many things at once. With time stretched and other needs and issues competing for your attention – HR could be the ball you drop. But it’s one area of your business that definitely needs expert guidance and support, whether internal or outsourced because people are the life-blood of your organisation.
Finding the right people can be time consuming and expensive. It may take months to go through the advertising, interview and offer process. Recruitment is a massive time commitment that takes you away from other important tasks and projects. And at the end of it all, it can be difficult to know whether you’ve found the right person. Then comes the onboarding and training to get your new employee up to speed and ensure their skills are continually developed in line with your business needs.
HR compliance and conflict management are both about managing risk to your business. Compliance is about meeting all your obligations as an employer under the law. This includes hiring policies, bullying, discrimination and harassment processes, wages and remuneration, holidays, superannuation and other benefits and workplace safety considerations. This isn’t an exhaustive list and even when you feel on top of it all, HR laws are always changing, so staying up to date is a must.
Conflict management is another reality of HR that can be very difficult for some business owners to manage. Many people feel uncomfortable tackling disagreements, dissatisfaction and claims of workplace discord directly. However, it’s vital to deal with issues as they arise competently and comprehensively – and look for ways to minimise the potential for conflict in the future.
We totally get it! As a small business owner, you have so much going on, and you just want to get through your to-do list as efficiently and cheaply as possible. HR can seem like one of those things you can just wing – and it may have worked in the early days when your business was just starting out. But as your business grows and your workforce increases, new complexities and requirements come into play. Getting HR right means setting your employees up for success – and that helps set up your business for success too.
Managing HR risk is also another critical consideration as your business grows. Don’t risk all that you’ve built by missing critical HR rules or inadvertently doing the wrong thing. Your business needs expert HR advice and guidance, especially as you get bigger. This can come in the form of employing a dedicated HR professional or HR team in-house or bringing in an expert HR consultant to support you on an ongoing basis.
We’re here for you when you need us. Our consultants are proven, experienced HR experts ready to work with you and support your business. We can guide you towards an efficient, compliant and effective approach to all your HR needs and solve your HR problems without the lead time and overheads of investing in an in-house resource.
Get in touch for a free 15-minute initial consultation by calling 1300 872 566