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When is the right time to hire a HR professional for your business?
Emma Hulbert
Emma Hulbert is Senior Principal Consultant at Lily Shippen Recruitment, a specialist agency for HR, admin and support teams.
Emma covers temporary, contract and permanent recruitment and manages the Virtual Assistant offering. Emma has been with Lily Shippen Recruitment since 2018 and has become the go-to person within the Manchester market, receiving five-star testimonials from clients and candidates. She is passionate about the business support profession and always strives to provide high-level and honest support, going above and beyond.
When is the right time to hire a HR professional for your business?
The Human Resources department of an organisation is a vital function, irrespective of the size of the company. HR is responsible for taking care of a company’s most valuable commodity – its people. They manage the full employee lifecycle, from recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, HR operations, compensation and benefits, payroll, learning and development, to diversity and inclusion. Not only do they ensure that each employee is equipped to perform their day-to-day duties, but they are also responsible for creating healthy and inclusive working environments that support staff, and attract and retain top talent.
In a nutshell, Human Resources plays a key role in the smooth day-to-day running and success of an organisation. If the people in the business are happy, productive, and supported, then they are able to contribute to the overall success of the business.
Many start-ups or smaller businesses typically handle HR themselves or outsource to an external HR provider. However, there will come a point where it is necessary to hire an in-house HR professional or look at building out an HR function. So, how do you know when it is the right time to do this? There are a few tell-tale signs which would indicate that your next hire should be an HR employee.
You are spending more time on HR duties than you can give – On average, 41% of small business owners handle HR themselves, with most spending approximately 18 hours per month on HR-related tasks. If you then throw in handling payroll in-house too, this increases to nearly 40 hours per month. This is not a good use of a business owner’s time, and is taking them away from what they are actually good at – growing their business! Hiring an HR professional will give business owners their precious time back.
You are growing and want to recruit, onboard, develop and retain the best talent on the market – Sourcing, recruiting, onboarding, and retaining employees is a difficult and lengthy process, especially in a remote and hybrid world. In the current, talent short market, you will be up against competitors, and therefore it would be useful to have a trained member of staff in-house who can take this off your hands. In addition, the work doesn’t stop once the new recruit is in place and onboarded! Candidates are, now more than ever, are looking to work for a business where they will be continually developed and where they feel supported and valued. If this isn’t something you can offer, then you are more likely to lose talent to competitors. An HR professional can look at assisting you with anything from putting together a learning and development plan to looking at employee engagement to ensure a higher retention rate of staff.
You’re struggling to maintain legal compliance – Businesses must adhere to employment law practices, and even the most diligent employers can struggle to understand, know and abide by every applicable law in place. An in-house HR employee can help to ensure everything is being handled responsibly, your business remains compliant and you are following best practices.
Company culture is your top priority – It is important for business owners to focus on company culture and instill strong brand values within their teams. Most look to build a working environment and culture that they themselves would want to work in. It is key for business owners to create a culture that unifies and supports everyone to achieve the business goals. A good company culture will also help to attract and retain top talent and set you apart from competitors in the market. In addition to this, company culture can also have a big impact on the success of the business. A positive working environment, feeling supported and heard, and good development and reward opportunities will all contribute to happier, more productive employees and less turnover of staff. Bringing in an HR professional can help you boost morale within the team, increase productivity, support those who are struggling both in and/or outside of work and attract the best talent on the market!
If you are a business owner and looking to hire an HR professional to join your team but don’t know how or where to start, partnering with a specialist HR recruitment agency can help save you time and stress. A specialist HR recruiter will be able to listen to your needs and advise you on exactly what HR role is best for you and your business. They will also be able to provide you with current market intel in relation to salaries, what competitors are offering, and what talent is around. A reputable HR recruitment agency will take the time to learn about you and your business and exactly what you’re looking for in terms of personality and skills fit, to ensure they find the perfect match! In addition to this, they will be able to tap into their large database of high-calibre active and passive candidates and will typically be able to source you better quality candidates than those you would receive through direct applications.
If you would like a conversation about the items raised above and how it can apply to your business please contact:
Emma Hulbert
Senior Principal Consultant
t: 07457 404 820
w: Lily Shippen Recruitment Agency | Admin, Secretarial & HR Staff
LinkedIn: (8) Emma Hulbert | LinkedIn