Deciding whether HR support is right for you and your business is mostly an easy and obvious decision, but deciding who or which consulting firm to hire is the complicated part of the process. You should examine each option thoroughly and ensure that the firm you will work with can deliver the results you expect.
Coming up with the final decision on who you will work with might seem hard, so here are five steps that you can follow to find the right HR support for your business.
STEP 1. Know Your Needs
It is important that you get to know first the services you need to outsource to these HR firms as some firms are more expert in specific HR services than others.
You might need to outsource only one or two services. For instance, you want to hire a firm to recruit your new employees and have them handle performance management as well. It would be best to get these two services from the same company, so you would only need to speak with one organization rather than two.
If you have a start-up company, it is possible not to have an in-house HR staff yet. However, you can also hire a firm to stand as your whole HR department and be responsible for all needed tasks.
STEP 2. Set Your Budget
Once you know the services you want to outsource, you need to identify your budget range. By knowing this, you can already determine what firms you could consider for your needs that are also within your budget.
This is also one of the things that will be asked to you by the firms that you will be speaking with when you inquire about their products or services. Knowing how much your budget is can help them tailor their packages for you.
Make sure your budget is realistic and reasonable to the number of tasks or services you are looking to outsource. Try to get some ideas from people who know the standard pricing with these kinds of services. Compare it to the amount that your company might spend if the tasks are done in-house instead.
STEP 3. Do a Thorough Research
Do initial research about the HR firms that can provide your needs. Check available reviews about their services to get an overview of how they work with their clients.
See how wide the services that they are currently offering. This will be useful in the future as you may need to outsource more services. Working with a company that could cater to your current or future needs is a good baseline in determining if they are the right firm for you.
You may also join HR network groups to be in close touch with the HR professionals and firms in the field. You can learn a lot in these groups and get some feedback about the firms you are interested in from other business owners who might have already worked with those firms.
STEP 4. Ask for a Plan of Actions
Once you have shortlisted the firms you are considering for your business, start contacting them and enquiring about their services. Let them know what you are looking for, time frame, budget, and other important information they need to know.
Once you have discussed your plan and timeline with them, you may ask if they can prepare an action plan for your business to see if they understand your requirements and the business itself. You will also see here if they can handle the project or not.
STEP 5. Check Their Trustworthiness
You can ask the firms themselves for referrals from clients who have worked and are working with them right now to get direct feedback. Through this, you’ll get a better idea of how they work with their clients.
They’ll gladly give you referrals most of the time, as this is normal for most of their new clients. But if they refuse to provide referrals without any valid reason, take this as a red flag that you should be aware of as they might not have a good relationship with their other clients.
At the end of the day…
Make sure you take note of all of your findings of the firms that you talked with. This information will give you a clear picture of who you should pick to work with.
The services and packages of most firms are almost identical, so checking their work ethics and how they deal with their clients should be a significant point in your background checks. It is not just them getting the job done. They should also deliver the results in the most efficient way possible and maintain excellent communication with your company at all times.
