List of HR Services

It’s not easy being a jack-of-all-trades when you run a small business. There’s a lot to know, and a lot to keep track of, and it gets even more difficult as you grow. One of the complicated—and sometimes difficult to navigate—parts of running a small business is human resources. It matters from the top to the bottom, and might be a much more intricate part of your business than you even know. While accounting services mostly deal with numbers, human resources includes nearly every interaction with your most valuable resource: the people you hire.

Thinking about your employees and workforce, you may have a lot of questions: do small businesses need HR? What does HR do in a small business? And can you handle it yourself, or do small companies outsource HR?

We can take a step back from all of those questions and make the question simpler: what are HR services? Because no matter the size of your business, your people matter.

HR for Small Businesses

Your HR program, no matter the size of your business, should provide a basic foundation for the rest of your business. And more importantly, there are a number of benefits that come from your human resources policies: a clearly defined employee experience which leads to better retention, a culture that’s easy to see, and a reduction in employer liability.

Otherwise, the number of HR services a small business can benefit from are extensive. Let’s look at a list of HR services.

Compliance

Compliance may be the core of what every small business needs. It includes all of the basic HR functions necessary to have employees and treat them correctly. Consider things like I9 compliance, labor law postings, employee handbooks detailing expectations and regulations for the business, the creation and review of the policies found in those handbooks, and more.

Employee Administration

Small business owners rarely have enough time to run the business, let alone make sure that the tedious tasks related to employee paperwork are addressed. An outsourced HR company will provide employee administration as a service, including things like onboarding, employee updates, information requests, and employee investigations as necessary.

Compensation & Benefits

To retain employees, they need to be fairly compensated. That doesn’t just mean being paid, but paid fairly for their talents and job duties. More than that, an HR service can help determine benefits to offer as well. Fair pay and benefits are both key elements in decreasing turnover—which is a very hard cost for small businesses.

Talent Acquisition

There’s a saying in business: “good help is hard to find.” That may or may not be true, but when you’re busy running a business, it may be difficult to find the right someone to help. Some HR companies will specialize in identifying and hiring the correct people to fit the needs of your job. And, once candidates are identified and hired, an outsourced HR consultant can educate the new employees on your business and ensure they are successfully and efficiently onboarded.

Performance Management

After your employees are up and running, ideally they’ll perform to high standards. Performance management can help keep them working well, meeting goals, and ensure both of you are satisfied with their work. HR companies can provide training for managers, help develop the performance management strategy that works best for your team, and manage performance reviews so that employees receive regular, consistent, and helpful feedback.

Employee Engagement

Employees need to feel like they’re part of something bigger, but also that they’re more than just a cog in the machine. After all, a Hubspot study found that 69% of employees say they’d work harder if they felt more appreciated by their employers. Employees who understand and relate to the company mission, and can see how their role positively impacts the organization, are more likely to feel satisfied and engaged in their work. It’s your role as a business owner to help your team feel connected and engaged in their roles. An outsourced HR company can help identify areas where you can best engage your workers and keep them happy and connected to the company vision.

Lifecycle Development

The Employee Lifecycle refers to an employee’s time spent with an individual business. From a candidate’s initial experience with your company to the day you eventually part ways, there are plenty of opportunities for growth—on both sides. Employees that grow within your company are extremely valuable, and with the insight they provide into your own employee experience, you can create an environment that cultivates a thriving, high performing team. .

Rewards & Recognition

You want your employees to feel valued. That goes beyond fair compensation, benefits, and a pat on the back for a job well done. Other things, like rewards and incentives, go above and beyond. And it doesn’t have to be just a gift card. An outsourced HR company can help you develop recognition programs that are unique to your business and impactful to your team.

Payroll

There is absolutely no room for error when you’re paying your employees. It has to be on time and accurate—workers expect nothing less, and it’s one simple way to retain your most valuable asset. From salaried employees to hourly ones, plus taxes and other withholdings, a well-established HR company should be able to handle payroll.

Do you want to provide a wide array of HR services to your employees, increase your retention, and reduce your employer liability? Contact Milestone today. Our experts in human resources focus on you and your business, providing a customized approach that addresses opportunities for growth while building on your company’s strengths.