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Company Growth: 4 Tips To Building An HR Team On A Budget

 

As any small business grows, it may be helpful to start looking at the option of hiring an internal human resources department. Of course, that department may start out as just one person, but eventually you'll be growing that department to several people who will help to maintain the legalities of your internal operations, as well as assist with employee moral, benefits, compensation and internal disagreements. It's an important job all business owners should take seriously. Hiring a whole new department may seem daunting at first, however, it is essential to successful growth. Here are a few tips to help you navigate the world of creating a new human resources department.

 

 

Legalities

One of the primary reasons to hire an effective human resources team is to follow all laws and requirements so you are in compliance. Laws such as the ADA, FMLA and HIPAA are just a few examples of different policies that require an expert in those fields. As you're searching for the right person to run your human resources department, you won't want to skimp out. Take the time to find the right person with an extensive background in all related laws and issues, because failure to follow them will cost you a whole lot more in the long run.

 

Mixing duties

So you realize that you need a qualified HR team, but you can't afford to hire right now. Consider assigning some duties to other departments. For example, your marketing department may be great at helping to maintain employee moral, and your office manager may have experience running policies and employee benefits. If you have your own attorney, they may be the right person to help with legal compliance, at least until you can afford to hire someone internally.

 

Looking at skills

As you're searching through skills for your HR representatives, there are a few things that should be on the top of your list. Of course, that also varies depending on the exact job description of your HR team member. If you're hiring someone to help with employee relations, then you'll look for someone with a lot of empathy as well as an understanding of legal issues and policies, like sexual harassment and discrimination. However, if you're looking for someone to help with recruiting, then you'll be looking for someone with skills in interviewing, documentation and organization.

 

Contracting externally

Depending on your location, there may be some external organizations you can contract to help with human resources duties until you're able to hire someone for an internal position. There are a lot of great companies that help with all the legalities, and many even help take some of the stress of following policy completely off your plate. Do some research to see what is available in your state, and be sure to do plenty of research on each company as well. Look for reviews, and ask to speak with other clients to ensure that you're contracting the very best people possible for this position, as this is not an area you can afford to make any mistakes.

 

 

This article was written by Deborah Flomberg of Examiner.com for CBS Small Business Pulse.

 

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