How Do I Engage an HR Consultant?

HR is one of the most important aspects of running a business and managing a team. Unfortunately, many businesses put establishing a proper HR department and HR needs low on the list when first starting and end up bottlenecked later down the line when they need a proper HR team.

Small and medium-sized businesses engage HR consultants to come into their business and help solve human resources needs, including its people, systems, or processes. When engaging with an HR consultant, you have several different options. Keep reading to learn what they are to help you decide which option is best for your business.

Ways to Engage an HR Consultant

There are three main ways to engage with an outsourced HR consultant:

1. Annual subscription
2. One-off engagement
3. Short contract for a set period

Let’s explore these three methods and determine which one is best for your business needs.

Annual Subscription

In an annual subscription option, an HR consultant partners with you to help you develop custom HR strategies for your company’s HR needs. If you’re at a place where you’re overwhelmed by the amount of staff you have to manage, a human resource annual subscription is for you.

An HR annual subscription gives you access to HR advice and resources at a fraction of the cost of hiring a consultant or employing a new team member.

Services in an annual subscription include:

• HR audits
• HR documents
• On-site support
• HR planning and execution.

Pros and Cons

The main benefits of an annual HR consultant subscription include:

• Access to HR advice when you need it most
• The implementation of long-term improved HR processes
• Verification of HR and legal compliance
• Significant cost and time savings as there’s no need to advertise or employ additional staff.

Although an annual subscription is the best option if you need a robust HR revamp in the workplace, this isn’t the case for all small businesses. If you don’t need extensive resources and are only seeking short-term help or an extra pair of hands, you may not need an annual subscription and would want to opt for a shorter-term solution instead.

One-off HR Support

Do you have an HR problem that you need quickly resolved? Do you just need an extra pair of hands to help manage your HR? If so, then engaging one-off HR support may be the right move for your business.

This service gives you access to expert support and professional advice when you need it. It is an especially good option when you need HR support on short notice.

Services you’ll find in one-off HR consultant support include:

• Creating new, and updating existing, employee contracts
• Setting up basic HR infrastructure
• Developing position description
• Performance management
• Interview support.

Pros and Cons

Here are the top benefits of engaging in one-off HR support:

• Ability to access HR help on short notice
• Only engage with an HR consultant for specific tasks and when you need the support
• Lower costs, as you only pay fixed pricing for particular projects.

Although one-off support is a great option to give you a hand with specific gaps, make sure that you are well aware of the issues you need to solve and that there isn’t anything slipping through the cracks.

If you find that you need to make more improvements to your workplace HR strategy than expected, it might be more cost-effective to choose a longer term option. A longer term option will see your HR consultant engaging more closely with your business to develop the right solutions.

Short Contract

The final HR consultant option is to opt for a short contract; a great compromise between an annual subscription and a one-off option. It’s low commitment but still provides you with an extensive list of services.

This option provides you with the specialised HR support that your business needs. You receive expert support that includes helping develop and update your current HR systems and processes. What’s more is that you’re equipped with what you need for long-term success as well as help to ensure that your processes are compliant.

Pros and Cons

Here are the top benefits of short HR consultant contracts:

• Helps new businesses establish proper HR processes
• Useful for establishing a foundation for your HR systems
• More affordable than an annual subscription.

In general, most businesses can take advantage of this option and see positive outcomes in their HR processes and organisational structure. However, it is tricky to determine whether a short contract is the best option for your business.

It’s easy to underestimate how much HR help you might truly need. Take a close look at your processes and make sure that there aren’t any gaps that an annual subscription would be a better fit for.

HR on Hand: HR Consultant Services

If you’re looking for any of the above three HR consulting service options, you’re in luck. HR on Hand is your one-stop shop for a personalised HR consultant solution that best fits your business needs.

Choose from our three offerings:

• An annual subscription for long-term ongoing support to transform your business’ HR processes, with custom-tailored strategies, for significant cost savings.
• A one-off human resource consulting option for when you simply need an extra pair of hands to advance your HR strategy.
• A unique 3-month HR support package for businesses on a budget who need low-cost, low-commitment HR support.

Conclusion: Choosing the Best HR Consultant

To recap, your three options for HR consultant services are:

1. Annual subscription
2. One-off HR consulting
3. Short term contract

It’s important to understand the state of your current HR system before you figure out which process is right for you and what HR consulting services you need.

HR on Hand offers all three types of HR consultant options and can help you choose the right one to strengthen your business HR operations.

To find out which HR consultant option is right for you, visit our page with our offered services.