Get Resourceful- Human Resources Management for Small Businesses

Companies like yours don’t always have the time or money to invest in a Human Resources (HR) unit. In fact, some small companies will hire an Office Manager who serves as the administrator of all office and personnel. Does that mean that your company is at a disadvantage? Not at all. Here are some helpful strategies to help shape your Human Resources presence without creating a full department.

• Recruiting. Invest in a premium account at www.linkedin.com and have a world of talent at your finger tips. There will be plenty of hungry job seekers to fill your appetite. Get adventurous and attempt a little head hunting if you believe you’ve found an interesting candidate. Reach out to the individual and start the conversation. (Bonus: Money saved on hiring a recruiting agency.)
• Training and Development. You’ve got three employees who’ve been with you since the dawn of time and there isn’t much more for them to learn. Do yourself a succession planning favor and have these individuals create job manuals of their positions. When they leave or retire you’ll have the training information available for the next person. Consider slicing up job duties to create a job share rotation for each of the individuals to learn about another function of the company. You might just discover untapped talent.
• Benefits. Every company’s worst nightmare. Right? Be resourceful. If your company can’t fund a health plan, then consider having a one page sheet filled with information about affordable options in the area, complete with contact information.
  Wellness is a huge topic in the arena of benefits. And your company should be no exception. Start up an office challenge (no obligation) to see who can eat the most vegetables or gather the most exercise minutes in the week.
• Compensation. Even larger companies can struggle with this area. There are some great websites that talk about the fair market value of a particular position. Tap into these resources to benchmark how your company pays compared to similar employers. It would be too bad to lose a great employee to the place down the street over a few thousand dollars.
• Staffing. Are your employees engaged and productive? Or are they bidding their time until they find something better. Ask them; send out an anonymous, confidential survey looking for feedback on what employees think of their job. If you have the environment where this can be a topic of conversation at the next office meeting, go for it.

Your company should have a HR strategy, even if you don’t have a defined HR department. Attracting and retaining top talent is a challenge every company faces. Benefits, staffing, and compensation areas of HR all aid in finding a solution to this challenge. With the availability of helpful resources online, definitely reach out through your networks to benchmark your company with other practices in your industry.

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