Entrepreneurs and startup CEOs are notorious for being a “jack of all trades,” adept at solving many different types of problems while keeping the company vision in mind. However, while they may shoulder the ultimate responsibility for functions within the company, that doesn’t mean they should be performing all of those functions. HR, or human resources, is one of those functions best left to an HR expert or, in the early days, fall under the broader category of ‘Operations.’
When your business is young or small, you may be tempted to perform the HR functions yourself. There are several good reasons why this is a bad idea: one being you need to have a reporting layer between you and your employees to secure employee confidence and confidentiality and to avoid certain legal issues. If you aren’t yet at a stage where you can afford a full-time HR manager, a highly qualified HR consultant can fit the bill in the interim. At Fusion Forest, we help companies of all sizes manage their HR functions so CEOs can focus on managing their business.
HR’s necessary evolution
Once upon a time, HR managed payroll, vacation time, sick leave, and very little else. Now they navigate changing employment laws, develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and goals, plan and implement employee training, foster positive employee relations for increased employee retention, and attend to other functions that reflect a diverse and evolving society.
In many companies, HR also works closely with the Information Technology (IT) department or staff on ensuring that cybersecurity policies are understood and strictly followed. Don’t assume that because your business is small, it flies under the radar of cybercriminals; on the contrary, small businesses are attractive targets because criminals count on small companies not having the budget for the same robust cybersecurity measures that large companies do. That makes individual employee adherence a critical company function. As CEO, you simply do not have the time or bandwidth to ensure that your employees are properly logging their equipment in and out each workday, or that they are updating passwords.
Having the proper framework in place early in your company’s lifecycle sets early precedence of compliance to your HR processes and is a tangible display of the priority you place on it. It can also mitigate a sense of being “grandfathered” out of HR rules by your very first employees who were asked to perform under tremendous pressure in the early days and thus have a great deal of institutional knowledge – knowledge that they may feel exempts them from following new HR rules and procedures. By having those procedures in place early on, those procedures become an early thread in the company’s fabric.
HR technology investments that pay off
With HR consultants casting a wider net to meet increasing responsibilities, it becomes even more important for companies of all sizes to invest in technologies that make their jobs not just easier, but more efficient, which ultimately preserves company resources. This list from ZenBusiness provides basic categories of worthwhile technology and software. Many are now household names, such as common payment platforms and processing systems like PayPal and Google Pay. Platforms like Melio offer companies a simple way to pay vendors, as well.
Companies that allow remote work or have multiple locations will find calendar apps and project management platforms invaluable for coordinating schedules and team project communications. Popular calendar apps that also work well on mobile devices include Google, Outlook and Apple, among others. Some project management programs also incorporate calendars; many have free basic versions as well as a pay-per-user fee structure.
HR is an employee investment
As workers have more options available to them, including starting a home-based business, companies of all sizes are challenged to dedicate more time and attention to the HR functions that drive employee satisfaction. They must also use technology to make HR’s job easier, particularly when external influences challenge the role even more. If you still have questions about HR’s role in your business, or want to speak to an experienced HR consultant, give the Human Capital Management experts at Fusion Forest a call.
Photo by Lagos Techie on Unsplash
- - Amy Collett
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