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  • It’s likely that as a small business, you don’t have a dedicated HR team. You may divide the tasks amongst a group of people, you may spend your nights and weekends making sure you’re keeping up to speed on the various HR regulations out there, or, even worse, you ignore it all together and just ‘wing’ HR management.

    If you find yourself spending more and more time dealing with HR functions and less and less time growing your business, you have a couple options: hire a professional employer organization (PEO) to handle the tasks for you, or hire someone dedicated to the management of your HR needs.

    Of course, we’d love it if you chose the option of hiring a PEO, but if you opt for hiring an HR manager, we’ve compiled a helpful list of 8 traits you should watch out for.

    Multitasking is an essential skill for successful HR managers “inbox” by khrawlings is licensed under CC BY 2.0.[more]

    8 Traits of Effective Small Business Human Resource Managers

    1. Strong Communication skills

    HR managers must have the ability to interact with a variety of audiences – from executives, all the way to job applicants. More importantly, effective HR managers must be able to listen and take into consideration everything from employee concerns and comments about the workplace to executive speeches about strategy. 

    2. Organized 

    HR managers need to be quick and organized in order to keep up with ever-changing regulations. Organized files, strong time management skills, and personal efficiency are key to managing a company’s HR responsibilities.

    3. Fair & Ethical

    Basic principles such as fairness and equality are the foundation for fair employment practices, and it takes a clear understanding of employment and labor laws to support compliance with laws that regulate the workplace. HR managers are also the keepers of highly confidential information. You must trust that they will handle confidential information appropriately and never divulge it to any unauthorized person.  

    4. Compassionate

    HR managers will have to deal with sensitive issues. Whether it’s employee termination, employee leave due to medical issues, or issues surrounding workplace harassment; the HR manager will need to possess compassion and empathy in order to effectively navigate these tricky situations for the company.

    5. Multitasker

    HR managers, especially at small businesses, often wear many hats and are placed in the position of recruiter, benefits administrator, payroll processor and more. Balancing each of these responsibilities is essential and can lead to stress in the workplace…

    6. Balance stress management

    While some stress is common, HR managers shouldn’t feel overwhelmed or burdened to the point that their productivity suffers. Having a plan to deal with stress will help maintain a healthy work-life balance. Some tips to reduce stress include: take a deep breath or get up  and walk around, adding plants to the office (lowers noise levels), reduce interruptions and keep spaces organized.  

    7. Comfortable dealing with grey areas

    HR managers deal with many issues that are “in the grey area”. Discrimination, harassment, “reasonable” accommodation are just a few of the areas that HR managers have to be able to act with incomplete and “best available” information. It’s also key to know when it’s time to seek the professional help of colleagues, attorneys, and other experts. 

    8. Skilled conflict manager

    You may have noticed that not everyone gets along when they work together. In order to be productive, people must be able to at least work together civilly, and HR has to find ways to make that happen. As an HR professional many new and uncharted problems will come your way so a keen problem-solving ability is necessary. 

    What traits make your HR manager a superhero? Or what do you look for in a super HR manager? Share with us in the comments below. 

  • “Keeping the plates spinning,” is an idiom many small businesses use to describe the way they manage their human resource responsibilities. Some outsource HR functions to various companies while some tasks are handled by an in-house team member who has many other job duties

    There’s no need to juggle between outsourcing tasks to multiple companies and attempting to have them work together on your behalf. Professional employee organizations, or PEOs, can help minimize the stress, time and costly resources you spend administering your HR functions by managing: 

     

    Human resources, including employee recruiting and training, performance management, HR audits and more. GMS provides an online system solution to coordinate communication and centralize information. 

    Payroll, by assuming all responsibility and liability for your business taxes. With GMS, you and your employees have constant access to the online payroll service in our secure and easy-to-use web-based system. 

    Competitive benefits at a reduced rate. Attract and retain talented employees with health insurance, 401(k) plans, and other benefits at the rate large companies receive. With more than 20,000 workers, GMS can achieve great economy of scale when purchasing benefits coverage. 

    Risk and liability to prevent and effectively handle problems when they do arise. The risk management experts at GMS can manage Workers’ Compensation programs, unemployment claims, and OSHA safety regulations. 

    When you outsource your administrative duties to a PEO like GMS, your small-to medium-sized businesses can experience the benefits of a big business HR department. You can offer the very best benefits to your employees while saving your company time and money.

    Think you could benefit from a PEO provider? So do we. Let’s talk.

  • For small-or medium-sized businesses, worker’s compensation can be extremely costly. You invest a lot of the time, money and resources into claims management to ensure your business stays compliant and your workers are protected. With your limited resources, there are steps you can take to minimize your risks and reduce your worker’s compensation costs.

    1. Early return to work: Offer part time or alternative work options to get your employee back to work as soon as possible. The longer your worker is absent, the longer the insurance company has to pay his or her benefits which can increase the cost of your premiums.
    2. Education: Ensure your employees know how to operate all equipment and practice safe working habits around all machinery. Conduct random checks to keep employees fresh on operational protocol and establish an open-door policy for questions and concerns.
    3. Injury response: In the case of an accident, make sure you and your employees are aware of the company procedures to follow when responding to an injury. Injured workers should know where to receive medical care, procedures for referral to specialists, transitional duty requirements, how to receive pay and other important details regarding their case.
    4. Classify job descriptions correctly: While this appears trivial, classification of job titles and descriptions can impact your workers’ comp premiums. Some classifications carry more risk, which will increase your premiums. Make sure you have the most up-to-date classification code book in your state and research the best ways to classify your employees’ title.
    5. Hire with safety in mind: As you interview candidates for a position, try to eliminate those who may pose a safety risk. GMS can help with recruiting and training workers who best fit into your company’s culture and who will be able to perform in-line with your safety guidelines.
    6. Conduct safety audits: The workplace safety experts at GMS can help you perform safety audits, create safety manuals and rule books to foster an environment where safety is always a top priority.

    Many employers look at workers’ compensation as an uncontrollable expense. But with the right mindset – and some help from a PEO like GMS – you can stop looking at it this way and start taking a more proactive approach managing your workers’ comp costs.

    Want to learn more? Let’s get in touch.