December 22, 2024 | SweeterHR

HR Consultants and How They Help

Employee relations can be stressful and tiring matters to handle, particularly for small businesses. When it comes down to it, tying to tackle all of the recruiting, hiring, training, compensation, and retention of employees can be a headache! That’s why many organizations choose to hire an HR consultant to help alleviate some of the pressure. When you hire an HR consultant, they hit the ground running and can offer flexible, personalized services that best suit your organization. They are there to have your back and give you peace of mind!

HR consultants are great assets when it comes to the hiring process! They are able to remove the stress that inevitably accompanies implementing a successful recruitment and hiring strategy. As you may know, a bad hire can cost an organization a great deal, especially with each new hire taking eight months on average to reach full productivity. HR consultants are there to lighten the load, as they are familiar with the essential skills, knowledge, and abilities a candidate needs to perform successfully within each job function. Rather than engaging in the slow, tedious process, of sifting through applicants and conducting initial interviews, HR consultants are there to highlight the very best candidates to help your organization thrive.

HR consultants are also able to assist in the implementation of training and development for employees. They begin by identifying the need for training within the organization and then design and implement the training accordingly. HR consultants can also conclude each training with an assessment of each employee; these results can then be provided to organization leaders to help ensure employees are seeing the proper growth in each desired area of improvement. Each training program can also be customized to best fit the needs of the organization, ranging from compliance to employee relations!

HR consultants can also help to establish a much-needed change in company culture. HR can be one of the most effective contributors to assessing and improving an organization’s culture, and HR consultants can help to successfully facilitate that change! These methods can include coaching and supporting internal staff with trainings and assisting in building a greater dynamic for teamwork and collaboration, which maximize employee satisfaction!

Curating a competitive total rewards package is a major factor for attracting and retaining top talent within your organization. This of course includes pay and benefits, but also branched out to the potential of continued professional development, flexible work hours, and mental wellness initiatives! The first step to ensure satisfaction begins with employee surveys. With the help of an HR consultant, you can uncover exactly what an employee is looking for, because personalization is paramount! Every employee is unique, and their compensation package should reflect this. Plus, when employees feel as though they have the ability to pick what benefits work best for them, they are more likely to feel like they are being heard and have a greater sense of fulfillment and appreciation when receiving such benefits. HR consultants are also there to help you find the most cost-effective choices for your organization and assist you in ensuring that you are offering all of the benefits which are required by state and federal law!

All of this boils down to how HR consultants can help your organization retain its employees. High turnover is a hot button issue many organizations are facing right now as we continue through The Great Resignation. As you may know, high turnover impacts everything from employee morale and engagement to overall productivity. More so, once an organization gains a reputation of having consistently high turnover, this creates a bad image which can be difficult to recover from and may even damage your future recruitment efforts. This becomes incredibly costly as time goes on. An HR consultant can advise your organization how to ensure employees are satisfied, engaged, and willing to stick it out for the long run. So remember, be sure to reach out to us with any of your HR needs because we are always here to help!

Using Employee Wellness Programs and Workplace Benefits to Increase Employee Engagement, Retention, and Productivity.

As we return to the new workplace “normal” post-COVID, more and more employees are transitioning back to some variation of in-person to work. Right now, it is estimated a whopping 60% of employees are engaging in some sort of hybrid schedule with at least one day involving in-person work. This has placed a spotlight on the importance of employee wellbeing, wellness programs, and employee work/life balance initiatives in the workplace. According to SHRM, “A well-executed [employee wellness] program can reduce health care costs, augment productivity, and increase employee retention, providing further support for the correlation between personal health and job satisfaction” (SHRM, 2019).

Wellness programs come in many shapes and sizes and are not always one size fits all! HR should take time to begin with an employee survey to see what wellness programs are most interesting and helpful to their employee demographic. Employees who feel as if programs are catered towards them will be much more likely to participate and reap the benefits. HR should also take into consideration the possible costs, benefits, and potential legal concerns that may accompany each program before going forward as well.

Wellness programs do not have to break the bank; there are a wide variety which can best suit your organization! For example, nutrition education and exercise programs or memberships are an easy and relatively cost-efficient way to get your employees involved in a wellness initiative! On the higher end of things, providing options such as health screenings, vaccine clinics, or health risk assessments can be valuable tools to help your employees understand and manage their health! Another option would be to provide some sort of mental health services for your employees. This may include free or discounted counseling, therapy, or psychiatry sessions for employees who are feeling overwhelmed or working through something in their personal lives. You can even provide incentives such as reductions to employee contributions to health insurance premiums or contributions to an employee HSA to get employees motivated to place importance on their wellness and want to be involved in your organization’s wellness program!

But are employee wellness programs really that helpful to the overall workplace environment? Studies have shown the answer is a resounding yes! Wellness programs help to improve productivity and performance of employees as studies have shown there is a direct correlation between employee wellness and employee productivity, motivation and focus in the workplace. There has also been a correlation found between wellness programs and the improvement of teamwork; it has been found that workers who engage in wellness activities together actually work better together! Wellness programs also help to lower the impact of stress and risk of illness for employees. This not only lowers healthcare costs for the employees, but also increases overall profit for the organization as employees are taking less sick time. This all leads to higher employee morale, improved recruitment, and reduced turnover!

However, be sure to note wellness programs are not all fun and games. They can have serious legal repercussions if done incorrectly as there are a number of federal laws which apply to the design and implementation of employee wellness programs. These include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). A good rule of thumb would be to not make any employee wellness program mandatory, not require any employee health information be given involuntarily, and offer employees a reasonable alternative to earn any incentives which may be given if the program is unreasonably difficult for them due to a medical condition (SHRM, 2019). Always consult your employment law attorney before implementing any rigorous employee wellness programs!