HR resources for an HR newbie
January 10, 2023 1:17 PM
I am the Human Resources department for our small business, but I don't really know what I'm doing.
I was hired a few months ago at a small tech company (20ish people, fully remote, US-based) to be their Administrative and Operations Manager. I love my job, get along great with my boss and the rest of the employees, and my background with admin and accounting mean I have a lot of experience that has proven to be very useful.
However, I don't have a lot of experience with HR, and I'm finding that this is a black hole in the company. The teams were originally so small that each department head basically did their own thing. This wasn't a problem when there were ten people in the company, but we've doubled in size in the past year and we need more formal policies in place (especially since we're anticipating even more growth in the next few years).
So far, I've been mostly winging it with the help of many Google searches as I've tried to establish some best practices, but I feel like I'm now at a place where I need more official guidance on making sure we're compliant. Overall, I want the team to feel confident that there is structure in place that will support them, but that would also protect the company should an issue arise.
What are some intro-to-HR or intermediate-HR resources that you would recommend?
I get a stipend for professional development, so any suggestions on courses/conferences/etc would also be welcome.
I was hired a few months ago at a small tech company (20ish people, fully remote, US-based) to be their Administrative and Operations Manager. I love my job, get along great with my boss and the rest of the employees, and my background with admin and accounting mean I have a lot of experience that has proven to be very useful.
However, I don't have a lot of experience with HR, and I'm finding that this is a black hole in the company. The teams were originally so small that each department head basically did their own thing. This wasn't a problem when there were ten people in the company, but we've doubled in size in the past year and we need more formal policies in place (especially since we're anticipating even more growth in the next few years).
So far, I've been mostly winging it with the help of many Google searches as I've tried to establish some best practices, but I feel like I'm now at a place where I need more official guidance on making sure we're compliant. Overall, I want the team to feel confident that there is structure in place that will support them, but that would also protect the company should an issue arise.
What are some intro-to-HR or intermediate-HR resources that you would recommend?
I get a stipend for professional development, so any suggestions on courses/conferences/etc would also be welcome.
I've been in similar situations to yours, and I've tried a number of different solutions. The good news is that there are lots of good options. You're on the right track in searching out some kind of help or support, since HR mistakes can be extremely costly.
First, check into your insurance coverage.
1. You'll want to make sure you have Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI), which is usually offered as a relatively affordable add-on to your general liability insurance. Here's an example. Not only will this insurance cover you if you or someone at your company makes an HR mistake (by covering lawyer fees and settlement costs), but they also often have basic HR resources and compliance trainings available within their platform.
2. If you have an insurance broker who helps you with your health insurance, check with them to see if they have free HR resources for you. They may be able to give you access to an HR support platform like Mineral, which has a policy/compliance resources and a free handbook builder (of course, with additional paid HR consulting services).
Next, check with your payroll provider. Many large payroll providers like ADP offer free and paid tiers of HR support. At the free level, they might offer you some articles and legal updates. At the paid tiers, they might offer you things like policy/compliance resources, an HR helpline staffed by trained HR folks, and/or a certain amount of HR consulting that can help you with policy updates, establishing procedures, handling thorny HR issues, etc.
If you feel you need more support, there are also HR consulting firms out there that can do some outsourced HR for you. This could be a one-time project (like an HR audit or a handbook) or ongoing services that allow you to have an outsourced quarter-time or half-time HR person. I'd recommend asking other business owners in your area for recommendations if you want to go this route.
Finally, for your own personal training needs, I recommend the following:
1. SHRM membership. This organization mostly exists to provide certifications to HR professionals, but they also have a great member resource library. For about $300/year, you can get a membership that gives you access to all their resources, including template policies, legal updates, and very helpful articles that cover most any HR situation you can imagine.
2. Check out your local business resources. If you have a decent Chamber of Commerce or business alliance or networking organization in your area, they may offer workshops and resources on a variety of topics, including HR. This can also be a way to meet professionals and consultants who can offer services you need. I highly recommend seeking out these kinds of local workshops if you can find them in your area.
Good luck!
posted by ourobouros at 2:10 PM on January 10, 2023
First, check into your insurance coverage.
1. You'll want to make sure you have Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI), which is usually offered as a relatively affordable add-on to your general liability insurance. Here's an example. Not only will this insurance cover you if you or someone at your company makes an HR mistake (by covering lawyer fees and settlement costs), but they also often have basic HR resources and compliance trainings available within their platform.
2. If you have an insurance broker who helps you with your health insurance, check with them to see if they have free HR resources for you. They may be able to give you access to an HR support platform like Mineral, which has a policy/compliance resources and a free handbook builder (of course, with additional paid HR consulting services).
Next, check with your payroll provider. Many large payroll providers like ADP offer free and paid tiers of HR support. At the free level, they might offer you some articles and legal updates. At the paid tiers, they might offer you things like policy/compliance resources, an HR helpline staffed by trained HR folks, and/or a certain amount of HR consulting that can help you with policy updates, establishing procedures, handling thorny HR issues, etc.
If you feel you need more support, there are also HR consulting firms out there that can do some outsourced HR for you. This could be a one-time project (like an HR audit or a handbook) or ongoing services that allow you to have an outsourced quarter-time or half-time HR person. I'd recommend asking other business owners in your area for recommendations if you want to go this route.
Finally, for your own personal training needs, I recommend the following:
1. SHRM membership. This organization mostly exists to provide certifications to HR professionals, but they also have a great member resource library. For about $300/year, you can get a membership that gives you access to all their resources, including template policies, legal updates, and very helpful articles that cover most any HR situation you can imagine.
2. Check out your local business resources. If you have a decent Chamber of Commerce or business alliance or networking organization in your area, they may offer workshops and resources on a variety of topics, including HR. This can also be a way to meet professionals and consultants who can offer services you need. I highly recommend seeking out these kinds of local workshops if you can find them in your area.
Good luck!
posted by ourobouros at 2:10 PM on January 10, 2023
Read Ask a Manager daily and browse her archives.
posted by purplesludge at 2:55 PM on January 10, 2023
posted by purplesludge at 2:55 PM on January 10, 2023
I've been in HR for over 20 years and learn new things all the time from Ask A Manager.
The Evil HR Lady facebook group always has interesting questions posted and discussion items.
Locally- start networking with other HR professionals by joining your local SHRM chapter. Your chapter will hopefully have frequent guest speakers and employment law updates. This a good starting point to finding out about other professional development opportunities.
Connect with me on Linkedin and feel free to reach out any time: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennytoth/
posted by JennyJupiter at 4:28 PM on January 10, 2023
The Evil HR Lady facebook group always has interesting questions posted and discussion items.
Locally- start networking with other HR professionals by joining your local SHRM chapter. Your chapter will hopefully have frequent guest speakers and employment law updates. This a good starting point to finding out about other professional development opportunities.
Connect with me on Linkedin and feel free to reach out any time: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennytoth/
posted by JennyJupiter at 4:28 PM on January 10, 2023
Often HR policies for larger government organizations are publicly available and tend to be over-compliant with the law. Have a look for those policies and borrow liberally from them (even looking at the table of contents will give you an idea of what things you haven't even thought of!)
posted by saucysault at 6:01 PM on January 10, 2023
posted by saucysault at 6:01 PM on January 10, 2023
You really can’t wing legal and finance/payroll compliance stuff (especially if your company grows, as the regulations and reporting requirements get more stringent the more employees you have.) You can’t glean it from blogs because the applicable rules vary by state and sometimes type of industry, size of company, etc. Definitely use the $ for a one time audit, then if the result is that you have needs that surpass your expertise, advocate for outsourcing the legal and financial compliance stuff to qualified professionals.
posted by kapers at 9:26 PM on January 10, 2023
posted by kapers at 9:26 PM on January 10, 2023
Seconding a SHRM membership - extremely useful thing to have.
If your company has a general counsel, or any attorney, start running situations by them to see what might be learned.
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:37 PM on January 10, 2023
If your company has a general counsel, or any attorney, start running situations by them to see what might be learned.
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:37 PM on January 10, 2023
Thanks for the advice, everyone, especially regarding the SHRM membership!
We use a payroll service that helps keep us compliant there (which has been super helpful since we have people working in different states) and that works with our benefits provider, so that isn't an immediate concern, but as we grow we may have to start looking for something a little more robust.
Also I do have Ask A Manager bookmarked and check in on it periodically, so thanks for reassuring me that it's useful advice!
posted by paisley sheep at 9:29 AM on January 11, 2023
We use a payroll service that helps keep us compliant there (which has been super helpful since we have people working in different states) and that works with our benefits provider, so that isn't an immediate concern, but as we grow we may have to start looking for something a little more robust.
Also I do have Ask A Manager bookmarked and check in on it periodically, so thanks for reassuring me that it's useful advice!
posted by paisley sheep at 9:29 AM on January 11, 2023
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posted by BlahLaLa at 2:10 PM on January 10, 2023