Human Resources Consultants

Take advantage of the best human resources consultants for small businesses

By LaRita Heet, Freelance Writer, Journalist, IBT Designer LMH Communications

Human resources consulting - or HR outsourcing - can help your small business profit from human resources (HR) management. HR consultants can handle a variety of tasks, including hiring, firing, performance reviews, benefits administration, payroll and more. What makes this arrangement even better is that you only have to pay human resources consulting fees rather than a full-time salary.

Here are the top three considerations in human resources outsourcing:

Find the most flexible human resources consulting options to fit your needs and budget.
Outsourcing HR tasks to a human resources consultant offers a smart (and legally, safer) alternative to delegating HR tasks to an untrained employee - or, worse, ignoring HR issues altogether.
HR outsourcing means you have an outside human resources consultant to troubleshoot sensitive employee situations.

Determine what you need from a human resources consultant

HR consultants can provide help with payroll, employee performance appraisal, workplace audits, compensation studies, and many other tasks. Whether you need help with one task - or ten - there is an HR consultant to help you.
Try: HR Options provide HR consulting professionals who specialize in federal and state law compliance, strategic HR planning, recruiting and more. Their extensive HR audit assesses your current HR processes and outlines where improvements should be made.

Take proactive steps to hire an HR consulting professional to establish policies

Don't wait until you're facing an employee-related crisis before you bring in a human resources consultant. Many serious HR problems can be avoided simply by having the right policies in place from the beginning.
Try: Still not convinced you need HR consulting? Try taking the free quiz at HR Design Solutions.

Look for short-term HR consulting services for immediate answers

If you have a quick question for a human resources consultant but haven't contracted with anyone yet, never fear: call-in HR consultants offer inexpensive, immediate answers.
Try: HR Advice is staffed with degreed, experienced human resources consulting professionals. Premium membership gives you up to 2 hours monthly online or on the phone with an HR consultant, plus additional benefits - not bad for the very-low fee of $7.95 a month.

Find a professional employer organization with human resources outsourcing services

PEOs offer many benefits to the small business owner, including human resources consultants who can help you manage hiring, training, employee discounts, and law and regulatory guidance.
Try: Oasis Outsourcing provides HR consultants, administration, support, counseling, and additional programs to the small business owner. Review a directory of Human Resources Outsourcing providers at Business.com to find the top HR consulting services for small businesses.

Review your options for the best HR consultant for your needs

Not all consultants - or small businesses - are the same, so find the right consultant whose expertise and strengths fit your company and HR issues.
Try: Search the human resources consultants to find one whose expertise fits your HR outsourcing needs at M2 Consulting. Trust a respected company, ADP, for payroll-related human resources outsourcing.

The most time-consuming (and prone to errors) HR task is payroll (and tax withholding). If your budget is tight, contract with a human resources consulting professional in this area only until you can afford additional HR outsourcing.
Find a flexible human resources consulting firm that will allow you to add services as your business grows.
HR consultants are often contracted to deliver sensitive materials, such as sexual harassment training.