Is the time right to hire a HR professional?

This article is for startups and SMEs who are going through a period of commercial growth and as a result are toying with the idea of investing in human resources to better manage growing numbers of employees.

For a fast-expanding company, HR is one of the most important matters to address – and one that will affect any step up to become a bigger, more successful organisation.  Is the time right to hire a HR professional?  The two points below will make the decision clearer for you – simply read the cases made under the two headers to help you decide what’s right for you.

Yes, you should invest in Human Resources

If you want to build a strong team of professionals, it’s difficult to do so without good human resources support. HR professionals are responsible for recruiting and training employees, motivating them, ensuring workplace communications are sufficient, and monitoring ongoing performance.

Without the right people in place to take care of all this, you are likely to succumb to serious operational problems, not least a lack of time and resources to dedicate to your employees alongside your own important day-to-day tasks.

If you are already struggling and are unable to dedicate time to HR activity such as employee development, it’s probable that the situation will only worsen – this is when proper plans should be put into place, to ensure you can develop strong and effective HR team.

Finally, signs such as unhappy employees, a poor track record of recruitment and staff ill-equipped to complete their tasks are clear signs that you need to hire HR talent to manage these tasks.

No, it’s not the right time

We’ll be honest, the benefits of a strong Human Resources department mean that it’s generally always a good idea to have HR professionals to help your organisation. There are mitigating circumstances where it might not be necessary, which we’ve outlined here for you:

• The business is growing but you aren’t looking to hire more staff
• A current employee can manage HR activity alongside their existing role
• Employee acquisition, satisfaction and retention is good
• Your budget doesn’t stretch far enough

These situations are always likely to change in the world of business, so it’s important to look for any warning signs (outlined in the section above) that will tell you that the time is right to go out into the jobs market in search for HR pros.

Maybe, but not all the time

You may find that as you go through a period of growth and recruitment that you hire a HR professional on a Temporary basis.  A qualified Human Resources assistant, coordinator or advisor will be able to support the business through any kind of transition, freeing you and the team up to focus on other operational projects.

Alternatively, you could hire a HR professional on a part-time contract which is a great way to introduce more robust HR processes and policies whilst not breaking the budget.

Find skilled Human Resources staff with Portfolio

If after reading this post you have decided to hire a HR professional, you should speak to Portfolio – we are experienced in finding the right people for the job.

Our Recruitment experts find professionals who help take companies forward – professionals who can implement the most suitable ideas when it comes to training, employee appraisals, managing disputes and external public relations.

We’re based in offices near Liverpool Street in the heart of the City of London – email us at recruitment@portfoliohrreward.com to get the ball rolling.