If you have employees, it doesn’t matter whether you manage a small business or a large company, you need an HR professional. Any company that has employees should have an expert in the field it can reach out to for advice.

Whether that expert is working on-site or is a consultant depends on your needs. The larger the company, the more likely it is it will have an HR department in-house. Smaller companies are more likely to outsource HR services.

A construction company I worked with as an HR consultant, for example, had no on-site HR professionals when it had 60 employees. The company expanded and when it had more than 100 employees at multiple sites in multiple states, it was time to establish an HR department within the business. A one-person HR consultant would be unable to handle the workload of more than 100 employees, particularly during such busy times as open enrollment for health benefits. I managed their recruiting for an HR director to lead the new department and provided a detailed handoff.

Human Resource professionals may manage recruiting and interviewing for potential employees, orientation, onboarding and training for new employees, employee and employer relations, and benefits.

How can an HR consultant help you? HR professionals can:

Mitigate your legal risks in such areas as employee relations, wages or hours and compliance.
Develop solutions to achieve your overall goals.
Use strategic thinking for recruiting.
Provide you with an expert in the field you can rely on.

Consultants can be less expensive with no overhead

Outsourcing HR services can be done by hiring a temporary agency or a 1099 consultant, which is an outside contractor who works for a company. An agency employee may or may not have expertise in your field. A consultant is more likely to specialize in specific fields. Consultants are responsible for paying their taxes and don’t receive benefits, including paid holiday or vacation time, and may not work for you every day.

Concerns about outsourcing HR have included losing control to someone outside the business, data security and potential costs, but you will make the decisions and decide how much work you need done. Make sure you have regular conversations with the HR professional and have clear expectations.

When hiring someone to provide services for your company, be sure you understand the difference between an employee and an independent contractor to determine your responsibilities as stipulated by the Internal Revenue Service.

I’ve worked both sides of the aisle in HR. I spent many years in the corporate world and I’ve been a consultant for four years. As a consultant, I love the flexibility and the ability to work in multiple industries. I have clients in energy, construction, the performing arts and sign production. One of the advantages of working in HR is that our skills can cross over into a variety of industries.

I learn and challenge myself and I have the flexibility to set my own hours. I also love having time to work with some organizations I’m passionate about, including For One Child Foundation, Children’s Services of Roxbury and the 50+ Job Seekers Networking Group.

My services are reasonably priced and affordable, but more importantly, I seek to build relationships and rapport with my clients. One of my clients recently hired a payroll service that also provided Human Resource management. She found she preferred working with me because I’m available 24/7. When she calls me for advice, she reaches the same person instead of working with a variety of people.

I provide legalese, my client said, but I also try to come up with creative solutions.

I look for a way to educate clients and not embarrass them. HR consultants should build trust into their relationship with clients and show them their integrity.

My goal is to have HR be successful so the company, in turn, can be successful.

Think of me as the aspirin for your headache.

If you would like advice on establishing Human Resource services on-site or hiring a consultant, contact me at melody@melodybeachconsulting.com.

50+ Job Seekers workshops resume

The 50+ Job Seekers Networking Group kicked off a new series of workshops Tuesday, Nov. 2. The workshops will run from November through June.

The next few workshops are:

Thursday, Nov. 18, 2 to 4 p.m.: Self-awareness, Mindfulness, Stress Management
Tuesday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m. to noon: Self-assessment
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m. to noon: G2G (Give-to-Get)

The virtual doors open 15 minutes before the program starts. Pre-registration for first-time participants and advance registration is at https://50plusjobseekers.org/outreach/registration/.

Those who are already registered with the program will receive an email about the 50+ Job Seekers workshops.

The Massachusetts Library Collaborative meets from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. the first and third Wednesdays of the month from July through December. For information on the programs, go to the 50+ Job Seekers website at https://50plusjobseekers.org/.

The remaining programs for the year are: