g to staff. A good HR consultant can also help you cut down on your legal bills.

Staying Out of Hot Water

Speaking of legal bills, make sure you have access to a good labor attorney. Sooner or later you’ll need one. The best way to find someone is to ask fellow business owners or managers whom they use. Then contact several of the attorneys and see whom you are most comfortable working with. The time to do this is before you have a major problem.

Surround Yourself With Good People

If it’s obvious that this is not your bailiwick, look inside your organization and see if someone fi

It’s great to be in a small business. You get to wear a lot of different hats. However, you usually find that some fit better than others. What can you do when you are asked to put on the human resources hat when your expertise lies elsewhere? Follow these tips and you’ll soon find yourself wearing your HR hat with ease.

Assess Your Skills

It’s important to know when you are in water that is too deep. Assess your skill level as it pertains to HR and determine exactly where your strengths and weaknesses lie. From there, you can put together a plan to come up to speed.

Local HR Associations

Join a local HR association. Ask around or go online and try to find out where the local HR people hang out. Most cities have these types of organizations and they are wonderful resources. You can usually choose from an array of HR programs, including workshops, meetings or online services, to help enhance your knowledge and skills.

This is also an excellent way to meet other people who are responsible for HR-related matters for their companies. Get to know a few of these people and you’ll have a ready-made group of experts right at your fingertips.

Back to School

It may be time to enroll in some classes or seminars. Contact some HR people in other companies and see if they can suggest some resources. Don’t discount online courses. As a busy entrepreneur or manager, this may be the most effective use of your time.

Stock Your Library

Answers to personnel-related issues might be close at hand if you have the right resources in your library. Invest in HR books and software. Great sites to find these resources include www.cch.com or www.hrone.com.

Outsource

Sometimes it comes down to not having enough hours in the day. If this is the case, consider outsourcing your HR function. Professional Employment Organizations, or PEOs, are one option. These organizations sell themselves as a total outsourced solution. But before you buy their services, make sure you are clear on what your needs are and whether this type of organization is the best fit for your company.

Another option is to hire an independent HR consultant. This usually involves entering into a retainer relationship, which can include on-site time if you feel that is necessary. These individuals can provide you with the high level of expertise you might need without the payroll costs of adding to staff. A good HR consultant can also help you cut down on your legal bills.

Staying Out of Hot Water

Speaking of legal bills, make sure you have access to a good labor attorney. Sooner or later you’ll need one. The best way to find someone is to ask fellow business owners or managers whom they use. Then contact several of the attorneys and see whom you are most comfortable working with. The time to do this is before you have a major problem.

Surround Yourself With Good People

If it’s obvious that this is not your bailiwick, look inside your organization and see if someone fit

ons

Join a local HR association. Ask around or go online and try to find out where the local HR people hang out. Most cities have these types of organizations and they are wonderful resources. You can usually choose from an array of HR programs, including workshops, meetings or online services, to help enhance your knowledge and skills.

This is also an excellent way to meet other people who are responsible for HR-related matters for their companies. Get to know a few of these people and you’ll have a ready-made group of experts right at your fingertips.

Back to School

It may be time to enroll in some classes or seminars. Contact some HR people in other companies and see if they can suggest some resources. Don’t discount online courses. As a busy entrepreneur or manager, this may be the most effective use of your time.

Stock Your Library

Answers to personnel-related issues might be close at hand if you have the right resources in your library. Invest in HR books and software. Great sites to find these resources include www.cch.com or www.hrone.com.

Outsource

Sometimes it comes down to not having enough hours in the day. If this is the case, consider outsourcing your HR function. Professional Employment Organizations, or PEOs, are one option. These organizations sell themselves as a total outsourced solution. But before you buy their services, make sure you are clear on what your needs are and whether this type of organization is the best fit for your company.

Another option is to hire an independent HR consultant. This usually involves entering into a retainer relationship, which can include on-site time if you feel that is necessary. These individuals can provide you with the high level of expertise you might need without the payroll costs of adding to staff. A good HR consultant can also help you cut down on your legal bills.

Staying Out of Hot Water

Speaking of legal bills, make sure you have access to a good labor attorney. Sooner or later you’ll need one. The best way to find someone is to ask fellow business owners or managers whom they use. Then contact several of the attorneys and see whom you are most comfortable working with. The time to do this is before you have a major problem.

Surround Yourself With Good People

If it’s obvious that this is not your bailiwick, look inside your organization and see if someone fi

me to enroll in some classes or seminars. Contact some HR people in other companies and see if they can suggest some resources. Don’t discount online courses. As a busy entrepreneur or manager, this may be the most effective use of your time.

Stock Your Library

Answers to personnel-related issues might be close at hand if you have the right resources in your library. Invest in HR books and software. Great sites to find these resources include www.cch.com or www.hrone.com.

Outsource

Sometimes it comes down to not having enough hours in the day. If this is the case, consider outsourcing your HR function. Professional Employment Organizations, or PEOs, are one option. These organizations sell themselves as a total outsourced solution. But before you buy their services, make sure you are clear on what your needs are and whether this type of organization is the best fit for your company.

Another option is to hire an independent HR consultant. This usually involves entering into a retainer relationship, which can include on-site time if you feel that is necessary. These individuals can provide you with the high level of expertise you might need without the payroll costs of adding to staff. A good HR consultant can also help you cut down on your legal bills.

Staying Out of Hot Water

Speaking of legal bills, make sure you have access to a good labor attorney. Sooner or later you’ll need one. The best way to find someone is to ask fellow business owners or managers whom they use. Then contact several of the attorneys and see whom you are most comfortable working with. The time to do this is before you have a major problem.

Surround Yourself With Good People

If it’s obvious that this is not your bailiwick, look inside your organization and see if someone fi

rcing your HR function. Professional Employment Organizations, or PEOs, are one option. These organizations sell themselves as a total outsourced solution. But before you buy their services, make sure you are clear on what your needs are and whether this type of organization is the best fit for your company.

Another option is to hire an independent HR consultant. This usually involves entering into a retainer relationship, which can include on-site time if you feel that is necessary. These individuals can provide you with the high level of expertise you might need without the payroll costs of adding to staff. A good HR consultant can also help you cut down on your legal bills.

Staying Out of Hot Water

Speaking of legal bills, make sure you have access to a good labor attorney. Sooner or later you’ll need one. The best way to find someone is to ask fellow business owners or managers whom they use. Then contact several of the attorneys and see whom you are most comfortable working with. The time to do this is before you have a major problem.

Surround Yourself With Good People

If it’s obvious that this is not your bailiwick, look inside your organization and see if someone fi

g to staff. A good HR consultant can also help you cut down on your legal bills.

Staying Out of Hot Water

Speaking of legal bills, make sure you have access to a good labor attorney. Sooner or later you’ll need one. The best way to find someone is to ask fellow business owners or managers whom they use. Then contact several of the attorneys and see whom you are most comfortable working with. The time to do this is before you have a major problem.

Surround Yourself With Good People

If it’s obvious that this is not your bailiwick, look inside your organization and see if someone fits the bill. You may get lucky and have someone on staff who already has a background in HR.

If you do not have a staff member who is right for the job, consider hiring a part-time person to work in this area. The investment you make will pay off in spades.

Sometimes when we try on new clothes, we don’t always feel comfortable. But if we make a few adjustments here and there, we find that things fit a lot better. The same holds true when we are asked to work out of our comfort zone. A few adjustments here and there and you might find that you actually enjoy taking on HR issues.

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