If you started a business, and things have been going well, you may have found that you now have too many staff to comfortably look after HR and payroll matters yourself, or have your administrator or finance guy do it. For businesses that grow above the small size, there is usually a point where it becomes necessary to have a dedicated HR person, whether full or part time (and of course if you grow bigger, you may even need a full HR department eventually!).
If you have reached the point where it seems you need to get an HR manager, then there are some things to consider. Stepping in to do HR for a company that has not had it before requires a different set of skills to simply taking over an existing HR infrastructure, so you need the right person for the job.
Here are some skills to look for:
Experience in Developing Processes.
New businesses that have grown organically don’t usually have the most efficient HR. If currently, everything is managed on a bunch of different spreadsheets only you or whoever does it really knows how to make work, then this will be something you’ll want your new HR manager to address. Look for someone who has set up processes before, and so who knows how to design and implement procedures and ways of working that will be efficient for you and your business.
Experience in Evaluating or Using HR Software.
One of the ways you’ll want to support your new investment in HR is to start using a proper suite of cloud HR systems, as it will be pretty hard for your new HR manager to truly improve the way things are done without the right tools. If you have already chosen the software you want to implement then look for someone who has used it before, however if you have not got a solution yet, you can task your new HR manager with evaluating available products and making a recommendation. If you can, find someone who has evaluated tools before, who understands how to compare how different products shape up against your needs rather than simply opting for the cheapest or the one with the best sales people!
Experience in Dealing with Third Party Recruiters.
As a new business, you may need your HR person to get involved with recruiting and hiring new staff as you continue to expand. It is likely you will deal with third party recruitment agents to find candidates (especially if this is what you do now), and so an HR manager who is used to working with these types of companies is a good asset.
Of course, you also need the strong admin skills and interpersonal skills any HR manager should have. However when recruiting an HR manager for a new role things are a little different to when recruiting one to work where there is already an established set of HR practices and tools.
