HR Solutions for Small Business, a Pittsburgh Human Resources Management consulting firm, provides human resources consulting, coaching and training to small businesses and nonprofit organizations throughout western Pennsylvania. We help clients as the HR Department of One or on a project basis. 

Areas of focus include but are not limited to coaching supervisors, policy handbooks, talent acquisition, job description development, coaching performance, training, competitive salary and rewards analysis, employee retention, communications and HR compliance.

HOW YOUR COMPANY CAN BENEFIT FROM PARTNERING WITH AN HR CONSULTANT AND COACH

Does your company

  • Want to develop emerging leaders?
  • Need a professional solution from a certified professional?
  • Want to coach people more effectively and efficiently?
  • Have the expertise to stay up to date on changes in employment law?
  • Rely on one person to cover many functional areas whose background isn’t in HR Management?

HR Audit

Are you a new leader to the organization and unsure of what systems and processes are in place? Are you interested in knowing what might be missing and therefore be a risk to the organization? 

An audit of the HR function is a good place to start. HR Solutions for Small Business will review current information and provide you with a summary of what is in place along with any gaps which may exist. We will work with you to prioritize and fill in those gaps.

We assist with:

  • Evaluating HR Programs and Policies  
  • Organizing Employee Files
  • Records Retention Programs
  • Identifying Necessary Policies and Procedures
  • Methods of Process Improvement

Coaching Development

Transition from the traditional performance evaluation to a customized competency approach based upon your unique organization. You will learn how to assess staff in a 2-way collaborative conversation where the employee takes ownership for achieving jointly set goals and objectives and personal responsibility for growth. We mentor you on developing supervisors and employees.

We assist with:

  • Development of the Processes and Procedures
  • Coaching Supervisors to have Frequent and Meaningful Conversations
  • Aligning Compensation and Rewards with Performance

Talent Acquisition

Customize an approach to hiring staff which includes a variety of tools and checklists to recruit, interview, hire, and onboard new employees. This includes ensuring you target the appropriate market; developing a job description, assessing competitive pay, and knowing when you are required to pay overtime; preparing behavioral interview questions; creating offer letters and onboarding tools. All tools are appropriate for your organization, industry, and culture.

We assist with:

  • Pre-employment Screenings
  • Developing Behavioral Interview Questions
  • Selection
  • Offer Letters
  • Onboarding 

Job Descriptions

A job description is essential to hire qualified talent and pay people competitively. Think of the description as a tool to reflect on and document essential job functions and qualifications. Qualifications include the educational requirements, knowledge, skills and competencies to be successful in the job, licenses and certifications and the physical work environment.

We assist with:

  • Conducting Job Analysis
  • Identifying Essential Job Functions for the Position
  • Identifying Job Requirements and Qualifications
  • Writing Job Descriptions
  • Establishing Performance Outcomes
  • FLSA and ADA Compliance

Policy Handbook Development

Even a nonprofit or small business with only one employee needs some kind of basic employee policy handbook to explain the working relationship. As your organization grows, the need for structure and consistent practices is a must in today’s environment. We work with you to develop important policies. Some policies are highly suggested and others are optional based on size and business.

We assist with:

  • Creating Policies for today’s ever changing environment
  • Customizing Policies for your unique business and industry
  • Communicating to Supervisors and Employees

Annual Handbook Review

Organizations are dynamic and change constantly. In today’s environment, state and local employment laws are also increasing. As a result, policies need to be reviewed regularly. An annual review of your written policy handbook ensures your organization remains in compliance with changes in the organization and new laws and regulations.

We assist with:

  • Planning for an Annual Review 
  • Identifying Gaps in Policies
  • Revising Policies 
  • Communicating and Interpreting Policies to Employees and Supervisors 

Compliance Review

A compliance review helps to ensure that a company’s HR practices adhere to the local, state and federal laws including industry specific requirements. We look at several regulations including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). 

We assist with:

  • Ensuring overtime, paid-time off and non-discrimination policies exist 
  • Conducting I-9 Audits
  • Recommending new policies to address today’s hot topics
  • Advising supervisors on monitoring their programs

Overtime Compliance

After a job description has been prepared, a determination is made whether the job is eligible for overtime based on criteria from the Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The interpretations of the FLSA and compliance with record keeping, paying overtime and written policies help to manage your risk.

We assist with:

  • Classifying jobs according to FLSA criteria 
  • Documenting record keeping and overtime policies
  • Ensuring record keeping and overtime policies are clearly communicated 

Competitive Compensation

A current and accurate job description enables a review of the competitive market to establish the appropriate level of pay to hire, reward and retain top talent. This involves working with you to learn about the unique jobs in the organization, your culture and industry, and appropriate external comparators. External sources of pay, including industry resources, are referenced when available to the organization.

We assist with:

  • Administering Wage and Salary Surveys
  • Analyzing and Summarizing Results
  • Providing Recommendations to ensure Pay is Competitive
  • Commuicating Pay Programs to Employees 

Rewards

Rewards come in many forms in any business, large or small, for-profit or not-for-profit. Whether it’s the annual or year-end bonus, cash incentives for a sales force or non-cash rewards, we guide you in assessing which type of reward is appropriate. We collaborate with you to determine factors important in making the decisions for your unique organization.

We assist with:

  • Managing Salary Administration
  • Recommending Bonus, Incentive Plans and other Forms of Rewards and Recognition
  • Developing Policies/Plans and Communicating to Employees
  • Ensuring Total Compensation and Rewards supports Performance

Mentoring & Coaching

There are times when it makes sense for a small business or nonprofit organization to perform the HR functions. Yet they may need guidance or mentoring on how to best proceed. Or, they may have questions on how to handle a particular people problem. We offer either Mentoring or Coaching for these types of situations based on your needs. From experience, we have found a regular commitment of time works best to achieve goals on a timely basis. 

We assist with:

  • One-on-One Mentoring or Coaching for Management Staff
  • Coaching Employee Behaviors 
  • On-site Employee Relations

Communications

The success of implementing any new company strategy or initiative often comes down to how well the communications were received by the staff. We help to craft talking points to explain new strategies, tools or practices, how it affects the staff and relates to your overall mission and culture. Timely communications lead to a more engaged staff which in turn saves you time and helps you continue to grow.

We assist with:

  • Effective communication of company initiatives
  • Creating Communications Calendars
  • Coaching Leaders on Communications