Konnect Koncepts provides a full range of HR outsourcing services. But what can we do for YOUR business?
A few days ago, the head of HR from high flyer Weta Digital quit amidst the review into the company’s ‘toxic’ culture.
We’ll be absolutely clear. We’re not here to cast judgement or draw conclusions. We’re quite adamant that that’s not up to us. After all, we haven’t got access to the inside information.
What the headline tells us though is that you can’t go freewheeling when it comes to HR. Even companies that have a very creative and innovative backbone need to be nothing but professional in the HR department.
It’s a statement that applies to every company. HR can never be an afterthought or something you do when you have a minute. Too much depends on it. Weta Digital is the textbook example that even the slightest hint of sloppy HR can sink or at least seriously damage a company that had everything going for it.
If you’re not in a position (yet) to employ your own HR professional, there is no need to go into a full-blown panic right now. Outsourcing HR can be the perfect way to navigate the intricate waters that come with employment of staff. As a matter of fact, it could be a very smart approach for a variety of reasons.
What is HR outsourcing?
When you outsource HR, you hire an outside company to oversee some or all of the HR requirements for your business. It is also referred to as HRO.
Exactly how you approach this can be very broad-ranging. It can also be completely customized to your needs. You can choose to outsource payroll processing, recruitment, strategic HR planning for the future, or all of the above. But we’ll get into that a bit later.
The key feature is the professionalism and the level of specialisation. It makes HRO a very cost effective strategy for many businesses.
Types of HR outsourcing: HRO, not PEO
Sometimes, HRO is confused with Personal Employment Organisation (PEO). There are some overlaps, but the legal structure is very different.
With HRO, you are supported with HR tasks, but the employees of your company stay on your books. As a result, you carry the legal responsibility of their actions.
Not with PEO.
In this case, the HR company in a way becomes a co-employer. Your business still has control over your staff, but the employees appear on the books of the HR provider for legal and tax purposes. It’s a model that is often used for overseas companies that want to dip their toe in the water in a foreign market, without having to make the commitment of a full-blown overseas branch.
The key take-away is that Konnect Koncepts provides a full range of HRO services with a lot of flexibility.
What Services does HR Outsourcing Cover?
Companies are living, breathing institutions, not too dissimilar to a person. They evolve, they go through challenges and they can be a breeding ground for innovation.
Fact is that every company is different and so are their HR needs at any point in time.
To us at Konnect Koncepts, this is exactly why we think a prescribed set of packages doesn’t work. We tailor our services to your requirements.
But what services can you include?
It All Starts with an Accurate Pay-check
Payroll may well be the most commonly outsourced HR service. Working employees’ pay-checks, Kiwisaver contributions and leave balances are not only time-consuming. They also get complicated and confusing very quickly.
That’s why it very common for companies to hand it over to the HR specialists.
How that translates is completely up to you. We can use our own payroll solution system, or work with what you already have in-house.
But the responsibilities of a HR team with outsourcing potential definitely don’t stop with paying employees on time. HR is so much broader than mere payroll.
Polishing Business Processes and Policies
The role of business processes and policies is two-fold.
As a business owner, you want things done effectively and efficiently. This implicates that you need a clear line of responsibility. Ideally the processes need to allow for the unexpected (‘cause there’s always Murphy’s law to content with, right?!) and provide a clear guideline all at once. When done well, everyone knows what they can expect at any stage.
But that’s not all.
Research going back all the way to the 1930s reveals that business policies and processes have a direct impact on staff happiness and engagement. Good processes contribute to a smooth running business, blissful personnel and long-term commercial success, all the while mitigating the risks and legal challenges.
It speaks for itself that the development of processes and policies don’t just sit on their own island, but have clear spill-over into responsibilities of the HR team.
The good news is that it doesn’t need to land on your shoulders. The policies we provide can be either standard or tailored. It’s all up to you.
As for processes, we help streamline the work and polish communication and collaboration within the team thanks to the set-up of an intranet solution or project management tool.
Creating the Foundations for Happy Employees who Pull their Weight
Goals and values are cornerstones to just about any decision in a business. They also give direction to the aspects in the business that involve HR… like ‘Company Culture’.
‘Company Culture’ has nothing to do with empty slogans that wouldn’t fool a possum. Instead, it refers to the beliefs and behaviours of a business, and how it translates into day-to-day decisions. It’s about how you walk the talk.
Part of the company culture correlates to how the company positions itself in the market. But business values equally reflect how you treat employees. You may not be able to pay your employees top dollar remuneration, but a positive organisational culture can more than make up for that.
It’s about how you deal with conflict and reflect the company’s beliefs and values in the employee handbook.
A positive company culture is a non-negotiable for constructive relationships, motivated employees and a high-performing team. What your company brings to the table in terms of values and behaviour can turn your employees into your biggest advocates… or critics. Ultimately, it also leaves an impression on the end customer. (Remember the Weta Digital story we started with!)
But as an employer, when you’re in the thick of things, it's hard to assess from a distance. Outsourcing this side of HR can provide an un-bias view.
Where necessary we help with performance goals, performance management and refer employee’s to an EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) provider for additional support.
Outsourcing Recruitment and Onboarding
When the time comes for you to hire a new employee, the stacks of applications and interviews may not look very appealing. We’ll happily take that workload off your plate as well.
We’ll do the whole nine yards, from having the conversation with you around what describes the ideal person to background and reference checks
The role of HRO in the Long-term Plan
Having a business plan is a commonly discussed topic. What’s often forgotten is that in aligning the HR requirements with the business plan and strategies for the future, you ensure staff availability or skills don’t become a hurdle or a bottleneck.
When businesses make decisions on long term goals and strategies, there is a knock on effect on HR resource requirements, so the development of a forward-looking workforce plan should undeniably be part of your business masterstroke.
This plays on several levels:
- A solid long-term strategy around hiring, firing, remuneration and benefits helps you attract and retain the right people.
- Likewise, it’s important to consider staff training and development. Does your staff get the training to do the job to the best of their ability? Are there any gaps? And what’s needed with future goals in mind?
What Can a New Client Expect?
All the above may have led to a lightbulb moment that HRO might solve a few problems for you. But what can you expect when you pick up the phone to speak to the Konnect Koncepts team?
It largely depends on what you want from us, but as a rule of thumb, this is how we’ll tackle it:
- We’ll try to get a solid understanding of what you want to do. We’ll listen to you and your team.
- The team will discuss your goals, visions, and objectives.
- We review your current HR set-up and address the pain points you are currently facing
- Konnect Koncepts will come up with a plan and present our tailored solution. This may include
- new technology solutions
- alternatives to current processes
- changes to current team duties
- etc.
- This is a step-by-step process, and it’s tailored to you. Either we become your go-to HR/Recruitment team or we become part of your current HR/Recruitment team.
We’ve also recently coined the phrase ‘Your Virtual HR & Recruitment Team’ to highlight that we really are like an internal HR team, just off-site. However, sometimes we have consultants who spend time at the client’s offices
At the end of it all, one of the best attributes of Konnect Koncepts is how flexible and adaptable we can be with clients and our services.
To contact Konnect Koncepts please click here