A HR (Human Resources) consultant is a skilled professional. External to your business. Supporting your business with following legislation and regulations. Businesses in Australia must follow, if you have employees.
In Australia,workers are protected. By some of the most complex legislation and regulations in the world.
A HR Consultant is a professional in the field of human resources management. They provide independent consulting services to businesses as an external party. Consulting on anything relating to employee matters and compliance with employment law. They provide people management products, tools, and advice. Also, they can provide independent dispute resolution, advice on performance metrics. And provide leadership and management training.
There are different types of HR Consultants. Some are generalist which means they cover most aspects of human resources management. HR is an umbrella term. It relates to the whole of a workers life cycle. From recruitment, onboarding, induction into the business. And provide guidance on how to get the most success from a worker. Also following regulations and legislation. To ensure a business is nurturing it’s work force to maximise their potential. Such things as Work health and Safety, employee well being. And reward and recognition.
Others are specialists. So, they have specialised in an area such as Work Health and Safety, Recruitment, Mediations and so on.
A business with good HR practices as well as a good business model, will see improvement in profit. Be more sustainable with continuous improvement as part of their business. This will make it easier to keep and attract great humans to their business.
Who do HR Consultants work with
HR Professionals work with businesses. As their adviser about how to get the best out of their workforce. Providing guidance on how to follow legislation and regulations. To prevent avoided penalties eating into your profits eating in to your profits. They are your external provider of human resources management tools and advice. They become the HR Department for their customers and become a trusted advisor. Even an In-house HR department, may need an independent HR consultant. Sometimes a second opinion is a good idea. Especially if the matter is going to become a legal one with big ramifications.
When should a business hire a HR Consultant
To ensure your business follows mandatory regulations and legislation. As soon as you have employees you must follow regulations and legislation. Or face high dollar value penalties. Complete our HR audit to see how well your business is performing. That is, how well your business follows legislation and regulations. This would be a short project to ensure the right documentation, pay and conditions are in place. As a business grows and hires more people, the need of the services of a HR Consultant becomes greater. Issues can arise in business with any number of employees including casuals. Thus, having the skills of a HR Consultant at hand become vital.
In the following video you will see an animated timeline of the history of HR. It might help you to understand what a HR Consultant can do for your business
Watch below:
What Types of issues a HR Professional can consult on
Employee issues such as:
- Performance management
- Under performance
- Attitude
- Attendance and Punctuality
- Significant absences
- Work Health and Safety
- Conflict
- Bullying and Harassment
- Difficult employees
- Pay and conditions (Payroll, Reward and Recognition, Work life balance and so on)
- Performance Incentives
- Key performance metrics
- Continuous Improvement
- Sustainability
- Exit interviews
These are a few of the items a HR Consultant can provide. Most important, is providing accurate, up to date advice on employment legislation. HR Consultant’s become a trusted adviser to both the management and the team of employees.
What can you expect from a good HR Consultant
Knowledgeable of the employment legislation of relevance to your business. Also, any state, territory, and industry specific requirements. Experience working with diverse industries and people, the skills required for various roles. An ability to be firm but fair in setting expectations and boundaries in the workplace. They need to be strong and resilient to speak up. It includes having the ability to respectfully, inform the the person they are consulting to, when they might be stepping out of line. Further, they need to advocate for compliance with employment legislation.
Aligning the workforce to the profitability of the business. Matching each person, department, and function to business profit. Checking that the reward and recognition encourages the right behaviour. Ensuring pay and conditions are suitable to attract and keep great talent. Set up and manage the talent acquisition process.
HR Consultants are no different than your preferred Doctor or Hairdresser. You will need to shop around and talk to a few of them to see which one is a good fit for you and your business. The sensitive nature of the relationship will need a good fit as well as a good skill set. Take your time and look around and talk to a few different ones before committing to working with one. Depending on your budget and goals, various HR Consulting firms are available to you. There are large and small boutique firms, and the costs and skills vary between them.
A HR Consultant is a lifeline to business in a crisis. Like we have all experienced with the Pandemic. So, you want one who will be your trusted advisor. The HR Consultants knowledge and approach. And how you find working with them, can lead to great things.
How much does a HR Consultant Charge
This is a tricky question because most HR Consultants do not disclose their fees. Most prefer to understand what the customer wants, needs, and has the budget for. Many will work with the customer based on what the customer can afford and needs.
It depends on how much time and resources it will take to deliver the outcome needed. As a rough gauge, a senior level very experienced HR Consultant fee per hour will range from $165 to $250 and above. It is much easier and more cost effective to hire a HR Consultant than to end up in court. Further, it is more cost effective than hiring a lawyer.
What return on investment can you expect from a HR Consultant
I have recently experienced one of my customers increase their profit to 20%. They have a stable team of high performing employees and have said goodbye to the ones that needed to move on. They have saved money on the potential legal fees and fines by doing things in a compliant way. Improved talent acquisition and performance management will lead to increased performance and profits.
At the very least there is the improved peace of mind for the owner of the business. Freeing up time to focus on profit producing activities is a significant return. Rather than, on things like performance management. And recruitment, both are huge time saps. If you get it wrong they can both be very expensive. That is to name two of the many returns for your investment.
HR Consultant as a trusted adviser is invaluable
Humans can be unpredictable and difficult. Even people we thought we knew, can surprise us at times. In the employment relationship issues can arise, like any other. Having a trusted adviser to guide you with your employees is essential. Especially under the Fair Work Act and National Employment Standards. Knowing what you can and cannot do and how to go about things the right way is essential.
In conclusion, about what is a HR Consultant
They are a trusted adviser with employing people. They can become the answer to your profitability. Also, the retention of great human employees and good counsel when you need one.
“Sonia King is a HR Consultant she loves to help business drive profits with their existing team. Contact me if you would like further information and help in your business to drive profits.”