Member Article

The Call That HR Consultants Dread in January

Now that we’re well and truly recovered from the mince pie and mulled wine fog, we’re back in the office and eager to kick off another brilliant year of helping small businesses to tackle their HR issues and get the most out of their workforce.

We’re expecting a call though. It’s one we get every month of every year, and though the finer details and the exact circumstances can vary, it’s one that we know we’ll be handling throughout January from stressed out and anxious business owners.

It goes something like this… They’ve dropped the ball. They’ve got an HR disaster on their hands. The worst-case scenario has happened, and they’re desperately trying to pick up the pieces and do some damage limitation. They need help, and they know that only an experienced HR professional can do the job.

And to be fair, we also kind of love these calls. We relish the opportunity to get stuck into a tricky situation, and create a favourable outcome for the business involved. We know that we can craft the path of least resistance to the overall goal. It’s our time to shine, and it’s the very reason why we run HR businesses in the first place… We want to help people to get the most out of their people, and firefighting is inevitably an aspect of this.

But it’s also hugely frustrating. Because a lot of the time, the stress and the worry – and the potential damage to the business – is completely avoidable. It’s rarely been caused by a deliberate intention by the owner to break the law or ignore best practice. More often than not, it’s down to an oversight, a mistake, or a simple lack of time and organisation.

We never judge. We know from experience just how hard it can be to be the boss, and we get straight to work to develop a plan that covers the best next steps.

Still though, it’s frustrating because we know that it could be avoided completely. Small business owners could save themselves a huge amount of time, money, and stress, by taking a step back and considering how to operate from a place of best practice, rather than just sorting out problems when they arise.

It might mean that our phones are a little less busy in January, but ultimately, we’re passionate about what we do. And we want it to be more about being excellent and leading the way, rather than a last minute thought when the proverbial hits the fan.

That’s why we’re offering a complementary strategy call between now and 31st January for small business owners who are determined that 2018 will be the year when they finally get their ducks in a row when it comes to HR, and step up as the leaders they know they have the potential to be.

We’ve got limited spaces in the diary, and once we’re full, we’re full. Get in touch today to arrange a time that works best for you.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Oculus HR .