When to Call an HR Consultant
On Friday, January 26th, Four Rivers SHRM member, Jill Hobbs MBA, SHRM-SCP, received the coveted Enterpreneur of the Year Award at the Paducah Chamber of Commerce's Annual Dinner. Hobbs launched HR Consulting Solutions in November 2022. She has been a member of Four Rivers SHRM for many years and a Past-President of our chapter. We caught with her to congratulate her upon her award and understand just how companies can best utilize an HR consultant.
How can companies best use a HR consultant - even if they have an HR manager?
A key question that many firms grapple with is how they can best capitalize on the expertise of an HR Consultant, in the presence of an HR Manager. Firstly, it is important to understand that an HR Consultant and an HR Manager, though related, have very distinct roles within a corporate setting. An HR Manager typically tends to the day-to-day human resources needs of a company. However, amidst their numerous tasks, they may not always have the chance to look at the bigger picture or strategic HR management. This is where the value of an HR Consultant comes into play! A professional such as myself can offer a fresh perspective, unbiased guidance, and expert insights on long-term goals, such as talent development, succession planning, and organizational design, among others.
We work with a wide range of industries and companies, equipping us with a broad understanding of diverse HR practices and solutions that a typical HR Manager may lack. Furthermore, HR Consultants are often engaged in researching the latest trends and laws in HR, ensuring that your company stays compliant and competitive. They can also provide training to HR teams and other employees, enhancing your company's internal capabilities. So, even if a client of ours has an HR Manager, we can complement the existing HR structure by bringing in industry knowledge, offering an external viewpoint, providing strategic advice, and staying attuned to the evolving HR landscape. We simply become an extension of their existing team by leveraging our wealth of knowledge and experience to augment our client's HR strategies, ensuring their human resources functions are not just carrying out operations, but also aligning with the organization’s overall goals.
What is one service that you can provide that most HR managers need?
It’s challenging for me to pinpoint just one service that HR professionals tend to contact me to handle for them. The most common tasks I am called to assist with are auditing/developing their employee handbook, writing disciplinary citations, coming onsite to facilitate terminations (including cleaning out the employee's office and delivering all their personal items to them), conducting employee training (i.e., FMLA, harassment, etc.), and assisting with general day-to-day performance management issues. My firm and our certified HR Consultants are on-call 24/7/365. So just being able to pick up the phone to call us in those sticky situations really gives our clients peace of mind that they are making the right decisions procedurally and staying legally compliant along the way.
Congratulations, Jill! Your Four Rivers SHRM family celebrates with you!
Photo of Jill Hobbs with Paducah Chamber 2023 President Brent Houseman is credited to Brad Rankin Photography and is owned by Paducah Chamber of Commerce. It is used by Four Rivers SHRM with permission.
