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I have a vision for small business: All small businesses will start with a human resources strategy in mind and a policy platform to work from before they hire their first employee.  They’ll design their cultures instead of letting it grow on its own while they’re distracted.  Businesses will start with the understanding that the most valuable asset they’ll have is their employees.  Most of all, however, I have a vision of a world where somebody is there to help them in a way they can afford, doesn’t require huge commitments of time, and supports them while they grow.   That’s why I started The Grange, to make high end, strategic Human Resource services available to small companies from their inception.   Once they have 15 employees, companies begin to be subject to laws that govern employee relationships.  By the time businesses have 50 employees actively working, they are subject to almost every law applicable to a private company.  Here are a couple of examples of the types of things that can trip anyone up, even at this early stage:   The ADAAA (Americans with Disability Act Amendments Act): You catch an employee taking medication that endangers their own safety and that of their co-workers.  When you talk to them about it, they tell you a doctor prescribed the medication and it doesn’t affect their performance or ability to safely accomplish their job, but you know it does.  They also tell you the prescription is a permanent part of their health care and demand to continue to do their job.  There’s no way to do their job and so you terminate them.  You might be in trouble. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): You have a dedicated part-time receptionist that is incredibly dedicated. On his days off, he checks his email and forwards anything to you of interest.  You’re not in trouble right now, but you could be soon.   There are two things every HR Professional tells a small business owner when asked about these kinds of situations:  1. “It depends” (they’ll have to dig into the specifics before they know if the company is in trouble right now) and 2. You’re only one lawsuit away from being out of business.   But, how do small companies afford the kind of support I’m talking about?  Businesses with 50 employees can’t afford to pay somebody six figures to keep an eye on these kinds of things.  An owner could hire somebody who knows how to do HR but has very little experience.  They could sell their employees to a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) who will do all of that for them at a pretty high price, but are they really working for the company at that point?  What if the PEO does something that generates liability for the business?  It happens.  An owner can call an attorney when needed and spend the whole time looking at their watches because the attorney’s paid by the hour while the attorney says “it all depends” and wants to discuss three or four different ways of handling the situation.   Small business needs a six figure professional that doesn’t cost that much, that is available when needed but doesn’t charge more when they work a lot verses just a little.  Companies need somebody to help them understand how much vacation they should offer, how it should be structured, and how that can help or hinder the company meeting its goals.  They need somebody to tell them if they’re paying too much or not enough when they hire people.  When should they begin to offer benefits?  What benefits should be offered? What kind of benefits do competitors offer?  Should the company match that or beat it?   Companies should be designing their cultures to best meet their goals.  Do employees need to be innovators and free thinkers that disrupt competitors’ business models, or does slow and steady win the race?  How do companies design a hiring process that ensures they’re hiring the kind of employees to do that?  What needs to happen on a daily basis that ensures those results?  Large companies can afford that kind of support and I want to make it so that small companies can too.   This is my vision; That somebody is there for all of these situations and more.  Its why I offer it at a flat rate with no limit on the amount of hours I’m willing to spend working for you.  This is what I do in The Grange.  This is what I’ll do for you.

The Method The Grange offers its services on a retainer basis.  For a negotiated amount, The Grange will provide your company with Twenty-Four hour human resources support seven days a week.  Shorter term arrangements can be made on a project or hourly basis. Success by Design Successful companies design their culture, policies, and practices instead of hoping it happens by accident.  We’ll begin by identifying your current policies and practices, strategically crafting a path forward that enhances your company vision and its goals.  We’ll develop a plan the company can follow as it grows.  The plan will keep you more than just compliant, it will give you a competitive advantage and help you design a world class culture where employees truly are your best and most valuable resource. Once the plan is in place we’ll implement it by creating the documents, handbooks, and necessary policies to make it happen.  We’ll help you roll it out to employees, train supervisors, managers, and executives in best practices ensuring that the culture you create will be sustainable over time. Stand With You No matter how well crafted, nothing operates indefinitely without the proper maintenance and management.   The Grange will help you design and manage your benefit offering, conduct open enrollment, help you design annual reviews that won’t be a waste of time, message annual increases, and, when necessary, help you resolve “employee relations” that could land you in court if not handled correctly. We’ll recommend products and services best suited to your company’s size, culture and capabilities.  The Grange partners with companies that provide Payroll, Human Resources, and Benefit Management software as well as others that can help you manage 401k benefits, outplacement, and recruiting. Legal Advice: The Grange also partners with Haymore Law to provide you with customized employment agreements, liability release agreements, and other HR related documents that protect you now and in the future.  This partnership can provide you with affordable services and advice when things go beyond human resources. All these services are offered to you at a cost you can afford.  Lay the foundation of success today by partnering with The Grange, Strategic HR Services today.

An HR Consultant that Doesn’t Say No HR has a reputation of saying no more often than it finds solutions to problems.  HR employees are like any other professional employee, they are educated in “best practices,” taught the “legal” way to do things, and are drilled with the consequences of what happens when you’re out of compliance.  Some of them are even educated in how to read a financial. Most HR employees aren’t taught risk assessment.  What is the likelihood of the consequences you’ve been taught about in all your recertification classes?  What will be the real impact if those consequences come about verses the cost of compliance? Executives ask these questions all the time, but a lot of entry level to midlevel HR employees rarely think this way. At The Grange, we never tell an executive no.  We council, we advise, we educate, and we explain the risks, but we don’t say no.  You need an HR partner that that finds solutions, not barriers to success. When you have questions with real impact, we’ll be there with real answers that strategically move you towards your goals.

Human Capital Are employees your most important resource or not? Employees are your most expensive capital investment.  Just like any other capital investment they have production limits, specifications, installation costs, and, most importantly, maintenance costs. If you’re a manufacturer and you purchase a piece of equipment that is supposed to produce 100 widgets an hour, you’ll do whatever you need to do to ensure it produces 100 widgets an hour or more. Human capital is no different. When you hire an employee, you purchase the equipment.  Employees need to be on-boarded, trained, integrated into your operations, coached, and guided properly.  Some employers think they don’t need to do things that keep employees happy.  Happy employees are productive employees, productive employees are efficient employees, and productive and happy employees make you money. Do you know the following about your most productive capital investment? ·       How long do your employees work each week? ·       What are the advantages of having each employee? ·       Each employee is rated to produce a certain amount of production each week.  What does each employee produce for you? ·       If you changed how you utilized an employee would he or she be more productive?  How much more productive? ·       What incentives exist within the company and what behavior do they produce? ·       Are your employees self-motivated and looking for ways to improve the business or do they just do their job and go home?  Why? If your employees really are your most valuable asset, do you treat them that way?  What would you sacrifice to ensure they are at their productive peak? Do your actions match your words?  It’s easier than you think. The Grange is packed with ways of ensuring your most valuable capital investment gives you the best possible return.  It’s time to improve your ROI.

Why an HR Consultant? Laying the foundation of a business isn’t easy. Doing it wrong can put you in court or worse, trapped with an ineffective team and culture that continually holds back the growth of your company.   How do you get real HR support without breaking the bank? The Grange assists you in laying that foundation carefully and deliberately. 1.   The right processes and procedures to ensure you’re compliant. 2.   The right policies that facilitate growth and create trust between management and employees (handbooks etc). 3.   The right benefits to help you keep the best employees. 4.   The right culture to keep you on top and take care of your customers. 5.   The right plan.  Planning ahead to stay ahead. 6.   The right way to resolve issues, open, honest, and geared to get the best from your most valuable resource, Human Resources.