How a HR advice line can benefit your business

Employees are at the heart of any business. As a business owner, ensuring your employees are happy and treated fairly is critical and can be a key factor that determines success. Some smaller businesses may not have the resources required for a fully-fledged HR department, which is why a service like our HR advice line can be so useful. 

In this article, we take a deep dive into how exactly a HR advice line can benefit your business and discuss the unique advantages it can offer as you strive to maximise the performance of your employees and take your business to the next level. 

A more cost-effective approach

You won’t need us to tell you how important cost-sheet balancing and financial planning are. Running a business requires a solid understanding of how to manage finances and how to approach things in the most cost-effective way. 

All major companies have HR departments or use an external HR consultancy firm. A HR department serves as the link between employees and employers, helping to maintain relationships to ensure everyone is benefiting and no issues arise. 

However, for small businesses where profit margins are razor-thin, often the resources to fund or justify an in-house HR department simply aren’t there. Rather than go without, small businesses can instead opt for a HR advice line. Charged on a monthly retainer basis, a HR advice line can be a far more cost-effective option for small businesses looking to benefit from HR services. 

Rather than bearing the financial brunt of setting up, managing, and staffing an in-house department, you will instead be able to access a team of highly experienced HR professionals by simply picking up the phone. 

On-demand HR advice 

HR issues can arise at any time. Often, these are pressing matters that must be addressed urgently to ensure they don’t escalate and cause your business further disruption. 

Whether it’s workplace grievances, salary disputes, or clashes about hours and hybrid working, HR issues can see business operations grind to a halt and can become extremely difficult to deal with. 

Small-medium businesses without HR departments are left to deal with these incidents themselves. Without the proper training and experience, this is tricky, and can even see situations worsening.

By enlisting the services of a HR advice line, you’ll be able to access on-demand HR advice and guidance as and when you need it. If an emergency situation was to arise that required immediate attention, you can make the call through to the advice line and receive timely guidance as to the appropriate course of action. 

Stay up to date with employment laws 

Employment laws are designed to safeguard employees and to ensure they are always treated fairly by employers. These laws and regulations can be complex and difficult to follow, but doing so is absolutely essential. If you are found to be in breach of employment law, you could face serious punitive action, which could have both financial and reputational ramifications for your business. 

Changes in employment law can often be hard to keep track of, which can see you be in breach of regulations without even realising. Using a HR advice line can help keep you up to date with the latest employment laws and will ensure you are always adhering to the current regulations. 

For example, last month the UK government passed the Employment Relations Bill, also known as the Flexible Working Bill. This legislation stipulates that employees can apply for flexible working from day one of their employment. Where an employer can’t support a flexible working request, they must consult with the employee to try to find an alternative solution.

Flexible working patterns are becoming increasingly popular, with research revealing that they can offer both employees and employees a number of benefits, including improved work-life balance and increased productivity. 

However, making flexible working arrangements with your employees can be difficult and time-consuming. It’s a process of negotiation and compromise, one that you, as a busy business owner, simply might not have the time for. 

When dealing with flexible working requests from your employees, using a HR advice line can help you understand how best to come to an agreement that is satisfactory for both parties. HR professionals will guide and advise you to ensure you are always acting within the realms of existing laws while also guaranteeing that whatever agreement is reached is beneficial for your business. 

Conclusion 

If you own a small business, it’s easy to assume that you will have to go without the support of a HR department or external HR consultancy company. This simply isn’t the case. There are options available for small-medium businesses that don’t have the finances or manpower for a comprehensive HR program. A HR advice line can be a fantastic alternative. It’s a more cost-effective option that offers on-demand guidance on a range of HR issues and can help you address and deal with issues in a timely and effective manner.