An HR Department of One

Understanding priorities and available resources when functioning as the sole HR professional

Whether you are an HR professional with little or no additional support or in a non-HR role juggling HR tasks with other responsibilities, managing HR on your own can be challenging. However, if you understand the primary areas that need to be addressed, have the right resources in place, and know where to go when you need help with anything outside your expertise, you can confidently manage your organization’s HR. Let’s start with the basics.

HR Fundamentals

It’s easy for your focus to be divided among the many projects competing for attention with your HR program. Choosing suitable options for your organization can be daunting, but it helps to start with the basics. Here are the critical areas of HR that every organization needs to address.

1. Compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws
Compliance is threaded throughout the HR function. Employment laws are complex and vary by company size, industry, and even from state to state; it is crucial to identify and address any compliance gaps in the organization. Take time to review federal and state leave requirements, wage and hour laws, sick time requirements, pay equity laws, and other applicable state or federal laws. Failure to comply is one of the costliest HR missteps for employers with minimal HR staff. 

2. Talent acquisition, hiring, and onboarding
Several federal, state, and regional laws have gone into effect, significantly impacting the recruiting and hiring process. When it’s time to recruit new talent, assess the entire recruiting, hiring, and onboarding process to ensure it aligns with current best practices.
 

• Implement an equal opportunity statement with reasonable accommodation instructions on all job postings.
• Train any employee involved in the hiring process about best practices, including what can and cannot be asked during interviews. 
• Understand and adhere to any state regulations, such as “ban-the-box” laws, marijuana laws, or questions about salary history.
• Collect all the new hire paperwork within the required time limit. Pay special attention to those that require submission to an external agency, including I-9, W-4, and state employer, unemployment tax, and workers compensation registries.

3. Compensation management and payroll processing
Take time to understand federal and state wage and hour laws. Ensure employees are correctly classified according to FLSA requirements, paying close attention to wage, salary, and overtime provisions. Employees must be compensated according to unique state and local pay equity laws, sick time laws, overtime requirements, and minimum wage laws. Ensure non-exempt employees receive meal and rest periods according to state and local legal requirements.

When processing payroll, follow state laws for wage payments and carefully follow pay frequency and lag time regulations. Most payroll providers keep up-to-date with these requirements. Still, it is vital to ensure they have current status information for each employee and that you understand the requirements and timelines of any new laws being implemented. Final paycheck requirements vary from state to state and are often very specific; be sure to provide payment in the time and manner prescribed by the state where the employee has worked.

4. Employee health and welfare benefit management
Find a technology solution that works best for your organization to make managing employee benefits more straightforward. Automated solutions enable online, paperless benefit enrollments that automatically feed into payroll systems and benefits carriers.
 

• Provide employees with required notification of COBRA rights under federal law and consider state “mini-COBRA” laws that provide additional provisions.
• File the required annual Affordable Care Act report with the IRS.
• Report Medicare Part D disclosure to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services annually.

5. Employee relations and performance management
Aim to prevent employee relation issues by implementing policies that establish behavioral expectations and providing the appropriate workplace harassment prevention training. Fostering a respectful workplace helps reduce both risk and liability. Many states require annual anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training, but it is best practice for all employers to implement training to create a culture of respect.

Establish reporting channels for employees to voice complaints. Some complaints will warrant a workplace investigation. We recommend that employees who conduct investigations undergo training to ensure they are impartial and legally sound. 

6. Create meaningful performance management practices
Performance management is a critical component of an effective HR program. Employees that receive regular feedback and clearly understand performance expectations have been shown to have greater productivity and engagement. 

7. Keep the employee handbook and company policies relevant and up-to-date
Employee handbooks are an essential communication tool between an employer and employees to set workplace standards and behavioral expectations as well as help prevent employee lawsuits. Review your current employee handbook and policies for accuracy, or, take the time to create one that accurately represents your existing policies, practices, and procedures. Craft a handbook tailored to your organization or contract with an HR specialist to ensure it is accurate and covers all the bases.

HR Support Options

The good news is you don’t have to go it alone! There are so many resources available to provide additional HR expertise and support. Whether you prefer a “research and do it yourself approach” or choose to rely on external specialists, there are many tools to keep you informed and on track. 

1. Free resources
There are several free resources available on federal and state government sites to assist with understanding and complying with employment laws. Reputable HR organizations and law offices offer helpful webinars, blogs, checklists, guides, and downloads to help with specific HR topics. 

2. HR libraries and subscriptions
Subscribing to an HR library is an excellent option for those with a good foundation and who enjoy researching and taking a do-it-yourself approach. You gain access to comprehensive HR libraries to explore critical HR topics and get the information you need regarding compliance and HR best practices. Similarly, you can join employment law subscriptions that send regular emails with important employment law updates and reminders. 

3. HR consulting
When you find you are uncertain about an HR project or compliance issue or that you just don’t have the capacity to address it, engage an HR consultant or legal professional specializing in the topic of concern. A good consultant will provide the expertise you need and peace of mind, knowing that your HR project is being handled in an efficient and compliant manner.

4. HR outsourcing
If you find that you lack expertise in any critical areas of your HR program or don’t have the internal resources to cover all the bases, consider outsourcing some or all of your HR functions. Outsourcing enables you to offload critical HR activities to a team of experienced professionals on an ongoing basis and often costs less than hiring additional staff. You can keep much of your HR responsibility in-house while outsourcing the areas where you need additional support. Outsourcing areas that are a resource drain will enable you to level up your HR program and spend your time more efficiently.

5. You can do this!
Being successful as an HR department of one is well within reach. Few obstacles cannot be overcome with the right resources in place. Half the battle is recognizing your limitations and exploring the solutions that work best for your organization and its budget and culture. 

Recommended Resources
How to conduct a workplace investigation
Guide to the fundamentals of HR management 

Audra Hedberg, PHR, PHRca, SHRM-SCP, is Vice President of Services at Trupp.