A 2019 OnPay study found that nearly half of small business owners handle HR on their own, without an HR team. And whether or not a small business has a dedicated HR team, only 27 percent are using HR software, putting HR behind payroll software (60 percent), accounting (50 percent), expense tracking (35 percent), time tracking (31 percent), and benefits administration (28 percent).
This is a big problem because these numbers indicate the likelihood that small businesses don’t have the resources or people to meet their HR goals. Some of these business owners are spending 40 hours a month on tasks that should be relegated to an HR professional and slows them down for managing their business.
Whether you’re a large or small business, you need an HR rep and/or team to manage payroll, ensure compliance, pay employees on time, review job applications, and more.
HR representatives help keep you compliant with federal, state, and local laws and regulations, which is a necessity for any businesses to avoid fees or unwanted situations (like a lawsuit).
On top of the legal needs for a qualified representative, you also want someone who can help you stay organized, drive attractive benefits programs, facilitate employee performance reviews, onboard employees, and more. These individuals need to be familiar with trends in the HR and hiring industry, including new technologies, innovations, and cultural shifts.
One of the best ways to assess the qualifications and skill set of a candidate is through an advanced reference check. In 2023, reference checks are faster, more efficient, and more effective at providing you with key insights from former employers and/or employees.
This is a great opening question that will help verify some basic facts about the candidate’s resume and get the reference thinking about their time with the candidate.
This question will help you get an idea of the candidate’s range of responsibilities and experiences.
This is a good soft skills question that will give you some insight on the candidate’s communication skills, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and other necessary HR skills.
Managing regulatory requirements aren’t the most fun aspect of an HR position, but they are important. This question will let you know how well-equipped the candidate is for handling the legal aspects that come with the job.
A big part of HR is working with employees to improve benefits and understand what employees actually want.
This is another essential question that will tell you what kind of contribution this individual made to the workplace and company culture. You want individuals who work well with peers, respond well to their own managers, and contribute to your team in a positive way.
This is one of the most important questions you could ask anyone for a reference check, regardless of what position you need to fill. It’s a polarizing question that asks the former employer/manager to identify any red (or green) flags.
The best time to conduct a reference check is at the beginning of the hiring process. Here’s why:
Traditional reference check methods take too much time and aren’t as effective at verifying the 50 percent of resumes that contain lies or exaggerate their information.
Automated reference check tools, like Crosschq, allow you to:
The right HR representatives will give you the resources and experiences you need to stay organized, meet your hiring needs, and drive productivity/engagement. The best way to ensure you have the “right” HR rep is to take a holistic hiring approach that includes smarter talent sourcing, job matching, and reference checking. The great thing about Crosschq is that you don’t have to sacrifice quality for time or efficiency.
Crosschq’s “Q” Report looked at 24+ million pre-hire and post-hire decisions we’ve helped leaders make, along with the radical insights from those data points that can help you hire, retain, and develop talent. And if you want to learn more about how Crosschq can help leaders and hiring teams attract, retain, and measure the performance of top talent, sign up for a demo today.