How big does a company have to be before it hires a full-time human resource manager?

According to Beth Sussman of Dovetail Human Resources, there really is no special number of workers that a company should have before hiring a full-time human resources manager. Instead, she says, what you need to look at are the conditions in the company and pay attention to certain triggers that will tell you when the time is right.

For example, are you having trouble finding the workers with the skills you need when you need them? Or are you having trouble merging new workers from an acquired company with your workforce? If you don’t have any human resource people, Sussman says, you might not have the kind of practices in place that you need to acquire, develop and hold onto the workers you need. You may need someone with the specific expertise in the process of mergers and how to combine workforces.

Another sign that you may need a human resources manager is when you see that your company is increasingly at risk from legal action for wrongful termination, harassment claims or pay inequality issues. If you see these kinds of issues coming up more often, it may be time to hire someone to make sure you have the best policies in place to handle these situations, Sussman says.

You may need to think about an HR person when you begin to find that your policies are becoming outdated, according to Sussman. You may have a pay and bonus plan that doesn’t fit the way your business is operating now, or a benefits plan that needs updating.

Also, have you noticed that you are spending more and more on outside firms – consultants, attorneys or other administrative services to handle human resource issues? It may be time to take a look at what you are spending on outsourced services and compare that to what your expenses would be if you hired some in-house people to handle the same issues. Comparing the costs and benefits of each approach may show you that you may actually be better off financially by going with in-house people.

Whether your human resources is 50 people large, or you only have 10 employees company wide, RealStreet Staffing can help your architecture, engineering or construction firm find the skilled professionals you need. Contact us today!