Consulting in HR Management is gaining ground with the passage of each day.New start-ups are the usual phenomenon. Old and established companies also sometimes seek the help of consultants in deciding their strategies for learning and development, HR planning, recruitment, introduction of new policies and many other facets essential to them.
An attempt has been made in this blog to list the essential steps for successfully doing consulting in HR management. It is to be noted here that this domain of human resource management is expanding rapidly, with the advent of new technologies and with the fast changing requirements of organisations. Hence, one must be abreast with the same.
A HR consultant may be defined as a professional, who is expert in his filed and may give advice or suggestions to the concerned organisations for initiating new process or improving upon the existing process. Hence, if one is interested in perusing a career in HR consulting, he or she must know anything and everything related to HR, along with the rapidly changing requirements of this industry.
Below are listed the essential steps in doing the consulting in HR.
1. Understanding the client requirements
An in-depth analysis may be carried out to understand what are the requirements of the client. Visiting client premises and discussing with different departmental heads or personnel, may give an insight to what they want. If the client is a new organisation, you may have to know their vision, mission , goals, objectives, job profiles, manpower planning along with projected growth pattern. If the client is established organisation, it may require your help in any of the following:
- Designing a human resource management system(HRIS)
- How to invest in human resource development
- Succession planning
- Monitoring system
- Any other thing which is urgent to them
In general, the consulting in any of the following domains may be done, apart from the topics listed above.
- Recruitment
- Learning & Development
- Compensation & Benefits
- Health & Safety
- Policies & Procedures
- Performance management, monitoring and appraisal
- Emotional management of employees
- Legal compliance
- Award and punishment mechanisms
- Optimisation
The client's requirements may be best understood by asking questions, critical questions pertaining to their existing status. A set of questionnaire is the best option.
Further, different set of questionnaire formats may be designed for different domains.
2. Know your boundaries while doing consulting in HR
It must be borne in mind that you can not deliver each and everything your client wants. The relationship between you and your client should be based on mutual trust, and the constraints of resources available. For example, if your client wants your advice in a field, about which you do not know anything, it is better not to venture into it.
3. Work in tandem with each other
The relationship with the client should be collaborative. Both should work as partners. The collaborative approach establishes mutual responsibility and joint accountability.It, in turn, increases the probability of a more accurate outcome of the consulting.
4. Preparation of a proposal
It may indicate the following
- Scope of work
- Deliverable
- Time span to complete the work
- The responsibility of the client and consultant during consultancy work with respect to future meetings required for clarifications if any and or any other aspect, which may arise subsequently.
- Financial aspects and terms of payment
- Expected outcomes
5. Preparation of Reports
It is the moral duty of the consultant to prepare a report containing Executive Summary,Purpose, Process, Objectives, Conclusions and Recommendations.
6. Mechanism of feedback after the completion of work
A mechanism must be evolved jointly by the client and the consultant to receive feedback on the work completed. It should be a two way feedback( client should rate the consultant, but at the same time, client should also be rated by the consultant.)
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Ripples Learning is an acknowledged consultant in Human Resource Management. Please write to us or email your requirements to support@rippleslearning.com.
