Be the HR Hero; Conduct a Human Capital Assessment

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Erin McGinty in Best Practices, Human Capital Management

I’ve heard the comment before: you don’t know what you don’t know; but recently I had one of those ‘light bulb’ moments when it was said. HR professionals take for granted that business owners and managers know the simple things; the obvious. For example, sometimes we learn our clients don’t require job candidates to complete an employment application. We think, “Really? Isn’t it obvious this has to be done?” Turns out, they just don’t know what they don’t know. This is why an assessment of a company’s human capital is vital. At TriNet, we love it because it helps create an immediate bond with our new clients  as a trusted HR advisor.

During our Human Capital Assessment intake meeting, we have this amazing opportunity to learn all about the ins and outs of our new client’s HR practices. Oftentimes, small businesses that are growing by leaps and bounds often lose sight of HR, as their focus is on turning a profit by adding more customers and introducing new products or services. During our conversation, we assess a company’s employment practices and address risks related to state and federal employment laws and regulations. We focus on recruitment, compensation, employee management, health and safety and employment separation. We become HR heroes in their eyes because we gently let them know they’ve been doing some things improperly because they just didn’t know what they didn’t know. We ‘save the day’ through educating them on everything from using an employment application to the importance of good documentation. As Human Capital Consultants, we learn what our customers just don’t know and have never thought about when we guide them through the Human Capital Assessment.  And hey, when an assessment results in significant changes that impact our clients in meaningful ways, the happiest ones have treated me to a much appreciated lunch!