Wearing Your Human Resources Hat

October 6, 2008 By Mary White

Did you realize how many hats you would have to wear when you became a small business owner? Many people who move into owning small businesses after spending years working for other people find themselves surprised at what the reality of truly being fully in charge of a new business is like. On any given day, you’ll find yourself switching back and forth among sales, operations, planning, finance, purchasing, and other duties. When you start hiring employees, you’ll also find yourself functioning as the Human Resources Department for your company.

If you don’t have extensive knowledge of HR laws and regulations, it’s important to find the time to educate yourself about what small business owners need to know to be in compliance in all applicable areas. Making sure you’re on top of the basics of HR law should be one of the most important parts of your company’s risk management plan.

Why Do You Need HR Training?

Does your company have a payroll? If so, you need HR training. Payroll is something that you can’t just start doing without proper training. The moment you start putting people on your payroll, you need to learn the ins and outs of wage and hour compliance. Processing payroll involves much more than just cutting checks. You must verify that all employees you hire have the legal right to work in the U.S., get them to complete tax forms, come up with a system for tracking time, making sure you are meeting both minimum wage and mandatory overtime laws, keeping proper records, and more.

As an entrepreneur, you don’t necessarily need to complete semester long college classes in HR management to get the skills you need to effectively run the HR function of your business. Fortunately, there are plenty of excellent training options designed to help small business owners get the skills they need in the form of audio conferences and webinars. These types of training options are perfect for busy small business owners who don’t have the time or resources to travel for training or spend hours in the classroom. It’s easy to get the payroll training that you need any time you need it from any location.

Of course, payroll compliance isn’t the only HR risk management concern that small business owners need to learn about. The good news is that you are not the only person who has ever faced having to learn enough about HR to effectively manage risk in his or her own company. That’s why there are many HR training options designed to meet the needs of people just like you. Don’t put yourself or your company at risk when it comes to HR compliance. Remember that ignorance of the law is not a viable defense. Educate yourself about the ins and outs of Human Resources management, and you’ll be on your way to leading your small business into a successful future build on sound employee management practices.

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