Recently, AMC hosted “Mob Week,” a week dedicated to all your favorite mob movies. Well played, AMC.
They played one of my favorites, Donnie Brasco, starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp.
This movie is iconic because of the phrase “Forget about it.”
In one scene, Brasco explains:
I think Mafia movies are good for learning about the role of HR within small businesses.
The size of a company, whether in employees or dollars, can dramatically affect the level of HR you will require. Larger companies require more processes, more people, more clutter, more legalities, more cost and more administration.
Handing out checks to a couple of employees is easy if you run a small shop. But if you need help recruiting or advice regarding benefits, talent management, legal issues or many other common needs, then it might be time to look into some alternative solutions.
One approach would be to look into a managed services provider (MSP). This is a common way to outsource your business’s needs. An MSP can help with administrative tasks such as payroll, but also handle legal issues and consultation.
As companies grow, their legal responsibilities increase, as do the complications that can potentially arise. When a company is still relatively small with a limited budget, I think that an MSP is a logical and cost-effective way to ensure that you are covering your bases.
If you want to keep HR functions in-house, I would suggest educating yourself on the HR space and what HR professionals specialize in.
If nothing else, learning more about the space might help you determine the best solution for your company (and it may not be you).
You can go here to learn more, but here are a few places to start:
- Society for Human Resource Management: SHRM
- American Society for Training & Development: ASTD
- Human Capital Institute: HCI
- Corporate Executive Board: CEB
- The Conference Board: TCB
All of these associations specialize in HR and better business practices.
What do you think? What HR solutions would you suggest for small-business owners? More importantly, what’s your favorite Mafia movie?
“Forget about it!”
