How to Keep Your HR Staff Calm When Outsourcing HR Processes

You’ve made or are considering the decision to outsource some of your HR responsibilities to a professional employer organization (PEO) – and it’s for all the right reasons. Your current HR team is overworked. Like you, they’d be better off spending their time on more strategic, business-critical matters instead of the mountains of administrative tasks that need to be done to keep your talent management efforts on track.

It makes perfect sense. But until they fully understand your reasoning and are reassured that they’re not being replaced or chided for sub-par performance, members of your existing HR team may naturally be upset when they hear the news. The prospect of handing off some of their job responsibilities, no matter how snowed under with work they may be, is scary. Any perceived threat to their job security is … well … threatening.

What can you do to relieve their anxiety and fully illustrate that this move is good for them, as well as for you and your business?

It all comes down to communications.

Good, thoughtful, ongoing conversations, both one-on-one and with your HR team, are a key aspect to the transition into a PEO partnership. A change like this may prompt both rational and irrational responses in people, and you need to be prepared to address both.

• Don’t assume people understand what’s going on or the benefits of your decision. Working on assumptions is never advisable. It’s better to overcommunicate, so the messages received are crystal clear.
• Acknowledge employees’ feelings. Show compassion for their concerns. Listen actively to what they say. Answer their questions, and give them ample time to reflect on what they hear and ask more if necessary. Then, you can help them understand why you’re making this change, how you expect it to affect them, and how you’re prepared to help them adjust.
• Paint a clear picture of what things will look like as your company progresses with HR outsourcing. For instance, say something like, “Picture yourself getting a high-priority project done on time, while a team of professionals handles your simpler tasks, like setting up phone interviews.” Because, with vision comes buy-in.
• Be confident as you provide this information. Your positive attitude and outlook will help your employees embrace the upcoming change with more confidence and enthusiasm. Be as transparent as possible with details. Continue to reinforce the fact that outsourcing is happening to further empower them, not to compete with or replace them.

Need Help Finding the Right PEO or Outsourced HR Partnership

Are you considering a PEO partnership, but wondering about how to make the transition? To learn more about what a PEO can do for your company, and the steps involved in the entire process, contact Key HR today. We have the right HR solutions for you, along with robust, comprehensive strategies to make any related change management as seamless and successful as possible.