HR consultant or advisor? How small businesses can find the right HR expertise.
Managing HR as a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) in Canada presents unique challenges. With limited resources compared to larger multinational companies, some SMEs struggle with navigating complex legislation, staying current with evolving compliance requirements, and addressing employee challenges common to their respective industries. Choosing the right kind of HR support, such as partnering with an experienced HR consultant or advisor, can help businesses effectively manage these challenges and meet their specific needs.
This blogpost examines how Canadian HR advisory and consulting services can effectively support employees in smaller businesses just as well as those in larger corporations.
HR advice and consulting in Canada
Timely access to experienced Canadian HR advisors and consultants can be an invaluable asset for SMEs. Their professional support helps maintain compliance and streamline HR processes, allowing leaders more time to focus on driving organizational goals. By offering trusted advice and effective HR solutions customized to an organization’s needs, HR professionals can significantly enhance the performance of any workforce.
Advisory or consulting? How HR advisors differ from HR consultants at Citation Canada
Understanding the distinction between HR advisory and HR consulting services is key to choosing the best solution for your business’s HR needs.
HR advisor
The exact definition of HR advisor can vary somewhat depending on the service provider. At Citation Canada, our Live HR Advice is an on-demand service available exclusively to members. It provides tactical, point-in-time advice to help businesses navigate specific HR issues. Advisors respond to questions, offering recommendations based on their HR expertise.
- What it covers: Employee relations, compliance questions, and advice to help you align your practices with HR best practice.
- What it doesn’t cover: Advisors do not draft policies, review client documents, or build out plans and strategies. They provide precise verbal guidance that helps businesses make informed decisions quickly.
Consider this scenario:
An employee continually misses deadlines, and their behaviour is starting to affect team morale. You’re unsure how to address it. Should you schedule a meeting, issue a warning, or consider disciplinary action? Instead of second-guessing, you turn to our Live HR Advice line. One call connects you with an HR advisor who helps you navigate the situation with confidence. They’ll help you create clear communications, ensuring compliance, and can even provide recommendations to drive team performance going forward. With their personalized advice, you’ll be equipped to resolve the issue effectively while maintaining a positive and productive workplace.
HR consultant
An HR consultant’s work is typically more project-based and involves scoping, planning, and executing customized HR projects with clear deliverables. Our HR consulting service is available to both Citation Canada members and non-members for a fee.
- What it covers: Customized policy development, compensation alignment, training, engagement surveying, or other projects aimed at advancing the goals of the business.
- What it doesn’t cover: Unlike advisory, consulting partners on a specific initiative rather than answering immediate tactical questions.
Consider this scenario:
A mid-sized construction company struggled with frequent employee absenteeism, disrupting project timelines and productivity on jobsites. The company’s HR manager sought help from Citation Canada’s consultancy services, collaborating with an HR consultant to address the growing absenteeism challenges they were experiencing. Together, they crafted an employee survey to identify the root cause of the problem. When leadership issues and policy and procedure gaps were revealed, they evaluated the company’s absence management practices and developed a fair and effective Absence Reporting Policy, along with a memo outlining the absence reporting procedures. They also developed and implemented a standardized performance management process to help address employees struggling with punctuality. Additionally, the consultant suggested training topics for company leaders that would help them proactively address absenteeism. This strategic approach demonstrates how targeted consulting can yield significant results for HR initiatives of any size or scope.
Investing in Canadian HR advice: A smart business decision
Investing in HR support is an investment in your organization’s people. Canada’s HR landscape is diverse, with each of its jurisdictions governed by its own unique legislative requirements. Collaborating with a trusted HR professional ensures businesses receive reliable advice tailored to these nuances, which is especially helpful for SMEs that operate in more than one jurisdiction.
With professional HR guidance, SMEs benefit from:
- Compliance expertise: Employment legislation across Canada can become complex quickly. HR advice from a trusted professional offers clear, actionable insights that help businesses maintain compliance with accommodation, pay transparency, and everything in between.
- Localized knowledge: An experienced HR professional with expertise across various Canadian industries provides SMEs with trustworthy, tailored guidance. Combining knowledge of legislative requirements with insight into Canadian workplace cultures, they can deliver tailored solutions that meet your organization’s unique needs.
- Real-time support: Advice from an HR professional shouldn’t be a hassle. Whether you need help resolving a persistent workplace challenge or updating an outdated policy, having trusted guidance that’s just a phone call or click away can offer peace of mind for business owners and HR leaders alike.
Why thousands of Canadian businesses choose us as their trusted HR partner
Business owners and HR leaders nationwide depend on our experts for tailored guidance on the compliance regulations applicable to their jurisdiction and so much more. With extensive experience working in a wide range of industries, our experts deliver the support businesses need to succeed anywhere in Canada. Here’s why over 5,500 Canadian employers choose us as their trusted HR partner.
Canadian expertise: Our HR professionals have in-depth knowledge of the specific legislative requirements across all Canadian jurisdictions and continuously monitor for new developments.
Expert support for all 14 jurisdictions: Our HR and health and safety experts offer tailored guidance for organizations across all industries, empowering employees to thrive while allowing business leaders to focus more time on the decisions that drive success.
Need more HR support?
There’s a lot more to Citation Canada than just expert advice. We also provide innovative Canadian-made HR solutions and health and safety software that simplifies HR administration at thousands of organizations nationwide. Discover how our award-winning HR solutions support your organization’s success today! Connect with an HR advisor or consultant today, or visit our pricing page to learn more.