After working in corporate human resources (HR) for many years, I was laid off. I applied for unemployment and during that time, I was presented with an opportunity through the State of Maryland unemployment division to apply for a program to help me start a business. I applied and was accepted into the program. That was in 2001.
At the time I knew little about running a business. It was with the help of an organization called Women Entrepreneurs of Baltimore – which at the time had a partnership with the State of Maryland to train startups – that I was able to stand up the basics. They ran an 8-week entrepreneurship incubator (workshop) where I wrote my first business plan, learned the basics of financing, and figured out what I’d have to do for marketing.
As is common for startups, it wasn’t all uphill. Due to the challenges of being a start up and other family obligations, I decided to go back into corporate life. After being laid off 2 more times, I decided I had enough of corporate life and relaunched my business in 2011. Since then, though it hasn’t always been easy, I have not looked back.
Why Do Companies Hire an HR firm?
One of the primary reasons companies need HR is to help manage risk. There is much risk associated with employees, payroll taxes, and observing overlapping federal, state, and local employment laws. Today, many companies find it cost-effective to outsource the HR function (and some other critical functions, like IT) instead of running it in-house.
Some clients have come to us as they are forming – to help them structure and build their HR function correctly from the beginning. For other clients, we are their HR department. For others, they find the value proposition in using JLM is to augment existing staff. And for others still, we work on retainer and are there to help only when they need it – often involving employee relations issues, like hiring, navigating performance or discipline issues, or firing.
We are specialists in automating many HR processes and help them streamline their:
- Hiring
- Compensation
- Payroll
- Employee Relations
- Measurement and Evaluation
A Common HR Risk: Employees vs. Contractors
For small businesses, there’s one common HR risk we help companies avoid. That is working with contractors.
We make sure our clients understand the difference between contractors and employees. Contract work is more common than ever today, with many people off company payrolls and working on their own.
For companies, it’s a way to get professional help without bearing the full cost of an employee. However, it’s vital to know the laws. When hiring contractors you cannot dictate their working hours, for example, or require they attend routine company meetings and events. And if your job adds up to full-time for them or your company is their sole source of income, you’ll have to be extra careful.
One way JLM avoids legal traps is to have signed contracts with all contractors – written agreements that clearly outline their roles and responsibilities. Another way I protect the company – my own as well as my clients’ – is to make sure the contractor has their own business liability insurance – and they have to show the proof.
Today we have a full-time staff of 8 at JLM, and clients of all sizes, from 3 to 800 employees. We are extremely proud to have developed a business that is a creator of jobs, and that is sustainable for the foreseeable future.
Certifications: MD MBE, WBENC, Va SWam and LSBRP
