Hire an Employee Relations Consultant

An employee relations consultant can be a valuable resource for any company. Whether you are a large manufacturing company with labor unions to work with or a smaller business with morale and motivation challenges, a neutral party working with employees and managers can help both sides work through their problems to achieve better communication, working conditions and understanding. When an effective employee relations consultant is on board, the company as a whole will benefit, and individual employees will feel heard and validated. Hire an employee relations consultant by evaluating the needs of your business and reviewing the qualifications and expertise of several different professionals.

Steps

Ideal Qualities in an Employee Relations Consultant

  1. Establish a goal or job description for your employee relations consultant.
    • Focus on areas where your company may be struggling, such as high turnover, increased harassment complaints, poor employee morale or problems compromising on pay, benefits and other issues between employees and management.
    • Discuss the scope and use of an employee relations consultant with your existing Human Resources team. They can be helpful in determining what to look for in a consultant.
  2. Look for someone with appropriate education. Depending on your industry, this might be an MBA, or a bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management or a related field.
  3. Seek consultants with experience. This experience should be in general human resources matters as well as specific employee relations roles.
  4. Pay attention to certifications. While there is no specific certification for employee relations, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) offers certifications that are valuable to consultants.
  5. Look for an employee relations consultant who can relate to your employees as well as management.
    • Seek good communicators who are comfortable advising vice presidents as well as hourly employees.
    • Consider hiring a bilingual consultant if you have a large workforce with Spanish as a first language.
  6. Look for demonstrated and specific skills such as negotiation, mediation, conflict management and facilitation.

Where to Hire an Employee Relations Consultant

  1. Ask for referrals.
  2. Talk to companies who have benefited from employee relations consultants in the past. They might be able to recommend specific consultants or agencies that provide consulting services.
  3. Organize a search committee.
    • Put together a group of managers, employees, HR professionals and other stakeholders to screen and recommend potential consultants. This will help your team feel more invested in the consultant you hire.
  4. Post an advertisement. Use sites such as CareerBuilder or Monster to run an ad for an employee relations consultant. If your company belongs to SHRM, you can post an ad in the career section of their website.
    • List your company's specific needs. For example, if you need a consultant experienced in labor unions, be sure to include that in the ad. If you are looking for a consultant for a 12-month period, make sure that is specified.
  5. Search for employee relations consultants online. Independent consultants may have websites or social networking sites that can give you an idea of who they are and how they work.
  6. Network in the business community. Sharing your needs with the people you know professionally might lead you to a recommendation or referral.
  7. Interview at least 3 consultants. This will give you an idea of what you are comfortable with in terms of experience and personality.
    • Talk to references. Current and former clients can help you understand whether an employee relations consultant will be a good fit for your company.

Tips

  • Look for a consultant who has experience in your specific industry. For example, if you are a nonprofit organization, hire a consultant who has worked with nonprofit employees in the past.
  • Use a consulting contract. Make sure the consultant understands he or she is not being hired as an employee, but as a consultant instead. Your attorney or human resources director can draft the appropriate language.

References

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