Albany's Human Resources Inc. Sees Business Uptick
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
While activity was slower than average in 2011, business picked up in the fourth quarter at Human Resources, Inc. (HRI), a professional employer organization (PEO) that handles payroll, workers' compensation, unemployment and other human resources work for its clients. The firm is already bringing on new business for 2012.
"We expect a 2 to 3 percent increase next year and once we get over some legislative issues and uncertainties around health care reform, we expect to see 5 to 10 percent annual growth," said Beth Lane, manager of the HRI Albany office.
Established in 1997, HRI is an 18-person firm headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., with a second office in Albany. The firm serves small to medium-size businesses in the southeastern U.S. It provides all types of professional services including payroll, HR management, retirement plan administration, medical and supplemental insurance administration, workers' compensation and employee perks.
"We are the only PEO in Albany accredited by Employer Services Assurance Corporation or ESAC," Lane said. "ESAC verifies that we are in compliance with ethical, financial, and operational standards. There are only 31 ESAC-accredited PEO firms in the country."
"That accreditation provides our clients – many of whom prefer working with a smaller firm – with peace of mind. Any one who is looking for a PEO should do their due diligence by checking the number of years in business, experience level and accreditation status."
Benefiting from a More Complex Regulatory Environment
According to Lane, many small business owners or managers can be broadsided by changes in labor laws or health care regulations. Often they don't know a law or regulation has changed until they are already in trouble.
"We partner with our clients to assume those duties and take away the HR headaches," Lane explained.
Health care is one area of increasing federal regulation. For example, the new health care reform law contains non-discrimination rules prohibiting fully insured group health plans from discriminating in favor of highly compensated employees, which is a change from past regulations. Even though specific regulations for non-discrimination have not yet been written, employers will need to perform certain complicated tests to avoid being penalized.
Changes to state and federal labor laws governing unions and immigration also threaten to add to the HR administrative burdens of many businesses.
"Once these issues are worked out in legislative sessions over the next few years, we expect to see increasing demand for PEO services," Lane said.
Training on the Softer Skills
From enforcing rules to listening to an unhappy employee to modeling the behavior you want to see employees use, there are many soft skills that business owners and managers need to appreciate in order to excel. Having these skills can often make the difference between success and failure.
"One of the services I offer our clients is additional training and HR consulting in the soft skills," Lane continued. "And for clients of our PEO services there is no extra charge for this."
HRI also helps guide employers on hiring and firing decisions, and offers safety training. According to Lane, most employers don't realize how cost effective working with a PEO can be until they have reviewed a proposal for their business.
Doing the Best for Albany
Lane works with a number of community organizations focused on attracting new businesses and industries to Albany. She believes the time is right for the new mayor to work with the Chamber of Commerce and others on developing an even stronger employer focus.
"We need to use the tax credits and incentives that we have available to attract businesses to the area," she said.
"And when businesses come to Albany, they don't have to go to Atlanta for PEO service. We can serve local businesses right here from Albany and can get to most locations in Georgia in just a matter of hours."
More information on HRI is available at www.humanresources.com.
