New program helps small business overcome HR issues

A new program is helping small businesses get a handle on one of their most pressing and time consuming issues - human resources.

In November, the Employment Services Centre of Prescott-Russell announced a new service for business owners in the area. Known as Human Resources Business Partners, the program gives employers access to human resource specialists.

Two team members have been hired to carry out program - Carl Lamarche, who services the Russell area, and Chantale Ladouceur, who services the Prescott area.

According the Ladouceur the services offered to businesses as part of the program are "completely free" and give them the tools and support they need to select and evaluate employees; analyze and distribute tasks and other internal human resources procedures and policies.

"The Employment Services Centre has been operating for more than 20 years," Ladouceur explained. "Their main concentration was on people looking for employment. Then, it was realized that employers/business owners were in need of services pertaining to human resources. That's how the program was developed."

The program was made possible through the generous financial contributions of numerous agencies, including the Prescott-Russell Community Development Corporation, the Hawkesbury Industrial Investment Association, the Eastern Ontario Training Commission, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Ladouceur has experience in both business and human resources, which makes her an invaluable resource to the businesses she works with.

"I am able to offer help, support and advice in both areas," she commented. "I think (business owners) appreciate that...they know I know what I am talking about."

Ladouceur works directly with business owners who have indicated that they have human resources issues that require her advice and attention. She said she visits the business, sits down with employers and staff and develops a plan to address their specific needs.

"Every business is different and has different needs," she said. "My job is to talk to the owner and the staff and figure out what's missing...what needs to be done. Then we work together to formulate a plan to address the needs."

Although each business has different needs, Ladouceur said, there is a common thread that links many businesses, particularly small businesses, together.

"Most business owners struggle with human resources issues," she stated. "They are either too busy or don't have enough knowledge to make it work."

Grace Batista, of Digitrade, a digital trade printing company in Hawkesbury, was in desperate need of Ladouceur's assistance.

"In my case, I came in to Digitrade last October and I had a team in place," she explained. "The problem was, my team was dysfunctional and no one was working together, as a team. It was confusing and I knew something had to be done, but I had no idea where to start."

The problem, Batista noted, is that most small businesses don't have the money or the time to bring in experts to help straighten out their human resources needs.

"Big businesses have budgets for this kind of thing, but we, as small business owners, do not," she remarked. "We don't have any money to invest in this at all. Not only that, but many of us don't have the time to do it or the knowledge to do it right. We have no idea what needs to be done or how to do it. I, myself, have absolutely no background in human resources. All I know how to do is my job, which I love. That's where Chantale comes in."

Ladouceur helped Batista create job descriptions for each of the positions she staffs and spent time asking staff what they thought was expected of them.

"What you learn, quite often, is that the employer has very different expectations from a (job) position than the employee does," Batista said. "In many cases, I wasn't making it clear to my employees what I expected of them, so they didn't know how to carry out their position. Chantale helped us clarify all of that and put it into perspective."

Now, Batista said, her team is fully functional and she has a better idea of what her human resources needs are. She said she also noticed that her employees are much happier now that they know what their roles and responsibilities are within the company.

"Human resources issues can be very scary and overwhelming, especially when you have no idea how to handle them," Batista commented. "Chantale helped me put a structure in place that wasn't there before. Her expertise and experience is a huge asset to any business owner. This service is an absolute must."

Alain Ménard, co-owner of the Green Beaver Company, which makes a unique line of certified organic hygiene products, also had some human resources issues that needed addressing.

"In our case, we were trying to deal with growth," he explained. "We went from having four employees to having 17 in less than a year. When you grow, you're (employees) are key because you can't function without them. We needed help structuring everything."

Ménard said he was skeptical when Ladouceur called him to talk about the program and offer her services to help his business.

"All I could think was, oh great, she's going to make me sit down and write job descriptions, which I don't have time to do," he admitted. "But once we started talking, I realized there's so much more to it than that and I knew she was going to help us."

Now, Ménard said, his human resources department is structured and easy to understand.

"Chantale is like a teacher and we learned a great deal from her," he said. "Her expertise has certainly had a positive impact on our company. There's still a lot to work on, it won't happen overnight, but we're moving in the right direction for sure."

The great thing, Batista said, is that if she ever needs more assistance, Chantale is just a phone call away.

"If I need help with something, I can call her and I know she'll help me out," she stated. "It's very reassuring and refreshing. I think they key is for business owners not to be afraid to voice their needs. I encourage every business owner to get involved with this program. You won't regret it."

For more information about the program, please call Ladouceur at 613-632-0179.