What I Do and Why
First and foremost, I love what I do. The ability to make a positive, lasting impact in a company’s success AND in the lives of its employees is why I do what I do.
Small, growing companies have different HR needs than the traditional business. Like any business, these small businesses often start with a great idea and a passionate core team. Then the company starts growing: adding more people and increasing the need to not only keep track of people, but retain them once they’re in the door.
The last thing you want to happen is for your key employees to start walking out the door. And, especially in a small business, all your employees are key employees.
By balancing the company’s needs and employees’ needs, it really is possible to have the best of both worlds. Happy employees work harder and with more enthusiasm. And they stick around, leading to a reduction of recruiting and turnover costs in the long run. Having happy and engaged employees always leads to a more lucrative bottom line.
The challenge of recruiting quality employees and holding onto the desired culture is a huge one - ensuring that new recruits share the passion of the core team is a difficult task. Not to mention ensuring the core team keeps the passion going through the changes and transitions the company experiences.
Plus a small company doesn’t have the kind of budget that allows for spending huge amounts on HR programs. All of this needs to be done without committing to additional headcount and overhead. Most small companies just aren’t in the position to hire a full time senior HR person or invest large sums in building out the HR department.
This ends up with HR often being put together in a piecemeal way, doing only what needs to be done “today” - being tactical about things like benefits, without thinking about the strategic side of making sure that employees are happy, engaged and excited. And, as it often happens with piecemeal projects, everything will need to be torn out and replaced down the road. A minimum investment of time and energy upfront helps prevent a large investment (and big headache) later.
That is where I come in. With over 10 years of experience working with small and medium-sized companies, I bring you the experience and skill of someone who has “been there”. Not only have I put together departments from scratch, I have been privileged enough to work with companies who want to be better, who want to shine.
Below is a sampling of my services:
- Development of HR Department including pieces such as; operational organization, benefits plans/structure, processes, employee handbooks and more
- Employee Communication Strategies (very, very important in building a cohesive team company-wide)
- Hiring and Retention Programs
- Culture Development and Retention
- Compliance Audit and Training
Are you ready to make your company a place where your employees wake up excited for the day ahead? Are you ready to see how their passion and happiness benefits everyone?
Contact me today!
I can be reached at:
melina@melinamurray.com
Tel: 773.696.5370
Cell: 415.215.4289
I am based between Chicago, IL and San Francisco/Bay Area, CA, but am available throughout the US and Canada.
