Tips for a Successful Partnership with Your HR Consultant

Helios HR consultants partner with a variety of organizations that bring different cultures, missions, values, priorities, and expectations to the table. You will often hear us say there are no two engagements that are alike, which is why we pride ourselves in offering a truly tailored solution to fit each of the unique clients in front of us.

As we launch a new engagement, we spend focused time getting to know how to best work with the individual client tailored to meet their preferred communication style, priorities, and expectations.  We do our best to provide a framework for understanding how Helios will work to meet those needs and deliver on our engagement successfully.

Tips for a Successful Consulting Engagement

As you work with a Helios consultant, consider these tips for making your engagement as successful as it can be.

1. Know what success looks like to you. Helios brings a team approach to solving each unique situation that our clients face.  Knowing what a client’s successful outcome looks like to them allows our team to brainstorm the best path towards success given your unique circumstances, priorities, and potential limitations.
2. Provide feedback. Knowing what is working well, as well as identifying potential opportunities for improvement allows your Helios consultant to better adapt and engrain themselves in your culture and processes.  Open and honest dialogue between you and your consultant will help build the foundation of trust that is necessary to forge a strong working relationship.
3. Understand our intent. Our clients bring us in to help them make decisions related to their human capital that are compliant with federal regulations, align with the culture, and make good business sense for their strategic direction. This means your Helios consultant will ask questions to make you consider all angles and the impact of a decision you are making for an organization.  Our intention is to ensure all potential solutions and probable outcomes are considered and to make a recommendation based on our knowledge and experience.  Helios supports the decision you make for your business and we recognize that you have brought us in to give you the knowledge and perspective our HR experts bring to the table; understanding your decision-making process will only help us develop solutions that fit your business goals in the future.
4. Ask questions. Your consultant is here to help guide you through whatever human capital matter is in front of you.   We often get questions about federal regulations, best practices, and what other similar organizations are focusing on.  If it’s on your mind, do not hesitate to bring it to your consultant for discussion.

When Helios engages with our clients in a retained HR outsourcing capacity, a dedicated HR consultant is provided to the client. If you are moving from an internal resource to outsourced HR, you will find engaging with your dedicated consultant looks very different than having your full-time HR Director in the office right down the hall.

Your Helios HR consultant is available to you throughout the week; however, may only be on-site one, two, or three days a week. And it's important to note that it's not due to being part-time. All of our employees at Helios actually work full-time, and on the days they aren't dedicated to your business, they are supporting other client and/or Helios engagements.

Here are the new ways you will engage with your HR department:

1. How to reach your consultant: You may have to shift the way in which you connect with your HR resource for guidance. If you would typically walk down to the HR office, you may have to pick up the phone for a quick call to bounce ideas off of your consultant. For many, reaching out to their consultant seems like an extra step and we find clients will make decisions without considering all of the perspectives as a result.  There is great value in making small adjustments to your norms to seek guidance from your HR experts.  Your consultant will schedule weekly one-on-one meetings to provide a set time for the two of you to connect on new and ongoing HR matters.
2. Communicate the level of urgency: When you do have a need, whether your consultant is on-site or remote that day, it will be important that you express the urgency of the need to connect and understand your consultant’s availability. Helios provides avenues to get in touch with your consultant quickly in the event of an emergency and a Practice Leader is provided to each client for escalation in the event your consultant is not immediately available. We have a strong team approach at Helios.
3. Setting Expectations: Setting expectations will be critical to the success of the relationship. As a leader, discuss your expectations with your consultant up front and be open to hearing what we have found effective with other clients. As business needs change, your Helios consultant will discuss with you how to prioritize new initiatives and lay out clear expectations of how to execute on all priorities you have discussed together.

Applying these tips to best work with your Helios consultant will help build a trusted partnership between you and Helios and allow you, together, to meet your objectives and get results through your consulting relationship.