There are HR Superheroes in your midst. You just might not know any. There are HR professionals all around us who are ready to swoop in with their superpowers faster than you can fill out a job requisition or post a job.

Knowing and identifying HR Superheroes requires being active and well connected in your local HR community. If you don’t know who to call, check with your local SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) chapter and ask for a referral. There are HR consulting companies, like ourselves, who specialize in recruiting, consulting and interim assignments. We have called upon our vast network when clients needed someone to fly in on short notice, either to improve current processes, keep things moving like a well-oiled machine, or just stop the bleeding! Have you heard the saying, “You can’t spell HERO without HR?” It’s true!

Imagine the following scenarios:

1. HR Manager is wooed away to another company and gives two weeks’ notice. You have no replacement and no bench strength.
2. HR Director adopts a baby and leaves in one week with no backup.
3. HR Generalist has a sudden healthcare emergency and is out for 12 weeks.
4. Benefits Manager dropped the ball on several serious compliance and regulatory issues. You need to terminate him ASAP but no one else knows the job.
5. Payroll Manager goes on FMLA. Help! Payroll is fraught with issues and she has her own system that no one knows.

Are these recurring nightmares all too familiar, or are you blissfully ignorant, assuming things will be just fine? What is your HR emergency preparedness plan?

Outsourcing or insourcing could be an option that allows you to sleep soundly, knowing you’ve got a solution in the event of an HR calamity. Calling in an HR professional who can come in quickly with whatever superpower you need can be a lifesaver.

What is outsourcing? According to Wikipedia, the concept came from the American Glossary ‘outside resourcing’ and dates to about 1981. You can outsource functions like recruiting, FMLA administration, workers’ compensation administration, and even payroll.

What is insourcing? Back to Wikipedia…insourcing is defined as, “bringing a third-party outsourcer to work inside a company’s facility.” The following scenarios illustrate a great use of insourcing. Bringing in an HR Manager, Generalist or Specialist:

1. While recruiting for an open HR position
2. To prepare for a planned leave of absence and during the leave
3. For their specialized competency or knowledge during peak seasons like recruiting, benefits enrollment or for an HRIS implementation
4. For an outside set of eyes, with expertise in HR process assessment and improvement
5. To meet urgent critical needs like anti-harassment training, safety training, 401(k) violations, COBRA mishandling, or government compliance issues

What possible plot could unfold when you least expect it? Where can you use some outside eyes to assess the current risk?

Consider bringing in some HR Heroes to the rescue. We at Purple Ink have people on staff and in the HR community who can turn your nightmares into sweet dreams. We will approach all your challenges with flexibility, creativity, positivity, and a sense of urgency. Let’s get a plan or tackle a looming project so you can sleep at night!