So You Don’t Have an HR Department: 4 Ways to Protect Yourself
It’s almost a guarantee that at some point in your career, you’ll run into a speed bump at work—be it a benefits question, a conflict with a coworker, or salary increase request—that you’d typically bring to human resources. If you don’t have a human resources department, these speed bumps can turn into complete road blocks. Here’s what you can do to prevent it:
Ask the Right Questions
Even though your company doesn’t have an HR department, there will still be people in charge of handling certain tasks that HR would’ve taken care of. Make sure you understand who handles things like benefits, payroll, time off requests, and employee relations in your first week before you run into issues. Knowing ahead of time who owns each responsibility makes it simpler for you to get your questions answered quickly and helps you feel protected, even without an HR department.
2. Know Your Rights
Just because your company doesn’t have an HR department,doesn’t mean you aren’t entitled to the same rights. It could mean, however, that no one in the company is directly in charge of staying up to date on the latest worker rights and protections. Study up on state laws around worker and employer rights so you know what’s worth going to bat for, and what’s not.
3. Establish Rapport With Your Boss
It’s always important to develop a trusting, collaborative relationship with your leadership team, but it’s even more pressing to do so when you don’t have an HR department. Your leadership team will likely be the people issuing salary increases, approving time off requests/leaves of absence, and setting up benefits. Establishing a relationship of ongoing communication and feedback makes tough conversations less daunting, and might move your next request to the top of their long to-do lists.
4. Negotiate and Advocate
Once you have an understanding of the chain of command, you understand your rights as an employee, and you have a good relationship with your boss, you’re well on your way to the most important thing: negotiating and advocating. Without an HR department, there likely isn’t any structure to company raises, bonuses, benefits, or perks, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Not having structure allows you to inform the story your boss is hearing when considering your salary increase. You get to personalize your market value research using Payscale or Glassdoor pitch that, instead of relying on an HR manager’s understanding of your market value. It’s also increasingly important for you to use your knowledge and advocate for your coworkers and help them get the things they need to do their jobs well.
If your company doesn’t have an HR department, you’re not at a total disadvantage. That said, you need to be prepared. Knowing who to go to, when to go to them, and how to talk to them properly will be imperative to your success at your company.