When you became an accountant, you probably didn’t consider human resource advising as part of your role with clients, but more and more business owners are turning to their accountants for guidance on every part of business success, including human capital management (HCM). In a tightening labor market, the recommendations you provide your clients are all the more important. As the country moves toward full employment, employers face the challenge of differentiating their business and job opportunities to attract a limited number of qualified job seekers who have many employment options. An integrated HCM solution and comprehensive benefit packages can play a major role in helping businesses stay competitive among job candidates and keep current employees engaged.
Employees are often a company’s most important asset and a key component to business success. While you may not be able to speak about specific employment laws and regulations yourself, as a business advisor, and someone who knows the ins and outs of your client’s business, you can recommend solutions to help clients best manage their HR activities from recruitment to payroll to time and attendance tracking and more. At the start of the employee journey, an HCM solution can help HR managers find and connect with qualified job candidates and create an efficient recruitment experience for both your client and job seekers. Once a new employee is hired, they are able to complete the onboarding process and fill out and update forms through the HCM system. This process can make many administrative HR tasks easier for them, save HR managers time, and help the business track the onboarding process while ensuring all required forms are completed. Throughout each module of the HCM solution, data is collected and HR managers can glean valuable insights to adapt and improve HR activities so that they can better meet employee and business needs.
An HCM solution can make employee’s and HR manger’s lives easier and more efficient, but comprehensive benefits packages are also an important factor in attracting and retaining quality employees. The tightening labor market and potential for significant tax savings in the year ahead have created the perfect opportunity for businesses to reevaluate their benefits offerings. Though some business owners are hesitant about investing in formal benefits programs, retirement benefits are a major consideration for current and prospective employees. Not to mention, business owners also need to plan for retirement. In a recent Paychex survey, minimizing turnover was reported as the most important reason (23 percent) for offering retirement benefits, followed closely by the business owners’ individual need for the benefit (20 percent).
If your client’s business is not in a place to responsibly offer more formal benefits like retirement, or even healthcare benefits, there are ancillary benefits that may be highly valued by potential and current employees as well. Parking reimbursements, gym memberships, and commuting costs all add up. Contributing to even some of these costs to employees on a monthly basis can go a long way, as can flexible working hours, work from home options, and increased vacation, sick, or personal time.
In addition to voluntary benefits, remind your clients to also be aware of the benefits they’re required to offer by federal, state, or local law. For example, there are currently over 40 different jurisdictions at the state and local level with paid sick leave laws applicable to private employers. Jurisdictions vary in terms of the coverage, eligibility and many other provisions under these laws. Employers who are not covered by these laws should still remain aware so that they can gain an understanding of what is standard when it comes to these types of benefits and how their benefit offerings stack up to larger employers and those in different states.
Recruiting and retaining talented employees is vital to your clients’ success. You can expand your contribution to that success by advising them on the latest HR technology and benefits trends.
Philip, Director of Channel Marketing at Paychex, is responsible for the programs that support lead generation from the company’s primary referral sources: banks, clients, associations, and the accounting community. Philip joined Paychex in 2002. During his time at Paychex he has had responsibility for the company’s German subsidiary, Paychex Deutschland GmbH, and manages the acquisition of books of payroll business from accounting firms exiting that business.
