Nov. 13, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by Alternative HR.

When an organization has human resource needs that require consistent management but cannot justify hiring a full-time HR professional, Alternative HR can fill the gap.

The outsourced HR provider based in Sioux Falls offers fractional, or retained, HR services, which are tailored to each client’s unique needs.

“The biggest benefit of fractional HR is its cost-effectiveness,” said Amy Buss, an Alternative HR consultant who has more than 20 years of HR management and director experience.

“Hiring a full-time or even-part time HR employee can be a lengthy, time-consuming and risky process. Fractional HR gives companies access to decades of experience and the expertise of an entire team – at a fraction of the price of hiring that same expert in-house.”

Nationally, fractional HR services have become common in recent years, but Alternative HR has been providing those services in the Midwest since the 1990s.

Clients who retain Alternative HR are assigned a dedicated consultant, backed by a 16-person team of seasoned HR professionals.

“Our goal is to help our clients – whether they need us for a certain number of hours each week or for a more on-demand issue – they know that they have access to an expert who can be available to help them, without the commitment and cost of a full-time hire,” said Michelle Stubkjaer, a consultant with Alternative HR who also has more than 20 years of HR experience.

Alternative HR serves a variety of fractional HR clients, from small businesses without an HR department to larger organizations that need to fill a gap in their HR team.

“We are a professional HR resource,” Stubkjaer said. “Organizations don’t have to rely on a Google search. With Alternative HR, they know they are covered on HR-related issues that fall outside their expertise.”

Waterbury Heating & Cooling shares HR experience 

Waterbury Heating & Cooling Inc., a leading plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning provider out of Sioux Falls, utilizes Alternative HR’s fractional HR offerings.

As Waterbury has grown alongside the Sioux Falls area, the organization needed help scaling its workforce.

Buss serves as the dedicated HR consultant for Waterbury and has been working with the company for two years. She manages recruitment, hiring, onboarding, employee relations, compensation strategies, benefit enrollment and work compensation reporting.

Additionally, Buss has conducted employee engagement surveys, implemented a human resources information system and created an employee handbook.

Buss spends approximately two days a week in the office at Waterbury to offer support and solutions to the employees and ownership team. When she’s not in office at Waterbury, Buss is working with other clients but is readily available for support at any time.

“Alternative HR has provided consistency to our employees,” said Josh Peterson, a Waterbury business partner. “It is nice to have one point of contact for the various HR-related questions our employees may have.”

Waterbury has added additional benefits over the past couple of years, based on recommendations and feedback from Alternative HR, to remain competitive and add value to employees.

“Alternative HR has allowed the owners and management to focus our time on the business and growing the business,” Peterson said.

Since Waterbury hired Alternative HR, the company has grown by over 40 percent, reaching 80 employees.

“It’s been so fun working alongside the Waterbury team and seeing the success and growth of the company,” Buss said. “It’s been a great partnership, and I’m thrilled to be able to support them along the way.”

McCook County benefits from fractional HR

Alternative HR also supports McCook County on a fractional HR basis.

Stubkjaer, McCook County’s dedicated HR consultant, has been working with the county for more than two years. She typically spends time on-site a couple of days each week.

Stubkjaer supports the county commissioners and department heads – some of whom are elected and some of whom are hired – and helps with any employee relations issues. She also provides structure to the county’s recruitment and hiring, and also has helped McCook County with its compensation plans.

“It’s helpful to have a dedicated HR consultant because the department leaders feel like they have someone that they can come and talk to with their questions and concerns,” Stubkjaer said.

Geralyn Sherman is the McCook County auditor and has been in the position where HR-related responsibilities landed on her desk.

“In small counties, HR falls into the office of the auditor, and I am not an expert in the employment field, which puts my employer at risk,” Sherman said. “Alternative HR provides the employees with a neutral ‘go-to’ person.”

Stubkjaer, who also provides HR support to other clients, said counties can offer unique challenges compared with for-profit businesses.

“One of those challenges is that commissioners are elected and some of the department heads are elected, while other department heads are hired or appointed. We work hard to facilitate strong communications and consensus at the leadership level.”

Supporting small employers

Buss and Stubkjaer are two of the 16 HR consultants at Alternative HR who work with small to medium-sized employers, helping them compete for talent, comply with federal and state employment regulations and create a work environment where individuals and organizations can excel.

To learn more about Alternative HR, visit alternativehr.com, or call 605-335-8198.