Q: What is Lotus HR?
A: Lotus HR is an HR Outsourcing company specializing in providing HR expertise to small to medium sized businesses. Our smallest client has 2 employees; our largest has 300, getting ready to go to 500 ee’s thru an acquisition. Every client is assigned a Certified Human Resource Business Partner (Certifications: SPHR, PHR, MBA, CEBS, to name a few). The HRBP provides virtual (24/7) and “on-site” Human Resource support and guidance. We subscribe to a “shared services” business model – our team of HR professionals work together to solve problems, come up with creative ideas to resolve employee issues, and deliver HR that has real value and ROI to our clients. We are passionate about delivering HR that will positively impact an organization, whether it be 5 employees or 500. Think “FRACTIONAL HR” or “TIME-SHARE HR” (yeah, we said it)!
Q: What type of HR services do you provide?
A: Unlike Accounting, HR can be a bit ambiguous – does it mean people, processes? We believe HR is about managing your best employees to produce more, limit the liabilities of having employees, and creating an environment were people want to work...and believe HR has a part in this! Small business has gotten the short end of the stick as business owners don't have the "band-width" to manage everything...Lotus HR helps manage the people part of the equation. We determine through initial discovery and an HR Audit – the processes, liabilities, and compliance issues that need improvement and we start there. A mutually agreed-upon service plan is established and we then get to work. Some of the areas of HR we cover: Build or rebuild an HR Department, Performance Management, Manager Training, Recruiting and on-boarding assistance, Handbook/Policies and Procedures, Employee Communication, Termination Assistance, Employee Discipline, “Undercover Boss” services, State and Federal Compliance assistance, Exit Interviews, Bilingual HR support, Incident Investigation, and on and on and on…
Q: Virtual? What do you mean?
A: Our HR management careers were spent in Fortune 500 companies – where if you needed an HR manager (for counseling, training meetings, Q&A) they were an email, conference call or web-meeting away. We decided to bring this model to the small business owner. It saves on overhead, is extremely efficient and it works. This is how we deliver 80% of our service – virtually. Our HR Business Partners still visit clients “on-site” on a regular basis, so there is still the “hi-touch” approach to our service model. Technology has changed the way we do business and we have a subscription.
Q: How is this different from a PEO?
A: PEOs (Professional Employer Organization) have their place. We have found that 95% of small business needs more flexibility and a more strategic approach to managing their employees. PEOs provide payroll, employee benefits, worker’s compensation, and HR (the HR they provide is very “reactionary”). The founding partners of Lotus HR started their careers in the PEO space, and have worked for the largest and most successful PEOs – we get it and understand it. But we ran into more companies that needed basic HR guidance than a fully loaded HR outsourcing model…hence Lotus HR was created. With our background and experience, we can assist our client in the areas of payroll, employee benefits and worker’s compensation – “best in class” vendor and product selection, marketplace best practices, trends, etc., but HR is our niche - and we have chosen to stick with it.
Q: What and how do you charge?
A: A predictable monthly fee is what our clients asked for – and we deliver a flat fee, monthly retainer. We determine, based on the HR Audit performed and initial discovery, what the client will need, how often they will need it and we come up with a mutually beneficial dollar amount. Currently, our fees range from $900 to $4500 per month, depending on number of employees, resources needed and the projects that need to be managed. Considering the client only has a few options: Hire an internal FT employee to manage HR (55k-75k per year) or ignore it completely, we are a great alternative!
Q: Is there long term commitment?
A: 12 month agreement. At the end of 12 months, there is a mutual decision whether we continue with the arrangement. We are eager to build our company, our client base, and delivering a top-notch product/service is our goal. Renewing our agreements keeps us motivated to deliver! The best partnerships are with handshakes – but we do have a Client Services Agreement for each client that spells out expectations.
Q: What if I need a FT HR person?
A: First we will ask – “Do you really need a FT HR person?” If the answer is yes, we know the best and the brightest in the HR industry. We can be retained as your “HR Talent Search” coordinator and place a quality person in your organization. Who better to find a Quality HR person than a company that specializes in delivering it!
Interested in learning more about Lotus HR?
Call: 281.799.4684
Email: info@lotushr.com
