Before your first day, you'll have to do some prep work. You're not an employee and your client's going to be looking to you to lead. Here's some general preparation we recommend you do before you get started.
Shared Folder
Depending on the client, you may or may not get access to their server and the restricted directories where their HR information lives. However, you must have a secure, shared folder where you can collaborate with client stakeholders. Sending HR files by email is not an option and is extremely inefficient and cumbersome. For example, when you make changes to files, you have to keep emailing revisions ("Sorry, but here's the final file relating to our conversation"...).
Until you have access to their server, consider setting up a secured folder you can share with your client using a service like DropBox, One Drive, Google docs, etc. The folder lives in the cloud and can only be accessed by those who have permission to access it. To provide maximum security, we recommend you get a paid DropBox subscription where you have to invite members and only those members have access to the folders. You'll also have access to functionality that alerts you when someone is changing or viewing a document that you open.
Your Client's Folder Structure
If you purchased the HR Toolkit for Consultants, you can download a zip file that includes all the folders and sub-folders so you can instantly create your client's HR directory.
Use the ConnectsUs list of Questions as a starting point and customize it for your client. Send it to them no more than a week prior to your first day, and let them know what they should do with it. For example, you may have certain questions that must be answered ahead so you can make progress in that first meeting. On the other hand, you may not expect them to answer any questions ahead, but rather just review them so they're prepared for the type of questions you're going to ask. Some clients will begin prepping this information as soon as they receive your questionnaire; others will wait until you arrive so you can begin the painful process of information extraction.
The following information is key to quickly understanding your client's business. You will need to:
- See their org chart
- Get a list of employees that includes the following for each person: hire date, title, age, wage. Ask for it in Excel so you can manipulate the data and determine the demographics of the workforce. The average age (or P50) is a good indicator that will tell you a lot about the workforce and their needs
- See the Company business plan or any type of strategic plan
- Ask your client if their website is up to date
- See a list of their competitors
- Review any materials that clarify the pain points they identified in your initial meeting
- Review any other reading materials that may be relevant to your client's business
It's important to be prepared before going into your first meeting with the client. The questions you ask should not be about the basics of the business, or about information that's readily available. Do research into the industry and competitors so you can come in with some good questions and ideas right from the start. If you can give your client a couple of nuggets or good ideas during that first meeting, you'll cement the impression that you'll add value to their business.
It's up to you whether you charge your client for the preparation time. We suggest you meet them halfway and change half the time for preparation. Some clients are resistant to paying consultants for preparation time and you may start off on the wrong foot. Meet them half way and consider your unpaid time as an investment that will yield future business.
You know how it goes. You arrive for your first day and the employer is never ready for their new hire. It's no different for consultants, but in this case, you can prompt your client to be prepared. After all, your goal is to teach them a thing or two about how to do HR right!
- Email your client and ask them to set up meetings with key stakeholders for your first 2 days. Provide them with an ideal agenda and let them know that it's in their best interest to help you hit the ground running.
- Some people you may want to meet with:
- Your primary liaison should be your first meeting. Ask them to book at least 2 hours.
- Senior Management Team, including the head of Finance
- Head of Payroll & Benefits
- Other key stakeholders specific to your client's business. You can also ask your client who they think you should meet with.
- Be prepared with a list of questions relevant to each stakeholder. Prepare in advance! (You're sensing a theme here, aren't you?)
Clients often do a poor job of clarifying the role of HR and managing expectations from the start. Staff you're not working with directly will stare at you wondering, "What do they do all day?" Staff often see HR's role as helping to improve the workplace to benefit themselves, but that's not usually your mandate.
The client needs to explain to their staff what HR is. HR is often seen as a “fluffy” social function full of smiley faces, puppies and rainbows. That myth needs to be dispelled. Your role needs to be positioned as a strategic one, one that will start off with a lot of information gathering and planning. If not, you'll find yourself with a long line of people at your door wanting transactional HR. You'll have Accounting people salivating at the prospect of you taking payroll, time recording and benefits administration off their plates. And at the end of your first month, the client will wonder what they got for that large invoice you presented them with.
Here's a script you can edit and send to your client, that helps them announce your arrival and clarify your role.
Example Script
