The relationship between a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) and its client is essential to the success of a co-employment arrangement. The responsibilities of a PEO make relationship building critical to the development of an effective human resources strategy.  Good PEOs help move the needle on business growth, making their insight and advice on matters beneficial to the clients they serve. Of the countless services provided by a PEO, the team at Delta Administrative Services (DAS) found that the sustainability of manager-employee relationships, training, managing documents and the implementation of employee policies and regulations are key HR areas growing businesses should focus on.

Since opening its doors, DAS has worked with companies across the Gulf Coast as an HR outsourcing provider. Over the years, the DAS team benefited from, as well as educated, business leaders on ways to strengthen employee relations, hire highly-skilled employees and stay in compliance with employment laws.  Here are three key take-aways that have helped DAS hone its skills in the HR industry:

#1 Enforce Equality in the Workplace. The employer/employee relationship can be complicated. At times, it is difficult for employers to exemplify fair and equitable treatment to their entire staff. Because employers interact with their employees daily, they often develop a close net, family-oriented rapport. However, there are times when an employer makes accommodations for one employee and not others. DAS’s responsibility as a PEO is to encourage the development of rules of engagement between employers and employees and to help maintain the client’s mindset in work and compliance mode rather than friend and buddy mode. Although it can be a struggle to ensure that employers steer clear of this behavior, a PEO’s mission is to work towards providing companies the skills and knowledge needed to avoid potential employment conflicts.

#2 Build Good Relationships First. Deciding to establish a co-employment arrangement with a PEO is an important decision to make. Handing over confidential information and trusting the PEO to implement an effective HR strategy is critical to long-term business success. A key take-away from DAS’s interactions with its clients is the importance of establishing a strong business-to-business relationship. The team’s experience, after many years in service to the business community, is to first, create an environment that ensures trust and promote collaboration.

#3 Documentation is a Wonderful Thing.  Good documentation is critical to an HR department. Written and retained records of employment events, company policies and HR practices are instrumental to implementing the HR process. Tips for documenting disciplinary action is one of many insights the team at DAS has educated clients about. To avoid the mishandling of documentation for disciplinary actions, DAS recommends the following tip to management team members who often are required to provide verbal warnings to employees: During or immediately following a disciplinary meeting with an employee, email yourself the details of the meeting and copy the employee. Be sure to have them reply to you. By doing this, you will have a timestamp and the employee’s acknowledgment.

PEOs play an important role in a company’s HR team development. However, as the industry evolves, finding new ways to handle personnel challenges is the key to future success.

To learn more about Delta Administrative Services visit www.deltapeo.com.