Greatest HR outsourcing companies
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HR is confusing. And the legal consequences of doing something wrong are enormous.
There's a reason people spend their entire lives learning the pros and cons of human resources – there's a lot behind it. The good news, however, is that nobody expects you to know everything and you don't have to navigate by yourself.
There are the best HR outsourcing services out there to make your life easier.
However, there are a ton of service providers out there. How do you decide which is right for you when they all seem exactly the same?
To answer this question, I looked at myriad options and narrowed them down to my six most important recommendations. By the end of this guide, you will know everything you need to know to make the right choice for your business.
The top 6 options for HR outsourcing services:
- G&A partner – best for customization and flexibility
- Bambee – best for policy and administrative tasks
- Paychex – best HR outsourcing services for SMEs
- Insperity – best PEO outsourcing for companies
- ADP – best full service outsourcing option with no PEO
- CPEhr – best for individual HR outsourcing and consulting
How to choose the best HR outsourcing service for you
There are tons of different HR outsourcing services to choose from.
And distinguishing between them all can feel like an impossible task.
Before we dive into my top recommendations, let's talk about what makes my recommendations stand out and how to choose the best HR outsourcing services for you.
The size of your company
Dealing with staff for large companies is very different from dealing with a startup or small business. Therefore, different HR outsourcing companies specialize in different things and offer services for a certain type of customer.
On the other hand, some offer solutions for businesses of all sizes.
However, it is important to consider the size and budget of your business when making your final decision. You should also think about how quickly you want to grow and grow your team.
Always talk to a sales rep and find out as much detail as possible about your current and future situation so they can do whatever you need to.
Types of services
Some HR outsourcing companies (like Bambee) only offer one type of service. On the other hand, some offer everything you could ever need … but at a higher price.
It can be helpful to outline your processes for any HR activity that you currently manage internally.
This can help you identify problem areas or bottlenecks with room for improvement. Then you can determine exactly which tasks and services you should outsource.
If you already know or want to outsource everything, consider the costs involved to make sure they are within your budget. Also note that most providers don't offer online pricing.
So you have the opportunity to speak to the team before making your final decision.
Make sure to ask about the specific services you need to make sure they can help you with any questions on your list. It is also wise to compare your initial consulting experiences and pricing across different companies before deciding on one.
Short term vs. long term
Do you need help in the foreseeable future or just for a one-time event like a recruiting round? Some vendors (like CPEhr) offer a la carte options so you can choose what you need.
On the other hand, some only offer all-in-one solutions. Therefore, it is important to understand your needs before making any decisions.
If you need help at short notice, make sure to share it during your consultation.
Level of support
Would you like your HR systems to be completely hands-free? In this case, you need more support than a team that has one-off tasks or specific areas of their HR department.
In a second we're going to cover the different types of HR outsourcing services.
However, keep in mind the level of support you will need as it will go a long way in choosing the company.
flexibility
If you already have a service package or an in-house HR team, you need more flexibility from your HR outsourcing provider. Especially if you want to keep the same benefit package that you already have.
Some providers don't allow this because they have their own preferences and partnerships.
Also, you need to draw a clear line between what your in-house team does and what your outsourcing company does. That way, nobody wastes time doing the same tasks twice.
However, if you're a brand new company or don't have HR systems in place, you don't need the same level of flexibility. So you have less to worry about.
Customer and employee support
HR matters, especially benefits, are confusing and difficult to navigate.
Because of this, your employees need easy access to someone in your HR department.
If you outsource this, your employees should be able to speak to the company directly, whether it be to ask a quick question or get help choosing the right package of benefits.
Some providers offer a dedicated manager to do this, making it a lot easier for you and your team to get the answers they need. Additionally, they should provide a self-service dashboard for employees for paystubs, W-2s, leisure, and more.
Regardless of who you choose, make sure they take care of your team.
The different types of HR outsourcing services
HR outsourcing is technically different from PEO and HR software, but it is very similar. So let's take a second to examine the differences before we start.
HR software
Companies offer this to simplify internal personnel management.
With HR software, you pay a monthly fee to use it every month. Alternatively, you can buy a license and install it on your computer.
It is mainly used to automate processes or to provide a network of service providers.
You can use it as a small business with no HR or when you have a dedicated HR team. Either way, it's software that requires you (or someone on your team) to run.
Even so, it's very flexible and affordable.
Don't confuse it with HR outsourcing, however, as these are not the same, although some of the providers on this list also offer HR software.
Human Resources Outsourcing (HRO)
HR outsourcing means hiring a third party to take over all or part of your HR management duties. This could include, for example, payroll administration, performance management, recruiting, and employee training programs.
The benefit of outsourcing in this way over hiring or expanding your in-house team is the lower associated costs. When you outsource, you don't have to pay a salary or perform any services.
Therefore, the total cost is typically much lower than adding new employees to your team.
All of the options on this list offer HR outsourcing in one form or another. Some only cover specific tasks like creating guidelines while others offer services that cover all aspects of the HR department.
With HR outsourcing, you can decide whether you want to outsource all or just a few HR activities.
Professional Employer Organization (PEO)
PEO services are a specific type of HR outsourcing in which the company is your co-employer. In addition, the service provider becomes the employer of your employees.
And since the PEO company is the employer, they are responsible for payroll taxes.
This type of agreement usually requires a long contract. However, you are responsible for what your team does on a daily basis. So everything stays the same on your side, except that you are no longer responsible for certain HR tasks or payroll taxes.
In addition, the two parties decide how much responsibility each party takes.
So this type of arrangement can be extremely flexible if you need to. This is especially useful if you already have a HR department.
One of the most important values of this type of partnership is access to better service packages for your team. Plus, you can get those pesky HR chores off your plate.
However, you are sacrificing some degree of control by inviting someone else into your company.
# 1 – G&A Partners Review – The best HR outsourcing service for customization and flexibility
If you are looking for a customizable and flexible all-round HR outsourcing solution, G&A Partners is my first recommendation.
They combine intuitive technology that includes everything you need with world-class customer service to empower your business and your people. G & A Partners covers everything from wages and salaries to health insurance, old-age provision and recruitment.
In addition, each plan is tailored to your business and your specific needs.
So you don't have to worry about cutting plans that don't quite fit into the bill. You also get a dedicated customer service team who will manage everything and help you if necessary.
As a G & A Partners customer, you can choose from countless services, including:
- Payroll
- Self-service employee dashboard
- Timer, scheduling and PTO
- On-demand data access
- Benefit from the top providers
- Performance management
- Fringe benefits
- Wellness and financial health
- Procurement, recruiting and hiring
And since each plan is tailored to your needs, you don't have to pay for services that you don't really need. You can also rest assured that you will comply with local, state, and federal regulations.
You are in good hands, from recruiting and training to payroll accounting and the administration of social benefits.
Even so, G & A Partners does not share prices online. You should therefore plan a free consultation to create a tailor-made service package for you, your company and your most important asset – your employees.
# 2 – Bambee Review – The Best HR Outsourcing Services for Human Resources Policy and Administrative Tasks
If you're a small business with fewer than 99 employees, Bambee is an inexpensive way to hire a dedicated account manager for human resource policy and employee training.
Hiring an in-house HR manager can easily cost more than $ 4,000 per month plus benefits. Hence, it becomes quite expensive and inaccessible for really small businesses.
However, Bambee lets you outsource from $ 79 / month (or $ 99 / month if you pay monthly).
Right from the start, you will have a dedicated HR manager who will support you in creating your HR guidelines and guide you through the compliance regulations of your state.
They can also help you get employees on board, terminate them, and take corrective action while adhering to guidelines.
In addition, Bambee can also help you assess your risk of unlawful termination.
So you don't have to worry about expensive lawsuits or keep wondering what you are responsible for after the employee is dismissed.
Plus, you get full remote access to your manager via phone, email, and chat to answer questions and help you with any queries. And the best part about it? Your employees can chat with you too.
Bambee gives you access to powerful and helpful features including:
- Creation and implementation of company guidelines
- Train employees to understand your new guidelines
- E-signatures and an online document viewer
- Personnel folder for organization and compliance
- A smart cabinet for keeping records
- HR forms and agreements (i.e., HIPAA communications or letters of offer)
You get everything you need to create, implement, and manage internal HR policies. However, they sacrifice some key features like payroll and performance management for affordable prices.
So keep in mind that you have to manage these things yourself. Bambee can answer questions and research these things for you, but they are not included in the package.
# 3 – Paychex Review – The Best HR Outsourcing Services for Small to Medium Business
Paychex is one of the most popular and trusted HR solutions out there.
They have been around for more than 45 years and over 680,000 companies trust them with their HR software and service needs.
From benefits and attendance to payroll, HR, and onboarding, they provide everything you need to run and streamline your small or medium-sized business without hiring in-house.
And best of all, you can choose which services you need instead of paying for everything and using a handful of features.
Plus, you can outsource everything … or a few things, depending on what you need.
They offer software and service packages for small, medium and large companies. So it's an excellent option for everyone. But their small and medium-sized packages are where they really shine.
In fact, more than half a million of their customers are small businesses.
With their small and medium-sized packages, you get access to Paychex Flex, the all-in-one software for personal automation.
But you can also choose between 24/7/365 customer support or a dedicated specialist who will help you if necessary. Whether you have a dedicated HR team or not, you can rest assured that you have an experienced manager behind you.
Paychex Flex offers a host of powerful features including:
- Recruiting and applicant tracking
- Time and attendance
- Rent and board
- Retirement and resignation
- Health insurance administration
- Payroll Management
- PTO, 401 (k) s and other advantages
You cannot find the prices online. Request a free quote today to learn more about Paychex!
# 4 – Insperity Review – The Best PEO Services for Business
Insperity is an all-in-one HR service provider for small businesses and business organizations. They offer custom solutions and a full service PEO option that is perfect for small and medium-sized businesses.
It's an excellent choice if you have the budget to choose PEO as an alternative to hiring or expanding an in-house HR team.
They also offer a wide range of HR software if you are a smaller company interested in managing HR activities yourself. However, this gets old very quickly, especially if you have a ton of other things on your plate.
Insperity's PEO all-in-one solution covers every imaginable HR service, including:
- Benefits for medicine, dentistry and eyesight
- FSA and HSA accounts
- Disability, Employee Assistance, and Retirement
- Payroll accounting and administration
- Time tracking
- Personnel administration and garnishment of wages
- A self-service portal for employees
- Risk Mitigation and Law Compliance
- Recruiting and performance management
- Training and development programs
- Corporate culture development
- Advanced analysis and reporting
- Personalized customer care for your employees
As if that wasn't enough, they have a team of specialists who deal with managing various HR tasks. So you know you are getting the best of the best.
This is essentially an extension of your company (or the human resources department if you already have one).
Insperity's services are a convenient way to reduce risk, improve productivity, automate your HR processes and get a bird's eye view of your most valuable asset – your employees.
They offer two-year price guarantees, billing transparency, and fixed service fees so you never have to guess how much you'll be paying each month.
However, prices are not available online. So please contact the sales team for more information.
# 5 – ADP Review – The best for full service outsourcing without a PEO
If you're interested in full-service HR outsourcing but don't want to go the PEO route, ADP is an excellent choice. They offer complete outsourcing for everything from administrative tasks to payroll and more.
With this in mind, they offer a PEO option. However, they are one of the few providers that offer complete packages without the complexity of a PEO partnership for businesses.
In addition, they offer one of the most popular HR software packages on the market.
With the help of your services and software, you can create an entire HR department without having to hire or expand your existing team internally.
ADP's team of experts is ready to help you reduce your risk and daily stress, whether you are just looking for some administrative help or facing an acquisition, merger, or termination at risk.
Regardless of the situation, ADP has you covered.
They offer a variety of customized services and more strategic offerings including:
- Payroll
- Time tracking
- Employee handbooks and internal guidelines
- COBRA insurance administration
- Dynamic analysis
- Compliance training, follow-up and reporting
- Recruitment and Personnel
In addition, they offer a bundle of business processes and HR outsourcing if you need even more assistance with the pros and cons of your business.
As each package is tailored to your business, you cannot find ADP prices online.
Hence, you need to get in touch with the sales team to find out more and to start building your HR outsourcing package.
# 6 – CPEhr Review – The best HR outsourcing services for individual tasks and HR consulting
If you are interested in outsourcing individual HR tasks or receiving HR advice, CPEhr is a smart choice. They offer a variety of different services to make your life (or that of your HR department) a little easier.
Instead of spending time on payroll or finding the best benefits for your team, you can work on things that will actually move the needle for your business.
Additionally, they pride themselves on helping clients develop long-term and short-term HR strategies so you never have to figure it out for yourself.
Whether your HR department needs extra support or you need one-off services like hiring a vacancy, CPEhr has you covered. Their services range from basic administrative tasks to more complex strategic planning, including:
- Payroll and tax administration
- Recruitment, induction and training
- Performance management
- COBRA insurance management
- Disability and retirement
- Orientations to employee benefits
- Employee and management training
- Risk management advice
- Employee manuals and guidelines
- Management of unemployment and disability
- Performance reviews
- Legal Compliance
- Government exams
Essentially, CPEhr covers everything you need, regardless of whether you want to outsource everything or a short-term one-off situation.
They also offer PEO and full HR outsourcing plans if you are interested. However, their a la carte services and complete flexibility set them apart from everyone else on this list.
As with most providers, you cannot find prices online.
Contact the team to learn more about your needs and learn more about how CPEhr can help your business today!
Wrap things up
G&A Partners is my top recommendation for most users. It's incredibly flexible and has the ability to handle businesses of all shapes and sizes. In addition, they offer a wide range of services to make your life easier.
But that doesn't mean they are right for everyone.
So don't forget to use the criteria we talked about as you go through the process of finding the best HR outsourcing services for you, your team, and your company.
How do you deal with the HR department in your company?