HR Pros

At a time when international manufacturing companies are laying off workers and shutting down plants, King’s Processing is hiring seven new positions and preparing to break ground for a new facility. The 50-year-old company produces salads and ready-to-eat vegetables, so it’s benefiting from the trend to healthy eating… but, there’s more to its success than an expanding market. According to plant manager Jeremy Hunter, a new approach to human resources is at the root of the company’s recent growth spurt.
 
“There is no way we would be expanding right now without the help of HR Pros,” says Hunter, who has worked closely with the Dartmouth-based human resources consulting firm since joining King’s Processing in January 2009. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) – a key partner of HR Pros – connected the consulting firm to King’s Processing.
 
“HR Pros helped us clarify job responsibilities and descriptions, create a performance management system, and engage employees in improving our processes,” says Hunter. As a result, productivity increased 25 per cent, making the company profitable enough to invest in meeting the increased demand for its products.
 
Helping Nova Scotia businesses thrive is the mission of HR Pros, a technical human resources consulting firm launched in September 2008 by two highly experienced professionals, Tanya Sieliakus and Sylvain Allaire.
 
“We have complementary skills and perspectives,” says Allaire, who spent more than 25 years of his career as an officer in the Canadian Navy, achieving the rank of commander before moving on to obtain a masters degree in public administration and work in the civilian sector. His systematic approach dovetails with Sieliakus’ intuitive style to create a powerful synergy.
 
A certified human resources professional, Sieliakus brings more than a decade of experience in large Fortune-500 companies, including United States Gypsum, Georgia Pacific and Convergys, to HR Pros.
 
“Early in my career, I realized that a strong HR function gives companies a competitive advantage,” says Sieliakus. “But small companies often can’t afford a full-time HR manager or the services of a large consulting firm. We’re here to help small business owners lay the groundwork for success through solid human resources strategies.”
 
Unlike many human resources firms in the Halifax area, HR Pros are not headhunters. They focus instead on helping companies establish a framework for managing human resources. As Sieliakus notes, small businesses often lack the essentials and end up dealing with HR issues on an ad hoc basis.
 
“Every business needs an employment contract, policies that define performance expectations and grounds for dismissal, a performance management system, an occupational health and safety program, clearly defined roles, and a compensation strategy that’s in line with the bottom line,” she says. Without these fundamentals in place to provide consistency, clarity and motivation, morale and productivity suffer and companies can end up mired in complaints or even lawsuits.
 
Sieliakus and Allaire begin every new client relationship with a trademarked exercise they call ‘QuickLook,’ a 20-minute HR assessment that identifies ‘the good, the bad and the ugly.’ “We come back to them with a prioritized list of projects,” says Sieliakus, “with recommendations for tackling the ugly first.”
 
Often one of the first steps is to help companies define their staffing needs. This includes a job analysis to describe the function and qualifications of each job, place it within a hierarchy, and assign a well-researched salary or wage. “Small businesses tend to hire people rather than positions,” says Sieliakus. “Our approach ensures that companies hire the skills they need and pay for them appropriately.”
 
Retention is another big issue. “You may be able to attract lots of people, but your company can’t grow if you can’t retain them,” says Allaire, adding that the cost of replacing an employee can be triple his or her salary. “On top of providing a competitive salary and benefits, you need to show your people that you value them, by providing flexible hours and work arrangements, fostering teamwork, and providing opportunities for people to develop skills and confidence.”
 
Allaire enjoys bringing his wealth of military experience in policy, leadership, training, safety, and other fields, to small business owners. “They are passionate, they want to get the job done,” he says. “At the same time, they have to consider the regulatory aspects, including labour standards, safety regulations…it can be daunting. We can carry some of that load by providing a virtual HR department.”
 
A native of Montreal, Allaire also brings his fluent French to francophone clients who prefer to do business in their mother tongue. After living all across Canada, he now considers Nova Scotia home. “There is a strong entrepreneurial spirit here, so it is a great place for our company to succeed,” he says. “The people, the scenery, and the pace of life make it a great place to live.”
 
Sieliakus agrees. “We want to assist Nova Scotia businesses and support our province’s economy. We’ve had to work elsewhere in the past, but we prefer to live here. We each have teenaged children who we’d like to see have the opportunity to build careers here too.”