HR consulting involves partnering with experienced human resources professionals to support your organization’s people strategy, policies, and practices. HR consultants provide expert guidance in areas like compliance, employee relations, performance management, organizational development, HR assessments, and more.

For small to mid-sized businesses, HR consulting can be a cost-effective way to:

• Build or strengthen HR policies and procedures
• Improve hiring, onboarding, and employee retention and engagement
• Navigate complex employee relations issues with confidence
• Support strategic planning and workforce development
• Access HR expertise without needing a full-time internal team

At KMA Human Resources Consulting, we work as an extension of your team, providing flexible HR support that fits your organization’s unique needs and goals. Whether you’re a startup building HR infrastructure or an established company navigating change, or a c-suite leader who doesn’t have time to focus on employee issues, HR consulting gives you the tools, expertise and confidence to manage your people effectively.

A company should consider hiring an HR consultant when it needs expert guidance on managing people, navigating compliance, or building HR capabilities without the cost of a full-time HR team.

Common signs it’s time to bring in an HR consultant include:

• You're growing quickly and need HR systems and policies to support scale
• You’re unsure if you're compliant with HR best practices and labor laws
• You’re facing complex employee relations issues or investigations
• You’re experiencing high turnover or low employee engagement
• You need help developing HR strategies aligned with business goals
• Your HR staff is overstretched, on leave, or you don’t have internal HR at all
• You want objective, third-party support for sensitive or high-impact initiatives
• You do not have the time to focus on employee issues

At KMA Human Resources Consulting, we support companies at all stages, from start-ups to established businesses, offering tailored solutions in employee relations, organizational development, change management, compliance and more.

KMA works with a wide range of industries and organizations across New England, and beyond, offering customized HR support that fits the needs of each unique workplace.

We commonly partner with:

• Small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) without internal HR teams
• HR teams within larger organizations who need help with projects they don’t have the capacity to manage
• Non-profits navigating growth, culture shifts and limited resources
• Professional services firms, like insurance, accounting, and tech
• Organizations with sensitive employee dynamics
• Family-owned businesses facing generational transitions

We take a tailored, hands-on approach, offering practical HR solutions that align with your mission, culture, and goals. If you have employees, you have HR needs, and KMA is here to help you manage them with confidence.

At KMA Human Resources Consulting, we help organizations stay compliant, build strong HR foundations, and manage employee relations with confidence. Our experienced consultants work closely with our clients to deliver practical HR solutions tailored to your needs. Here’s how we support companies in key HR areas:

HR Policies

• Create and refine HR policies that reflect your company’s values and comply with legal requirements. Note that we always recommend our clients have an employment law attorney review policies and documents for legal compliance.
• Ensure policies are clearly communicated, consistently applied, and up to date
• Guide implementation of new policies across teams or departments

Employee Relations

• Advise on handling employee concerns, complaints, and investigations
• Coach managers through performance and disciplinary conversations
• Support conflict resolution, mediation, and respectful workplace practices
• Help foster positive workplace culture, engagement and the employee experience

Compliance

• Conduct HR assessments to ensure alignment with HR best practices and identify potential areas of risk.
• Develop employee handbooks and policies
• Provide guidance on wage and hour matters, leave management, workplace safety, and more
• Monitor regulatory changes (such as FMLA, PFML, or pay transparency laws)

KMA acts as a trusted HR partner, helping you build a workplace where employees and leaders can thrive.

Yes! KMA Human Resources Consulting provides expert support in developing and updating employee handbooks, job descriptions, and performance management systems, three essential tools for building clarity, consistency, and compliance across your organization.

Employee Handbooks
We create customized handbooks tailored to your company’s size, location, and industry, and ensure policies are compliant and aligned with your workplace culture.

Job Descriptions

• Develop or update job descriptions that accurately reflect roles and responsibilities
• Align job descriptions with compensation and performance expectations
• Help clarify expectations in the recruiting process as well as ongoing employee management

Performance Management

• Design or improve performance review processes and tools
• Coach managers on giving effective feedback and setting SMART goals
• Support development of performance improvement plans (PIPs) and terminations, when needed
• Align performance systems with organizational values and talent development strategies

Whether you’re starting from scratch or revising existing HR processes, KMA helps you build the infrastructure that supports fair, effective, and smart people practices.

Fractional HR support means having access to experienced human resources professionals on a part-time, flexible basis – without the need to hire a full-time HR employee.

Fractional HR support allows your business to:

• Get expert HR guidance tailored to your size, goals, and budget
• Fill temporary gaps when internal HR staff is unavailable or overstretched
• Scale your HR function as your company grows or changes
• Access a dedicated HR consultant, on-site or remotely, who works as an extension of your team

Fractional support is ideal for:

• Small businesses without in-house HR
• Larger businesses with HR teams that are overstretched
• Growing companies that need HR leadership to support their growth
• Organizations navigating change: mergers, leadership changes, or other transitions

With fractional HR services from KMA, you get the expertise you need, when you need it, so you can manage people more effectively and focus on running your business.

We help our clients align their people strategy with their business goals and optimize performance through workforce planning and organizational design.

Workforce Planning:

• Analyze current workforce structure, capabilities, and skill gaps
• Predict future staffing needs based on growth, turnover, or market changes
• Develop hiring plans and succession strategies
• Align roles and responsibilities with organizational goals

Organizational Design:

• Evaluate your org structure to ensure it's efficient, scalable, and aligned with business objectives
• Review reporting relationships, job functions, and team workflows, and recommend structural efficiencies
• Clarify roles and decision-making authority to reduce confusion and improve collaboration
• Support change management and communication throughout the process

Whether you're restructuring, planning for growth, or simply need to work smarter with the team you have, KMA helps you build a right-sized, future-ready organization. Our HR consultants work alongside you to design structures and strategies that improve performance and employee experience.

Yes. KMA supports businesses in selecting, assisting with implementation, and optimizing HR technology and systems to improve efficiency, compliance, and employee experience.

Our consultants can help with:

• Evaluating and selecting the right HRIS (Human Resources Information System) for your organization’s size and needs
• Assisting with the implementation of new HR platforms
• Streamlining and digitizing manual HR processes to save time and reduce errors

We bring both strategic insight and hands-on support to help your HR systems work better for your business and your team.

While KMA is not a DEI consultancy, we strongly champion equitable and inclusive workplaces and can support organizations in advancing their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Here’s how we can help:

• Review and recommend inclusive HR policies and practices
• Support equitable hiring, compensation, and performance processes
• Guide managers on respectful workplace communication and behavior
• Stay current on evolving DEI best practices and cultural trends
• Make referrals to trusted DEI partners for deeper strategy development or training initiatives

We believe every organization benefits from fostering a workplace where all employees feel respected, valued, and empowered to succeed. KMA integrates inclusive thinking into our HR support, helping you take meaningful steps toward a stronger, more equitable culture.

KMA’s Harassment-Free & Respectful Workplace Training is designed to help employers comply with workplace harassment prevention requirements in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and demonstrate their commitment to establishing a harassment free and respectful workplace. We can also tailor a customized Harassment Training to comply with any state requirements.

These trainings include a thorough harassment prevention training session facilitated by an experienced/certified KMA trainer for all employees, available on-site or remotely to accommodate your company’s needs and schedule.

Areas covered:

• Definition of sexual harassment under state and federal laws and regulations.
• Illegality of workplace sexual harassment.
• Workplace culture and civility that prevents sexual harassment.
• Description of sexual harassment types, utilizing examples.
• Other types of harassment, including bullying & microaggressions.
• Culture of civility and respect in the workplace.
• Bystander intervention.
• Company policy on harassment.
• Internal complaint process available to employees.
• Legal recourse and complaint process available to employees.
• Protection against retaliation.

Additional focused training module tailored for supervisors and managers, ensuring they understand their specific responsibilities and the nuances of managing harassment prevention within their teams. This includes:

• Management responsibility for leading a culture of respect and civility, free of harassment.
• Specific management responsibilities related to workplace harassment, “Duty to Act.”
• Addressing harassment situations; ensuring immediate and appropriate investigation and corrective action.

Our regular trainings are delivered via Zoom webinar and are posted on our website.