Building an HR Function From the Ground Up Through Outsourced HR Support

How Outsourced HR Supported a Hospitality Organization Through Rapid Growth

Growing a hospitality organization without a dedicated HR function can create significant challenges. As the workforce expands, so do the needs around compliance, employee relations, recruiting, training, benefits, and workforce management.

For one growing hospitality organization, Empowered Hospitality became an outsourced HR partner at a critical stage of expansion—providing the HR expertise and infrastructure the organization needed before it had an internal HR department in place.

EH initially conducted an HR assessment and provided ongoing HR support as the organization expanded its brand and workforce. As the business grew, EH’s role evolved alongside the organization, from providing outsourced HR support to developing internal HR talent, leading specialized projects, and providing interim HR leadership when additional capacity was needed.

Over the course of the partnership, the organization grew from approximately 8 locations to more than 25, while EH continued to provide HR expertise at different stages of its growth.

The Challenge: Growing Without an Internal HR Function

When the organization began expanding, it was building its brand and workforce without a dedicated HR function in place.

As the business grew, leadership needed to establish the HR infrastructure required to support employees, managers, and locations while continuing to focus on expansion and operations.

The organization was experiencing some of the common people challenges that can emerge during periods of rapid growth, including high turnover and employee-related complaints. Leadership also needed to establish foundational HR processes and ensure the organization was prepared to manage its growing workforce effectively.

Rather than immediately building an internal HR department, the organization partnered with Empowered Hospitality to provide outsourced HR support.

EH began with a focused HR assessment to identify priorities and opportunities, then provided the ongoing HR expertise needed to establish and strengthen the organization’s people practices.

Key Challenges

• Building an HR foundation without an internal HR department
• Supporting rapid organizational and location growth
• Addressing high employee turnover
• Responding to employee-related and regulatory concerns
• Establishing consistent HR processes and documentation
• Providing HR expertise to managers and leadership
• Building HR capabilities that could scale with the organization

Our Approach: Outsourced HR That Evolved With the Business

Empowered Hospitality initially served as the organization’s outsourced HR partner, providing the expertise and support needed to establish a stronger HR foundation.

As the organization grew, EH’s role evolved based on the company’s changing needs.

When the organization promoted an internal team member into an HR role without extensive prior HR experience, EH shifted from primarily providing direct HR support to training and developing the internal HR resource while continuing to provide ongoing guidance and expertise.

As the internal HR function matured, EH continued to provide specialized support through projects, training, and interim leadership.

Our support over the course of the partnership has included:

• HR assessments and strategy
• Employee relations support
• Compliance and regulatory support
• ACA compliance cleanup
• Employee Handbook development
• HR training and development
• Internal HR team support
• Interim HR Director-level support during parental leaves
• Specialized HR projects
• Recruiting support

This flexible approach allowed the organization to access the level of HR expertise it needed without having to build a full HR department immediately.

Instead, EH could provide the HR infrastructure and expertise needed at each stage while the organization’s internal capabilities developed.

Measurable Outcomes: HR Support That Scaled With the Organization

The organization’s growth demonstrates the value of having an HR partner that can evolve alongside the business.

HR Foundation: Established foundational HR support and processes for an organization that initially did not have an internal HR function.

Scalable Support: Supported the organization as it grew from approximately 8 locations to more than 25.

Internal HR Development: Trained and supported an internally promoted HR team member, helping the organization develop its own HR capabilities.

Specialized Expertise: Provided support for ACA compliance, Employee Handbook development, training, employee relations, and other HR projects.

Interim Leadership: Provided interim HR Director-level support during parental leaves and other periods when additional leadership capacity was needed.

Recruiting Support: Provided recruiting assistance to support the organization’s continued growth.

The Value of Outsourced HR During Growth

For growing hospitality organizations, building an internal HR department isn’t always the first step.

Sometimes leadership needs experienced HR support before the organization has the size or infrastructure to justify a full internal team. Outsourced HR can provide access to HR leadership and expertise while allowing the organization to focus on building its business.

An outsourced HR partner can also provide flexibility as the organization evolves. As internal HR capabilities develop, the partnership can shift from day-to-day HR support to specialized projects, training, strategic guidance, or interim leadership.

That’s exactly how Empowered Hospitality’s relationship with this organization evolved.

EH initially provided the outsourced HR foundation the organization needed while it was growing without an internal HR function. As the company developed its own HR capabilities, EH adapted its role to provide training, specialized expertise, interim leadership, and additional support when needed.

Over the course of the partnership, the organization expanded from approximately 8 locations to more than 25, while continuing to have access to experienced HR expertise at each stage of its growth.

The result was an HR partnership that could scale with the business rather than requiring the organization to build its entire HR infrastructure at once.

At Empowered Hospitality, we provide flexible outsourced HR support designed specifically for growing hospitality organizations. Whether you need to establish an HR function from the ground up, support a growing internal team, manage a specialized HR project, or provide interim HR leadership, our team can adapt to meet your organization’s needs.