Business Spotlight: Putting the ‘human’ in human resources

When Lynette Weatherford started HR Advantage in 2005, it felt liberating, emotional and overwhelming – probably what any other new business owner feels, she says. But the liberating piece came from the freedom she now had to make her own decisions. She had worked in HR in Kansas City before moving back to Springfield, but she knew she needed to learn more about the ins and outs of running a business.

“It’s not just about providing services to my clients,” Weatherford says, “but learning a process and developing those internal processes.”

After years of growth, expanding across the nation and bringing on 10 employees, HR Advantage marked 20 years of business in May. The outsourced human resources provider has employees working from home or at client businesses, providing services such as new hire training, background check technology management, and employee manual and handbook development. Being based in Springfield has allowed the HR provider to nurture local clients and serve their needs in a timely manner, Weatherford says.

“We are literally walking alongside them,” Weatherford says. “That is very valuable. When they call, they’re speaking with a live person who is literally in their community.”

The need for HR
Although HR Advantage is based in Springfield, there have been many opportunities to expand the business due to the rise of remote work. Before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, about 9 million Americans worked from home, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. In 2023, that number soared to 22 million.

HR Advantage’s remote work structure became an asset during the pandemic. While other businesses struggled to adapt to a completely new environment, Weatherford says her business was able to show that remote work could be done successfully.

“That probably launched our business even more – to not just have a footprint here in the Midwest region but across many, multiple states,” Weatherford says.

While primarily working with businesses in Missouri and nearby states, HR Advantage has clients across the country, Weatherford says, although she would not specify how many or the number of states they operate in. Clients belong to industries such as health care, professional services, construction and nonprofits. [Editor’s note: Springfield Business Journal is one of HR Advantage’s clients. This article was not written by an SBJ employee.]

Being able to provide services across states requires a strong understanding of multi-state employment laws and has highlighted the need that exists for HR providers. Some business owners are too busy or don’t have the budget to hire someone to do HR, Weatherford says. According to a 2024 article from the Society for Human Resource Management, about half of small businesses handle HR in house, but around 80% of the HR decision-makers don’t have HR training, education or experience.

“Employees are the most valuable asset to a business,” she says. “I saw employers struggling having to navigate complexity and complex employment laws and not having the need or budget to have a part-time [or] full-time HR person.”

Weatherford says HR Advantage has been able to help business owners in Missouri better understand Proposition A, which went into effect this year and raised the state’s minimum wage and also required paid sick leave. The paid sick leave portion was repealed by legislators this year and signed into law July 10 by Gov. Mike Kehoe. Weatherford says a few businesses hadn’t heard of Proposition A and were unaware of what they needed to do to change their processes. She says her team was able to walk clients through how to keep track of time and what to do based upon their business’ size.

With changing laws and requirements, Pam Yancey, president and CEO of Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, says HR Advantage was necessary for a smaller organization like the chamber to contract with. She says HR Advantage has felt like an extension of her own business.

“With HR and labor laws and everything, it’s something you have to stay on top of all the time,” Yancey says. “Having their expertise and guidance to help us through all the changing laws and being a valued resource when it comes to all things HR – just having them a phone call away is a wonderful relationship.”

While offering traditional HR services, Weatherford says HR Advantage also helps with job posting, hiring, recruitment, new hire training and onboarding, which are provided by its recruitment and career coaching division that was formed after the pandemic. A leadership and development division offers leadership and compliance trainings, and businesses are also able to receive hourly consultations on how to best improve their HR services.

“We supply complimentary assessments if they just need a brief overview,” Weatherford says. “We can provide them with guidance based upon what we’re hearing and what we’d recommend.”

The next 20 years
As the workplace continues to change, HR Advantage aims to not only provide HR services to its clients but also help them understand what the new workforce will look like and how to better attract new employees. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Generation Z currently makes up about 18% of the workforce. That number is expected to grow to 30% by 2030.

HR Advantage’s Business and Development Director Elizabeth Hurst says a new workforce means new changes to human resources services. She says HR Advantage tries to balance what employers are searching for with what Gen Z workers are hoping to find in a job, especially since some business owners struggle to find the time to look ahead.

“I think it’s a challenge to just look to the future when you’re dealing with current, everyday needs,” Hurst says. “(Gen Z workers) want training, they want development, they want growth. They want personal and professional growth and to be given opportunities to learn on the job. I do think time off and flexibility is still important.”

Within the next 20 years, Hurst says she believes the need for HR Advantage’s services will increase. She says she thinks the business will continue to be innovative in the way it delivers its services to remain relevant.

“Growth and innovation and seeing an increased demand in services – that’s what I think we will continue to see,” she says.