Why The Big Picture Consulting is Your Go-To Partner for HR, Payroll, and Safety Compliance

A: If you're a small or newly formed company, you simply don't know what you don't know. We can help with all the basics to get you up to speed and to build the company culture you'll need to be successful... and legally compliant.

But the truth is, no matter what your company size, it’s only a matter of time before one of your employees does something unexpected and you’re going to want advice. Even great employees have bad days, which can turn into bad habits. And your next hire might bring a new set of problems. 

When you work with The Big Picture Consulting, you have third-party HR experts on-call to help with the unexpected. Plus, you get peace of mind knowing you have a professionally prepared employee handbook and safety manual to cover your bases, which take into account your unique industry, business preferences, and all regulations. You get objective and experienced HR advice... at a fraction of the cost of hiring a qualified HR employee on your staff or engaging a lawyer to walk you through the regulatory details.

A: We're dedicated to helping residential service providers, like HVAC, plumbing, electrical, construction, garage doors, and more. Because we work with companies like yours every day, we know and understand the laws that impact your industry. We give advice that’s easy to understand and specific to your situation. This is definitely unique in the field of HR consulting! 

Quite frankly, other consulting companies—and even lawyers—don’t have the experience with (or interest in) residential service providers, so their advice isn’t always relevant. The problems you address on a daily basis, from common pay structures to use of company-owned vehicles, are topics that a standard HR firm just doesn’t understand. 

Plus, at The Big Picture Consulting we get to know you personally and offer honest and useful feedback that’s specific to your needs. No AI or canned responses. As a small family-owned company ourselves, we can relate to many of the challenges you might face. Your industry is not one-size-fits all, and we don’t treat you like it is. 

A: We're definitely willing to offer one-off advice in a pinch, but this can only get you so far. With a Retainer account you get unlimited advice and proactive tips, plus we help you get to the root of the issue to solve it instead of just putting a band-aid on it. 

For example, let's say you're upset with how a technician mishandled his company-owned tools. We can help you with this one instance... but you'll also want help updating your handbook policy and holding employees accountable when they don't follow it to have an long-term solution to the problem.

You get a lot more with a Retainer account than you may realize, at an incredibly affordable price, so check out our services page to learn more!

A: We sure are! We have experience across all states, ranging from California and Arizona to Florida and Georgia. Plus, we deal with clients in states with the most "unique" laws in the Union, including Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, New Jersey... and did we already say California??? Every state is a little different, and we keep current on all federal, state, and even local legislation—no matter where you do business.

A: Even the best templates won’t take into account your industry, company size, or state-specific legislation to the extent you need. These details matter when it comes to putting policies into your daily practices and keeping your company legally protected. 

We understand both the science AND the art behind effective employee handbooks, and we take the time to personalize them for your business. The handbook you create with The Big Picture Consulting won’t need add-ons for policies like for company-owned vehicles, because we already know that you may need this as a residential service provider. 

Also, we can help ensure your benefits are competitive in the industry to help with recruiting and retention, and that you’re compliant with federal, state, and local legislation. 

The specific way we word policies will help you confidently use your handbook with your employees… and it will also act as a valid defense for unemployment claims or legal challenges. If you’re not confident that your current handbook can do all this, it’s time for us to talk! 

Overtime calculations for residential service providers can be tough... and it can cost you dearly if the government comes to investigate and you're not doing it right. Unless you're paying pure hourly wages—or your employees never work overtime—you may be getting it wrong.

Why? Because overtime pay is tied to the average an employee earns over the pay period, not their base hourly rate. So if an employee gets performance pay on top of their hourly rate, you need to add BOTH when calculating overtime. Most payroll software doesn't make this easy on you, so if you're not taking extra steps to be compliant, chances are you aren't!

But you don't have to figure this all out yourself.  The Big Picture Consulting can help your business by ensuring your payroll is compliant, easy to manage, sustainable, pays your employees fairly, and makes you competitive in the industry. Let us do the hard work for you!