HR Companies & HR Consultants in Middletown, DE

HR Strategies, LLC is a human resources consultancy headquartered in Middletown, Delaware. It functions as an outsourced HR department for employers that have no internal HR function or only limited in-house knowledge. The firm was formed in September 2002 and argues that hiring a consultant can be more economical than adding a full-time HR employee.

Its client base includes corporations, colleges and K-12 schools, nonprofit groups and public sector bodies. The company says its methods suit employers of roughly a dozen workers as well as those with several hundred.

Services

The firm supports clients at every stage of employment, from bringing new people on board through to retirement. Its work falls into three areas: compliance, training and general HR services.

• Affirmative action plans, diversity programs, HR assessments and policy writing
• Legally required workplace training, such as harassment prevention, along with supervisory and leadership courses
• HR setup for new businesses, employee relations, and compensation and benefits guidance
• Employee handbooks and job descriptions
• Workplace investigations and mediation
• Recruiting and staffing, including candidate testing and shortlisting

How They Work With Clients

Engagements follow a three-step method. Consultants first meet the client face to face to learn its goals. They then compare the client's existing practices with recognized standards to identify gaps. Finally, they work with the client to draft an action plan. Recommendations take into account each client's industry, culture and business model. Prospective clients can request an introductory mini-audit.

The firm also publishes a monthly newsletter and short articles on regulatory topics, including Delaware Paid Leave, I-9 audits and COBRA notices.

Team and Credentials

President and founder Tricia Clendening holds the SHRM-SCP, GPHR and SPHR designations. Before starting the firm, she spent more than three decades in HR roles at Fortune 100 companies, international organizations and smaller businesses. Her recognitions include a Delaware Valley HR Consultant of the Year award in 2012 and the Ron Shane Lifetime HR award.

She has also served as president of Delaware SHRM and as a state director for the SHRM Delaware State Council. Dave, SHRM-CP, is Vice President of HR Operations and oversees the training and talent acquisition divisions. Joanne Lee, SHRM-SCP, is Chief Mediator and leads mediation and investigations. Her HR career spans more than 35 years and organizations in 25 states.

Chris, SHRM-CP, works as an HR business partner. In 2018 the company described itself as the only HR firm in the region whose entire staff held SHRM certification.

Affiliations and Clients

HR Strategies is certified as a Women Business Enterprise and is registered as a vendor with the State of Delaware's Office of Minority and Women Business Enterprise. It is a SHRM affiliate and an active member of the Delaware chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, which named it Associate/Supplier Member of the Year in 2010.

Clients cited on the site include Claymont Fire Company, a volunteer organization it has served for more than twenty years. Others are Boland, R. C. Fabricators, Tri-Supply & Equipment, The Tri-M Group and Advanced Materials Technology. Weiner Benefits Group and Blue Rock RiversEdge are listed as referral partners.