HR Companies & HR Consultants in Georgia (GA)

How to choose HR companies in Georgia

Where to find HR companies in Georgia, from Atlanta to Savannah

Most of the state's HR firms have offices along I-285, GA 400 and I-75, because that is where most employers are. Metro Atlanta is home to well over five million people. That gives a buyer there a wide choice, from one-person HR consultancies to payroll bureaus, PEOs and firms with their own benefits and employment law staff.

In Atlanta itself, you can usually find a provider that already knows your industry. North of the city, Alpharetta has a large base of tech and corporate offices, and the HR firms there are used to clients that hire quickly and have remote staff in several states. In Cobb County, Marietta and Smyrna serve many small and midsize companies. On the east side, Norcross and Tucker are close to the manufacturing and service businesses of Gwinnett and DeKalb. To the south, McDonough sits in the Henry County warehouse corridor along I-75. That area has shift work, high turnover and seasonal hiring, so a provider there should be comfortable with all three.

Outside metro Atlanta the choice gets smaller. Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah and Athens all have local firms, but fewer of them. Employers there often hire an Atlanta firm that works mostly by phone and video, or they join a national PEO. Both can work well. Before you sign, ask how often anyone will actually visit your site.

Georgia employment rules an HR provider has to get right

Georgia has fewer state employment rules than many states. That doesn't mean less can go wrong. Mistakes here usually come from out-of-state templates and from settings nobody changed. Make sure your provider handles these:

  • Minimum wage. State law still says $5.15 an hour. The federal $7.25 applies to nearly every employer, and the tipped cash wage is $2.13. Cities and counties can't set their own higher rates, so the rule is the same in Savannah as in Smyrna. Ask the provider to confirm that its payroll system uses the federal figures.
  • Pay frequency. Most manual, mechanical and clerical workers must be paid at least twice a month. A monthly payroll schedule may not be allowed for your hourly staff.
  • New hire reporting. Employers must report new hires and rehires to the Georgia New Hire Reporting Center within 10 days. Out-of-state companies with workers in Georgia must report too. The contract should say who files.
  • Sick leave and family care. Georgia doesn't require employers to offer sick leave. Under the Georgia Family Care Act, though, an employer with 25 or more employees that does offer paid sick leave must let staff who work at least 30 hours a week use up to five days a year to care for immediate family. The handbook your provider writes should say this.
  • Non-competes. Under the Georgia Restrictive Covenants Act, a non-compete must be reasonable in time, geographic area and scope. It can only be enforced against certain employees, such as salespeople, managers, key employees and professionals. A non-compete for an hourly equipment operator will probably fail. Ask whether a Georgia-licensed attorney reviews the provider's agreements.

PEOs need a closer look. Georgia doesn't license or register PEOs at the state level, so no state agency screens them for you. They do face bonding and reporting requirements, and Georgia law lets the PEO and the client split duties in a written agreement. So read that agreement line by line. It should say who holds workers' compensation coverage, whose unemployment insurance account is used with the Georgia Department of Labor, and who pays if a tax filing is late. Check current figures and requirements with the Georgia Department of Labor before you sign.

Questions to ask Georgia HR providers before you sign

Get at least three quotes, and ask every firm the same questions:

  • How many clients do you have in Georgia, and how many are in my industry and about my size?
  • Who is my day-to-day contact, and are they based in Georgia?
  • Will you visit for terminations, investigations or open enrollment, and does that cost extra?
  • If I hire outside Georgia, can you handle the other state's payroll taxes and rules?
  • Who pays the penalty if you make a filing error?

Ask for references from Georgia clients who have been with the firm at least two years. Ask them how the provider handled a problem, not just whether payroll runs on time. Ask how fast it answers calls during the busy weeks after New Year, when year-end tax forms are due.

Choosing between a local Georgia HR firm and a national provider

A local firm in the metro Atlanta suburbs is more likely to send someone to your office, know the local labor market and pick up the phone with a person you've met. A national PEO often gets you better health plan pricing through its larger pool of employees, plus more polished software. Its service usually comes from a call center in another state, though. Companies with a few dozen hourly workers often value the local relationship more. A company with remote staff in five states may need a national provider.

Check pricing and contract terms with care. Some firms charge per employee per month and others charge a percentage of payroll. A percentage of payroll goes up every time you give raises. Look for setup fees, year-end tax form charges, a cap on yearly price increases and the notice period to cancel. Get it in writing that you will receive your payroll history and personnel files in a usable format if you leave. Thirty to sixty days' notice to cancel is common. Long automatic renewals deserve a hard look.