HR Companies & HR Consultants in Providence, RI

Agile HR Advisors, which also operates under its legal name Agile Talent Consulting LLC, is a human resources consultancy headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. The firm concentrates on small and mid-sized organizations that are growing quickly or going through significant change, helping them put a durable people function in place without having to build an entire HR department from scratch. Its clients range from investment firms and technology companies to nonprofits and education organizations.

Services and Areas of Focus

The firm's core offering is an embedded, fractional model in which its consultants act as an internal people operations team for the client. Engagements begin with a review of current practices, after which the consultants and the client agree on which gaps matter most and lay out a phased improvement plan. Where a company eventually needs a permanent HR leader, the team can recruit and onboard that person. Specific areas of work include:

• Fractional HR and embedded people operations
• Fractional recruiting and recruitment strategy
• Compensation benchmarking and pay equity analysis
• HR technology selection and implementation (HRIS, ATS, payroll and LMS platforms)
• HR policy and compliance
• Organizational design and performance management
• HR maturity assessments
• Leadership development programs, workshops and coaching

How They Work With Clients

Fractional engagements are billed on a monthly fee that is structured similarly to a full-time salary, so clients can plan for a consistent level of cost and capacity. Deliverables are set out in a jointly defined scope of work, and clients draw on the whole consulting bench rather than a single advisor. The stated goal is to hand mature HR functions back to the client's own staff once systems and skills are in place, rather than to create long-term dependence.

On the technology side, the team helps buyers sort through competing vendors and acronyms, decide when a new platform makes sense, and then manage implementation. That support covers holding vendors and internal staff to deadlines tied to payroll cycles or open enrollment, coordinating between finance and HR, configuring features fully, and running a change management plan tailored to the organization's culture so employees actually use the new tool.

The leadership development practice is delivered by certified coaches and learning facilitators. Programs are customized after identifying where growth will have the most impact and combine practice-based workshops, one-on-one coaching aligned with the training material, and peer development circles that build accountability. Content can target manager capability or team-level work on equity and inclusion. The firm also supports individuals through career transitions.

Team and Approach

The practice is led by Managing Partner and CEO Alaina Restivo alongside Partner Courtney Nardozza.

Published client feedback references an HRIS rollout at GW&K Investment Management, an HR maturity assessment for Onward We Learn, applicant tracking and recruiting support for Utilidata during a period in which its headcount doubled, and coaching for the leadership of Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England.

Featured case work includes a company divestiture, an HR modernization at a family business and a compensation project aimed at culture. The firm describes its values as partnership, equity, respect, flexibility, cross-functional collaboration with finance and IT, and a sense of humor, which may appeal to buyers seeking a hands-on partner focused on building internal capability.

The Greysmith Companies is a recruiting and staffing firm based in Providence. It works with employers in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and other parts of New England. The firm started in 1991, so it has more than thirty years of experience.

It matches companies that need staff with professionals looking for work, whether that work is short-term, flexible or a permanent career step. For buyers comparing HR partners, Greysmith fits best as an outside recruiting resource for office, professional and corporate roles rather than a general HR outsourcing provider.

Staffing Models

Greysmith offers several ways to hire, so a company can pick the arrangement that fits why it is hiring:

• Temporary staffing to keep work moving during peak periods, special projects or staff changes
• Temp-to-hire placements that let an employer see how a worker performs and fits the culture before offering a permanent job
• Direct hire recruiting for permanent positions across Rhode Island, Massachusetts and the wider region

Employers can ask for candidates or book a consultation through the firm's website. Greysmith also publishes resources and a blog for both employers and job seekers.

Specialties

Greysmith focuses on a set of corporate and administrative fields and says it specializes in senior-level corporate roles. Its practice areas are:

• Accounting and finance
• Office administration
• Customer service and call center
• Legal
• Supply chain
• Healthcare administration

How They Work With Clients

Each search starts with the firm learning what the open role means to the client's business. Greysmith's view is that a new employee affects output, team culture and where a department is headed. Candidates go through a four-tier screening process, which is meant to send employers a short list of well-matched people instead of a large stack of resumes.

Searches are run by a team rather than one recruiter, so consultants with different backgrounds can each contribute. The firm says its main goal is long-term fit and hires that support the client's business plans over time.

Greysmith also works closely with candidates. Its recruiters present job seekers to employers and try to match them with roles that suit their experience and goals. Testimonials on the site come from temporary workers who were later hired permanently, experienced professionals who changed employers, and recent graduates starting their careers. Many of them mention regular follow-up and a smooth hiring process.

Background and Local Knowledge

Greysmith has been part of the Providence business community for decades, and it shares hiring advice and workforce trend articles based on that experience. Its articles cover topics such as how hiring differs between Providence and Fall River and the challenges New England employers face.

This regional focus may suit Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts employers who want a recruiter that knows the local labor market. Its website also has pages about its team, its history, an employee referral program and working at Greysmith.

The Personnel People, Inc. is a staffing and recruiting firm in Providence that has been placing office professionals with Rhode Island employers since 1981. The firm is owner operated and based in Rhode Island. It focuses on professional and white-collar roles and works as an outside partner that finds, vets and presents candidates, so that internal teams can keep their attention on running the business.

Services and engagement models

Employers can hire the firm in three ways. It runs permanent direct-hire searches. It offers temp-to-hire arrangements, which let both the employer and the candidate test the fit before committing. It also provides temporary workers for short-term needs. Under each of these options, the team handles the time-consuming parts of recruitment, including:

• Reviewing and screening incoming resumes
• Holding interviews with candidates
• Verifying references and credentials
• Arranging interview schedules for the hiring client
• Searching for difficult or senior positions

The firm says it works closely with clients. Its recruiters learn each employer's business requirements before they start sourcing, and the goal is a good long-term fit rather than simply filling a seat. Client testimonials on its site describe long relationships.

One Providence trade association says it has worked with the firm for more than 25 years, and a law firm has relied on it as it grew. A third client, the finance department of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (Foxwoods), says the firm filled a senior financial planning and analysis role after other search firms had failed to.

Specialty areas

The Personnel People focuses on office and professional positions in a few disciplines:

• Legal: partner and associate attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants
• Accounting and finance: CFOs, controllers, accounting managers, senior and staff accountants, bookkeepers, payables and receivables specialists, and client services and sales assistants
• Administrative and management: executive and administrative assistants, customer service and general office staff, office managers and marketing managers
• Human resources: HR managers and HR assistants

Leadership and credentials

President Joyce Fastino joined the company as a recruiter in 1994 and bought the business in 2001. She has more than two decades of experience in recruiting and management. She holds a psychology degree from the University of Massachusetts and a teaching license in elementary education.

Providence Business News named her to its 40 Under Forty list in 2006 and gave her a Women in Business Achievement honor in 2012. She has appeared on Channel 12 and in regional business publications. Her memberships include SHRM, the Rhode Island Staffing Association and a northern Rhode Island business chamber.

Staffing Administrator Melissa Sangiuliano has been with the firm since 1999. She runs its accounting function and also helps with recruiting. Before joining, she worked as a teacher and as a licensed representative in financial services. She holds degrees from Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island. The company also holds WBE/MBE certification, which may matter to buyers with supplier diversity goals.