HR in small businesses isn’t just a scaled-down version of big corporate HR. It’s a different world altogether and it's one that can often feel isolating and overwhelming. If you’ve ever felt like you’re navigating a maze alone, with little guidance and even fewer hands to share the load, you’re not imagining things. Many of us working in small organizations face the same challenges every day. So let’s take some time together to dive into that isolation and explore why traditional HR methods often miss the mark for small employers.
I didn’t always understand just how different small employer HR really is. My foundation in HR comes from working with large businesses. I started my career in retail management at Gap, where I was supported by a large-scale HR team with specialized roles for everything - benefits, compliance, employee relations, recruitment - you name it. When I transitioned fully into HR, I worked for another large retailer with a team of 40 HR professionals supporting about 4,000 employees. Each person had a clear, specialized role, and the infrastructure was rock solid.
It was a well-oiled machine. Need help with a tricky employee relations issue? There was a specialist for that. Compliance question? There was a whole team. Looking back, it was almost luxurious compared to what came next.
Things changed dramatically when I moved to a much smaller, family-owned business. The HR team was just three people managing around 200 employees across two campuses, and there was little to no infrastructure in place. The tools, processes, and resources that worked for large organizations weren’t just impractical. They were completely out of touch with what we needed.
And that’s part of the problem: most HR advice out there assumes you have resources you don’t. It’s tailored for larger organizations with big budgets and dedicated teams. But what if you’re the only HR person? Or worse, what if HR isn’t even a full-time job for you? What if the reality is that you’re trying to handle payroll, compliance, recruiting, and employee relations all before lunch while you’re also trying to be an Office Manager?
This shift reminded me of my time at Gap, back when I was a visual merchandiser. We’d get detailed department maps from HQ showing exactly how every wall should look.. The problem? Every store was built differently. Some were huge, some were tiny, but it didn’t matter. We had to figure out how to build these walls as close to the map as possible.
That’s exactly how it felt transitioning from big-company HR to small-business HR. We were trying to force a standard, one-size-fits-all approach onto something that required customization and creativity. The problem with traditional HR advice is that it’s a lot like those department maps. It’s designed for a standard that just doesn’t exist in small employers.
The truth is, HR for small employers needs to be tailored to fit their reality: limited budgets, small teams, the need for flexibility, and a balance of both strategic and tactical work. And that kind of tailored advice is hard to find.
As challenging as it was, I felt lucky. Even though we were a small team, we knew what needed to be done. We had to take all of our knowledge and previous experience and figure out how to make it work in a completely different context. The freedom to customize HR to what the organization actually needed was a luxury that many small employers don’t have.
That realization really hit home when I moved into consulting and started focusing on small employers and startups. Many of these companies didn’t even have what I described. Some had one HR person trying to do it all. Others had an office manager doing their best to handle HR tasks without much guidance or resources.
The problem isn’t just the lack of resources. It’s the lack of advice that actually fits the reality of small employers. So much of what’s out there is designed for big companies - policies, processes, even the way problems are framed. When you’re a small employer, it can feel like you’re trying to solve puzzles with pieces that just don’t fit.
This kind of isolation doesn’t just make the work harder, it makes it lonelier. There’s the practical loneliness of not having a team to lean on, but there’s also the emotional weight of having to be the expert in everything. The stress of needing to have all the answers, combined with the feeling that no one truly understands your day-to-day challenges, can make burnout feel inevitable.
Of course, it’s not just about the emotional toll. There are some very real, practical reasons why traditional HR models fall flat for small employers.
For starters, in small businesses, every dollar has to count. The budget for massive HR systems or a team of specialists just isn’t there. HR pros in small employers have to be resourceful, making do with limited tools and support. On top of that, small employers rely on flexibility in a way that large organizations don’t. While big companies benefit from standardized procedures that ensure consistency, small employers need the ability to pivot quickly without being bogged down by rigid policies.
Then there’s the issue of support or the lack of it. In a large HR department, you can turn to a colleague for a quick answer. As a “team of one,” finding advice can be a drawn-out process, if you can find it at all. And even when you do find advice, how often does it actually fit the unique challenges of a small employer?
All of this got me thinking: what if there was a space where HR professionals in small employers could connect, share advice, and get the kind of support they actually need? Not another generic HR forum filled with theories and textbook advice, but something real. Something practical and genuinely helpful.
What if there was a way to make sure you never felt completely alone in this work? What if there was a place to find HR advice that was actually designed for small employers, with their limited budgets, small teams, and need for flexibility in mind?
I can’t share all the details just yet, but let’s just say we’ve been working on something that might help answer some of these questions. It’s not ready to launch, but we’re getting closer, and we want to keep you in the loop.
In the meantime, we’re curious: what’s the one thing that would make your HR role less isolating? Is it practical resources? A way to connect with others who truly get it? A place to ask questions without feeling judged?
Or maybe it’s advice that actually fits the reality of small employers, something that takes into account limited budgets, small teams, and the need to be both strategic and tactical, sometimes all in the same day. Wouldn’t it be a game-changer to get HR advice that acknowledges you’re juggling payroll, compliance, recruitment, and employee relations?
We’d love to hear what would help the most. And if any of this resonates with you, you might want to join our “coming soon” list. We can’t say too much right now, but we promise it’ll be worth the wait.
There’s something powerful about knowing you’re not alone. Even if you can’t offload your work, just having someone to share your challenges with can make a world of difference. This isn’t just about professional development - it’s about creating a space that supports your emotional well-being, too.
We’re excited about what’s next and can’t wait to share it with you.
The Loneliness of HR in Small Employers: Why It’s Hard to Find the Right Support
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