PacWest Solutions Provides Off-Site HR Services to Clients

By George Walsh, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

From Payroll to Conflict Resolution, Company Provides a Full Range of Services

The task of a human resources department in a large company ranges from taking care of the payroll, to recruitment, to settling conflicts. However, many companies don't have the resources to hire their own HR department. To make sure that these and other important tasks are performed in a professional and efficient manner, many small to medium-sized companies turn to firms like PacWest Solutions at 5673 W. Las Positas Boulevard, an organization that allows businesses to outsource their human resources needs. PacWest moved into Hacienda in June 2003.

"We act as a human resources department for our clients, most of whom are not running companies big enough to warrant hiring an entire HR department themselves," says Lindsay Wood, VP of marketing and administration for PacWest Solutions. "We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them as if we were actually there on the premises. We get to know their employees and we can come up with various strategies to help with employee retention, as well as enabling them to focus much more on their core business strengths. By using our services, they are able to become a better, more successful business because they don't have to worry about HR." PacWest's idea of providing outsourced HR services seems to make sense to a number of smaller enterprises. The company has experienced a 25 percent growth in its client base this year along with the expansion of its service staff.

One of the many roles that PacWest Solutions plays is that of a payroll department. They can also take care of a company's benefits administration needs. Often, small companies don't qualify for a group benefits plan, but PacWest can negotiate group benefits based on the number of companies using its services. PacWest also deals with conflict resolution, which is a situation that many smaller companies have trouble handling. "Someone may decide that they want to be a restaurant owner, and they may be good at cooking and good at putting together a great menu and atmosphere in a restaurant," Wood says. "But then suddenly, they have 50 employees who have to work together on a day-to-day basis and settling disputes between them is no fun for them because that's not the reason they went into business. We can step in and manage the people at the company and the restaurant owner can concentrate on what he or she does best. The same holds true for other types of companies."

PacWest is a California-based Professional Employer Organization (PEO), whose purpose is to provide human resource management to small and mid-sized companies. PacWest enters into a contractual agreement with the customer, becoming a co-employer of the client company's existing workforce. As the co-employer, PacWest assumes responsibility for some or all of the human resource management responsibilities, including payroll and taxes, employee benefits, health insurance, workers' compensation coverage, workplace safety programs, compliance with federal and state employment laws, labor and workplace regulatory requirements, and related administrative responsibilities. The company's clients remain responsible for day-to-day assignments, supervision and on-the-job training. Each new hire is processed by PacWest to ensure it is in compliance with all federal and state labor laws and regulations. PacWest currently serves 37 clients - most of whom have found out about their services through referrals by satisfied customers. In addition, the company has just launched a new web site at www.pacwestsolutions.com, where companies curious about their services can see the full scope of what PacWest can provide.

Photo: PacWest Solutions vice president Lindsay Wood, left, leads a meeting at the company's W. Las Positas Boulevard offices.

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