One organization I worked with over the past 5 years initially employed about 60 people and was entering what I often describe as its "teenage years."
The organization was approximately 15 years old and had achieved significant success without a dedicated HR function for much of its history. Like many growing businesses, HR responsibilities had evolved organically over time. Initially, they were handled by an administrative assistant and later transitioned into a half-time HR role combined with operational management responsibilities.
The people supporting HR had done an excellent job with the time and resources available to them. They genuinely cared about employees and had created many positive practices along the way. But like many organizations that grow quickly, people processes had developed as needs arose rather than through a coordinated strategy.
Some foundations existed, but for the most part, much of the knowledge lived in people's heads rather than in documented processes.
HR was largely reactive.
And, at that stage of the organization's evolution, that approach had worked reasonably well.
But it was clear to me that the next phase of growth would require something different.
The Turning Point
As organizations grow, people challenges become more complex.
Recruitment volumes increase. Managers lead larger teams. Employee expectations evolve. Workplace issues require more consistency. Training and development needs become more apparent. Retention becomes just as important as recruitment.
The organization wasn't facing a crisis. In fact, it was performing well.
But there was an opportunity to move from simply responding to people issues to deliberately building the systems and practices needed to support future growth.
That became my focus.
Creating the Foundation
One of the first initiatives I undertook was developing a three-year HR strategy designed to support organizational maturity and long-term growth.
The strategy focused on five key pillars:
Recruitment and Retention
Onboarding and Orientation
Performance Excellence
Professional Development
Employee Relations
These pillars provided a roadmap for building consistent, scalable people practices across the organization.
Over the period of the strategy, a number of foundational initiatives were implemented, including:
Documenting recruitment practices and procedures
Establishing a structured onboarding and orientation program
Developing an Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
Creating a retention strategy
Enhancing the organization's performance excellence program
Clarifying leadership expectations and leadership competencies
Developing a professional development policy
Establishing a wellness committee
None of these initiatives were particularly flashy.
There was no single project that transformed the organization overnight.
Instead, the work focused on building the infrastructure that would support employees and leaders as the organization continued to evolve.
The Results
Over the next several years, the organization grew by nearly 50%.
Growth brought all the challenges you would expect. New positions needed to be filled. New leaders emerged. Employee expectations continued to change. Workplace complexity increased.
But because much of the foundational work had already been completed, the organization was prepared.
Recruitment processes were clearer.
New employees had a more consistent onboarding experience.
Leaders had defined expectations and development opportunities.
Employees had greater access to professional growth.
Wellness and employee engagement became intentional priorities.
Most importantly, the organization was able to grow without constantly reinventing how it managed people.
The foundations were already in place.
What Growing Businesses Can Learn
This experience reinforced a lesson I've seen repeatedly throughout my career:
The best time to build HR foundations is before growth makes them necessary.
Many small and mid-sized businesses wait until they encounter significant recruitment challenges, turnover concerns, leadership issues, or employee relations problems before investing in HR infrastructure.
By that point, leaders are often trying to solve urgent problems while continuing to manage growth.
A far more effective approach is to build ahead of the need.
My Recommended Approach for Growing Businesses
For businesses experiencing growth, I recommend taking a structured assessment of your current HR foundations and focusing on five key areas.
1. Strengthen Recruitment and Retention
Create documented and repeatable hiring processes. Understand why employees join your business and, more importantly, why they stay.
Growth becomes much easier when recruitment and retention are viewed as strategic priorities rather than operational tasks.
2. Create a Consistent Onboarding Experience
Every new employee should receive a structured introduction to the business, their role, and your culture.
Strong onboarding improves engagement, accelerates productivity, and helps new employees feel connected from day one.
3. Define What Great Performance Looks Like
Clear expectations create confidence.
Ensure leaders understand their responsibilities, employees understand what success looks like, and performance conversations happen regularly rather than once a year.
4. Invest in Professional Development
Employees want opportunities to learn and grow.
Develop policies, learning opportunities, and leadership development pathways that align individual growth with business goals.
5. Be Intentional About Culture and Employee Relations
As businesses grow, culture becomes more difficult to maintain through informal approaches alone.
Invest in communication, workplace wellness, leadership capability, and processes that support healthy employee relationships.
Growth Doesn't Require Corporate Bureaucracy
One important point: building HR foundations doesn't mean creating unnecessary policies or layers of administration.
The goal isn't complexity.
The goal is creating enough structure to support your people while maintaining the agility that helped your business grow in the first place.
The strongest HR foundations are often simple, practical, and built around the realities of the business.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, the greatest value of the work wasn't any individual program or policy.
It was creating a framework that allowed the organization to grow confidently and sustainably.
When growth arrived, leaders weren't scrambling to build processes. They were focused on leading their teams and advancing the organization's goals because the foundations were already there.
That's the opportunity for every growing business.
Build the foundations before you need them, and growth becomes far easier to manage when it comes.
Ready to Assess Your HR Foundations?
If your business is growing and you're wondering whether your people practices are keeping pace, now is the perfect time to take a closer look.
I help growing businesses build practical HR strategies, leadership practices, and people processes that support sustainable growth without unnecessary complexity.
Let's connect and discuss where your business is today, where it's headed, and the HR foundations that will help support the journey.