How one small business service provider is helping with free resources and a stimulus fund

Mammoth HR provides on-demand human resources services to small and mid-sized businesses across the country, and like many small business providers it is hearing heart-wrenching stories from entrepreneurs closing down their dreams. 

“In the peak part of this crisis we were hearing from HR advisers the different stories from clients shutting down and seeing the businesses they worked for decades to build evaporating before their eyes,” said CEO Nathan Christensen, adding that from the end of March to early April the company was supporting 15,000 clients a day. 

To try to help as many businesses as possible, Mammoth has made its Covid-19 resource center free for use. It includes a library of information covering health and safety in the workplace, how to implement work from home, different paid leave requirements, business continuity and how to handle furloughs and layoffs. 

Mammoth typically works with companies with between five and 500 employees. About 300,000 businesses use its services and roughly 6,000 are in Oregon. Through a subscription, the company provides HR help to businesses with training libraries, templates, regulatory information plus the ability to work with certified human resources experts. 

Customer activity for Mammoth, which has dual headquarters in Portland and Pleasanton, California, has doubled what it normally is during its peak season. 

From this vantage point, Christensen and his team have seen several themes emerge as business owners deal with the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic: 

• In early March, especially on the coasts, employers were looking for information on health and safety, and guidance on how to create safe spaces at work. 
• Then, inquiries shifted to wage and hours issues. Employers were looking for help on payroll and benefits and how to stay compliant. 
• Once shelter-in-place orders were issued, businesses sought insight on how to survive. Questions revolved around whether to furlough or lay off employees, or where to find access for funding. These questions are still coming. 
• The latest theme to emerge is evaluating how to go back to offices and other physical spaces. Business owners are strategizing how to implement social distancing, rules around congregating in communal places like restrooms, closing common areas like kitchens, making hallways one-way and requiring masks. 

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This article was authored by Malia Spencer and originally published by the Portland Business Journal.