HR that meets you
where you actually are

We don’t deal in theory. We deal in the real, messy, human situations that keep business owners up at night and we help you navigate them with confidence

REAL SITUATIONS WE SOLVE

You might not see yourself in a textbook HR case. You will see yourself here.

Scheduling & Family

"My best employee keeps missing shifts, and it's for school pickup."

Single parents juggling school schedules shouldn’t mean lost productivity. We help you build flexibility that works for everyone, without the legal risk.

High Performers

"She does the work of three people, and she's about to quit."

High performers burning out quietly is one of the most expensive problems a business can ignore. We help you intervene before it’s too late.

Nonprofits

" We care deeply about people, but we have no HR department."

Small nonprofits doing HR on instinct and goodwill are one complaint away from a serious crisis. We become the HR team you can’t afford to hire full-time.

Simple things every business owner should know

HR doesn't have to be complicated. But there are a few things that trip almost everyone up.

01

3 mistakes small businesses make with HR and how to fix them.

Skipping an offer letter. Misclassifying contractors. Handling complaints informally. These three patterns who up constantly and they’re all fixable before they become lawsuits.

02

What you must have in place before hiring your first employee

Most first-time employers don’t realize what’s legally required the moment someone goes on payroll. We walk you through exactly what to have ready, so your first hire doesn’t become your first headache.

03

When "we're like family here" becomes a liablitly

Informal cultures feel good, until a complaint surfaces and you have no documentation, no policy and no process. We help you build structure that doesn’t kill your culture.

04

The real cost of doing nothing

Avoiding HR feels cheaper in the short term. One unaddressed complaint, one missed accommodation, one misclassification and the math changes fast. Let’s talk numbers. 

Why Compliance actually matters

We've seen what happens when businesses don't take this seriously. We'd rather you never find out.

Multi-state complexity

Skipping an offer letter. Misclassifying contractors. Handling complaints informally. These three patterns who up constantly and they’re all fixable before they become lawsuits.

Real examples (anonymized)

A retail client with 12 employees settled a harassment claim for $65,000, not because the behavior was extreme, but because the response was wrong. Documentation, timing, and tone all matter.

Where most hr gaps live

They’re rarely in the big and obvious places. They’re in the handbook nobody updated, the accommodation request someone mishandled, the supervisor who never got trained. We find those gaps before someone else does. 

Sound familiar?
Let's talk.

No obligation. Just a real conversation about where your HR stands.

Brazilian woman, smiling, standing in front of a building in Spokane

Patricia Cruz

PHR-hrci, sphr-hrci, bilingual

Patricia, originally from Brazil, is a certified HR professional with extensive experience supporting small businesses and nonprofits across Washington State and beyond. She specializes in compliance, HR strategy, and building systems that are practical and not over-whelming.

Moroccan woman smiling, sitting in a comfortable chair in front of artwork

Nawal Guelzim

phr-hrci, thrp-nnhara, multilingual

Nawal, originally from Morocco, brings strong operational administrative HR expertise, supporting day to day HR processes, organization, and execution. She ensures that systems are not only designed, but actually implemented and maintained. Nawal is certified to work with indigenous tribes.

Our team in action

This is what we actually do for the organizations we support. Day in, day out.

Employee relations

Risk management

Workplace investigations

Multi-state compliance

ADA accommodations

L&I / OSHA

Anti-harrasment training

Supervisor coaching

Employee Relations & Risk Management

From discrimination and harassment complaints to formal workplace investigations – we guide you through every step, protecting both people and the organization.

Organizational Structure

Fuzzy roles and broken workflows are expensive. We clarify responsibilities, streamline processes, and align your team structure with where the business is actually going.

Benefits & ADA Compliance

Benefits administration and accommodation requests both carry legal weight. We make sure your processes are airtight and that employees feel genuinely supported.

Strategic HR Communication

When leadership and teams aren’t speaking the same language, problems compound. We build communication frameworks that keep everyone informed and aligned.

Safety & Compliance

L&I, OSHA, and workplace safety aren’t just checkboxes. They are your responsibility and your liability. We help you stay compliant and build a genuinely safe workplace.

Training & Development

Anti-harassement training, labor law education for supervisors, team culture workshops – we deliver training that actually changes behavior, not just satisfies a requirement.

Powered by CrossHR 🔌

Cross HR feature roadmap for nonprofits and small businesses

The nonprofit pain point you’re solving

Most nonprofits track time in Excel, paper logs, or nothing at all. This is because every “real” HR tool is priced and designed for corporations. CrossHR’s edge is radical simplicity at a price that actually fits a 10-person org with 2 volunteers.

73%

of small nonprofits still use spreadsheets for HR

$0

is what most nonprofits budget for HR software

1 hr

setup time should be your promise to get them started

Core features that replace Excel immediately

Volunteer vs. employee time tracking

Separate timesheets for paid staff and volunteers, with different approval flows and reporting. Most tools don’t distinguish between them. 

Nonprofit – exclusive win

Grant hour allocation

Tag hours to specific grants or different funding sources. Nonprofits live and die by grant reporting — this feature alone is worth the subscription.

Nonprofit – exclusive win

One-click timesheet approval

Manager gets a simple email or in-app notification. One click approves. No login required for basic approvals. Designed for busy directors.

Removes the #1 friction

Auto-calculated overtime alerts

Flag when an employee is approaching set overtime thresholds by state. Visual warning before the payroll run, not after.

Compliance protection

Excel import on day one

Let orgs upload their existing spreadsheets and auto-map columns. The biggest barrier to switching is migration. Make it zero effort.

Kills adoption barrier

PTO & leave tracker

Simple accrual rules, balance visibility for employees, and manager approval. Replaces the sticky note on the whiteboard.

Used daily by everyone

HR organization features that build loyalty

Digital employee file

One place for offer letters, I-9s, performance notes, and certifications. Replaces the physical folder in someone’s desk drawer.

Replaces paper chaos

Document expiration alerts

Certifications, driver’s licenses, food handler cards — automatically alert HR when something is about to expire. Critical for nonprofits with service workers.

Prevents liability

Simple org chart builder

Auto-generate from employee data. Useful for board reports, grant applications, and new hire onboarding.No Visio required.

Grant reporting gold

New hire checklist

Customizable onboarding tasks with status tracking. Assign to HR, manager, or the new hire themselves. Never forget the I-9 again.

Standardizes process

Policy acknowledgment tracking

Send handbook updates or policy changes. Track who has signed and who hasn’t. Built-in audit trail for compliance.

Legal protection

Performance check-in logs

Simple, lightweight notes from 1-on-1s or reviews. Not a full performance system — just a dated record that protects you if things go sideways.

Documentation that matters