Whether your company is small or large, having an incredible Human Resources (HR) department in place is imperative to ensuring the success of your enterprise. HR oversees critical issues regarding safety, wellness, benefits, and training. They also oversee compensation, performance management, and employee motivation—all tasks which should be delegated elsewhere, so you can focus on growing your business. You can choose to outsource many of these roles to other companies or employ an internal HR manager, but whichever route you take, consider improving on it with these five strategies.
- Streamline your hiring process
Employee turnover hurts business in terms of recruitment costs and training expenses. Whenever a position remains vacant, the workload is offloaded onto the remaining staff, cutting into optimal productivity levels. HR can reduce turnover rates by streamlining the hiring process to help you build a long-term team who’s invested in your company’s success. Instead of wondering, “What does a background check show for employment?” Put an HR rep in place who knows the importance of pre-employment screening to weed out potential candidates with criminal history or inaccurately-reported information. Whether they recruit and screen employees themselves, or rely on the help of services such as ZipRecruiter, make sure your HR hiring process is airtight.
- Help employees add value
Organizations should recognize that any value added to an employee is a value added to the business as a whole, and employees are usually eager for opportunities to develop their skills—which in turn add value to back their organizations. Your HR department should be providing resources that enable team members to grow and build upon their existing professional skill set. Make sure they’re staying up-to-date on the local networking and workshop events happening in your area that pertain to your industry, and consider offering online classes to employees who wish to learn more. You stand to benefit from the knowledge they gain, making it well-worth your small investment, and they’ll appreciate the opportunity for growth. It’s a win/win situation.
- Incorporate performance reviews
One way to measure employee growth and development is through regular performance reviews. If you’re not doing so already, instruct your HR team to conduct reviews at a quarterly, bi-yearly, or annual basis to check in with your employees’ progression. These reviews should be objective and quantifiable, so come time for pay raises, they will have concrete data to use for compensation evaluation. Review periods are a great time to work on developing your employees’ goals, as well. Encourage your team members to come up with creative stretch assignments no matter how large or small their roll is within your company; you just might be surprised to see what wonderful ideas stream from the bottom up when you give everyone the opportunity to rise in the ranks.
- Set expectations upfront
Unfortunately, despite their hiring practices, training efforts, and personal development, a few bad seeds can slip into your organization’s pool of employees. These team members are unmotivated, frequently missing their expected performance meters and putting forth half-hearted work integrity. HR managers will set these expectations upfront and make consequences clear to everyone on the team. Whether you’re an at-will employer, use a point-based system, or allow two formal write-ups before termination, your HR department will be the ones to put their foot down when an employee is slacking off and you’re too busy to notice.
- Create rewards programs
Despite your ambitions, you can’t run your team like work horses. HR should be overseeing employee wellness, making sure they’re safe, fulfilled, and happy to come to work each day. If your staff has any questions or concerns, they should be able to approach your HR team without fear of being reprimanded. Moreover, they should go above and beyond to motivate your staff and present to them that working hard for your company benefits them as well. If it’s within your budget, consider offering incentives for completion of weekly team goals, such as a complimentary lunch. Better yet, offer a company vacation if by the third quarter your annual projection is met or surpassed. Any perks or added bonuses—like a pet-friendly environment or in-office keg—can boost morale and improve productivity, so encourage your HR team to brainstorm these possibilities.
Remember, happy employees lead to happy bosses. Use these five methods for improving your HR department to better the quality of your team and watch your efficiency spike..
