6 Ways to Improve the HR Department
It is no doubt that employees can make or break a business. Consequently, you have to properly invest in your teams and ensure that they are provided with the best possible working environment. This is where the Human Resources department comes into play.
The HR department is responsible for maintaining your company’s work culture; it has to look after business and employees’ interests while designing up-to-date policies.
To effectively manage these responsibilities, many businesses are turning to advanced solutions like UK based HR software which help to automate routine tasks such as document management or report making, provide insights into employee data, and allow easier communication.
This software enables HR professionals to focus more on strategic initiatives rather than getting bogged down in day-to-day operations. So, it is not only makes the HR department’s job easier but also plays an important role in building a work environment where everyone can thrive.
Let’s go through some ways in which HR can improve its working.
Improve Organizational Communication
All corporate activities rely on effective workplace communication: it promotes teamwork and helps to avoid costly miscommunications. However, communication is often ineffective in office settings, as 46% of employees are unsure of their work after a meeting.
HR personnel must guarantee that all employees are on the same page and can communicate freely. They must brief managers on helping employees understand business operations and their position within them. And they should look into deploying unified communications software, which allows employees to share content and aids in instant messaging. Employees can contact anyone in the firm, regardless of department, removing a go-between, which slows down work and generates communication problems.
Aside from formal communications, the human resources department must also help with team building. They can arrange company-funded activities, like team dinners, and conduct team-building exercises to facilitate workplace interactions and improve employees’ morale and confidence.
Enhance Recruitment Process
One of HR’s most crucial jobs is to provide the company with efficient and capable employees. For every recruitment drive, HR departments receive hundreds of applications. Processing each one of them is time-consuming and also leaves space for errors. Instead, the department can streamline recruitment by introducing an automated stage in the form of a computer-regulated Q/A sheet for HR to consider their applications.
Before hiring employees, HR must ensure the applicants are committed to the company. Since the business heavily invests in every employee, it needs a guarantee that employees will also provide their services for multiple years back to the business. HR must cross-check candidates’ previous employment references to ensure they are committed to their professions to ensure employee loyalty. Alongside this, they should also investigate whether candidates were involved in any criminal activities that could disrupt the company’s work culture. HR must collaborate with a local background-checking company like Triton Canada for accurate and up-to-date results.
Develop Engaging Training Programs
Hiring experienced workers provides businesses with the capabilities to grow. However, inexperienced workers are also essential since they can be trained in accordance with the company’s requirements and bring new perspectives.
HR is responsible for effectively training these fresh graduates by preparing short yet comprehensive programs that include on-hand work. It is worth mentioning that longer programs take up more resources and can frustrate the employees as well.
Despite training programs, employees are still likely to make multiple mistakes. Consider introducing a mentorship program where seasoned employees help the newer ones accomplish tasks. This will also help boost social relations.
Aside from training the recruits, training programs for seasoned employees is also vital. Companies often introduce new technologies, and employees must understand how to effectively navigate and use the technology for the most efficient output. Similarly, a rise in cybercrime requires employees to go through a 2-day workshop to understand the measures they must take to prevent malware and data loss.
Give Regular Feedback to Employees
When employees make mistakes, traditional methods like reprimanding them can decrease their motivation and efficiency. Instead, HR should provide employees with regular performance feedback. If an employee is lacking, HR can recommend workshops and skill-building techniques to help them improve their output.
HR can also create a work culture to award high-achieving staff with salary bonuses or promotions. As a result, employees will be more motivated, improving their performance levels. Aside from rewards, HR must urge managers to recognize their employees’ hard work and dedication frequently, especially when team morale is down.
Pay Attention to Suggestions and Complaints
HR is responsible for listening to all employee complaints and efficiently solving them. Instead of receiving complaints by email and having trouble tracking them, They can streamline the process by establishing a portal on the company’s internal website where employees can file complaints. This will enable the department to swiftly asses which ones it can resolve and which ones require attention from the higher-ups. Alongside this, it will ensure that no complaint gets missed and inform employees of the status of their grievances and suggestions.
HR must make an active effort to integrate employees’ suggestions into business operations. It should carefully analyze all the recommendations made and compile the most feasible ones in a report for the COO to consider. HR can also note specific recommendations that it believes can enhance employee productivity.
Invest in Employee Health and Wellbeing
It is near impossible for humans to maintain the same work efficiency throughout their careers. Troubles in their personal life often affect their work performance. HR has to ensure employees are always physically and mentally strong.
If an employee is found lacking in their work, instead of reprimanding them, a trained HR representative should take time to listen to their problems and promise confidentiality. HR can recommend that the employee seek therapy on the company’s tab or for them a few days off work to resolve their problems. Onboarding a counselor can also help take care of such situations.
The ongoing heatwave around the world has also hugely impacted employee well-being. Workers find themselves quickly tired and do not show the same efficiency in completing tasks, especially outside or in non-air conditioned spaces. HR must ensure employees have the right work environment and are provided with facilities like water stations, efficient air-conditioning, longer breaks, and reduced work hours.
It is vital to remember that the productivity of happy employees increases by 13%.
Endnote
Your HR department is integral to your business’s success. So, you have to maintain oversight and ensure that it is competent and looking after your employees’ well-being.
HR must work towards concise training programs, facilitate communications, look after employees, and take their suggestions and complaints seriously. They need to work toward pinpointing bottlenecks to productivity, like long working hours and the effects of worsening global climate. And as a business owner, you must make sure that the human resources department has sufficient funds to conduct its operations. In this way, you will set up your business for success for a long time to come.
