As sales grow and responsibilities increase, making time for the people in your business can become challenging. Most owners don’t have an affinity for managing staff to begin with. It’s likely that your skills are better utilized elsewhere.
However, your employees are your greatest resource, and ignoring their needs can prove to be a costly mistake. From harmful hiring practices to higher turnover to toxic work environments and a damaged public image, neglecting HR has major consequences.
On the flip side, investing in the development of your HR management strategy can provide the competitive advantage your business needs to thrive. Here are 5 tips to help you make it happen.
Improve the Hiring Process
Start by determining how you can streamline the way you onboard new team members. Efficiency is key to getting your hands on the best candidates. Consider whether there are any unnecessary steps. Do you really need to conduct seven interviews? Can you narrow down your selection before doing screening and background checks?
View the hiring process from the candidate’s perspective. It’s important that they have a positive experience. Candidates who enjoyed onboarding are more likely to stay and become productive employees. Those who didn’t make the cut will also be left with a good impression. An applicant tracking system (ATS) can help to improve your hiring process.
Use HR Software
Tracking, updating, storing and analyzing employee data is an important aspect of HR, but it can also be a real time suck. While spreadsheets are certainly a step up from filing cabinets, you can do better.
This is where HR software comes in. It can streamline, simplify and secure your data in addition to providing valuable insights. Some popular options here include Gusto, BambooHR, Deputy and Zenefits. Try to choose a tool that includes employee self-service. This saves time by allowing staff to update information themselves.
Also, the progress in HR technology goes beyond just handling information – it now includes HR recruitment software that completely changes companies’ hiring proccess. This software automates various stages of recruitment, from candidate sourcing and assessment to interview scheduling and feedback gathering. By adopting such tools, businesses can effectively expedite their recruitment efforts, enhance candidate experiences, and secure top-tier talent for their teams.
By implementing an HRIS, you can eliminate the tedious task of manually managing employee data and gain more time for strategic HR initiatives. Many quality HR softwares offer advanced features that streamline data management, ensure data security, and provide valuable analytics. Opt for a tool with employee self-service capabilities, empowering your staff to update their own information, further improving efficiency, and reducing administrative burdens.
Define Your Core Values
At the foundation of any successful workplace culture is a well-defined set of values. They should be understood, accepted and demonstrated by all staff members when making a decision. If you haven’t already, take some time to define your core values. Seek input from everyone in the organization before ensuring that they embrace them.
Keep it Casual
Annual performance reviews don’t make as much sense as they used to. A better approach is to have regular and less formal conversations about what can be improved. Frequent assessments lend themselves to more relevant and timely feedback.
Focus on making performance reviews simple, engaging and accessible. They shouldn’t feel like obligatory questionnaires, but rather an opportunity to provide genuine feedback. It’s also a good idea to keep conversations about compensation separate. Employees will feel more comfortable and open this way.
The same is true for training discussions. In the construction industry, for example, managers often host “toolbox talks” that are more casual than a formal training session, as well as taking less time.
Recognize and Reward
Employees are more likely to go the extra mile when the effort is incentivized. Their hard work should be recognized and met with meaningful rewards. This should also be done when a team member shows themselves embracing one of your values. This helps to solidify them and prove that your values are more than just pretty talk.
Remember that feedback goes both ways. Keeping your workplace culture consistent and healthy requires regular check-ins with staff to understand how they feel. Casual one-on-one discussions are a considerable solution here.
HR can be overwhelming at times, even for the most experienced managers. Focus on one thing at a time. Ensure that it’s done correctly and move on to the next step from there.
