5 Essential Human Resource Tips
Human Resources (HR) is an absolute necessity for every business of every size. If you have only a handful of employees, all of whom answer to you, that makes you the head of HR. If your business has dozens, hundreds or thousands of employees, you must have individuals who are in charge of human resources. Misunderstandings, disputes and grievances are as inevitable as payday. The ability of the HR person to handle these issues makes the difference between a business that prospers and is respected and one that flounders and is maligned. Here are five essential considerations for those HR workers.
Demonstrate That the Company Is as Good as Its Word
This is something that must happen before an employee asks to see the HR staff or before HR summons an employee for a review or a problem. For its part, the company must follow through on all its written guidelines and policies. Without exception, commitments made to employees must be kept. Holidays and overtime pay must be honored, which is a fairly simple process if you use a program like paystub creator. All this is to say that the relationship of the company toward the employee must reflect ethics, honesty and transparency, which a business should expect from its workers as well.
Build Two-Way Communication
HR representatives must approach encounters with employees through openness to two-way communication: expecting to listen without prejudice to the worker and expecting the worker to be open to the HR rep’s responses. All the issues that will be dealt with between an employee and an HR rep will be determined by the rep’s ability to communicate. Much has been written about communication and much training has been centered on the topic. Ultimately, an approach of openness, clarity and consistency leads to the fullest communication. Simply through mutual communication, the majority of misunderstandings are resolved.
Achieve Adaptability
The ability of HR to be flexible is tempered by the necessities of the workplace and the company’s policies. If an employee is a sincere person of integrity, the willingness of an HR rep to negotiate around that person’s needs will inevitably breed trust and gratitude. If, on the other hand, an employee wants special privileges in order to “game the system,” the HR person and the business itself are subject to manipulation and disrespect. The answer must be found in policies that allow limited discretion to the HR rep to be flexible and adaptable to a certain extent.
Overcome “Us/Them” Thinking
Part of today’s conventional wisdom is that companies no longer feel any loyalty to their employees. Of course, if that were true, there would be no need for a human resources department. Business leaders recognize that fair, equitable treatment for employees is an absolute necessity for a company to achieve its goals. They recognize as well that employees give their best when valued as human beings beyond the work they provide. The HR rep understands that there is a synergistic relationship between the workers and the company, each supporting and relying upon the other for the best outcome for both.
Discipline Should Reflect Honesty and Compassion
It is invariably the case that employees sometimes fall short of the expectations of a business. Dealing with these issues becomes the responsibility of the HR officer. While conflict and discipline by definition are unpleasant and awkward, they also present opportunities for both the employee and the company. Ideally, the attitude of the company should be that the worker is restored to full-fledged, trusted employment. To achieve this, here are certain recommendations:
• Upon employment, the worker should be apprised of and acknowledge all company expectations.
• All HR interactions with an employee should be documented and signed by the HR rep and the employee and should be available to the employee upon request.
• There should be an established grievance procedure for the employee to follow with an appeals process.
• The disciplinary process should be graduated, with proper steps prior to any determination leading to termination.
