The people in your business can make or break it, so the human resources department is so crucially important.
Get it right, and you have a happy and productive workforce at the top of their game, but get it wrong, and you will end up with a bunch of undervalued, poorly trained, and demotivated staff who are simply not going to make your business thrive.
To ensure your HR department isn’t falling into any of the most common traps, five mistakes often crop up and how they can be avoided.
Insufficient hiring process
A frequent mistake made in HR is not taking the time to carry out an effective hiring process. Cutting corners here will eat into time later when you have to offer extra training, disciplinary procedures, and appraisals and even waste time re-recruiting as the job just wasn’t right for the person you took on in the first place.
Keep the job ad open long enough to get a good number of applications, take your time narrowing candidates down, prepare a detailed interview process, and don’t be afraid to start the process again if you don’t find the ideal personthe first time around.
Poor job descriptions
It’s becoming more common to see increasingly vague job descriptions so employers can ask their workers to do just about anything within the business, and while the modern employee needs to be flexible in their approach to their role, it’s also important for them to understand what the majority of their days will entail.
A firm job description should be in place at the recruiting stage, so you know what you are looking for in a candidate and so they understand what role they are actually applying for.
Not providing a company handbook
Writing a complete handbook and keeping it up to date might seem like a long and time-consuming process, but it will save hours in the long run.
Allocate a senior member of the HR team sufficient time to create or amend your company handbook, detailing company policies, procedures, and main points of contact within the business, and you will avoid confusion and repetitive questions coming into the HR department.
Infrequent training and appraisals
Putting time into your employees will pay you back tenfold, so it makes sense to offer regular appraisals and training.
There is certain HR software available that can take the pain out of these routine processes by providing self-service systems and data automation.
They also promote staff engagement and track, measure, and analyze their performance, so purchasing this type of technology can give you a good return on your investment.
Improper disciplinary procedures
It’s essential to have a clear process in which employees who are underperforming or behaving inappropriately can go through.
Being clear about what is expected from employees and what disciplinary action they face if they don’t adhere to the rules is imperative to cultivating a top-performing team and avoiding any legal action resulting from wrongful dismissal claims.
