Your human resources team is the connection between management and employees. They are responsible for hiring, retention, and firing. They handle training, feedback, and legal aspects of the organization. They are truly the heart of the company.
By empowering your HR team, you often elevate and amplify the success of your business. In directly working with employees, HR can encourage growth, commitment, and productivity. They can inspire team members to strive for greater results, improving overall financial gain. Work toward empowering your key team with these four strategic tips.
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1. Provide the Right Tools
Most HR staff rely on tools to complete their wide range of day-to-day activities. Without these tools, there is a greater chance of mistakes. HR tools also use automation to reduce costs, save time, and allow the staff to easily manage employees. If your team is managing without the tools they need, it’s time to reevaluate.
You should provide your human resources team with an efficient applicant tracking system for recruiting and hiring new candidates. An ATS will help with posting open roles, accepting and reviewing applications, scheduling interviews, and assisting with hiring decisions. They will need a leave management tool to manage time-off requests. Employees should have access to a self-service portal to manage their requests themselves. The system should integrate easily with other HR programs, such as payroll.
Give your HR team access to an employee journey mapping tool too. This map helps employees see and prioritize work that needs done. It covers important experiences from before they even start work until after their last day on the job. You’ll also need to offer a performance management tool to monitor progress and help with decisions regarding raises and promotions. And, of course, you’ll need an employee management tool to track employee data and documents. All of these individual tools should have analytics and reporting accessibility as well.
2. Give Them Authority
The HR department is worthless without the authority to make important choices and act upon them. They work for the benefit of the company as a whole. As such, HR managers need the ability to use their knowledge to make informed decisions.
Your HR team knows your business inside and out. They are aware of everything from operating procedures and company culture to legal details and hiring standards. What can your HR team do for your company when given the authority to make decisions for its best interest? A considerable amount.
HR managers should have the authority to develop job descriptions, as they can accurately write unbiased ads that attract ideal candidates. They can develop onboarding programs that effectively assimilate new employees into the fold. HR members can even plan a company culture that impresses candidates and satisfies current employees while matching your company values. Providing HR managers with the authority to make hard decisions about the company’s fate ensures the success of the organization.
3. Involve HR in Decision-Making
Speaking of making decisions, the HR department should be involved in high-level meetings and corporate decisions. HR managers have their finger on the pulse of the organization. They are aware of what is best for the company as a whole.
If an HR leader attends C-suite level meetings, they can actively listen and take notes related to changes within the organization. This gives them full transparency about company goals and outlooks. With this knowledge in hand, they can create programs that are aligned with company values.
Being present at these meetings also enables top-level executives the opportunity to question HR leaders. This can help them better understand the inner workings of the organization as well as the employees’ opinions. It’s appropriate to take these factors into account when making changes that affect the whole organization.
4. Offer Development Opportunities
Employees thrive when given development opportunities. In fact, 92% of employees feel that it improves their engagement levels. But workplace training does more than help employees. It increases a company’s income by 218% more per employee as compared with businesses without training programs.
Human resource improvement focuses on three areas: training and development, organizational development, and career development. Training involves learning new skills and gaining new knowledge for a future role within the HR department. Organizational development focuses on making changes and monitoring outcomes for improving the effectiveness of the organization. Lastly, career development involves working with a mentor to improve one’s individual career plan.
Offering training programs for HR staff provides many benefits that further the growth of the organization. For starters, it attracts top talent within the HR field. Candidates are always searching for opportunities to better themselves and their career. Workplace training increases job satisfaction and loyalty while improving employee productivity. Your company will be more prepared for the future when you offer development programs to your HR staff. As HR is responsible for employee progress, their own growth is imperative.
Empowering the HR Team
Employees go to the HR department with questions or problems. Management asks HR leaders about hiring and analytics. If an organization were a sandwich, then HR would be the good stuff in between the bread. They help make management more effective, and they encourage and support employees.
HR forms such a pivotal role within the organization. It’s important to empower them so they can do their job effectively. These strategies will help you ensure that your HR team is prepared to take on any challenges that come their way.
