When it comes to establishing a solid working culture, your company’s human resources department plays a pivotal role. What happens in the office can set the right tone and serve to reinforce desirable behavior among all employees. The following are some ‘must haves’ if you’re looking to create the best personnel unit.
- Strong recruitment practices
Human resources staff must follow solid recruitment practices. This begins with understanding the needs of hiring managers in departments throughout the organization. It follows with a strong knowledge of acceptable HR approaches and an ability to execute tasks to meet sector standards.
When vacancies need to be filled, managers must know what to expect. It’s the responsibility of the HR department to explain the recruitment and hiring process and adhere to the related timelines and commitments. A good personnel unit should be positioned to advise hiring managers on the best recruitment methods and support them throughout the process, from posting a position to onboarding new staff.
- Emphasis on staff development
Companies should strive to promote from within whenever possible. When employees bring their working experience with them as they attain positions with more authority, it strengthens the organization. Plus, encouraging staff to hone their skills and interview for better jobs signals that the business values its workers.
Staff development is largely the purview of the human resources office. An optimally functioning HR department will develop and offer sound training programs to both new and existing staff. This encompasses courses for job training as well as those related to legislation and industry policies.
Human resources personnel should also reach out to managers and staff to find out what else they might need, and collaborate with managers to create new development opportunities.
- Accessible and effective
All employees should have adequate access to the personnel professionals working in the organization. This means they should be able to have their questions about pay and benefits answered, obtain helpful feedback after a job interview, feel confident that paperwork will be processed quickly, and more.
An effective HR unit responds promptly to queries, whether they’re from a worker on the shop floor or the CEO’s assistant. Of course, the information they provide must also be accurate, helpful, and respectful of confidentiality.
- Demonstrates fairness
Not only must human resources staff be fair in all their dealings with people, but they should strive to be seen as fair. One way to achieve this is to communicate openly and frequently with everyone at the business. Such an exercise invites discussion and builds trust. Importantly, fairness comes into play in sorting out disputes and grievances.
When the people who work in HR are perceived as being fair, it can have a beneficial cascading effect across the company. This reputation can aid the personnel department in building a superior rapport with employees. With increased free-flowing dialogue, HR staff can take advantage of what they hear to improve their services and mitigate any identified issues.
- Promotes employee engagement
One of the cornerstones of a well-functioning human resources office is its capability to encourage employee engagement. Typically, the department will launch a formal program to engage employees. The first order of business is to discover what staff like and don’t like about the workplace and what suggestions they have along these lines. HR may request feedback via questionnaire or town hall-type meetings, or both.
But this is only one aspect of employee engagement. The degree to which workers involve themselves in various company projects is important too. For example, a good HR unit may initiate company-giving campaigns, fundraising walkathons, award celebrations, and the like.
- Shows leadership
While leadership is important at all levels, it’s a critical competency for any human resources professional. The success of the firm depends, in part, on a dependable and innovative personnel department. People working in this office need to have a well-grounded appreciation for the mission and purpose of the enterprise.
Beyond carrying out their duties according to these requirements, HR staff should have a role in contributing to the business’ success. They can leverage their unique position and the intel they have access to about company culture to motivate other leaders and staff in general.
- Follows policies and procedures
Any HR department of worth must be guided by clear and comprehensive policies and procedures. The basis for these should certainly come from all applicable legislation and regulations. Additionally, company-specific requirements and HR-industry standards should be incorporated.
When implementing new policies and procedures, the human resources office must be aware of their impact on the business’ employees. It could be that some unforeseen consequences could arise, requiring modification. Monitoring how new requirements are rolling out and staying on top of any issues is the sign of a sound HR department.
In short, a good human resources department is the backbone of a strong company.
Bill Malloy 