The term “Human Resources” has become synonymous with the people who work in this industry. If you were to ask an HR expert why they entered the industry, they would probably tell you it’s because they wanted to work with people.
But today’s HR industry has become far removed from helping people. It seems to focus more on multiple tasks that have very little to do with developing employees and engaging with them. Today’s typical HR consultant spends more time doing administrative tasks than dealing with people.
Business managers are becoming more aware that employee engagement is a key component to business success. Companies who already have HR departments are spending additional funds on hiring employee consultants—hiring them to do the very job your HR people were supposed to do in the first place.
Seems all wrong, doesn’t it.
Well, I agree. Your employees should not be seen as “resources”. They are people. And people are complicated. The most effective way to engage with staff is through face-to-face communication. And this can only be done by your HR people, who are qualified to coach employees on the path to career development.
Here’s why
What Was Your HR Department Meant to Do?
Since HR software packages like Advance Systems is replacing many of the mundane tasks your HR department deals with, we’re forced to ask the question, “Why do we still need HR managers?”
The answer is, because they are an integral part of growing your business and developing the employees within.
Here’s what your HR department was meant to do.
Engage Staff
‘Employee Engagement’ is a term that’s infiltrating the modern business world. Business managers are realizing how important it is to increase employee morale and grow people within their companies. This is best done through active employee engagement.
Your HR department should be actively communicating with your employees on an individual basis. This goes beyond the regular quarterly reviews or yearly appraisals. Employees should be encouraged to reach for higher designations within the company, and your HR staff should be helping them to set and achieve those objectives.
Through active goal setting and monthly evaluations, your HR department can become your company powerhouse! One that not only identifies potential, but actively develops that potential until the employee is fit for a higher position.
Grow Employees within the Company
An HR consultant is kind of like a casting agent. They decide who is best suited for certain “roles” within the company, just like in a movie.
Designating workers to key positions within the company is an important job. Your HR consultant should know your employees individually and personally. They should know how to gauge the skills and passions of each worker, allowing them to assign certain people to specific positions.
Assign Staff to Suitable Designations
Because your HR managers are trained to identify talent in individuals, they should be tasked with making suggestions in terms of promotion or post changes. Your HR department is your guide to who should be working where.
When this is done correctly, the company will start functioning better overall, because more people will be doing the jobs they love.
Training
It’s perturbing to see so many business owners hire external training companies to develop their staff when they have perfectly qualified HR people who can take on this role.
HR professionals already have a propensity toward people. Use this to your advantage and implement training programs that can be spearheaded by HR.
When this training is coupled with your employee engagement strategies, you will start seeing an increase in job satisfaction, promotions and overall staff morale.
Tasks That Should Be Taken Away from Your HR Department
There are a number of HR tasks that are being replaced by technology—and for good reason. Here are some of the unnecessary tasks taking up your HR managers’ time.
Payroll
Payroll should be automated by your HR software. It’s a task that can be done way more efficiently (and without error) by software that automatically calculates the necessary data with minimal need for human intervention.
When your payroll is automated, it’s also safer. Personal information is hidden, and therefore not at risk of leaking out or falling into the wrong hands.
Data Collection
Employee data is constantly being updated. But there’s no reason to do this manually. HR software does all the intricate data collection and individual updating needed to keep your record straight every day.
Having this data updated automatically also gives time back to your HR staff, leaving them one less mundane non-people-related task to do.
Employee Performance Stats
Your HR department should have access to employee performance stats. But it shouldn’t be up to them to generate this data. HR software does this for you, and gives you and your managers an overview of each individual’s work & performance history at your company.
Personal Data Management
Managing personal data has recently become a task that your employees can do themselves. HR no longer has to be burdened with managing multiple profiles. HR software makes each individual’s profile accessible to them on their own respective phones.
Leave & Absenteeism
Because all info pertaining to an employee is summed up in a profile, your employees can also update their own leave information. Absenteeism is recorded with your HR software and displayed for you and your employee to view.
Studies have shown that this significantly decreases absenteeism, because this data is always displayed. Employees understand that their efforts are recognized, and therefore make more effort to be at work every day.
Once we start looking at employees as people in stead of resources, we begin to see a shift in the way our companies function. Research on employee engagement is extensive and should not be ignored.
So what steps have you taken to implement technology into your HR department? Look for a software package that can be tailored to accommodate your company structure, and utilize it to develop your company into a competitive force that people love working for.
