Human resources. For a lot of people, those two words conjure countless thoughts of W-2s, compliance procedures and news about insurance benefits.
And paperwork – lots and lots of paperwork.
But if your HR department only hires, fires and fills out forms, then you’re not allowing it to be all it can be. There’s a new generation of HR professionals who, with the right tools, can bring value to your employees and your bottom line.
Let’s look at five ways your HR department can make your company better.
1. HR can empower employees.
Once upon a time, HR was a bad word around the water cooler, but not anymore. HR can boost morale and drive culture in a holistic way among employees across multiple teams. Cast vision to your HR team members that “we will be a friendly company” or “we will be a company full of go-getters,” and they can champion that culture in every piece of employee-facing communication.
2. HR can make learning fun again.
Equipped with the right learning management systems, an HR team can take mandatory, boring content and turn it into interesting, easy-to-digest training programs. Hold trainings online, incorporate quizzes and other interactive elements, and weave in a cat video or two, and you’ll have a training program that employees actually will want to work through.
3. HR can eliminate wasted man-hours.
With the right tools, HR can streamline simple interactions among employees and give them a sense of independence by giving them control of certain aspects of their jobs. For example, when your HR team sets up employee self-service tools, employees will be able to see their own vacation status and request paid time off without having to check with (or waste the time of) six different people.
4. HR can streamline business processes.
Your employees know more about their jobs than you do, so ask them what they think. Let your HR team survey your employees, assess blind spots and inconsistencies, and identify bigger, better, faster ways to do business. Getting honest feedback is the best way not only to improve your processes, but also let your employees know they have a voice.
5. HR can help you make smarter salary decisions.
Bring HR into the salary game. Rather than relying solely on managers’ opinions or blanket percentage-based raises, you can equip your HR team to facilitate performance reviews and standardize compensation across the company. With focused job descriptions, well-thought-out reviews and clearly defined goals, you’ll be giving raises to those employees who truly bring value to the company.
Your HR team is full of people persons. They love working with people: hiring, onboarding, teaching, helping, equipping and guiding employees to maximize their potential in your company. Allow your HR team to explore new tools and practices that will help them improve morale, culture and the bottom line.