A whopping 5.6 million people work in HR capacities across the United States. Many of those people were likely attracted to the field due to HR’s promises of lucrative careers, outstanding recruitment bonuses, and ability to shape corporate culture.
While the value that HR professionals can bring to organizations is virtually unquantifiable, few professionals realize those benefits for their employers due to a lackluster HR foundation.
Therein lies the value of the HR tips our team has compiled below.
We hope that by exploring the hiring, administrative, and culture tips we’ve itemized, you’ll be able to strengthen your human resources education and drive more value for those around you throughout your career.
Keep reading to learn more!
1. Hire Slow
Many HR professionals have incentives to fill open headcounts quickly. As a matter of fact, these incentives often make up considerable portions of an HR professional’s salary potential.
What’s more important than hiring quickly though is hiring correctly. That’s why we’re big advocates of conducting slow, respectful hiring processes.
A slow process when hiring typically consists of multiple rounds of interviews. It also puts some real-world activities in front of applicants that will help you discern how they might perform in their duties.
As you conduct your slow hiring processes, keep in mind that applicants are busy and only one will realize the fruits of investing their time with you. For that reason, ensure your hiring process isn’t so cumbersome that you disrespect your candidate’s time.
2. Get Versed in Employment Law
Much of an HR professional’s capacity revolves around employment law. Therefore, being able to provide guidance regarding why people can be passed over during hiring or what is an acceptable way to manage is pivotal in driving value for your organization.
While we don’t expect you to be a legal authority as an HR manager, you should know the basics of employment law and keep abreast of updates made in your state.
Even knowing how to ask the right kinds of questions will allow you to better punt requests to appropriate people that can more fully opine on manners.
3. Work With Legal Counsel
Speaking of punting requests, when you have to pass big HR questions to legal authorities to protect your company, where will you send them? If your company has an internal legal team, that’s a great place to start.
What if your company is small and doesn’t have a legal group on staff though? In these cases, you’ll want to have a legal vendor you can reach out to that can reliably lend a hand.
You can find legal vendors via word-of-mouth recommendations or through review sites.
4. Familiarize Yourself With Documentation Requirements
Federal documentation requirements when it comes to hiring may differ from your state’s requirements. To protect your company, you may want to comply with whichever set of requirements are more stringent.
If you’re not aware of what legal documentation to prove the right to work looks like, get familiar. Learn how to assess fake documentation and what your state looks for versus the feds.
The more apt you are in vetting prospective employees, the less likely your business will be exposed to legal repercussions.
5. Learn the Ins and Outs of Payroll
Employee pay can become a contentious issue in the eyes of workers and the law. The best way to reduce contentiousness is to be 100% in lockstep with what your state expects of you.
Learning the ins and outs of managing payroll begins by exploring educational features and courses offered by reputable vendors. From there, you can dig deeper into details that were perhaps unclear when receiving your primary education so you can slowly become an expert.
6. Circulate an Employee Handbook
Employees that are well-versed in HR-issued policies are less likely to end up in your office for the wrong kinds of reasons. That’s good news for them and you since fewer disciplinary responsibilities means more time on your plate.
We’ve found that distilling key HR information, as it pertains to employee conduct, into a handbook, can significantly lower infractions. So, if your company doesn’t have a handbook yet, write one up.
When you do, prior to circulation, have your legal counsel look it over to make sure nothing that’s written can be used against you due to a policy mischaracterization.
7. Empower Employees to Do Good Work
Happy employees are what drive great companies forward. As an HR manager that’s interested in synthesizing game-changing HR tips, it’s your responsibility to empower members of your organization to enjoy full, rewarding careers.
Some of that stems from putting together attractive compensation packages. Another part comes from offering employees corporate mobility and learning opportunities.
Gauge the temperature of your organization, find out what most inspires your team, and start championing changes that propel that inspiration.
HR Tips Are Only Valuable if You Use Them
Taking in all of the HR tips in the world won’t improve your organization. Putting those tips into action, however, could.
All of that to say that we hope you’ll be proactive in taking the HR manager interview tips, HR tips for small business hacks, and other insights we’ve shared, and work to realize them within your workplace.
If you do, you’ll not only perform better in your role but could enrich the lives of those working alongside you.
Are you curious to learn more valuable insight regarding HR practices? If you are, we welcome you to jump into more of the business content we have available on our blog.
