Improving Human Resources Efforts for Small Businesses
Human Resources is a difficult field to navigate if you have never worked in it before. It’s all about hiring and communicating with employees, enforcing company policy, managing benefits, and resolving conflict. In a small business, these responsibilities usually fall to the business owner. While that is a cost efficient approach, it can sometimes result in a disorganized system, run by an inexperienced manager. Luckily a little education goes a long way when it comes to HR management, so you can transform your current situation with a few simple adjustments.
To begin organizing your business’s Human Resources, you’ll need to come up with a set of company policies and benefits if you haven’t already. Create a handbook or a digital file so employees can easily access it when they have questions. Depending on where your business is located, there may be federally-required policies to include. In addition, you can add any policies that are specific to your business including benefits, vacation and sick leave policies, and standards of conduct. It’s best to organize this before you start hiring employees so you can include it in the training process, but it’s never too late to start. Either way, ensure that each and every employee understands and agrees to follow these policies.
Good record keeping is vital in any HR department, so be sure to make this a priority. Ensuring that you thoroughly analyze every HR-related situation and make and keep detailed record of it could save you from a sticky situation later on. Keep these files organized and, if possible, keep both a physical and a digital copy. It’s also a good idea to provide a copy to the employees involved in the situation.
Communication is important in all aspects of business, but it’s especially important in Human Resources. There should be an open line of communication between the business owner, the HR manager, and the employees at all times.
Over all, if you’re a business owner trying to manage your company’s Human Resources yourself and you’re feeling overwhelmed, it may be worth hiring an employee to handle it for you. Look for someone who has experience in the field and who can also handle other aspects of the business such as secretary work, scheduling, or payroll. Any effort to improve your HR process is worth your time, as this important aspect of your business impacts you and your employees more than anything else.
