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HR Best Practices to keep your company growing

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Highlights

  • Best practices will improve your management of employee expectations, regulations, and business goals.
  • Foster a culture of recognition to appreciate employees’ work and keep them motivated.
  • Trust Legacy Employer Solutions if you need an expert ally in full-service HR administration. Contact us and start making a difference in your business today.

Over the past few years, we have seen swift and continuous change in the corporate world. The proliferation of remote and hybrid work models, the increased emphasis on mental health, and technological advancements are transforming work environments, processes, and job functions. How can you ensure that your HR policies align with these new challenges as a new year draws near?

This article will provide six HR best practices to consider when planning for the upcoming year.

What Are HR Best Practices?

Some business owners think the HR department is just to fulfill legal requirements. They don’t realize the tremendous benefits that a strong HR department can bring.

Good HR practices are the foundation of a positive work environment, help create growth and business plans, and support decision-making.

HR practices are not just a list of tasks, and best practices don’t require you to change everything you do. It’s just a way to enhance what you are already doing.

Discover the HR Best Practices your Company Needs to Implement Here.

Have a Clear and Defined Hiring Process

The difference between HR activities and HR best practices is that good practices help you showcase your company culture and values during the hiring process.

“The key to successful hiring is not just finding the right person for the job but finding the right job for the person.”
– Peter Drucker, management consultant, educator, and author.

When you’re looking to hire someone for your company, it’s not just about finding someone with the skills for the job. Finding someone who shares your company’s values and thinking is also important. When employees feel like they belong and are aligned with their company’s mission, values, and work ethic, they tend to be more motivated and engaged and stay with the company for longer.

The job description is one way to communicate your company’s culture and values. Instead of just listing the necessary skills and tasks, it’s essential to include information about what makes your company unique, what success looks like in the position, and how the role fits into its mission and values. This helps you find candidates who share your company’s values and fit your team well.

Have A Clear and Friendly Onboarding

Making a great first impression is crucial, especially when welcoming a new employee to your company. The onboarding process is the first opportunity to do so. Although some may think that onboarding is an easy task, a study by the Harvard Business Review found that companies with a well-structured onboarding program have a 50% lower turnover rate for new hires in their first year.

Best practices for a well-structured onboarding program include:

  • Combine different training methods. E-learning offers the flexibility to learn at a personalized pace while tailoring the curriculum to fit the position’s needs, balancing this with real-time interactions and hands-on activities to provide a personal touch.
  • Assign a ‘buddy’ to new employees. When you hire new employees, it’s important to have someone to guide them through the company’s processes and procedures. This person can be from a different department or team, but they should be familiar with the company’s ways of doing things. This will help your new hires settle in quickly and become productive team members.

Have a Training and Professional Development Plan

Training is a crucial aspect of HR best practices. Investing in training opportunities demonstrates to employees that you are committed to their growth, which can significantly enhance company performance while improving your workforce’s skills for the future. It also keeps employees motivated by providing them with growth opportunities. According to a LinkedIn study, 94% of employees would remain with companies that invest in their learning and development.

Companies that prioritize training become more appealing to job seekers, as candidates prefer companies that offer opportunities for growth and learning while allowing them to expand their skills.

Therefore, to improve training, here are some best practices to consider.

  • Train employees with relevant soft skills. Soft skills help employees communicate and collaborate as a team. Consider adding training in soft skills related to customer service, leadership, teamwork, negotiation, and emotional intelligence.
  • Personalized training. E-learning platforms allow employees to select their learning journey based on their skills, needs, and interests. This improves employee motivation and fuels the desire to learn.

Providing regular, constructive feedback

Giving feedback is an important part of managing employees. It helps them perform better, feel more engaged, and be happier at work. Feedback can be good or bad, but the key is to be specific and helpful. When employees get feedback regularly, they can determine what they’re good at and need to work on. This helps them improve and reach their goals. Feedback also makes employees feel appreciated for what they do.

How to improve employee feedback

One effective method of evaluating an employee’s performance is through 360-degree feedback. This approach gathers input from multiple sources, including the employee’s supervisor, colleagues, and customers. Having a range of perspectives makes it easier to identify areas for improvement that may have been overlooked with only one source of feedback.

Another way to improve employee feedback is to cultivate a culture of recognition. This involves showing appreciation for employees’ work. Recognition can come in many forms, from simple praise to formal rewards.

Read Here about the Last HR Best Practices for the Year Ahead

Promote an Inclusive Workplace

Diversity means having a mix of different types of people in a workplace, while inclusion means making that mix work together positively.

It’s important to create an inclusive work environment that includes everyone, regardless of their characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion or disability. This isn’t just a legal or corporate requirement; it’s a moral and ethical responsibility that benefits everyone involved. In an inclusive all employees feel safe, valued, and respected.

“The only sustainable competitive advantage is people.”
– Professor Tony Dimnik, Queen’s University

Benefits of an inclusive work environment:

Inclusive work environments offer several benefits, including:

  • Greater productivity: Employees who feel included and valued are more productive and engaged.
  • Better business results: Companies with inclusive work environments tend to have better financial outcomes.
  • Better company culture: Inclusive work environments create a culture of respect and collaboration that is more enjoyable for everyone.

How to create an inclusive work environment

Building a workplace that welcomes everyone is something that we should always be working on. Every employee must play a part in creating a supportive and inclusive work environment. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started:

  1. Start at the top: Creating an inclusive work environment is critical for effective leadership. Leaders must set a positive example and promote inclusion at all levels of the organization.
  1. Create a culture of respect: To achieve this, you must foster diversity and inclusion training, create inclusive policies and procedures, and promote open and honest communication.
  1. Listen to your employees: It is essential to listen to employees’ feedback, gather their suggestions, and hold regular meetings to address their concerns.
  1. Avoid bias: Avoid bias in all workplace areas, from hiring to promotions. This can be achieved through diversity and inclusion training and creating equitable processes.

HR Best Practices Final Thoughts

HR best practices are guidelines that assist HR teams in formulating policies for managing personnel, making sound decisions, and keeping a motivated workforce. Implementing these best practices to manage employee expectations, comply with labor regulations, and align with your business’s mission and goals is essential. Your HR team and other employees must understand these best practices and work together to execute them effectively.

At Legacy Employer Solutions, we offer full-service HR administration and more, for less than the cost of just one full-time employee. Let us take care of the “busy work” so you can focus on growing your business. Contact us today!

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