In the 21st century, providing high-quality human resources assistance to your company requires a bit of being all things to all people. Gone are the days when you just have to take care of hiring, payroll, and enforcing the rules. Many prosperous companies now feature HR professionals taking prominent roles in employee development, company culture, high-level business strategy, and more.
But what do you do if you’re a smaller operation without the luxury of having someone in that specific role? With these six tips, you can implement strategic human resources management practices that help your business and your people find both day-to-day and long-term success.
#1 Be Transparent in Your Public Communication
Your people want to know what’s happening at the company. In fact, they deserve – within reason – to know what’s happening, at least at the big picture level. It keeps them invested in the company’s success, especially in terms of how it impacts their career.
It’s crucial that you find tangible ways to communicate with your employees on a regular basis. Whether it’s through in-person meetings, company newsletters, e-mail updates, or anything in between, they want to hear from their leadership. More importantly, they want to hear actionable information about what’s happening at the company. Vague statements will only lead to distrust about the direction of the business.
#2 Be Discrete in Your Private Communication
The flip side to tip #1 is that you should take great pains to have quiet, in-person meetings with employees about private matters. Besides the ethics and legality of sharing certain information in specific ways, employees will value the discretion you show, no matter how positive or negative the news might be. Moreover, exercising caution will enhance your reputation as a leader who can be trusted and respected.
#3 Provide Clear and Direct Answers
Think of it this way: Don’t you want your employees to be clear, honest, and direct about the work they’re doing for you? Show them the same respect by giving them the information they need – especially when they ask about benefits, career development, and aligning personal goals with company goals. You don’t have to pull back the curtain for everyone, but you should be up front with anything that specifically applies to their jobs.
Download our Guide to Demystifying COBRA Compliance: How to Navigate the Law and Fill the Employee Health-Insurance Gap
#4 Stay Organized
This might seem obvious, but if you’re a small business owner, you don’t have time to scramble for answers to human resources concerns. Since you’re busy running your business, the more organized you are, the better. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for any organization – since not everyone operates in the same manner – but you invest time into developing a system that works for you and your company.
#5 Document Your Processes
As the follow-up to tip #4, it’s crucial that you have processes in place whereby you can address your employees’ HR needs promptly and professionally. Truly effective human resources management means replicating regular functions with consistency and constancy, which signals strength and stability to your employees.
#6 Align the Work to Company Goals
In an era where the workforce is both more remote and willing to switch jobs on a whim, your company should have a specific human resources goal as part of its annual and long-term goals. You want to attract and retain high-quality employees, so it’s imperative you can determine how and why you can keep them happy and engaged. Thanks to improvements in the social sciences in general and HR specifically, it’s easier than ever to secure quantitative data about how your employees feel about their work and workplace.
Is your Business Ready for an HR Partner?
Are you a small business owner struggling to supply the vital HR services that appeal to the modern workforce? Do you think the above list sounds great, but you really need to focus on running your business, which means improving the product you deliver to your customers? Then maybe it’s time you talked to G&A Partners.
As one of the leading outsourced HR companies in the country, we understand the struggles of the small business owner. With our all-in-one human resources solution, we help you save time and money by taking care of the tedious and time-consuming administrative side of running a business. We help your business succeed by delivering answers for all your HR-related concerns, from payroll and benefits to workplace safety, healthcare compliance, and beyond.
