Being a super HR department isn’t easy. It requires many varied skills, personal attributes and dedication. Both the personal and business rewards that a successful HR department will bring cannot be ignored. A productive, engaged and happy workforce relies on everything that Human Resources does, whether this is appreciated or not.
Manage conflict
The ability to manage and effectively resolve conflict is a trait that any good HR department should possess. Fair and impartial mediation skills are essential for workplace harmony and wellbeing. Knowing when and when not to get involved, understanding each side’s point of view and communicating what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour are all skills needed.
Communicate
Ensuring that all employees are kept informed of company news, through the internal intranet or other medium will increase transparency and trust. Being seen to listen to employee’s suggestions and issues, and being open to such discussions shows that the company values its workforce and their opinion. Establishing lines of communication, such as an intranet or newsletter will enable information to be shared to everyone simply and efficiently.
Care about employee wellbeing
Happy employees are productive employees, a good HR department knows this. From the office environment to social clubs, employee wellbeing is paramount to continued company success and growth. Creative ideas around team building, competitions to encourage interaction and other activities to maintain employee wellbeing should be part of any forward-thinking HR strategy.
Uphold accountability
Human Resources should not be seen as policing every process, idea or discussion that takes place within an organisation, but they should be seen to uphold accountability should the outcome require it. Fairness is key to continued employee engagement and trust.
Embrace technology
Implementing technology with a clear strategy and goal(s) will streamline HR processes, increase data accuracy and improve employee collaboration and business communication. A clear understanding of not only what technology is capable of, but also why the business needs to implement such a solution will enable HR to spearhead an implementation project, involve and enthuse other business sponsors and complete the project successfully.
HR solutions are not confined purely to the HR department. Technology now allows business systems to integrate and share information, reducing the need for manual data entry. By connecting the HR solution to Active Directory you can update or create email addresses, network logins and much more from the data entered into one system. This type of admin reduction will save HR departments a huge amount of time, allowing them to concentrate on proactive projects.
