In those heady, early days of starting your own company, it’s probably fair to say that human resources was one of the last things on your mind. But once your business scales to reach a certain size, it’s time to call in the professionals to handle all that paperwork you’re drowning in.
Even if a full-time HR team isn’t feasible for your business quite yet, there are solutions to these HR woes that you can – and absolutely should – take advantage of as a small business. Read on for more on how to effectively manage all things HR, so that you can get back to doing what you love on the daily.
Paperwork
From company handbooks and employee onboarding to payroll forms and managing taxes, paperwork is crucial for a business. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a headache. Though managing these matters is essential, you don’t have to do it alone – if you don’t feel confident asking someone from your team to help you with the paperwork and you don’t have the budget for an HR manager quite yet, consider hiring someone part-time, or look into HR outsourcing services, or even investing in savvy HR software that can help with basic administrative needs. Decide which option is best for you, and then kick that off ASAP – it’ll make your business operations much swifter in the long run.
Employee Feedback
Even if your established corporate culture is all about being casual and encouraging your staff members to talk openly with you about anything, having a system in place to receive employee feedback is still important. This is especially important for staff members discussing a sensitive topic. It can be as simple as creating a dedicated email account where people can email their feedback, issues and suggestions, or go completely analogue and have a physical suggestion box. Just be sure to check it on a regular basis and take steps to follow through.
Tracking Employee Performance
Though employee performance evaluations can elicit eyerolls and groans from your team, they are extremely important when determining how employees are progressing and their satisfaction with their role. It’s these benchmarks and metrics that will help you when deciding who to promote, who needs additional skills, who needs specific mentoring, and who, unfortunately, might need to be let go.
On that note, depending on your country’s employment laws, it’s likely you’ll need proper documentation that shows why an employee has been terminated and the process that went into making that decision. Having a dedicated HR person or advisor on these matters can be extremely effective, especially if you’re concerned about possible litigation.
Talent Development
It’s only natural for you to want your employees to grow on the job – but the term ‘talent development’ might send you into a panic. Don’t worry, though, it doesn’t have entail tuition reimbursement or expensive conferences. There are multiple low-cost options like setting up an internal mentorship program that pairs junior and senior staff members, and senior staff conducting ongoing workshops or even a simple informational document. These efforts can help your employees – and business – grow.
