At a recent convention our booth banner read \u201cDo you love HR?\u00a0 We didn\u2019t think so.\u201d\u00a0 Human resources is a topic that very few people get excited about \u2013 I have yet to meet someone who went into business for the purpose of hiring and managing employees.\u00a0 Tackling thorny \u201cpeople issues\u201d is hard and can be frustrating. \u00a0But the reality is that once you hire employees, you own a myriad of challenges that, if not handled well, can grow into significant problems.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, with some knowledge, planning and management, you can minimize the headaches associated with human resources and enjoy the benefits of a motivated, engaged workforce.\u00a0 Here are some tips to get started:<\/p>\n
1. \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Hire with Your Head, Not Your Gut!<\/strong>\u00a0 When hiring, many people rely on their gut or their intuition.\u00a0 I often hear \u201cI\u2019m a great judge of people.\u201d\u00a0 That may be true, but more likely than not, the hiring manager who relies on gut instincts is often placing too much faith on subjective qualities \u2013 the firmness of the candidate\u2019s handshake, alma mater<\/span> or love of a particular sports team \u2013 all of which have little bearing on whether the candidate is capable of doing the job well.<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, we encourage hiring managers to first write up a detailed job posting that outlines the skills, abilities and requirements of the position and then, importantly, to <\/span>stick to it<\/em><\/strong> when screening candidates.<\/span><\/p>\n We also STRONGLY recommend using a behavioral and\/or skills test to determine whether the candidate has the right personality and dependability for the job.\u00a0 The data don\u2019t lie, and the more of it you have on the candidate, the better off you will be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 2. \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Have an Employee Handbook! <\/strong>\u00a0Any enterprise with at least one employee should have a handbook.\u00a0 The handbook communicates your expectations about how employees should act and what will happen if they don\u2019t meet those expectations.\u00a0 It also helps you firmly establish for the record that your company complies with all federal and state employment laws. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Two words of caution:\u00a0 Don\u2019t download a handbook off of the Internet and don\u2019t borrow one from a friend\u2019s company.\u00a0 Handbooks can quickly become outdated and online templates are notoriously outdated.\u00a0 Also, laws apply to different companies of different sizes \u2013 you wouldn\u2019t want to obligate yourself to comply with a complicated and expensive federal law (like the Family Medical Leave Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act) if you don\u2019t have to!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 3. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Ensure Your Employees are Classified Correctly!<\/strong>\u00a0 Many employers do not realize that it isn\u2019t really their choice whether to pay someone an hourly rate or on a salaried basis \u2013 that decision is guided by federal law. \u00a0Before you hire an independent contractor or chose to put your receptionist on a salary, check out the rules.\u00a0 Getting this right will protect you from that disgruntled ex-employee who may try to sue you for back wages and past-due overtime pay.<\/span><\/p>\n 4. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Give Regular, Constructive Feedback!\u00a0 <\/strong>If I could point to one common problem in today\u2019s work culture, it would be the failure of our managers to give positive, constructive feedback.\u00a0 Generally, we are good at citing poor behavior, but rarely do we stop and spend the time to observe and comment on positive, correct behavior.\u00a0 Positive feedback is designed to promote and reinforce good behavior.\u00a0 Most parents know this but we fail to apply it to the workplace.<\/span><\/p>\n Specific, measurable and timely feedback is much more powerful than an occasional \u201cgood job!\u201d or a formal annual performance review.\u00a0 Make it a practice to give positive feedback each week.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be amazed at the results you get.<\/span><\/p>\n 5. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Document Corrective Conversations!\u00a0 <\/strong>Unfortunately, not all of our conversations can be positive.\u00a0 Many of us avoid corrective conversations in an effort to avoid conflict.\u00a0 But if we fail to have and to document those conversations, we cannot demonstrate to ourselves, to our employees and, if it becomes necessary, to the judge or arbitrator that we made efforts along the way to address and modify the employee\u2019s behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n Having and documenting corrective conversations not only ensures that you know you\u2019ve done all you could do to fix a bad situation, it also helps employees understand where they are in the disciplinary process.\u00a0 This is important because if you ultimately have to terminate an employee, it will be less likely to come as a surprise and the employee will be far more likely to accept responsibility for his\/her actions.\u00a0 No one likes bad surprises.\u00a0 And the more surprised an employee is about a discipline or a termination, the more likely he or she will be to take action against you.\u00a0 Eliminating the surprise will also help the employee recover and move on more quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n Managing employees isn\u2019t easy.\u00a0 And for most of us it isn\u2019t much fun.\u00a0 But with the solid practices described above, you will be more likely to hire better talent, keep them motivated and keep them happy and productive. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By Claudia St. John, SPHR, President of Affinity HR Group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At a recent convention our booth banner read \u201cDo you love HR?\u00a0 We didn\u2019t think so.\u201d\u00a0 Human resources is a topic that very few people get excited about \u2013 I have yet to meet someone who went into business for the purpose of hiring and managing employees.\u00a0 Tackling thorny \u201cpeople issues\u201d is hard and can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n