Making mistakes is a part of being human. As cliché as it may sound, making mistakes means you are learning and growing. Having said that, not every mistake is worth making and some are more costly than others, especially when it comes to dealing with employees in an organization. Today, we will be listing the most common mistakes in Human resource management as a reminder to HR managers to take a look back at your working environment and make necessary changes.
A flawed recruitment process
Hiring the right people is the first step to success that any HR manager should know. However, this is an extremely complex task that is prone to mistakes, especially for small and medium businesses.
The first mistake in the process is giving a poor job description, which results in less-qualified candidates to choose from. It is important that the HR department took their time to design a detailed job description that includes what the company needs and what the candidate needs. By being articulate with this step, it can save the companies and HR managers with lots of troubles and provide them with quality people to recruit for their team.
The second mistake is the fact that companies only rely on the interview for hiring. In HR, we are conditioned to thinking the interview is the single event to make a hiring decision. Candidates can be really good at “selling” us when we rely only on this step. Incorporating more culture-based steps in your interview process is key to avoiding a headache down the road.
An outdated employee handbook
An employee handbook is a book given to both new and current employees to help them understand the history, code of conducts, procedures, benefits and any other job-related information. The purpose of this handbook is always to guide employees to do things that align with the company’s policies and mission. However, as companies grow bigger, this handbook needs to be constantly updated to fit into the current environment and expectations of both society and employees. It is advisable to update the employee handbook after every two years and ensure that each employee acknowledges and signs on it to ascertain that they have received the policies and they will abide by them.
>> Read more: Showing Appreciation to Remote Employees During COVID
Employment compliance ignorance
Among common mistakes in Human resources, another one is failure to understand employment laws and regulations. These laws change often, and most managers are not updated with the changing laws, which sometimes get them in trouble such as lawsuits. This is why HR managers should constantly update employees files to avoid misclassifying employees and understand regulatory requirements that govern their organization and adhere to the laws.
Another mistake within this rim is turning a blind eye to employee-reported issues. While it is not bound by the laws, it is HR managers’ responsibility to understand the troubles that their employees may be having and help them with it. There have been too many cases of sexual assault and discrimination in the workplace that left companies with scandals and great losses because the HR department alongside with the executives did not do anything about it to help their employees. Thus, one key thing HR can do is show that they actually care. Sympathize with the employee and lay out steps that are going to be taken to get to the solution.
Picking favorites
Though HR directors attempt to stay neutral in most cases, there is a chance that someone working in the department may play favorites. They might give one employee time off work to pick up their kids from school and then prevent another employee from doing the same thing. As an HR professional, it becomes easy to bond with certain people you routinely help and develop. However, it’s important to remain professional and to refrain from socializing with certain employees and not others, especially outside of work. And it’s important to accurately evaluate all employees from a non biased playing field, especially when an employee is being disciplined or considered for a promotion. All employees should be treated equally.
Lack of training and onboarding experience
A common mistake made by HR departments is that those departments do not provide new workers with enough training. Progressive found that a lack of training can cost companies a lot of money in the long run. Businesses should invest in their employees through training so that they get skills in their area of specialization. HR departments are tasked with the responsibility of not only training new hires but also ensuring continuous professional training for existing employees.
Employers can be assured of employee maximum performance after training them during the onboarding process and later after hiring the employees to expose them to growth opportunities. A good onboarding plan will allow employees to ramp up quicker and be ready to contribute sooner. It will also make them more confident in their role as an employee of your company. The best onboarding practices provide an in-depth overview of the company, as well as job specific training. HR managers need to carry out regular performance reviews to ensure that the skills and growth opportunities reflect in their reports.
Salary increase and payroll failures
Another mistake that HR managers make is having unstructured salary increase plans as well as payroll pitfalls.
Be aware of how you structure your performance reviews and associated salary increases from day one. If your employees notice a trend in their salary increase, it may become an expectation for every following year. Companies can prevent this mistake by creating salary caps for each position, and identifying both quantitative and qualitative measurements that would warrant a salary increase.
Most payroll pitfalls happen when an employee is improperly classified as exempt and overtime wages aren’t paid. Every time you determine whether an individual is an employee or independent contractor, the relationship of the worker and the business must be carefully evaluated. Employers who misclassify workers or make other payroll mistakes can face steep fines, back wages, and class-action wage and hour lawsuits. That’s why it’s important to have solid HR practices in place, accurate records through up-to-date systems, and periodic audits of pay stubs.
Human Resources is the knot to a properly functioning company. HR professionals should take great notice of the mistakes that they may have or potentially will make in order to avoid any troubles within the company. The most expensive asset a company will ever have is its employees, thus, it is up to HR managers to help keep these “customers” happy and satisfied.
>> Read more: Time management: The key to happiness in the workplace
The JobHopin team