When talking about HR best practices, you must consider, what are the best practices in Human Resources (HR) and why are they essential to the growth of a business? Human Resources is the part of an organization that takes care of the recruitment and onboarding of new employees or staff. They may also handle payroll and benefits, employee relations and training. HR best practices are simply plans or strategies that enable improved services to our staff. Because our staff caters to the needs of our customers, who happens to be the lifeline of our business, we need to make sure our staff is happy as well.

We’ve talked about employee retention in our previous article and how a low retention rate negatively impacts an organization. Human resources management should regularly review company policies to make sure they are up to date and meet the needs of the staff while maintaining the best practices.

We have collected some of the HR best practices that are tested and proven to improve employee–employer relations.

1. Good Hiring Process. Generally, human resources is the first point of contact for the potential staff. You could be turning away a good candidate if your process is not efficient and if it is not making a positive impression. How do we make a good impression?

1. Make the selection and hiring process easy to follow. Invest in a good technology that will make it easier for applicants to apply and follow-up without having to contact your office.

1. Set the right expectations on your first contact and that includes the time when you posted the job ad. Be as detailed as possible (check out our blog for a sample of an effective job vacancy ad) and be responsive to the applicant’s inquiries. If it is not possible to respond to every inquiry then provide an FAQ page and let them know why you are not able to answer their inquiries at all times. Your hiring process will determine how responsive you will be to your staff when they have concerns.

 2. Implement a comprehensive onboarding program for new hires. Create an employee handbook or a section in the employee portal where you will put in the company policies and procedures. The staff should fully understand their job responsibilities and who they report to. They should also know the basics like how and when they get paid, vacation or sick leaves, other incentives etc. Make sure that everything is signed by the staff and documented.

3. Create a good retention program. Collate information from your staff and from the data gathered, understand what motivates them. Money is not always the best drive for efficient workers. You should know what their concerns are in terms of working conditions and job security. Perhaps, you have employees who would perform better in a customer service job rather than in sales. Is your staff happy with how they communicate their concerns? With the study, it will help you come up with a good retention program which can be a win-win situation for both you and your staff.

4. Fair treatment to all staff. Regardless of the staff’s rank, everyone should adhere to the implemented rules and policies of the organization. In addition, there should be consequences if they fail to abide by it.

With HireSmart Virtual Employees, you don’t have to worry about taking care of most HR needs of your staff as we take care of them for you. We help you with the recruiting, vetting, preliminary training, and can assist when challenges arise. Do you want to know more about how we can help your business? Click here to schedule a free consultation with us.