Regardless of the size of your business, every entrepreneur faces the same challenges when it comes to human resources. One thing every business has in common is that it requires staff. If your business has employees, you’ll need a human resources department to look after everything to do with your employees, including hiring, recruitment, training, payroll, onboarding, promotions, and maintaining business culture.
When it comes to HR, here are a few considerations to keep in mind when setting up your processes and procedures.
Understand the HR regulations
When it comes to running a business, there is a set of laws and regulations that protects your employees and their rights. These laws cover harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination. As an entrepreneur, it’s imperative to understand the regulations. They will identify your obligations to your employees, as well as their responsibilities to you. There are also regulations covering payroll, so familiarize yourself with these laws to make sure you follow them.
Keep HR files secure and organized
Having an organization system in place for your HR documents will make the process more efficient and secure. All staff documents must be stored securely and kept confidential, as you don’t want them falling into the wrong hands. On top of that, having software that can store files, track requests, and manage everything from one place makes it easy to find documents when you need them. Within each employee file, you should keep their resumé, job application, job evaluations, salary records, and disciplinary actions. There should also be a confidential file with reference checks, payroll records, medical records, and leave requests.
Create a Comprehensive Staff Handbook
It can be time-consuming to create an entire staff handbook, but businesses have them for many reasons. Within your staff handbook, you can include all your procedures and policies and the expectations you have for your staff. Giving a copy of the handbook to all staff means everyone is on the same page from the beginning. It also helps protect you in the case of any disputes.
Don’t be late on payroll
When you run a small business, pressure and deadlines are coming at you from all angles. One deadline that you don’t want to miss is payroll. Missing payroll is usually down to lack of organization, not necessarily not having the funds. As payroll takes time to process, it must be done well in advance, so employees always have their pay on time. By staying organized and keeping timesheets up to date, you can avoid any disputes or issues due to being late on pay.
Become an Employer of Choice
An employer of choice is a business owner who offers a work culture and environment that makes people want to work for them. Anyone can become an employer of choice, and, in fact, it’s easier to build a solid sense of community within a small business. When people want to work with you, your business will thrive. You’ll get top candidates for your job roles, and your experienced employees will stick with you.
Some tips for becoming an employer of choice include being selective and strategic with your recruiting, offering an excellent benefits package, offering opportunities for advancement, recognizing employees for their achievements, and giving your staff engaging and interesting job tasks.