Highlights
- There are many best practices that you can implement in your company to improve employee attraction and retention.
- An exceptional hiring process, transparent onboarding, and a diverse and inclusive culture are essential elements for achieving success in the business world.
- At Harbor America, we have HR and Payroll solutions to help business owners get back to the business of making money. Contact us today!
In recent years, with the changes experienced in the business world, the role of Human Resources has evolved significantly, and so have HR best practices.
HR leaders are now strategic partners driving organizational success, so to thrive in the years to come, companies must ensure their organization attracts and retains the best talent, fosters an inclusive work environment and keep up to date with ever-changing regulations.
In this article, we will talk about some of the HR best practices you should adopt in your company to adapt to the changes.
What are HR Best Practices?
HR best practices refer to policies and procedures based on expert research and industry references that organizations adopt to optimize their human resources functions.
These activities include employee recruitment, selection, onboarding and orientation, performance management, and employee development and training, among others.
1. Selective Hiring Strategies for Your Company
In companies, recruitment must apply some best practices to hire the best talent. A company is only as good as its employees.
These are the recommended steps to implement HR best practices in the hiring process:
- Defining job requirements: Your company should describe the skills, qualifications and experience needed for each position. This ensures that candidates applying for the position have the skills necessary to do the job.
- Thorough interviews: Interviews also play a very important role in hiring. These interviews should delve into the candidate’s skills, experiences, and problem-solving abilities, as well as ask questions that show their personality and find out if they are a good fit for the company.
- Assessments: Testing is necessary, especially if the job requires ensuring a minimum level of skills or you want to compare candidates.
2. Diversity at Work is a Necessity for your Company
Your organization should prioritize diversity and inclusion. Creating diverse teams that brings together people with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, driving innovation, creativity and problem solving, which inevitably helps your organization.
Inclusive teams, where everyone feels valued and respected, foster a positive work environment and improve employee engagement and retention. This also means savings in the hiring area as talent does not have to be replaced.
“We need diversity of thought in the world to face the new challenges.”
– Tim Berners-Lee, English computer scientist and inventor of the World Wide Web.
3. Crafting an Effective Onboarding Program
Onboarding is the initial contact of an employee with their company, it is the most important moment because it is precisely the moment in which their formal relationship begins. Since 69% of new hires think a well-structured onboarding program is essential for job success – according to SHRM. According to HR best practices, onboarding programs should provide new employees with the necessary information about the company, their new role, job, and adequate resources to complete tasks.
Additionally, an effective onboarding program should also set clear performance expectations and help new employees understand their role within the organization.
Finally, it is ideal to assign a friend to your new employee so that they can help you adapt better and guide you when you need help.
4. Cultivating Continuous Skills Development
Best HR practices go beyond hiring new talent. The modern work environment, characterized by rapid technological advances and evolving job requirements, requires a focus on continuous skill development and continuous workforce upgrades.
HR professionals should work closely with managers to identify skills gaps and provide employees with learning and development opportunities such as training programs, online courses, conferences, mentoring initiatives, and job rotations.
5. Designing Enticing Compensation Packages and Benefits
Your HR team should regularly conduct market research to ensure that salary structures align with industry standards and that the benefits offered are competitive, as competitive compensation packages and attractive benefits are crucial for attracting and retaining your company’s talent.
“Benefits are not just perks. They are an investment in your employees’ well-being and productivity”.
– Patty McCord, HR consultant.
Also, you should consider benefits such as flexible work arrangements, comprehensive healthcare plans, and career advancement opportunities when designing compensation and benefits packages. It is important to align with industry standards to attract and retain top talent.
6. Work-Life Balance for your Workforce
The COVID-19 outbreak has sped up the transition to remote and hybrid work, as well as international recruitment. It’s essential for HR professionals to develop a comprehensive remote work policy to adapt to this new normal.
This policy should equip employees with the necessary tools and resources to efficiently work from their chosen locations while also establishing clear expectations for availability and communication, and championing work-life balance.
The Best HR Practices: A Great Opportunity to Transform your Company
Business human resources requirements are constantly changing, requiring the adoption of new best practices and monitoring regulatory and industry changes. Selectively recruiting top talent, developing effective onboarding programs, leveraging continuous skill development, fostering inclusive work environments, offering attractive compensation and benefits packages, and establishing remote work policies are key considerations for organizations looking to stay ahead.
If you want to start implementing these and other HR best practices and you don’t know how, or you need an expert ally, trust us. At Harbor America, we have HR and Payroll solutions to help business owners get back to the business of making money. Contact us today!