5 HR Tasks That Need to Be Done By Every Company

5 HR Tasks That Need to Be Done By Every Company

Every company has human resource issues they need to sort out, even if they don't have an HR department. Here are 5 HR duties every company should stay on top of.

It's 2018, and your small business needs to get with the times. No offense to the dedicated and kind people who work in small business now, we mean the industry as a whole.

Within a small business, there are still HR duties many companies aren't doing and some that needed to go a long time ago.

Is your company with the times? How are you using employee programs? Do you still have punitive programs in place?

What about new technology? All these things need a makeover or at least an upgrade. Lucky for you, we've done most of the research.

Learn how to get HR modern below.

See our recommendations for HR software that will make your life easier: HR Software

Start Internal

Before you go and use our expert tips, you should start with your experts: your current management and leadership team. What do they think needs to change?

Ask them what employee-related tasks they wish they could spend less time on and what they want to spend more time on. What part of their day is a waste in their opinion?

Not only do they have good, company-specific insight, but asking their opinions makes them feel valued. A happy company comes from happy employees, especially if you start with leadership!

Updated HR Duties

Once you've asked the leaders in your business what they want or need, you can look at other options. You don't have to use all their suggestions but integrate a few to show you're listening.

Here are some others to consider.

1. Ditch Punishment... Within Reason

Your employees aren't children. They don't need a work timeout or a point system. People respond much better to positive stimuli than to negative.

If you tell a child, you have to do all three things, or you go to timeout, they'll do them, but not with a smile.

If you tell them the same thing but replace timeout with getting a treat, watch how much better they perform. They'll want to accomplish what needs doing to get the reward.

Employees are the same way. Reward systems and recognition work. Making someone feel valued or recognizing their hard work encourages them to do more of it.

If someone's slacking, have your management team meet with them and see what resources they can offer to get them back to peak performance. If someone is going through something at home, they need extra care.

When working with an employee who is not performing to your expectations, ensure that you are direct in your communications and be honest about next steps if they do not meet the needs of the business.

Once they're through this hard time, they'll remember your empathy and sing your company's praises.

2. Stop Being Reactive and Be Proactive

This tip goes with the first one. Instead of only talking to employees when there's a problem, address a situation at the start. Someone will show signs of stress before their work quality starts declining.

Have your management teamwork in the office with employees or at least be on site. You can start an office program where an employee can tell leadership if someone's having a bad day or a hard time.

Check in and ask if they need anything! It'll cut down on paperwork and stop problems before they start.

If you want to take your proactivity a step further, have monthly employee meetings. Make this an occasion to look forward to, like letting the manager take the employee out to lunch on the company dime.

This might be expensive, but what's a few lunches a month to know what's going on inside your employee's minds? It'll build trust and make your employee more likely to talk to their leader when and if a problem arises.

3. Incentivize With Activities Not Clutter

If you work in an office with younger employees, they don't necessarily want a cheap award. If you're going to give them something in recognition, provide them with a gift certificate or take them out to lunch.

Millennials show they like experiences over material things, most of the time. Plus you're reducing waste and keeping clutter to a minimum.

4. Create a Culture Document

Your company culture is only so much what your CEO founded it on. Your documents may say your principles are A, B or C, but are you living them out?

Your company culture comes from your employees, they decide the office atmosphere. They're the ones talking to each other and conversing with customers every day.

Have leadership sit down and ask the employees what the company culture is. Then mesh this with your original culture document.

Not only will your employees do the work of updating the culture doc, but you'll see who's a good fit and who's not. We're not saying fire someone because they're not 100% on culture, but it's a good time to reassess.

5. Creating Fun Opportunities

A company is made up of people and people like to have fun. Your HR department needs to create fun opportunities for employees to engage.

Not only the cheesy team building activities we all know, but things like happy hours, lunch outings. Make employees feel like they're part of a culture and not just a company.

HR Duties in 2018

After you read this article, write down things you think your company needs. Sit down with leadership and let them talk first.

Listen to them and write down their suggestions. Show them this list or your notes and ask what they think. If you're excited about an idea and they don't see the value, ask why.

Every business is different, and their hr duties depend on the personality of each employee.

If you get nothing from this article, thank your leadership team and go on your merry way.

Need an HR resource? We've got you covered there too! Check out our affordable online options.

^{Disclaimer: HR Branches provides general information about Human Resources. Please note that the information provided, while reliable, is not legal advice. Please seek legal assistance, or assistance from State, Federal, or International governmental resources, to make sure your legal interpretation and decisions are correct for your location and circumstances. The purpose of this information is for guidance, ideas, and assistance on general HR matters.}