The changes brought about in the last year have created an opportunity to rethink the way we work. The switch to hybrid and remote work has shattered the myth that employees need an office to collaborate and get the job done. The concept of a 9-5 is slowly fading away, and work-life balance and mental health have come into full focus.
We’re not here to tell anyone how to do HR. But in the spirit of change, here are five HR processes that are ripe for transformation.
1. Time to save time
For most people, manually filling out a timesheet or expense report is a supreme time waster. How many hours does your team spend sweating the small stuff to make sure their monthly entries are correct? Today, with the right tech, all of this can be done from a smartphone and makes the whole process faster and more accurate.
Providing employees with a simple platform to clock in and out will also help them track their hours while working remotely or from home. Tracking hours can alert employees to any overtime they might unknowingly be putting in and support a healthy work-life balance.
2. Get flexible with your company’s time-off policies
Want to maximize your company’s productivity? Try implementing a flexible time-off policy. A recent study found that 89% of employees see paid time off as an essential part of job satisfaction. Companies with more flexible time-off policies report a boost in the overall wellbeing of their people.
Companies that are flexible with their hybrid work models can see similar benefits. Remote work certainly has its challenges, but despite the distractions and clutter and Zoom calls interrupted by…life, a majority of employees want to keep working from home after the pandemic. All of the in-office perks you can dream of can’t compete with the flexibility and independence that remote work offers.
3. Recruit like you’re a human
HR usually deals with tons of applications and open roles at once, making it challenging to provide each candidate with individual attention. To keep candidates in the loop, use an ATS to track applicants and update them at every stage of the process. The extra communication lets candidates know they’re not just another CV in a pile, and you won’t leave them wondering where they stand. It’s also a good practice to offer interview feedback to any rejected candidates. Rejection can be soul-crushing, but it’s an inevitability of the job. Just remember that there’s a real person on the other end of that email or phone call.
Remote recruitment is an extra challenge for HR. There is no office tour, so candidates can’t get a feel for the company culture or the people who work there. The rhythm of the conversation can feel off during video interviews, making a stressful situation even worse. Recruiters have to be conscious of this and put themselves in the candidates’ shoes. Explain the company’s culture, and leave time for questions. Be clear about what hybrid work looks like within your organization and try to understand from the candidate if the working styles match up. If your company plans to continue working remotely, be clear about it and don’t hire someone expecting to go back to the office in six months. Also, be on time for interviews! When people are staring at their computer screens, waiting for a face to appear, every minute can feel like an eternity. Let candidates know their time is valuable and appreciated and start the interview off right.
4. Review your performance reviews
How you measure your people’s performance could be the difference between getting the most out of them and watching them leave. When many people think about traditional performance reviews, they imagine the much-dreaded annual review, but this has been falling out of favor. Instead, companies are shifting to a more holistic performance management strategy that focuses on individual development and continuous feedback instead of an annual zero-sum model.
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5. Centralize your company’s data to see the full picture
Today, successful HR leaders are increasingly relying on data to make the best choices for their companies. Numbers don’t lie. By having access to data, HR can track essential metrics that can save the company time and money and provide insights to enhance productivity, drive performance, and unlock innovation. Companies of all sizes are implementing people analytics and seeing better outcomes as a result. Having a centralized data source to track company growth and create custom reports is hugely beneficial to any growing company.
Change is a catalyst for more change.
The new world of work doesn’t require a completely new approach to HR. Change is already here, and there’s more to come. As an HR professional, you need to not only embrace the change, but stay ahead of it.
