by Frank Mengert, Founder and CEO of ebm
Most HR teams are tasked with a wide range of priorities to help keep the business running. Their scope involves much more than just hiring new employees and extends into everything from onboarding, payroll processing, benefits administration, and helping to build a lasting company culture.
But in order to tackle all of these priorities efficiently, they need the right tools and systems in place. This provides them with the flexibility and automation capabilities needed to accomplish more while still having time to focus on critical aspects of their roles.
Still, balancing technology implementations with workforce harmonisation and driving important initiatives that build employee trust requires the right strategic approach.
Building a Future-Ready Workforce
Redefining Talent Acquisition
An important aspect of an HR role is recruitment. But there’s much more to this process than simply posting a job listing and looking through resumes. HR teams need to establish strong, healthy working relationships right from the start. This also means being able to look past a list of skills on a resume and really understanding how a new employee will fit within the company culture.
Although there is nothing wrong with hiring based on technical skills, successful HR teams know there are other ways to qualify their candidates. It’s just as important to bring on team members who have a good mix of interpersonal skills and technical abilities as it is to bring on someone who knows the ins and outs of the role.
During the recruitment process, HR teams also need to know how to successfully translate who the business is as well. Finding a fit for the business is just as important as helping candidates find a business that fits with them. This gives candidates a valid perspective on what it’s like to work with the company and makes sure everyone is on the same page going forward.
Focus on Strategic Upskilling and Internal Mobility
The value of your workforce isn’t static. Not different than investing in a financial portfolio, the more you monitor and invest in your teams, the better results the organisation is likely to get. An important way to do this is to continually seek opportunities to enhance the team’s expertise.
An effective way to achieve this is by evaluating each employee and creating tailored learning paths for each of them. Providing employees with access to professional development programs or running regular workshops enables all departments to learn new skills or improve existing ones.
Taking these steps helps to keep the business agile while also helping employees prepare for what’s next in their careers. When people feel the company is committed to their growth, they often stay more engaged and motivated in what they’re doing, since they know their contributions are of higher value.
Improving Retention Through Support
For most businesses, scheduling annual reviews with employees to review their performance has been commonplace. However, this tendency is now slowly being replaced by having more frequent conversations throughout the year to help stay on track with employees’ development and course correct as needed.
To facilitate this, however, leadership teams need to adapt their management styles so they remain accessible without micromanaging their teams. Having purposeful check-ins while still allowing for autonomy gives themes the chance to show their support for he success of the individual while still giving them the space they need to develop on their own.
It’s also important to remember that meetings shouldn’t be reserved strictly for “calibrating” or “realigning” an employee’s path. They are also the perfect opportunity to highlight different achievements the individual has been making and offer praise. This helps to increase morale across departments and can go a long way when trying to improve staff retention rates.
Leveraging Technology for Operational Improvements
Using AI Automation as a Strategic HR Resource
HR technology has been essential for modern businesses. Not only does it help to streamline HR workflows, but it also helps teams work smarter.
By leveraging advanced data analytics, organisations can get a much clearer view of what is happening in the business. This not only includes the ability to track trends in employee turnover, but also to see which benefits are actually being used.
Going a step further, data insights allow companies to deploy predictive analytics models. This helps them anticipate the future needs of the business and address them “before” they’re caught off guard.
Synchronizing Critical Systems
HR workloads are often extensive. Whether using look-back measurement methods to confirm benefits eligibility, juggling recruitment responsibilities, and managing payroll, it can often be a challenge to maintain high levels of accuracy while handling other duties.
The solution lies in synchronisation. By integrating your benefits administration (BenAdmin) platform with payroll providers and insurance carriers, HR teams can simplify many of their daily tasks.
Establishing More Trust and Accountability
Establishing Two-Way Transparency
Building employee confidence in the business’s trajectory is another core HR responsibility. The best approach for this is to have honest, straightforward communication regularly with all employees. This can be done by using platforms where team members can easily access company policies, or by hosting town halls and sending out quick pulse surveys.
Keeping your teams in the loop on all fronts helps to avoid confusion in the business and keeps employees excited about where the company is going and their involvement in it.
Ethical Data Management and Compliance
As companies adopt more modern technology solutions, they also need to answer an important question of how their employee data is being handled. HR teams have an important responsibility to ensure that sensitive information, especially the type located within payroll or benefits claims forms, is adequately secured.
Equally important is telling the workforce exactly how their data is captured and used. This level of openness helps to establish more trust with your teams while also helping to maintain regulatory compliance standards.
Keep Your HR Initiatives Balanced
Running an efficient HR department requires a balance of the right technology implementation, automation, and employee development. By following the strategies discussed, you’ll be able to establish more efficient operations and create a more trusting work environment that supports organisational growth.
About the author
Frank Mengert continues to find success by spotting opportunities where others see nothing. As the founder and CEO of ebm, a leading provider of employee benefits solutions. Frank has built the business by bridging the gap between insurance and technology driven solutions for brokers, consultants, carriers, and employers nationwide.
