Innovations in HR

Human resource has the power to drive major innovation within the business and team. Its importance to your business’ current and future success is crucial. With an innovative culture, you can unlock the potential of your team and shape your organizational design.

Without fostering innovation, employees can become disenfranchised with their day-to-day work, and not have a visible career path. This can lead to businesses experiencing staff turnover, with employees seeking better opportunities for growth elsewhere. Constant innovation is a key factor in evolving business, and it’s up to you as an HR professional to cultivate this. Innovation can be maintained and shaped through HR’s responsibilities. An evolving and culturally innovative workplace means that team members are enabled to have more personal growth and benefits, 

-higher job satisfaction

-personal up skills

-better sleep and more energy for work

-more immersion and greater engagement with their work

-less apprehension in taking on challenges

-faster work rate

-scope for leadership opportunities

HR can implement a variety of workplace characteristics -these are key parts that can contribute to the cultivation of an innovative culture in your workplace, allowing your HR team to impact the growth of your business.

Welcome risk-taking and creativity - Innovation can provide opportunities for employees to take risks. If employees are being assured that failures are accepted as a natural part of innovation, further opportunities for growth and learning can be explored.

Rewarding team members who may have come up with a fantastic idea that ultimately didn’t work can be a key contributor to a more confident and innovative work culture. Having a physical award, such as “Best Monthly Idea” can be a useful method of rewarding creativity. This shows team members that creativity and innovation are welcomed, not discouraged.

Provide opportunities for growth - innovative culture is one that’s constantly growing a team’s confidence and self-belief in their roles. To aid employees who feel their day-to-day work has no impact, HR teams are able to promote a more detailed career map. This allows team members to grow and help their business to greater heights.

Being encouraged to attend industry events, take online courses and up skill is key in fostering a sense of continual development that’s career-based, rather than job-concentric. Team members are then able to bring these new skills back to work, where they can help provide new insights and new solutions for your business.

Provide open communication and support - An open line of communication between management, HR and team members enables business goals and outcomes to be transparent.

References

E, H. (2019). How Does HR Drive Innovation? [online] theHRDIRECTOR. Available at: https://www.thehrdirector.com/features/hr-in-business/how-does-hr-drive-innovation12352019/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2021].

HRD. (2018). Innovations in HR management. [online] Available at: https://www.hrdconnect.com/2018/10/23/innovations-in-hr-management/.

AIHR. (2018). 5 Examples of Successful HR Innovation. [online] Available at: https://www.aihr.com/blog/examples-successful-hr-innovation/.AIHR. (2018). 5 Examples of Successful HR Innovation. [online] Available at: https://www.aihr.com/blog/examples-successful-hr-innovation.

Mitigating the Disadvantages of Internal Recruiting

What is Internal Recruitment?

Internal recruitment is in contrast to external recruitment, where your company looks to external sources outside of your company to find, interview, and hire job candidates for a new position.

However there are some drawbacks to an internal recruitment strategy that everyone involved with the hiring process, from Human Resources teams to managers, should know about before they begin.

Disadvantages of Internal Recruiting

1. Creates Conflict amongstemployees

You may also have instances where departments are reluctant to give up good team members to allow them to experience career growth. Interpersonal relationships can be affected when internal hiring isn’t handled with care. Knowing about these possibilities and preparing for them are necessary for a smooth transition.

2. Leaves a Gap in the Existing Workforce

While internal recruitment is an effective way to fill new roles, it almost always leaves a vacancy. Internal recruitment will leaving yet another hole. It’s an endless cycle of shuffling employees that may ultimately end up with you seeking external candidates to stop the swap.

3. Limits Your Pool of Applicants

Can find someone with very specific or technical skill sets the company rather than recruiting internally.Not only that, someone from a different industry may be better suited to bring a fresh perspective to a role as well.If you do business in a quickly-changing industry, like wellness or tech, there are very real dangers that your talent could stagnate. Consider how internal hiring could limit your available options in some scenarios.

4. Results in an Inflexible Culture

One other danger of only hiring from within is that things may get too comfortable for your employees. When groups aren’t refreshed with new faces every now and again, cliques can form and workers may become resistant to change. This type of inflexible culture may bring out the worst in your workspace, because change can be seen as a threat to how they’ve always done things. Consider how to implement new ways of doing things, even with the same people doing the work.

Mitigate the Disadvantages of Internal Recruiting

1. Communicate How Hiring Works

Let your internal candidates know how you came to a hiring decision. If they wish to know more, consider setting up a meeting to discuss what they could do to strengthen their position next time. Consider building an internal employee referral program, additionally, to further incentivize employees to stay engaged in internal hiring.

2. Provide Other Ways for Mobility

Give employees opportunities to learn and grow within your organization, even if they aren’t a good fit for promotion. Some employees may not be suited for management positions, but they should have plenty of ways to stay challenged in their job and feel relevant to their work. Good work should be rewarded with bonuses, for example, even for employees who don’t move up.

3. Only Share Actually Open Positions

If you have someone in mind for a job opening, don’t communicate the opening, at all. Giving employees false hope that they could be considered may cause conflict. Only send out a call for internal applicants if you’re truly considering all internal applicants.

4. Give Managers Tools for Creating Succession Plans

If you haven’t already trained your leaders on how to look for suitable internal candidates, do so. Get your next managers in place before they are needed, and make it easy for employees to move up and further their career path. This way, when an opening happens, you can check in with department heads to see who is already suited to fill the gap.

5. Don’t Rely Solely on Internal (or External) Recruiting

For best results, mix up your hiring practices to include fresh faces with solid company performers. A solution that balances internal recruiting with external support systems is doable. Comeet’s Elastic Recruiting, for example, provides a remote recruiting team that works directly with your hiring managers to make the best hire.

Conclusion

Internal recruitment can work for businesses of all sizes. It’s just one of the ways quick companies stay productive, even when unemployment is at an all-time low. 

References

Bika, N. (2018). Eight advantages and disadvantages of internal recruitment | Workable. [online] Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better. Available at: https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/advantages-disadvantages-of-internal-recruitment.

Barcelos, K. (2019). Internal vs External Recruitment: Advantages and Disadvantages. [online] Jobsoid. Available at: https://www.jobsoid.com/pros-and-cons-internal-vs-external-recruitment/.

Smith, A. (2020). Advantages & Disadvantages of Internal Recruitment. [online] Comeet. Available at: https://www.comeet.com/resources/blog/pros-cons-of-internal-recruitment.

Employee Rights and Responsibilities

Employee rights and responsibilities are important to ensure that all employees are made aware of what they should be doing to promote a safe and healthy work environment for themselves as well as colleagues. Such rights and r responsibilities can include benefits, safety regulations, health rules, use of protection. 

Employee Rights

·        Employees have a right to be treated fairly and not be discriminated against due to age, gender, national origin, sexual preference, race, disability, or any other protected category.

·        Age discrimination is also an issue in the workplace. Employees have a right not to be discriminated against based on their age.

·        Even job applicants have rights when it comes to the interviewing process, which include a right not to be discriminated against under federal law.

·        Employees also have a right not to be harassed whether it be sexual harassment or other forms of harassment, including harassment based on a disability.

·        Employees have a right to privacy in the workplace. They should be free to keep personal possessions at their workstations or in lockers and ensure that no items will be stolen. Employees may even have a right to privacy in their telephone conversations. However, these rights, as well as rights to privacy through email messages can, in fact, be limited as employers generally have a team of security personnel to ensure that no wrongdoing is taking place on company premises.

As a worker, it is your responsibility to,

• Read the workplace safety and health poster at the jobsite.
• Comply with all applicable standards.
• Follow all lawful employer safety and health rules and regulations, and wear or use required protective equipment while working.
• Report hazardous conditions to the employer
• Report any job-related injury or illness to the employer, and seek treatment promptly.

Employer Responsibilities

• Provide a workplace free from serious hazards
• Make sure employees have and use safe tools and equipment. Properly maintain this equipment.
• Use color codes, posters, labels or signs to warn employees of potential hazards.
• Establish or update operating procedures and communicate them so that employees follow safety and health requirements.
• Provide medical examinations and training when.
• Keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses and post these records.
• Provide employees, former employees and their representatives’ access to the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses.
• Provide access to employee medical records and exposure records to employees or their authorized representatives.
• Not discriminate against employees who exercise their safety and health rights.
• Post citations at or near the work area involved. Each citation must remain posted until the violation has been corrected, or for three working days, whichever is longer. Post abatement verification documents or tags.
• Correct cited violations by the deadline set in the citation and submit required abatement verification documentation.

References

BBC Bitesize. Employment rights and responsibilities - GCSE Learning for Life and Work (CCEA) Revision. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zgxpfrd/revision/4

Safetyworksmaine.gov. (2013). SafetyWorks! Rights and Responsibilities. [online] Available at: https://www.safetyworksmaine.gov/safe_workplace/rights-responsibilities.html.

Ethical Issues Faced by Human Resource

HR is responsible for key systems and processes which can underpin effective delivery of messages the organization wishes to convey about ethics. Through HR, ethics can be given credibility and aligned with how businesses run. With their expertise in change management and internal communications, and by working in partnership with those responsible for ethical performance within their organization, HR can help to integrate ethics into processes such as the employer brand, recruitment, induction, appraisal, retention, motivation, reward, diversity, coaching and training.

Source: https://indiafreenotes.com/ethics-in-hrm/

1. Employment Issues

HR professionals are likely to face maximum ethical dilemmas in the areas of hiring of employees. Major challenges in this area are:

•       Pressure to hire a friend or relative of a highly placed executive.
•       Faked credentials submitted by a job applicant.
•     Discovery that an employee who has been with the organization for some time, is skilled and has established a successful record, had lied about his educational credentials.

2. Cash and Incentive Plans

Cash and incentive plans include issues like basic salaries, annual increments or incentives, executive perquisites and long term incentive plans.

Basic Salaries

HR managers have to justify a higher level of basic salaries or higher level of percentage increase than the competitors to retain some employees. In some companies, where the increase is larger than normal they have to elevate some positions to higher grades. Annual increment/incentive Plans. This situation is particularly true in case of top management executives. The fear of losing some outstanding executives, the HR managers is forced to give higher incentives to them than what the individuals actually deserve.

Executive Perquisites

In the name of executive perquisites, sometimes excesses are often committed, the ethical problem of which falls on the HR managers. Sometimes the costs of these advantages are out of proportion to the value added.

Long term incentive Plans. Long term incentive plans are to be drawn by the HR managers in consultation with the CEO and an external consultant. Ethical issues arise when the HR manager is put to pressure to favor top executive interests over the interests of the other employees and the investors.

3. Performance Appraisal

Ethics should be the basis of performance evaluation. Highly ethical performance appraisal demands that there should be an honest assessment of the performance and steps should be taken to improve the effectiveness of employees. However, HR managers, sometimes, face the dilemma of assigning higher rates to employees who are not deserving them; based on some unrelated factors eg. Closeness to the top management. Some employees are, however, given low rates, despite their excellent performance on the basis of factor like caste, religion or not being loyal to the appraiser.

4. Privacy

The private life of an employee which is not affecting his professional life should be free from intrusive and unwarranted actions.

5. Safety and Health

Industrial work is often hazardous to the safety and health of the employees. Legislation have been created making it mandatory on the organizations and managers to compensate the victims of occupational hazards. Ethical dilemmas of HR managers arise when the justice is denied to the victims by the organization.

Conclusion

HR professionals have a central role in supporting a workplace culture where ‘doing the right thing’ is encouraged. Human Resources Departments are the main point of contact for all staff within an organization and as such have unique access to staff throughout their career, from induction training to exit interviews. A company-wide ethical culture, where ‘doing the right thing’ is just part of the way business is done, will not be achieved unless HR and Ethics professionals make their relationship work.

References

indiafreenotes. (2020). Ethics in HRM. [online] Available at: https://indiafreenotes.com/ethics-in-hrm/ [Accessed 8 Dec. 2021].

Ethics and HR Departments need to work together | Reuters Events | Sustainable Business. [online] Available at https://www.reutersevents.com/sustainability/people-careers/ethics-and-hr-departments-need-work-together.

Your Article Library. (2015). 7 Ethical Issues Faced by Human Resource. [online] Available at: https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business/ethics/7-ethical-issues-faced-by-human-resource/64101.

Major types of employee benefits that every HR should implement

 

 

Source: https://jobgrin.co.in/blog/types-employee-benefits-every-hr-should-implement/

In its 2019 Employee Happiness Index, HR Tech Company distinguishes 4 categories of employee benefits.

1.  1. Benefits at work

·      Working hours & leave - additional holidays and, one of the other benefits employees value most, paid parental leave.

·   Skills development – Is not just an important benefit for employees, it’s also essential for organizations if they want to remain competitive.

·   Employee clubs, activities & gifts - There are lots of possibilities when it comes to this category of the employee benefits package like joining clubs, running groups, Secret Santa, anniversary gifts

1.  2. Benefits for health

Employee wellness programs vary from a simple gym membership to full suite solutions that include physical, mental and financial wellness.

2.  3. Benefits for financial security

Pension plans are considered as a very important benefit by every generation 

Insurances - health insurance is something that comes with the simple fact of being an employee. Other types of insurance benefits for employees cover parental leave or injury. 

Financial benefits - Commissions, bonuses and the possibility for employees to buy shares of the company they work for.

3.  4. Lifestyle benefits

·    Work-life balance – It is more important for employees mental health and well being.

·    Mobility - benefits can make your employees’ life a lot easier.

Conclusion

The right benefits schemes ensure that hard working employees are rewarded fairly and in the most cost effective way for the company. This in turn then motivates employees to sustain their performance. Not only important for retaining and motivating employees, but also for attracting new people to the company.

 

References

Blog for HR Recruiters - Employers - Jobseekers. (2021). Types of Employee Benefits : Every HR should implement | JobGrin. [online] Available at: https://jobgrin.co.in/blog/15-types-employee-benefits-every-hr-should-implement/ [Accessed 5 Dec. 2021].

Merhar, C. (n.d.). What Are the Most Important Benefits to Employees? [online] www.peoplekeep.com. Available at: https://www.peoplekeep.com/blog/the-most-important-benefits-to-employees.

AIHR. (2019). 12 Types of Employee Benefits to Implement at Your Organization. [online] Available at: https://www.aihr.com/blog/types-of-employee-benefits/.

 

  

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