The HR department plays a vital role in any company. It’s there to protect the business and employees and make sure that staff is supported and receive the right training and opportunities during their time with the company. These are just a few of the responsibilities of an HR department, and this can be a lot of work for a dedicated team. However, small, independent businesses or start-ups often don’t have enough staff to create an HR department. Often these tasks fall to one or two people to manage, on top of other responsibilities they might have for another role. It can be a lot to balance, so here are a few tips that might help you manage your HR duties more efficiently as a small business owner.
Use Technology
As your business grows, managing HR tasks manually can quickly become overwhelming. Technology can play a key role in streamlining these processes and improving efficiency. For example, Employee Case Management systems can automate responses to common HR queries, provide employees with instant access to policies, and centralize important documentation. This allows your team to quickly address routine HR concerns-whether it’s questions about leave, benefits, or company procedures-without constantly being pulled away from other tasks. By automating these tasks, you not only improve employee satisfaction but also free up time to focus on more strategic HR initiatives that can drive business growth.
Outsource Payroll
Making sure everyone is paid on time is essential, as the last thing you want is unhappy, resentful staff members because they are struggling to pay bills on time thanks to a delayed paycheck. You need to have some form of payroll services or payroll management system in place that works on time. These services or systems should be able to tailor their service to your business needs, make sure wages are paid out on time and accurately, as well as factor in pensions and tax.
So how does one go about setting up a system for your business? To start with, you need to understand your needs and the policy set up for your employees regarding salaried payments. Then, you can go about finding a reputable payroll company to manage this task for you. They should be able to guide you towards a good plan. Make sure they have good customer service as well.
Create an Employee Handbook
Writing an employee handbook is always a good idea for any business. This document should be given to every employee when they start working for your company so that they can use it as a reference throughout their time with you. It should include company policies, explain protocols and procedures for things like fire evacuations, or if they want to make a complaint or book a holiday. It should also have information regarding what they’re entitled to in terms of annual leave, sick pay, and any training they need to complete. You should review your employee handbook each year and revise it as necessary, ensuring each employee gets the updated version.
Get Legal Advice
When dealing with employee rights and company procedures, don’t assume that you understand the ins and outs of the laws surrounding this. It’s always smart to get a solicitor to look over contracts, sick leave/pay entitlement, etc., to make sure that you and your employees are signing legally sound agreements. Although something might appear to be straight forward and an industry-standard to you, there might need to be alterations to make these terms work for your particular business operation. You can also take the help of an HR Consultant who can create policies tailored to your business needs in compliance with the law. They can also assist in other areas of managing HR such as developing employee benefit and training programs, HR auditing, streamline workflows, and more.
Review Policies
It’s always worth taking the time, maybe once or twice a year, to look at your current company policies and consider how well they’re working. They need to match your company’s ethos, as well as maintaining the proper standards expected of any business to keep your employees and customers safe. Ask if you can do better, and see where improvements can be made.
Various HR tasks need to be managed, and in a small business, this can be quite challenging for such a small team. Think about the points above to help you keep on top of your HR duties, as well as making sure your business is a safe, positive place to work.
