In today’s ever-changing business world, rapid developments in technology and company practices present many challenges to managers and leaders who need to stay abreast of changes to remain competitive. Consequently, managers are more and more reliant on their HR staff for support. Below are some of the challenges that managers face and tips on how HR staff can help them effectively meet such demands.
Information, information, information…
With the increased demand from employees that they should have direct access to information about their workplace and employment contracts, managers face the tough job of determining what type of information is appropriate to share, how to convey this information effectively to workers while also remaining legally compliant. It is therefore up to HR professionals to help managers understand their responsibilities including understanding which information they are legally required to share with staff. Managers also need to be aware of new federal, local, and state regulations that exist to improve employee relations and promote employee protections. Managers should understand the legal expansion of protected categories such as LGBT employees and rules and regulations regarding employees with ‘unseen’ disabilities in the workplace including an employee’s right to choose not to disclose their medical conditions to managers. It is up to HR professionals to keep managers up to speed on these matters to ensure that managers remain compliant with the law and develop a better working environment.
Hiring and managing new employees
When hiring new workers, it is HR’s main job to support managers in selecting the right candidates who not only can perform the job well but who can also fit into the company’s culture. Therefore, HR staff need to have a clear set of standards to which employees will be measured in terms of their performance and personality. HR staff should also be aware that attracting the best talent requires an efficient and timely recruitment process to ensure candidates are not offered positions with competitors before the recruitment period ends. HR can achieve this by utilizing new recruitment software and technologies which automate the longlisting process, interview scheduling and short listing process. These software solutions make job applications easier to organize and give both managers and HR staff a faster way of finding out who are the best people for the job.
Educating managers to meet new challenges
Many managers face the problem of adapting to new ways of running a business so it is often up to HR staff to educate them on these new methods and practices. Managers might find they need to improve their transparency to build up more trust with employees and this may involve more face time with workers so that managers will have opportunities to speak with and motivate staff. This is especially important as many workers are not only motivated by salaries and benefits but are also motivated by the feedback from managers and recognition of their accomplishments. Managers also need to be aware that their workforce is increasingly multigenerational and HR staff can coach management on how to communicate effectively with staff to provide feedback and use culturally sensitive approaches to ensure respectful communication is maintained. HR can also provide training to managers to assist them in learning how to use new technologies and methods into their daily operations such as the use of remote working teams or managing flexi-time staff.
The best leaders are the ones who can most effectively meet new developments and challenges to ensure success in today’s business world, but they cannot do this alone. Human Resources staff have the important role of making sure that managers have the right information, the right approach and best practices needed to create a healthy company culture and a better run business overall.