With summer in full swing and vacation requests proliferating like mosquitoes, many companies experience a sluggish season in terms of productivity. But that doesn’t mean you can coast. We’re halfway through 2017 (already!) and it’s a good time to pull out your HR resolution list and check in.
Back in January, we posted our top eight HR resolutions for this year. Whether you used our list or came up with your own, it’s time to ask yourself how you’re doing. Have you made progress toward your goals? Is your HR department embracing the digital and cultural revolution—or is it still treating people like business byproducts instead of strategic team members?
The good news is that it’s not too late to kick those HR resolutions into gear. As they say, success is achieved one step at a time. You still have time to get the ball rolling on some of 2017’s top trends before the end of the year.
People Management
Employee engagement is still a top driver of satisfaction and retention. It’s time to set aside old school review practices and implement employee-centric processes that support career development and investments in people. Here are four ways you can get started:
- Coaching—Give employees real-time feedback to help them become more productive in their roles. New employees will benefit from a mentor who can show them the ropes and help them acclimate to the culture.
- Reviews—More frequent, actionable reviews produce better results than an end-of-the year checklist. Peer reviews and self evaluations are also great ways to provide feedback on goals and performance.
- Leadership and Development—Rusty Lundquist predicted that 2017 would see major developments in performance, manifested in part through more intentional leadership training and L&D efforts. As collaborative teams become a more common internal structure, leadership skills will bring greater value to the organization as a whole.
Branding and Culture
Developing a strong culture and employer brand positions you as a place people want to work—and that’s more important than ever with job hopping becoming a cultural norm. Focus on these areas:
- Recruitment Marketing—This is the external component of building your employer brand. Marketing your culture to prospective employees is one of the best ways to attract new talent. Candidates want to know the full picture before they jump on board.
- Onboarding—Once a candidate has joined your team, you’ll focus on communicating your company values and mission to him or her. Think about what it means to work for your company and how you can infuse that into your onboarding process.
- Employee Experiences—It does no good to market a fantastic culture if that doesn’t reflect reality. Emphasize positive employee experiences by promoting strong communication, effective management, and frequent feedback.
Analytics
Strategic HR is all about emphasizing the value the HR department can bring to the organization’s bottom line goals: things like profit, productivity, ROI, and shareholder return. In order to demonstrate added value, HR will need to understand the people metrics of the organization and how they support those bottom line goals. Here are four of the most important:
- Turnover—What are your turnover rates and how much does it cost to replace an employee?
- Retention—How long do employees typically stay with your company? What have you done to increase retention and what numbers can you show to demonstrate results?
- Performance—How quickly do you bring new employees up to full productivity? How can you make employees more efficient or more effective?
- Engagement—How engaged are your employees? What impact does that have on the first three metrics?
Technology
HR technology is evolving quickly. We’ve already seen advances in automation and mobile technology, and you can expect to see more of the same heading into next year. Bring your HR department up to speed with these components:
- Mobile—Consider mobile apps to manage time/attendance, performance feedback, goal setting, internal communication, schedule planning, and more. Make it easy for employees to handle HR tasks from their phones or tablets.
- Performance Tracking—Use your HR software to help employees set goals, complete training assignments, and respond to feedback. Managers can track employee performance using alerts, notifications, reminders, and goal setting features.
- HCM Systems—If your entire HR software platform needs an overhaul, look for an HCM system that provides the capabilities we’ve discussed above. Position yourself to take the right steps this year and into the future with a software system that helps you achieve your goals.
Transparency has become the new buzzword for effective HR departments. As you implement new processes and technology, transparency will help you strengthen your culture and communicate it effectively to your employees.
And that will be something to celebrate come December.
