HUMAN resources (HR) has a critical role in the functioning and development of every company. Just as great HR can take your company to the next level, bad HR can destroy it.
The modern HR department is actually the heartbeat of any organisation because it does a lot in improving the organisation’s effectiveness and efficiencies.
Even when things are not well, HR departments need to be steadfast and strong, no matter what is thrown their way.
Sadly, not every HR department is as efficient and organised as we would like them to be. This article will explore the worrying signs that point to HR department’s failure.
What does HR management involve?
HR may be the most confusing department in your organisation. Everyone knows it is important, but very few employees know why.
HR managers are responsible for a wide range of activities related to hiring and managing employees at a company.
They are vital leaders in the organisations, overseeing employee recruitment, staff training and development and workplace policies and processes.
- Signs that your HR department is a failure
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HR managers play a key role in developing an organisation’s culture.
They facilitate communication between a company’s managers and employees, help to resolve disputes or complaints and advise executives on relevant policies for workplace conduct.
What does HR do?
There is a massive difference between a healthy HR department that contributes to the growth of the organisation and a distant HR that exists somewhere near the basement archives and only pops up once a year for the company holiday party.
HR roles carry a notorious administrative burden, and it is not uncommon for the strain of an overwhelming workload to damage the morale, productivity or even the mental wellbeing of your team.
Lots of disorganised paperwork
An ever-growing pile-up of paperwork is a sure sign of being overwhelmed and the backlog will not just affect the HR team alone, but the entire company.
A well-run HR department can make a huge positive difference to your business.
When an HR department has documents everywhere and completely disorganised, they are dangerous signs of a floundering HR department.
Additionally, a lack of automation can also lead to inefficiencies. Manual processes, such as filing and data entry, can be time-consuming and error-prone, which can slow down the HR processes.
An HR department that is struggling to keep up with its paperwork could benefit from an investment in filing and HR softwares.
Compliance takes a back seat
When workers start being non-compliant, or come dangerously close to it, it’s time to recognise that your HR department is overwhelmed and failing.
Companies need to have an HR compliance programme in place to help ensure they are on the right side of the law.
To do this, they must be aware of the laws and regulations that govern their business and ensure that they are in compliance with their obligations.
HR compliance is important to companies because it helps them maintain a healthy work environment.
Employees are not the ones who have to ensure regulations and laws are respected.
This responsibility is solely in the hands of the HR department. Therefore, you need to have a dedicated team able to prevent any problems before they appear.
Lack of periodical reviews and audits
Human resource audits can help identify whether an HR department’s specific practice areas or processes are adequate, legal and effective.
The results obtained from this review can help identify gaps in HR practices, and HR can then prioritise these gaps in an effort to minimise lawsuits or regulatory violations, as well as to achieve and maintain world-class competitiveness in key HR practice areas.
Most HR leaders conduct compliance reviews and audits on an ad hoc or need basis.
This allows them to have better visibility and control over their compliance requirements and capabilities and ensure better response to compliance challenges.
An audit reminds the HR department and others of its contribution, creating a more professional image of the department.
Inefficient HR processes and systems
HR departments are responsible for managing a wide range of activities, including recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, and employee relations.
Inefficient processes can lead to time wasting, increased costs and a lack of productivity.
Efficient HR processes are essential for the smooth functioning of an organisation.
A failing HR department can have inefficient processes for several reasons.
One common problem is lack of standardisation and consistency in processes.
If each HR professional follows a different set of procedures, it can be difficult to track progress and identify areas for improvement.
Unapproachable and everyone’s enemy
Unapproachable bosses make life difficult for employees. Being a HR representative (rep) means being a people-person.
However, a tell-tale sign that your HR department is struggling, is negative feedback from employees.
If your employees are telling you that their HR rep is always in a bad mood or simply unapproachable, then you need to step in because perhaps the workload is too much, or lines of communication have broken down for some reason.
HR reps should be encouraged to mix with employees regularly and constantly update their understanding of roles throughout the company.
If they do not, then employees can quickly become disengaged from HR and feel that their concerns and queries are not being taken seriously, which can incredibly affect your company.
Incorrect and inconsistent payroll
Payroll is so much more than just paying your employees. It is up to HR to ensure that annual leave and sick days are taken into account as well as benefits or other deductions.
If your business is flooded with complaints about errors in payments, then you should reach out to your HR department immediately to find the source of the problem.
For a company to run like a well-oiled machine, the benefits and payroll must be executed flawlessly.
A bad HR team will often delay payments, provide unclear information and cause general unrest in your employee ranks.
A well-run HR department can make a huge positive difference to your business.
Legal problems can be avoided, finances can be improved, employees can feel comfortable and productive and valued for their work.
Customers will notice the effects of a strong culture of excellence on a business. However, not all HR departments are as effective as they should be.
- Emmanuel Zvada is an award-winning global HR practitioner and the managing consultant for 3rdeye Africa Consulting Group Zimbabwe and Namibia. For comments inbox or call +263771467441
