Startup companies have a lot of work to do, and in the rush of doing everyday business, it has become challenging for them to take the time to establish a solid HR department. While many startup companies do not see the need to have an HR department, it is a necessity if you are looking to grow your business. Establishing an HR department early on helps your company stay organised as you grow. It can also handle any internal issues that could come up when you least expect them. Below, check out some tips for HR Departments in startups.
Focus on Office Culture
The key to building a successful organisation is to develop a culture based on a strongly held shared set of beliefs supported by company structures and strategies. HR plays a vital role in creating a strong office culture, starting with selecting and recruiting applicants who share the organisation’s culture, offering training that outlines the organisation’s core values, and giving appropriate rewards and recognition to employees who perfectly embody the company values.
HR teams must work together with the upper management and encourage them to create a positive work environment. Along with HR, leaders also play an essential role in setting the culture in the organisation. HR should look into teams with the highest turnover rate and immediately address any issues to keep people from leaving.
A strong office culture is a common denominator among the world’s most successful companies. An organisation’s culture defines how to properly behave within the organisation. This culture consists of shared values and beliefs communicated and reinforced in various means, ultimately shaping the team’s behaviours, perceptions, and understanding.
Develop Your Staff
One of the most significant roles of HR is to motivate employees to perform at their best and foster a culture of high morale. Thus, HR should persuade company leaders to develop and train employees while rewarding those who perform well through promotion or better compensation.
Through employee development, you can give your team the skills they need to improve their performance at work and boost productivity. Well-trained employees know how to perform their tasks well and can offer a higher level of performance, leading to increased output for the company.
HR professionals play an important role in creating a work environment that requires every employee to undergo training and development activities. They should bring employees together on a common platform and highlight the importance of training and how it can help them develop personally and professionally. The HR team is the face of the organisation, and they should not only interact with company leaders but with every member of the organisation. In fact, they should sit down with employees and ask them about any challenges they face at work or even outside of work.
Look After Your Staff
HR plays an essential role in the company, and its scope of work is not only limited to managing administrative tasks. Part of their work is to safeguard the interest of employees and create a safe work environment for everyone. They should promote mental health awareness and provide resources to help employees learn more about mental health and seek help if needed. For startups that adopt a fully remote workforce, HR should ensure that the employees have the right equipment to help them effectively carry out their work remotely.
HR should give importance to the well-being of employees. Employee well-being relates to all aspects of their working life, including the workplace environment and how they feel about their everyday work. Remember that well-being is an important factor in determining the long-term success of an organisation.
Creating initiatives to improve employee well-being should be a priority for the HR team. They must always think about the employees and what they can do to improve their satisfaction in the workplace. This can certainly make a huge difference and is guaranteed to improve employee productivity across the entire organisation.
Don’t Be Afraid to Outsource
It can be challenging for most startup companies to develop their HR team. But without a good HR team, it can be a struggle to get things done. Outsourcing some of the HR responsibilities could be the best solution to this. For instance, if you are based in London, you can bring in a HR recruitment specialist in London, who can help with recruiting new employees in your area. Onboarding new hires can be a real challenge if you still don’t have processes in place while your startup is scaling up.
But it’s not only the HR that you can outsource. You can also consider bringing in temporary staff to help keep things moving, much like hiring a veterinary locum.
Outsourcing can save startup companies both time and money. When starting a company, it’s common for many business owners to do it all. With so many things to look after, it can become impossible to focus on the more important tasks. So, consider outsourcing if you are not yet ready to hire an in-house HR team.
Grow the Business from the Inside
One of the most important contributions of HR is to help the company grow from the inside through Internal Promotion and Contract Management. Promoting someone within the organisation can benefit the company in many ways. No matter how great an external candidate is, hiring an outsider can pose significant risks. There’s a good chance they cannot measure up or stick around long enough, which could cost you some money.
Internal promotion can save the company some time and money. External hiring can be expensive and time-consuming since you need to spend time and money training the new employees. But internal employees will not take that long to onboard since they are already familiar with the company processes and culture.
Aside from helping with internal promotion, HR can also help to make sure that employment contracts are well-managed. This can save startup companies from hefty legal costs. An employee contract refers to a legally binding agreement between the employee and the employer to protect both parties. HR can help manage these contracts to prevent conflicts and protect the company from costly legal disputes.
