A business can only be as effective as the employees that run it. In order to ensure that those employees are operating at their peak ability, it’s necessary to take care of them via your human resources department.
Equal opportunities
Historically, discrimination has posed a significant issue in the workplace. While things have gotten better, it’s still a sensitive topic that requires an equally sensitive approach from HR. It’s important to have a comprehensive equal opportunities policy that creates a fair environment, so that all employees have an equal chance of applying for different positions.
Characteristics that may require specific protection include gender, race, sex, pregnancy, relationship status and disability. Sometimes, special accommodations may need to be made to ensure that these individuals are not impeded from doing their job.
Flexible working
As remote and hybrid working becomes increasingly common, it’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to implement explicit HR policies concerning flexible working. In addition to these, any employee who has worked at a company for over 26 weeks is entitled to certain flexibilities.
This includes flexible starting and finishing times, changing work patterns, and remote working. Having a clear policy can help stop problems from arising in the future, which they likely will if there’s any uncertainty.
Social media
As social media continues to play an increasingly important role in our lives, it’s important that measures are taken to protect the reputation of companies. People post everything on the internet, and it’s important that employees understand the impact that those posts can have on the place they work at. This damage doesn’t even have to be done via posts that include explicit mentions of their company, especially if they’ve posted where they work on their personal accounts.
Dismissal and disciplinary policy
It’s incredibly important to make your disciplinary policy explicit to all employees; not only does it help those policies to remain effective, it’s also a legal requirement for compliance with the ACAS code of practice.
Dismissal and disciplinary actions are also among the most common areas that see disputes in employment tribunals. A clear, transparent HR policy can go a long way to avoiding escalations like this.
Training and development
It’s important for a company’s growth that they remain committed to the ongoing training and development of their employees. Not only does this help with talent retention, by helping employees reach their professional goals while staying with the same organisation, but it also ensures that each individual is doing their job to the best of their ability. Making this an explicit part of your overarching HR strategy is an important step in ensuring your business is positioned to thrive.
The policies listed above are essential for HR departments in the current day and age. Reaching out to external providers for further HR help may be worthwhile for many businesses, especially given the rapidly changing work environment.
