In this article, we’ll dive into what disciplinary action is, some examples, and the steps you need to take to handle it in the best way possible. 

Contents
What is disciplinary action?
Reasons for disciplinary action
Disciplinary action examples
Disciplinary action process steps
How to write a disciplinary action for an employee
Disciplinary action form (Download)
Disciplinary action letter (Download)
Disciplinary action policy best practices
FAQ

What is disciplinary action?

Disciplinary action is a corrective measure a company takes when an employee fails to meet performance expectations or behavioral requirements set by the organization’s policies, procedures, and laws. For example, an employee might receive a verbal warning from their manager or HR when they are late for work.

The primary goal of disciplinary action is not to punish the employee. It’s to correct the employee’s behavior while documenting the issues in case the problem happens again in the future. 

Depending on the organization and available resources, HR’s role in workplace disciplinary action varies. In some companies, HR is only involved in more serious disciplinary actions. In other organizations, they may be involved in all disciplinary meetings. In both cases, HR is responsible for outlining disciplinary action policy and formalizing procedures for responding to actions that go against the company’s rules. Generally, these policies are outlined in the employee handbook.

Reasons for disciplinary action

While your organization has its own norms around desirable and undesirable workplace behavior, there are some examples of behaviors that are unwanted in any business:

Employee misconduct

There are two kinds of employee misconduct: general and gross. General misconduct is behavior that does not mean to harm others or the organization. Examples are not following a manager’s orders or smoking in a non-smoking area. These kinds of misconduct do not require immediate termination.

Gross misconduct, on the other hand, earns immediate termination in many cases. These are behaviors such as theft or intentional property damage.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment in the workplace constitutes unwanted sexual behavior that causes someone to feel sad, frightened, offended, or humiliated. In the United States, sexual harassment is illegal but does not always result in the termination of the perpetrator.

Discrimination

Workplace discrimination is when an employee is treated differently or less favorably because of their gender, race, sexuality, religion, pregnancy, or other characteristics. Discrimination can happen between employees or between employees and employers. A formal non-discrimination policy helps fight discrimination in the workplace.

Absenteeism issues

There are many different types of work absenteeism, but simply put, absenteeism is when an employee doesn’t show up for work when they are supposed to. It’s normal to miss work due to illness or an emergency, but absenteeism is usually unplanned and often happens without notice. It can become a substantial problem when it impacts other employees’ work.

Absenteeism is often a sign of deeper workplace issues like poor management and employee burnout.

Work performance

When an employee fails to reach or maintain a company’s work performance criteria tied to their job’s responsibilities, it can result in disciplinary action.

Sometimes, support from the team and managers can help underperforming employees improve. Still, other times, performance issues reveal more serious problems, such as disengagement or unhappiness in the workplace.

Bullying in the workplace

Workplace bullying is targeted behavior directed at one person or a few people. It can happen between employers and employees or just between employees. Bullying can be verbal or physical and is intended to offend, mock, or intimidate.

Some examples are:

• Harsh criticism in front of other employees
• Extreme performance monitoring
• Insults or name-calling
• Deliberate exclusion of specific individuals from meetings or team events. 

Tardiness

Unlike absenteeism, where the employee does not show up, tardiness is when they show up but are consistently late. Irregular lateness getting to work is unavoidable due to unforeseen circumstances. However, chronic tardiness can damage the team’s morale and be a cause for corrective action.

Disciplinary action examples

Employers have multiple options for disciplinary action. Usually, the goal is to correct poor performance or behavior by identifying the problems, causes, and solutions rather than punishing the worker.

This requires you to have a progressive discipline policy in place. That means that the corrective steps begin with the lowest severity and become increasingly severe when an employee fails to correct the situation after being given an opportunity to do so.

Here are some examples: 

Disciplinary action process steps

A disciplinary action needs to follow a number of specific steps to ensure it’s fair and legal. Let’s take a look.

1. Identify the issue 

The first thing that you need to do is to recognize and clearly define the employee’s behavior or performance as problematic. You can refer to the employee handbook to compare between what is acceptable and what happened. Make sure to be objective and specific when identifying the issue to maintain clarity and fairness. You should: 

• Observe and document specific instances of problematic behavior or performance
• Note down details like dates, times, and what went down
• Focus on concrete facts rather than interpretations or feelings. 

2. Investigate the issue 

A disciplinary action can’t take place without a formal investigation. The goal of this step is to determine what happened, when it happened, where it happened, why it happened, whether anyone else was involved and whether someone witnessed the incident. 

An investigation involves gathering relevant information and documentation (e.g. performance reports, emails, and other communication). You might also need to speak with witnesses to gather additional insight. Depending on the nature of the offense, it might take you a couple of days to a few weeks to investigate the matter.

This is especially important in more serious cases of misconduct.

3. Have a disciplinary hearing

Less severe instances of undesirable workplace behavior won’t require a formal disciplinary hearing. In other cases, the hearing shouldn’t take place too long after you finish your investigation. However, there should be enough time for the employee to be informed and prepare for the hearing. You’ll need to send an invitation to the employee, either by mail or email, with the following information: 

• The alleged misconduct or performance issue and the potential outcomes
• All the evidence you’ve gathered from your investigation
• When and where the hearing takes place 
• The employee’s right to be accompanied by a colleague or a union representative 

During the hearing, both the employee and employer will have the chance to make their case. At the end of the hearing, the employer needs to give the employee an estimation of when they’ll find out the outcomes.

4. Decide and implement disciplinary action 

After the hearing, work together with the manager to decide if any disciplinary action should be taken and what this would look like. Make sure to: 

• Assess how serious the issue is and whether there have been any previous related incidents
• Refer to the company’s disciplinary policies to choose an appropriate course of action
• Consider any mitigating circumstances. 

To implement the disciplinary action, the employer can give a verbal warning, a written warning, or a performance improvement plan. This would depend on the severity of the issue. You can refer to the previous section for a list of disciplinary action examples and what each of them means. 

Make sure that you clearly communicate the action and the reasons for it to the employee. You’ll need to document the incident and the disciplinary action to protect both the employee’s rights and the organization’s interests. 

5. Explain the appeal process 

Don’t forget to inform the employee of their right to appeal any disciplinary decision. You should clearly explain the process they need to follow, including whom they need to contact, the deadline for submitting an appeal, and the steps involved in the review process. This allows you and the organization to maintain transparency and fairness and helps the employee feels they have a chance to be heard.

6. Monitor and follow up 

After the disciplinary action has been enforced, make sure to actively monitor the employee’s progress. You can schedule regular follow-up meetings to discuss the employee’s performance or behavior, give feedback, and make adjustments to the improvement plan as needed. This ensures that the employee can smoothly reintegrate into their role and improve their performance or correct their behavior. 

7. Escalate when needed 

In cases where the problematic behavior or performance doesn’t improve post-discipline, you may need to escalate the matter. This involves more severe disciplinary actions (e.g. additional warnings, suspension, or even termination). These are harsh actions, so make sure that they are justified and carried out in line with company policies, and well-documented to avoid potential legal issues.

How to write a disciplinary action for an employee

An important part of the disciplinary process is to issue a disciplinary action for an employee. Here are some tips to help you write a fair, objective, and clear disciplinary action: 

• Be specific: Describe the behavior or performance issue in detail. Include information such as dates, times, the context of the incidents, and any parties involved. For example, if an employee was repeatedly late, list the dates and times when these incidents happened.
• Describe the impact: Explain the broader implications of the employee’s behavior or performance on the team, department, or the company as a whole. For example, coming back to our previous example, you can explain how consistent tardiness can disrupt team workflows, delay projects, and lower team morale. 
• Refer to past actions: Bring up details of any previous disciplinary actions related to the current issues. This shows that the employee is aware of the issue previously and has had opportunities to correct their behavior. 
• Clarify expectations and actions to take: Clearly outline the expected behavior or performance from the employee moving forward and detail specific actions the employee needs to take to improve. For example, if the employee needs to improve their performance, work with the manager to set clear, achievable goals, and offer them additional training, mentoring, or more frequent feedback sessions. This helps the company set clear standards and shows commitment to the employee’s development. 
• Outline possible outcomes: If the employee doesn’t improve, clearly state the potential consequences, including further disciplinary actions up to and including termination. It’s crucial the employee understand the seriousness of the situation and the potential impact on their employment status. This helps manage expectations and highlights the importance of following company standards.

There are two ways that you can approach issuing a disciplinary action. You can send a disciplinary action form, which is a streamlined way to address disciplinary issues. You can also opt for a disciplinary action letter. Make sure to document this letter to protect your company against legal risks in cases of termination.

Disciplinary action form

A disciplinary action form template provides a consistent and fair way to handle employee misconduct while clearly recording and documenting the incidents and actions taken.

Disciplinary action letter

Using a disciplinary action letter ensures clear and formal communication of the issues, expectations, and consequences to the employee, reinforcing the seriousness of the matter. It also provides documented evidence of the steps taken and the employee’s awareness of the situation, aiding in legal compliance and future reference.

If you’re not sure how to write this letter, here’s a template that you can use:

Let’s take a look at two examples of disciplinary letters addressing specific workplace issues.

Disciplinary action letter for workplace theft

Disciplinary action letter for not following instructions

Disciplinary action policy best practices

Employee disciplinary action can be one of the most demanding aspects of HR. The best way to set the HR team up for success is by establishing expectations for the team and always documenting the disciplinary process from the very beginning. Here are some best practices to get your team started: 

Carry out an HR investigation

Carrying out an HR investigation is especially important when dealing with serious issues like bullying, harassment, or gross misconduct. You need to conduct an investigation to effectively address the issue and take relevant disciplinary action.

In addition, you ensure that everyone involved is treated fairly while creating a safe work environment for all employees.

Create a clear progressive discipline policy

Employees must know what behaviors constitute disciplinary action at your organization. You might want to include concrete examples in your policy. For instance, describe what would be considered misconduct at your company. You can refer to our guide on employee misconduct for more information. 

Include the disciplinary policy in your employee handbook or intranet pages and make it easily accessible. You might also consider making the reading mandatory or asking the managers to discuss the policy with their team members. Additionally, it would be a good idea to include a training on employee conduct and disciplinary action in your employee onboarding process. 

Communicate your disciplinary action policy

Employees must know what behaviors constitute disciplinary action at your organization. You might want to include concrete examples in your policy. For instance, describe what would be considered misconduct at your company.

Include the disciplinary policy in your employee handbook or intranet pages and make it easily accessible. You might also consider making the reading part of your onboarding process or asking the managers to discuss the policy with their team members.

Explain how to appeal the decision

Your employees must know how they can appeal a disciplinary decision and what steps they can take to do so. You also have to make sure that they know you’re taking them seriously and that you want to hear their side of the story even after you’ve made the decision.

Educate managers

Any time a supervisor does not discipline an employee with the same procedures as another team member, you set yourself up for legal action for discrimination and unequal treatment.

Your role as an HR professional is to educate managers on the disciplinary action policy and how to apply it. You also need to ensure that they’re using it consistently and correctly. You can do this by holding regular manager training and creating a system that allows you to review disciplinary write-ups easily.

Document your disciplinary actions

Documenting everything will help you manage progressive actions regarding employee discipline and create a legally defensible process. Make sure to keep everything in a secure employee file.

Keep the policy updated

Regularly review your disciplinary action policy to ensure it is still relevant and see if there’s anything you should add. For example, when moving to a hybrid/remote setup, you might want to give examples of what certain unwanted behaviors, such as bullying or harassment, look like in a virtual setting.

To conclude

Taking disciplinary action is not pleasant for any of the parties involved. However, having a clear disciplinary action policy with outlined unwanted behaviors and steps to take will help you ensure that you can handle the matters fairly and transparently.

FAQ

The post Disciplinary Action at Work: An HR’s Guide [+ FREE Form] appeared first on AIHR.

McKinsey’s decade-long study of over four million workers examined career progression and lifelong earnings. The study found that those who earned significantly more over time did two things differently. First, they changed jobs more frequently. Second, they made bolder moves when switching by taking on new positions that required significantly different and more advanced skills.

If you’re inspired to make your own bold career moves, read on to learn more about the salaries for top HR roles and the skills required to excel in these roles. 

Contents
Why pursue a career in HR?
Types of HR careers
How much does HR make?
4 tips on choosing the right HR career for you

Why pursue a career in HR?

Forget the stereotype that HR is just about “working with people.” It’s much more than that — it offers varying career paths with specializations to challenge you and facilitate your professional growth. It also demands continuous learning to stay ahead of evolving technology and regulations.

HR professionals are strategic partners who develop concrete plans to align a company’s workforce with its goals. They also help organizations maintain a competitive edge by attracting, developing, and retaining their industry’s top performers.

HR is also at the forefront of organizational change, driving initiatives and adopting technologies that shape the company’s culture and future. Ultimately, their efforts directly impact employee wellbeing and satisfaction, fostering a productive work environment and influencing business performance and sustainability.

Types of HR careers

If you’re looking for HR career options, you won’t be short on choices. HR professionals often take on multiple roles in smaller or rapidly growing companies, performing the role of an HR Generalist.

As organizations expand, however, HR functions become more niche, offering exciting opportunities for specialist roles. These include:

• Strategic HR: Involves partnering with the organization to align its people strategy with its overall business goals.
• Recruitment and talent acquisition: Focuses on building the employer brand and attracting and securing top talent to fill vacant positions.
• Compensation and benefits: Entails designing programs to attract and retain top performers by offering competitive packages and perks.
• Diversity and inclusion efforts: Aims to foster a workplace where everyone feels valued.
• Talent management: Involves overseeing the entire employee lifecycle.
• Training and development: Equips employees with the skills they need to excel and advance.
• Organizational development: Implements changes and transformations.
• Data analytics: Analyzes workforce data to drive smarter HR decisions, improve processes, and measure program impact.
• Industrial relations: Manages employer-employee relationships, addresses concerns, mediates disputes, and negotiates with unions.
• Compliance and risk management: Ensures legal and regulatory compliance.

How much does HR make? 

Being informed about HR salary ranges can help you negotiate for better pay, as well as maximize your career success, and ensure financial security. Here, you’ll find out the responsibilities of each HR designation and their average yearly salary in the U.S.

Chief People Officer (CPO)

A Chief People Officer (CPO)—also called a Chief HR Officer (CHRO)—is a C-suite executive who shapes an organization’s entire people strategy. Large, forward-thinking companies that prioritize talent management typically have an HR Director who manages day-to-day HR operations and reports to the CPO.

A top CPO is data-driven, using analytics to make strategic decisions. They also possess strong leadership and communication skills. Their key focus is aligning HR with overall business goals and translating HR strategy into tangible business results.

HR Director

An HR Director oversees the HR department, including all employee-related functions. This involves strategic planning, budget management, and ensuring compliance with labor laws. The director supervises HR Managers, HR Specialists, and Employee Relations Specialists. 

Their key skills include strategic thinking to anticipate future workforce needs, implementing proactive solutions, and promoting a positive company culture to foster a high-performing and engaged workforce.

HR Business Partner

An HR Business Partner (HRBP) typically acts as a strategic advisor to specific departments within a company. They bridge the gap between HR and business units in larger organizations, ensuring HR practices align with departmental goals and contribute to the company’s overall success.

An HRBP needs strong business acumen and an understanding of how HR impacts the bottom line. They also need excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build strong relationships with business leaders. Strategic thinking and experience in HR Generalist roles are also valuable assets in this position.

HR Manager

An HR Manager typically oversees all day-to-day employee-related functions, from recruitment and training to employee relations and benefits. Compared to HR Specialists, HR Managers have a broader portfolio, managing multiple functions and people.

An HR Manager also supervises HR Assistants and Coordinators in handling administrative tasks and supporting core HR functions. Desirable skills for an HR Manager include strong communication, problem-solving, and leadership. They should also be well-versed in employment law and regulations.

Benefits Manager

A Benefits Manager oversees employee benefits programs, ensuring they comply with regulations and meet employee needs. They research plans, negotiate with providers, and communicate benefit details to employees. Strong communication and negotiation skills and knowledge of benefits plans and HR laws are essential. 

What truly distinguishes an HR Benefits Manager from other HR roles is their expertise in benefit trends and data analysis, which they need to design cost-effective and attractive packages for the company.

Talent Manager

A Talent Manager is responsible for end-to-end talent supply and demand management in alignment with organizational talent requirements and workforce planning. They oversee the development, implementation, and embedding of succession planning practices, talent management, and development programs to enable employee potential and meet future business needs.

A Talent Manager also contributes to the design and implementation of career development strategies, tools, and resources. They must have expert knowledge of the internal talent market for a broad range of functions and advise business teams on trends and opportunities.

Learning and Development Manager

A Learning and Development Manager cultivates a skilled workforce by identifying employee learning needs and creating training programs to meet those needs. They design and organize sessions, manage budgets, and measure effectiveness to ensure employees have the knowledge and abilities to excel in their roles and contribute to the company’s goals. This role requires strong communication and instructional design skills and expertise in adult learning.

Payroll Manager

A Payroll Manager oversees all aspects of employee compensation, ensuring accurate and timely payments, deductions, and tax filings. They also manage payroll software systems, handle employee benefits, and ensure compliance with labor laws. Critical skills include strong accounting and financial knowledge and experience in the relevant payroll software.

HR Operations Manager

An HR Operations Manager oversees the day-to-day functions of the HR department, ensuring smooth operations in areas like payroll, benefits administration, and record-keeping. Experience with HR software and strong organizational skills are essential for this role. Additionally, knowledge of employment law and a talent for problem-solving are beneficial.

HR Project Manager

An HR Project Manager leads and oversees initiatives within the HR department. They plan, develop, and execute projects to improve or expand HR programs, such as implementing new software or revamping the recruitment process. 

Success in this role requires HR knowledge and project management skills. Strong communication, research, and analytical abilities, as well as experience managing budgets and deadlines, are essential.

HR Scrum Manager

An HR Scrum Manager blends HR practices with the Agile Scrum framework. They facilitate HR processes, manage Scrum teams within HR, and ensure smooth workflows for recruitment, onboarding, and training. Important skills include HR expertise, Scrum certification, and strong communication and collaboration abilities. An HR Scrum manager also needs to be able to coordinate teams to meet strict project deadlines.

HR Generalist

An HR Generalist is an all-rounder in the HR world. They are responsible for handling various tasks, including recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, and benefits administration. HR Generalists are common in small and medium-sized businesses that may not need dedicated specialists for each HR function.

An HR Generalist needs hard skills like data analysis and payroll and soft skills like communication to handle employee issues. To excel in this position, an HR Generalist must stay up-to-date on HR regulations and be tech-savvy in navigating HR information systems.

Talent Acquisition Specialist

A Talent Acquisition Specialist (also known as a Recruitment Specialist) is responsible for finding qualified candidates to fill open positions. Their focus areas include sourcing applicants through online platforms and professional networks, screening résumés, conducting interviews, and coordinating the hiring process.

A Talent Acquisition Specialist requires strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills. Tech-savviness is also essential for using applicant tracking systems (ATS) and social media for recruiting purposes.

Compensation and Benefits Specialist

A Compensation and Benefits Specialist is responsible for designing competitive compensation packages, including salaries and benefits, to attract and retain top talent. This involves research, data analysis, and staying abreast of employment laws. This role is more common in larger organizations with complex structures.

A Compensation and Benefits Specialist requires strong analytical abilities to crunch numbers, a keen understanding of the job market, and excellent communication skills to explain complex benefits packages to employees.

Industrial Relations Specialist

An Industrial Relations Specialist (also known as an Employee Relations Specialist) acts as a diplomat within the organization on employee issues, and fairness and conflict resolution. They also act as the go-between during disputes with unions. 

Industrial Relations Specialists build relationships with employees, managers, and unions, ensure compliance with labor laws, and handle employee grievances and disputes. This role requires strong interpersonal and negotiation skills and an in-depth knowledge of employment laws.

HR Data Administrator

An HR Data Administrator ensures the accuracy and accessibility of the organization’s HR information. They manage the entire employee data lifecycle, from collection and analysis to storage and retrieval within the HR system. 

This also includes maintaining a well-organized electronic filing system for easy access and utilizing HR technologies to generate reports. They also play a crucial role in supporting HR colleagues, managers, and stakeholders by keeping HR information systems running smoothly.

HR Officer

An HR Officer (also known as an HR Representative) wears many hats. This is usually an entry-level position in the HR department that can be a springboard to higher-level HR roles. An HR Officer typically recruits, screens, and interviews candidates and handles contracts and paperwork. 

Additionally, they onboard new hires and answer employee questions about benefits and policies. This role requires strong communication and interpersonal skills, as HR Officers frequently interact with both employees and management.

HR Administrator

An HR Administrator is the backbone of the HR department. They handle essential administrative tasks. Depending on the company’s size and complexity, this role is typically entry-level or mid-level. 

They handle employee records, assist with onboarding new hires, answer questions about HR policies, and sometimes assist with payroll. Strong organization, communication, and computer skills are critical in this role.

HR Coordinator

An HR Coordinator is an entry-level HR professional who provides administrative support to the HR department. They act as a bridge between employees and HR, answering questions, processing paperwork, managing HR data, evaluating employee relations, and ensuring smooth HR operations. Strong organizational, administrative, and interpersonal skills are key in this position.

4 tips on choosing the right HR career for you

HR offers a wide range of fulfilling career opportunities. But with so many options, figuring out which one is right for you can be tough. Here are some tips to help you pick the best HR path:

1. Complete a self-assessment

• Identify which role suits you: Do you enjoy building relationships, analyzing data, or strategizing? HR offers roles requiring all these diverse skills, so it’s important to find the one that best suits your interests.
• Match your talents and preferences: Are you a detail-oriented problem solver, a persuasive communicator, or a creative thinker? Do you prefer working with data or with people? Consider your strengths and priorities when seeking the perfect HR role.
• Consider what matters in your work environment: Do you thrive in fast-paced roles where you need to juggle tasks and troubleshoot constantly, or do you prefer focus and stability? Factor this in when choosing your ideal role.

HR tip

Set goals frequently to accelerate your career: Regularly set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to stay focused on your HR growth journey. Instead of setting grand, intimidating goals, focus on more manageable and realistic achievements that build and compound the skills and experience you’ll need to progress in your field.

2. Plot your HR career trajectory

AIHR’s purpose-built interactive HR Career Map tool will help you plot your HR career trajectory by visualizing various HR career paths to help you plot where you are now and where you want to be in the future. This tool also allows you to explore and compare different specialties based on your specific interests and skills. 

3. Immerse yourself in the discipline  

Once you’ve found an HR position that interests you, take the time to explore what it entails. You can do this by reading extensively about the role, actively engaging in professional online communities, watching educational videos, and listening to podcasts. This will help you better understand the role’s daily responsibilities, the essential skills it requires, and the potential career advancement opportunities it offers. 

4. Formalize your skills before making a career shift

Don’t jump into a new HR specialization without first sharpening your skill set. Invest in yourself by taking courses or earning certifications to build your confidence so you can transition smoothly into a new role.

Formal education exposes you to the realities of your chosen HR discipline and shows your dedication to hiring teams. By testing the waters first, you can align the path you’re considering with your interests and set yourself up for success in the next phase of your HR journey.

HR tip

Take control of your career progression: Thomas Edison once said: “Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.” The sum of any career is simply a collection of experiences, so be deliberate in planning and preparing your career pathway. Doing so will take your résumé from average to exceptional. Use AIHR’s HR Career Map to chart your path to the career of your dreams.

To sum up

Knowing the HR industry’s salary standards can help you plan a rewarding career that provides you with upward mobility and fair compensation. Use the tips in this article to set goals, enhance your skills, and pursue opportunities that will propel you up the HR earnings and career ladder.

At the same time, you can check out AIHR’s wide range of online courses and certificate programs that can help expand your HR skill set and prepare you for your dream career in the field of HR.

The post How Much Does HR Make? Your 2024 Salary Guide  appeared first on AIHR.

Going forward, HRBPs must be ready to navigate not only the current reality but also future demands. What’s more, they need to address the perception that the HRBP role has not delivered sufficient strategic impact. To achieve that, businesses must prioritize the development of HR Business Partner skills.

In this article, we explore the changing skill requirements of the HRBP, propose an HRBP profile based on our T-Shaped HR Competency Model, and show a three-phased approach to developing HRBPs that are ready for the future.

Contents
The changing expectations of the HR Business Partner
The current reality of the HRBP
Defining the skill set of the HR Business Partner of the future
Adopting a phased approach to developing HR Business Partner skills

The changing expectations of the HR Business Partner

The HR Business Partner role aims to bring HR closer to business, elevate its contribution to a strategic level, and ensure alignment between HR priorities and business goals. This positions the HRBP role as the HR representative in business and the business representative within HR. Often described as “wearing multiple hats”, the role is of a multifaceted nature, facing a variety of demands and expectations.

As business and the world of work change, we see three fundamental shifts in the HRBP role:

• The positioning of the HRBP role
• Its scope and focus
• The future impact of the HRBP role. 

Regarding positioning, the HRBP role will need to address an increasingly complex stakeholder landscape. This will include breaking the stereotype that HR only exists as a “partner to business” but instead becomes a strategic advisor to all, including various employment groups, the Board, and community stakeholders.

The HR Business Partner role will also broaden to include a more market-oriented focus. This expansion involves integrating HR activities with business and market demands and adopting a commercial mindset that aligns closely with evolving market trends.

By doing so, HRBPs will be better positioned to anticipate and react to the dynamic needs of the business. This way, the HR strategies can not only support but also drive key business objectives in alignment with the broader market landscape.

The impact of the HRBP will also shift to become more focused on business continuity and sustainability, ensuring that the business can deliver today and in the future. This can translate into building proactive workforce capability, proactive risk management, and fluid talent strategies to gain access to skills.

We discussed how HR can embrace change and succeed in the future with Jan Laurijssen, HR Evangelist from SD Worx. See the full conversation below:

The current reality of the HRBP

The changing expectations will demand more from HRBPs, and organizations must create an environment that enables HRBPs to perform their role successfully. This includes investing in relevant technologies, equipping HR teams appropriately, and ensuring a clear mandate and legitimization of HR within the organization.

Unfortunately, these factors are not in place for many HRBPs. A lot of HRBPs feel they are pulled into transactional work given the lack of infrastructure and resources, and many also cite high levels of burnout. Beyond these challenges, we also need to realistically assess where the HR Business Partners are today in terms of skillset to determine how big the transition will be in the future.

AIHR’s T-Shaped HR Competency Model is based on multiple years of research with more than 20,000 HR professionals and various organizations using it as the standard for their HR teams. For HRBPs specifically, we find the following insights about the current reality of how HRBPs evaluate themselves against the model:

• HRBPs leverage their interpersonal skills and focus on driving execution to create business impact
• HRBPs have less preference and confidence in using data and digital in their day-to-day execution
• Confidence in business acumen is steadily increasing, yet this seems to be developed at senior levels and may not be a focus area at other levels within the organization
• People advocacy remains a reported strength for HRBPs, often also based on the experience and exposure that they have had.

HRBPs highlight their drive to balance business expectations with HR solutions, often stating that they are drawn to the career as they want to help make the business successful.

Delving further into the career of the HR professional, we see that the HRBP role remains one of the leading preparatory roles for future CHROs, even though many HRBPs do not necessarily aspire to move into a future CHRO role.

Defining the skill set of the HR Business Partner of the future

Based on these realities and insights, we used our T-Shaped HR Competency Model to identify and prioritize the behaviors that we believe will be crucial for the HRBP of the future.

These competencies, skills, and behaviors aim to outline the competencies HR Business Partners need to be future-fit and remain relevant: 

Let’s break this down.

Competency 1: Business Acumen

From its inception, the HRBP role demanded business focus and commercial awareness. A strong focus on business acumen formed the bedrock of the HRBP profile and will continue to do so in the future.

Going forward, the HRBP must have greater market understanding and the ability to translate how emerging trends can influence their business. This will naturally lead to more involvement in the strategic processes of organizations. In addition, we firmly believe that scenario planning will become a key area of expertise for HRBPs in the future.

Competency 2: Data Literacy

As organizations become more data-driven, the emergence of evidence-based HR is ushering the field in a similar direction.

The ability of HRBPs to be aware of how and where data can be utilized, how to apply data to business and HR hypotheses, and communicate data in a meaningful and effective way will become crucial. The HRBP of the future is a master data-driven storyteller and is comfortable infusing data across the HR value chain.

Competency 3: Digital Agility

Leveraging technology in the future will be critical to the success of the HRBP. Utilizing technologies to improve individual productivity and knowing how and where to introduce technology into HR practices will allow the HRBP to partner in a more meaningful manner at scale.

As organizations adopt digital collaboration tools and ways of working, the HRBP must also be able to effectively drive the HR agenda using these digital platforms. This goes beyond being an expert in MS Teams or Zoom; it is rather about knowing how to do HR work effectively in a digital world.

Competency 4: People Advocacy

Globally, employees are overwhelmed, and uncertainties related to the future workplace will place increasing pressure on them. HRBPs must master creating organizational cultures that balance wellbeing and productivity, advocating for a healthy workforce to drive organizational performance.

This delicate balance will require HRBPs to advise business leaders on balancing targets with health, all in the name of creating sustainable organizations with workforces that can deliver today and tomorrow. Managing this process will require significant change management, not only in evolving workplace practices but also in the leadership team’s mindset.

Competency 5: Execution Excellence

Execution Excellence refers to how the HRBP shows up in the organization. Specifically for the HRBP of the future, the ability to problem-solve, think systemically about the organization, and a strong drive towards action will be required.

Given the nature of the role, interpersonal skills such as networking, managing conflict, and leading with empathy will remain important. Yet, we see the increasing importance of what the HRBP does and how they do it, highlighting a renewed focus on interpersonal skills.

Specialist competencies

Complementing these core competency domains, we see several specific domains that will increase in importance for the future HRBP.

First, HRBPs will need a thorough understanding of the HR value chain. This will equip them with the foundational knowledge to integrate HR practices and policies into comprehensive business-focused solutions.

The attraction, development, and retention of talent will remain a critical driver of business success. In addition, the future HRBP needs a thorough understanding of talent management, performance management, and compensation and benefits as the foundation of building comprehensive employee experiences.

Given these realities, as a starting point, we need to invest in HRBP reskilling and ensure a continuous and responsible development experience for HRBPs to transition into this expanded role over time.

Adopting a phased approach to developing HR Business Partner skills

Reflecting on these requirements, it is important to be realistic regarding how HRBPs can transition into the future.

As we’ve seen in the past when organizations redefine the role of HRBPs without stipulating a realistic development roadmap for them, the HRBP operating model fails to bring the desired results, and the role itself is seen as nothing more than a title change. 

To address this challenge, we propose a three-phased approach to developing HRBPs, prioritizing the skills highlighted above at different times to increase the fastest route to value.

Phase 1: Entry to the game – By building solid foundations

To ensure the fastest time to value for new HRBPs, there should be a focus on the following skills:

Phase 2: Adding value – By building emerging skills

Once the foundation has been established, the focus should shift towards emerging skills that include the following:

Phase 3: Making impact – By differentiated skillsets

During phase 3, as the HRBP steps towards more senior responsibilities, prioritize the following, considering the potential transition to a future CHRO role.

Final words

As the world of work changes, so too must the scope of the HRBP role. We believe the HRBP role will become increasingly important in a future characterized by AI, increasing skills gaps and talent shortages, and shifting economic powers. As businesses navigate these turbulent waters, they will require HRBPs with the required skill set to guide them.

The post HR Business Partner Skills of the Future: How Organizations Should Develop Their HRBPs appeared first on AIHR.

Contents
What is Human Resource Management?
What is a human resource?
The 7 HR basics
1. Recruitment & selection
2. Performance management
3. Learning & development
4. Succession planning
5. Compensation and benefits
6. HR Information Systems
7. HR data and analytics
How has Human Resource Management changed and evolved?
Human Resource Management skills
FAQ

What is Human Resource Management?

Human Resource Management (HRM) is a strategic approach to managing employees to achieve better organizational performance. It aims to attract, manage, and retain employees who contribute to the company’s success, ensuring their alignment with the organization’s strategic goals and culture. HRM encompasses various functions, including recruitment, compensation, and employee development, to support and engage the workforce effectively.

For example, if you hire people into a business, you are looking for people who resonate with your company culture as they will be happier, stay longer, and be more productive than people who don’t. Another example is engagement. Engaged employees are more productive, deliver higher quality work, and make customers happier. This means that if HR can find ways to make employees more engaged, this benefits the company.

The HR department aims to provide the knowledge, tools, training, legal advice, administration, and talent management crucial to supporting and advancing the company. 

This is what Human Resource Management boils down to: optimizing organizational performance through better management of human resources.

Explore the HR Management basics in the video below:

The logical next question is, who are these human resources?

What is a human resource?

Referring to people as ‘human resources’ in the business environment of today can feel weird and outdated. However, for clarity and the context of this article, we’ll continue to use this term. Besides, as one author rightly pointed out, ‘It’s not how you call it, but what you do’ counts. 

Human resources are all the people who work for or contribute to the organization in one capacity or another. Together, these people make up a company’s workforce. They can be full-time or part-time salaried or hourly employees, for example, but also contingent workers such as consultants, contractors, or freelancers. Ten years ago, 15% of the U.S. workforce consisted of contingent workers; today, they account for 35%.

Non-human resources 

And then there is a relatively new, non-human element to consider when we talk about human resources in the context of the workforce: robots. 

Machines and robots are increasingly involved in day-to-day work in all industries, and the interaction between the human and the machine is becoming increasingly important to the organization’s success.

While these machines are not considered ‘human resources,’ there is a case to be made that they should be included and taken into account in some way as they are a part of the workforce.

Why is Human Resource Management important?

HRM involves various activities, processes, and policies – tied together in an HR strategy – that aim to align a company’s workforce with its strategic (business) objectives. 

As such, effective Human Resource Management is integral to any organization’s success and plays a role in the following:

• Attracting and retaining talent: The HR department creates a comprehensive talent strategy that helps the organization recruit, develop, and retain the right people.  
• Enabling managers: Managers play a crucial role in employee retention and success. HR is there to equip managers with all the tools, resources, and support they need to help their teams flourish.  
• Driving strategic planning: HR works with senior leaders to keep the HR strategy in line with the organization’s objectives. This enables the HR team to identify talent gaps and create workforce plans to then proactively find the right talent for the right position.  
• Fostering organizational culture: HRM plays a vital role in shaping and cultivating the company’s culture by establishing the values, norms, and behaviors that correspond with the organization’s mission and vision. 
• Creating a productive work environment: A positive work environment is good for employee productivity, which, in turn, is critical to the success of the business. Various HRM practices, therefore, aim to implement effective performance management systems, set clear job expectations, and provide regular feedback, among other things.

The seven HR basics

When we talk about Human Resource Management, several elements are considered cornerstones for effective HRM policies. These cornerstones are: 

1. Recruitment & selection 
2. Performance management 
3. Learning & development 
4. Succession planning 
5. Compensation and benefits 
6. Human Resources Information System (HRIS)
7. HR data and analytics 

Let’s take a closer look at each of the seven HR Management basics.

1. Recruitment & selection

Recruitment and selection are the most visible elements of HR. Who doesn’t remember their very first job interview, right?

The goal of the recruitment and selection process is to find and hire the best candidate for the job, with the former focusing on attracting potential candidates to apply for the role and the latter focusing on evaluating and choosing the best candidate among the applicants. 

The recruitment process usually involves the following steps in some shape or form:

• Preparing:
  • Vacancy intake with the hiring manager
  • Write job description
  • Creating job adverts
• Sourcing:
  • Sourcing candidates
  • Checking the existing talent pool 
  • Keeping the hiring manager informed 
• Screening:
  • Screening resumes
  • Phone screening
  • Giving a realistic job preview

The last phase of the recruitment phase has some overlap with the selection process, which then continues as follows: 

• The job interview
• An assessment 
• References and background check 
• The hiring decision 
• Job offer and contract 
• (Preboarding and onboarding)

2. Performance management

As we’ve mentioned earlier, an organization’s performance management practices play an important role in creating a productive and positive work environment and keeping employees engaged. According to a report by the HR Research Institute, 67% of leading organizations in performance management experienced increased employee performance, compared to only 16% of so-called performance laggards.

Performance management is the second HR Management cornerstone. It is a set of processes and systems aimed at developing employees in a way that enables them to perform their jobs to the best of their ability. Employees who are empowered to their full potential, improve the efficiency, sustainability, and profit margin of a business.

The goal of performance management is threefold: 

1. To help employees build on skills that enable them to perform better in their roles
2. To reach their highest potential
3. To boost their success while accomplishing the strategic goals of the organization.  

Effective performance management is based on a continuous conversation between employees, their managers, and HR. 

A strategic and systematic performance management process combines verbal and written components that take place throughout the year. It involves the following actions:

• Establishing clear expectations
• Setting individual objectives and goals that align with team and organizational goals 
• Providing different types of feedback
• Regular performance conversations, such as performance reviews and performance appraisals
• Evaluating results.

Important decisions regarding an employee’s career, such as promotions, bonuses, and dismissals, should be linked to the organization’s performance management process.

3. Learning & development

Learning and development (L&D) is another HR fundamental and an essential part of an organization’s overall people development strategy. 

Put simply, L&D is a systematic process that enhances people’s skills, knowledge, and competencies to improve their work performance. 

Learning involves acquiring knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes that result in better job performance. Examples of what learning activities can look like include: 

• Reading blogs, articles, or books 
• Hands-on experimentation
• Peer learning
• Lunch and learn sessions
• Attending seminars, conferences, or webinars

Development evolves around broadening and deepening a person’s knowledge in line with their individual, long-term professional goals. The idea here is to grow job-related abilities and expand someone’s potential for future opportunities. 

Activities focused on development include: 

• Coaching
• Job shadowing
• Leadership training
• Mentoring

L&D helps employees to reskill and upskill. It is typically led by HR, and a solid learning and development program can be very helpful in advancing the organization toward its long-term goals. 

This approach allows employees to bridge skill gaps and grow into leaders. A well-known framework that connects performance management with L&D activities is the 9-box grid. Based on people’s performance and potential ratings, HR and the manager can advise on various development plans in consultation with the employee. 

4. Succession planning

Succession planning involves planning contingencies in case key employees leave the organization. It is about proactively identifying top performers and potential leaders and getting them ready to fill (senior) positions as soon as someone leaves. 

While crucial for the continuity – and sometimes even the survival – of the business, many companies of all sizes still don’t have a solid succession plan.

Succession planning is a complex process and if you want to navigate it successfully, keep the following three things in mind:

• Critical roles only: Succession planning focuses on roles that are vital to the organization’s competitiveness and continuity, especially senior leadership roles.
• Key talent: Unsurprisingly, for those critical roles, only top performers and potential leaders (usually internal candidates) are selected to be mentored and developed. 
• Continuity: The ultimate purpose of succession planning is to ensure that someone else is ready to take over immediately when someone leaves to maintain business continuity.

5. Compensation and benefits

Another fundamental component of HR management is compensation and benefits, often called comp & ben. Fair compensation is critical in attracting, motivating, and retaining employees. 

Compensation and benefits consist of all the monetary and non-monetary rewards employees receive from their employer in exchange for their labor. Examples include: 

• Salary
• Bonuses
• Insurance 
• Retirement contribution
• Childcare benefits
• Flexible working options
• Etc.

Getting comp and ben right is important for two main reasons.

On the one hand, making a solid, attractive offer is key to attracting the best talent. On the other hand, comp & ben and related taxes can account for up to 70% of business costs, highlighting the importance of balancing this with the organization’s budget and profit margins. HR should, therefore, closely monitor the state of compensation and benefits at their organization.

A final thing to note here is that employee satisfaction is mainly driven by what they perceive as fair rather than by how much someone is paid. How employees feel about the company’s pay philosophy and process is more likely to impact their outlook than the actual pay.

So, in addition to offering decent compensation, HR teams may want to start paying more attention to how pay transparency works and how to manage compensation perceptions at their company.

6. Human Resource Information System (HRIS)

The two final HR Management basics are not HR practices but tools to improve HR. The first one is the Human Resources Information System, or HRIS. 

Most HRIS solutions support all the HR processes and practices we discussed above. Sometimes, however, the management of these functionalities is spread out over different HR systems. For example:

• HR professionals often use an Applicant Tracking System, or ATS, for recruitment and selection to keep track of applicants and new hires
• For performance management, a performance management system is used to keep track of individual goals and insert performance ratings 
• In L&D, organizations utilize the Learning Management System (LMS) to distribute learning content internally, and other HR systems are used to keep track of budgets and training approvals
• Compensation specialists often use a payroll system
• There are digital tools that enable effective succession planning.  

According to the annual Digital Employee Experience Audit, 30% of companies still use more than ten different HR systems.  The bottom line here is that there is a significant digital element to working in HR, which is why we need to mention the HRIS when talking about the basic components of HRM.

7. HR data and analytics

The final HR fundamental revolves around data and analytics. In the last decade, HR has made a significant leap towards becoming more data-driven. 

The HRIS we just discussed is essentially a data-entry system. The data in these systems can be used to make better and more informed decisions. 

An easy way to keep track of critical data is through HR metrics and/or HR KPIs. These are specific measurements showing how a company performs on a given indicator. This is referred to as HR reporting. 

This type of reporting focuses on the current and past state of the organization. Using HR and people analytics, HR can also make predictions. Examples include workforce needs, employee turnover intention, the impact of the employee experience on customer satisfaction, and many others.  

HR can make more data-driven decisions by actively measuring and looking at this data. These decisions are more objective, which makes it easier to find management support for them.

How has Human Resource Management changed and evolved?

What Human Resource Management looks like today – and what is expected of HR professionals – is vastly different from what it looked like a hundred years ago. 

From around 1900 until the 1940s, for example, HR teams were mainly expected to keep employees healthy so that they would remain productive.  

During the 1980s and 1990s, HR departments ought to focus on motivating and engaging the workforce while modernizing their HR practices through technology implementations. 

What we’ve seen from 1990 onwards, and still see today, is that HR is expected to be a strategic partner and able to align the business agenda and the HR agenda.  

As for the (near) future, and as we enter the digital-human era of work, things will shift further, and even more will be expected of HR teams. They will have to guide the organization to adapt to workforce changes and redefine the working relationship between talent and employers.   

Human Resource Management skills

To strategize and execute HR initiatives, HR professionals need to possess the following skills:

1. HR specific skills, including:
   • HRM knowledge and expertise 
   • Administrative expertise
   • Employee experience expertise 
2. Business acumen, including:
   • Commercial awareness
   • HR strategy creation and execution 
   • Advising 
3. Soft skills, including:
   • Communication skills 
   • Active listening
   • Proactivity  
4. Digital & data literacy, including:
   • HR reporting skills 
   • Being analytical and data-driven 
   • Command of technology

However, as we’ve already pointed out, the field of Human Resource Management is continuously evolving, and the skills and competencies of HR practitioners have to evolve with it.

If we go beyond what’s currently expected of HR practitioners in terms of skills and competencies and look at what they need to develop they can start to future-proof their skill set, we get the following picture:

On a final note 

If there is one thing to take away from this article about the 7 Human Resource Management basics, it’s that all of these HR fundamentals are connected. 

Think of these HR components as building blocks – strong management of each core element contributes to the strength of the next. Collectively, these HR fundamentals enable a workforce to perform at its best.

FAQ

The post 7 Human Resource Management Basics Every HR Professional Should Know appeared first on AIHR.

Let’s get back to basics and explain the fundamentals of HR, the main HR functions and foundations, and get an overview of the key pillars of HR to help you build an effective people strategy. 

Contents
What is Human Resources?
HR functions
The foundations of HR
Human Resources pillars
The overarching ‘roof’ of HR

What is Human Resources?

Human Resources (HR) is a fundamental aspect of any organization. The term refers to:

• A function: HR as a business function involves processes and strategies for attracting, developing, and retaining talent to ensure company success.
• A department: The HR department manages all HR activities, including recruitment, onboarding, compensation, development, performance management, and employee relations.
• HR as the workforce: Human resources are essentially the employees of the organization.

Whether it’s developing company policies, hiring, onboarding, employer branding, and developing compliance standards, the HR function is responsible for managing a company’s entire employee experience. To do so effectively, the team must have all the HR pillars aligned to deliver effectively to meet both business and people strategy goals.

These pillars are outlined in greater detail in this article. In addition to pillars, Human Resources is comprised of HR functions and HR foundations.

HR functions

Some of the main HR functions include:

• Recruitment, hiring, and retention: Development of an effective recruitment and hiring strategy, as well as ongoing retention efforts
• Employee engagement: Help drive employee engagement by creating and maintaining a positive and growth oriented work environment for employees where open communication is encouraged and modeled
• Performance management: Support the performance management process by assisting employees and managers with the annual performance review process and encouraging ongoing feedback throughout the year 
• Training and development: HR should be proactive in determining what training would benefit the workforce and help create those training programs accordingly
• Compensation and benefits: Ensure market pay research is up to date and considered in the company’s compensation and benefits structure. 
• Compliance: HR needs to help ensure HR compliance with all applicable labor laws and regulations, including the development of policies and procedures.
• Strategic planning: Support the company with the development and administration of strategic business plans.
• Safety and health: Remain in compliance with any safety and health regulations and support related initiatives. Provide required training as needed.
• Employee wellbeing: Implement programs that prioritize employees’ physical and mental wellbeing, including employee assistance programs, mental health awareness initiatives, physical health programs

The foundations of HR

HR also consists of some main foundations and key areas. HR drives and provides oversight to these functions, which include:

1. Workforce strategy: HR should drive a company’s workforce strategic plan, which includes assessing staffing needs, both in numbers and skills, maintaining competitive pay and benefits, supporting the performance management and career development process. This includes current and future needs.
2. Organizational design: Support the management and implementation of a company’s strategic strategy. A company’s strategy is a key component in determining its organizational and company culture. 
3. HR services: Research and implement HR services that support employees and the business, such as HR self-service features, employee assistance programs, etc. 
4. HR technology: With a seemingly limitless amount of available HR technology options, HR can drive the implementation of cost-effective technology solutions that support HR services, payroll, compliance, reporting, timekeeping, and other HR functions.

Human Resources pillars

A company’s HR strategy is a roadmap for how companies manage their number one asset, their employees. There are several HR “pillars” that are key to. an effective and successful HR strategy. The HR pillars include the following:

Pillar 1: Talent acquisition and recruitment

HR professionals in talent acquisition and recruitment teams are responsible for recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new employees. They’re responsible for the entire hiring process from “A to Z”. 

The role of recruiters includes consulting with managers on hiring needs and type of employment needed (full-time, part-time, temporary, contingent workers, etc), development of job postings, sourcing of candidates from job boards, job fairs, and social media – all with the goal of developing skilled and diverse candidate pools.

Recruiters also support the screening and background check process, conducting initial or “screening” interviews, and coordinating with the hiring manager on final hiring decisions. 

Pillar 2: Talent management

Talent management is the process of attracting, developing, motivating, and retaining employees. It includes attracting top talent and ensuring they have the tools and resources they need to succeed and thrive. This will help drive employee performance and productivity, which ultimately supports the company’s goals and mission. 

Tied to talent management are employee experience and engagement. 

• Employee experience covers all the elements and components of the employee life-cycle, from onboarding to performance reviews, team meetings, developmental opportunities, offboarding, etc.  
• Employee engagement reflects how employees feel about working at the company, engagement in the job they perform, understanding of how their job makes a positive impact on the company, etc.  Note that there is a difference between employee experience and engagement, but both are equally important

HR tip

HR plays an important role in an employee’s experience and engagement by coordinating various team building activities that promote a positive and inclusive environment. Whether the team building event is virtual, in-person, onsite or offsite – the options for connectivity abound! These are opportunities for employees to get to know each other better and appreciate each other’s  uniqueness, and also promote the cohesiveness of a team.

Pillar 3: Legal and regulatory compliance

This HR pillar serves as a foundation of all HR processes, and HR ensures that the company is compliant with all applicable laws and regulations. HR coordinates communication and training of these laws, such as anti-discrimination and anti-harassment. HR needs to stay abreast of new laws or changes to existing laws.

Pillar 4: Performance management

Performance management is the ongoing process of evaluating how individual employees are performing, identifying areas of improvement, and recognizing achievement. Many companies conduct performance reviews on an annual basis, with ongoing feedback or informal reviews throughout the year.

There should be no surprises come review time. Managers need to be communicating with their employees on a regular basis. This includes providing ongoing informal feedback – both positive and negative – and addressing any performance-related issues in a timely manner as opposed to waiting for the annual review. 

HR plays a key role in the overall performance management process. They can determine the company’s performance management schedule and cycle, provide performance management training to managers, help managers complete reviews for their employees, assist management and employees with facilitating performance management discussions, and assist in the development of performance improvement plans. 

Performance review practices include setting clear expectations, and encouraging employee input during the review about their satisfaction, career goals, questions, etc. 

HR tip

Performance management training for managers is critical to developing accurate and effective performance reviews. HR can assist managers in making sure they are clearly and tactfully articulating their assessment of an employee’s performance. Performance management training can include tools such as sample performance review templates, role playing exercises, and methods to make the performance review process collaborative. 

Pillar 5: Rewards and recognition

Rewards and recognition programs are common and effective ways to incentivize and motivate employees, and both programs show appreciation to employees for their contributions.

Rewards are typically connected to a specific metric and come with some type of recognition. For example, if employees in the sales department exceed their goals, then the manager may present them with a gift card as a reward, and a verbal “thank you” as recognition, either individually or in a staff meeting. Many companies also provide service awards, which recognize an employee’s years of service milestones.  

With recognition, there may or may not be a metric. Employees can be recognized for many things, such as hard work on a project, positive attitude or teamwork, going above and beyond, etc. Rewards and recognition can include work anniversaries and promotions, life events, such as birthdays, weddings, professional certifications or graduations, and individual or team accomplishments. 

HR drives many of the reward and recognition initiatives and programs within the company. HR should make rewards and recognition a consistent process. Not only does that promote fairness and equity, but it gives employees something to work towards and look forward to. 

Pillar 6: Career development

Employees want to feel supported by their employer when it comes to their career growth and development. Even if employees are happy in their role and not looking to switch jobs or get promoted, there still is always something to learn and ways to grow in a current role. Employees should feel comfortable expressing their career and developmental interests to their managers and HR. These types of discussions often occur during an employee’s performance review. 

There are many facets to career development, such as training classes, job shadowing, developmental rotations, etc. HR can help initiate and organize all of these developmental activities. The development of employees often requires that the company invest dollars and time, but it has long-term benefits such as higher quality, engagement, morale, productivity, and retention.

HR’s support of this initiative is important, and HR needs to keep an “open-door” communication policy with employees, especially when employees don’t feel comfortable – for whatever reason- with discussing their development with their direct supervisor or manager. HR can provide support and find options to help facilitate the employee-manager discussion. 

Pillar 7: Employee relations

Employee relations focuses on strengthening and cultivating the employee-employer relationship. HR professionals in this pillar support job satisfaction, organizational culture, employee engagement, and resolving workplace conflict. Some of the practices that help lay the foundation of positive employee relations include promoting, encouraging, and rewarding open and candid communication through the organization’s policies, processes, and procedures. This also extends to offering perks such as flexible work schedules, developmental job rotations, and working with management on leading by example.

HR tip

HR can develop and initiate tools such as employee engagement surveys and other anonymous resources that help measure employee relations and identify areas of improvement. Surveys can be administered at various intervals, such as annually, and HR should analyze the results/data for any patterns that need addressing. Being proactive can help address issues before they escalate – all which support the company’s employee relations pillar. Confidentiality of any surveys is key!

Pillar 8: Employee exits

Effective exit management focuses on providing a positive offboarding experience for departing employees for both voluntary and involuntary terminations. Exit interviews are important because they provide an in-depth look at the various components of an employee’s overall experience.

HR usually conducts exit interviews and should be consistent with how they’re administered. HR needs to collect and analyze the data received from exit interviews on a regular basis to address any patterns, concerns, or grievances. Being proactive about issues can help mitigate legal risks to the company. Additionally, some companies offer support in career transition and post-employment matters as part of the offboarding process.

The overarching ‘roof’ of HR

While HR strategies define the various logistics of HR-related functions (recruitment, compensation and benefits, training and development, etc.), people strategies outline the various methods to enhance and improve how employees carry out their roles, all while supporting the company’s business and HR strategy.  A company’s people strategy aspires to introduce processes and programs that improve employee performance, which supports employee retention, and can ultimately positively impact the company’s bottom line. 

 A company’s people strategy is directly related to the effectiveness and administration of its HR pillars. Without those solid pillars, the “roof” of HR may begin to crumble. 

Key takeaways

Today’s Human Resources departments have come a long way from days when their main responsibility was “hiring and firing.” HR now plays a strategic role in the daily operations of the organization’s business, particularly when it comes to employee engagement, HR compliance, and remaining proactive with the ever-changing HR initiatives, laws, and regulations.

When developing or updating an HR or people strategy, HR needs to define and incorporate HR pillars, as they cover and support the lifecycle of a company’s most valuable asset – its employees. 

The post Key Human Resources (HR) Pillars: Your 101 Guide appeared first on AIHR.

HR compliance is at the forefront of all HR initiatives and is critical in helping minimize legal risks to an organization. The risk of non-compliance can be detrimental. Since 2000, U.S. corporations have paid out a staggering $3 billion in employment-related and civil-rights lawsuits over allegations that their employer did not comply with applicable laws.

Let’s take a closer look at what human resources compliance is, why it’s important, what common HR compliance issues are, and what tools and strategies are needed to help stay on top of it.

Contents
What is compliance in HR?
Why is HR compliance so essential?
Your HR compliance checklist: 9 essential items
Developing an agile HR compliance strategy

What is compliance in HR?

HR compliance refers to a company’s policies, processes, and procedures that help ensure that work and employment practices adhere to applicable laws and regulations. This includes employment areas such as recruitment and hiring practices, compensation and benefits, workplace safety, employee classification, records retention, non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, and labor relations. 

Compliance minimizes the risk of employment-related grievances, legal penalties, fines, and lawsuits. HR compliance encompasses everything from creating and documenting policies and procedures to administrating and enforcing those policies.

Why is HR compliance so essential?

Human resources compliance is important for many reasons, including:

• Minimizes the risk of employment-related grievances, costly legal penalties, fines, and lawsuits
• Helps reduce any damage to a company’s reputation. A damaged reputation can cause a company to lose business, potential customers, and can take a long time to repair and regain trust
• Helps ensure an environment free of harassment and discrimination
• Supports recruiting efforts and employee retention
• Worker safety can be jeopardized if a company is not in compliance with safety-related laws
• Not only does HR compliance emphasize adherence to laws, but also helps develop fair and ethical behaviors and employment actions

Your HR compliance checklist: 9 essential items

Compliance in HR includes so many components, which is why a checklist is an excellent tool to help be proactive and complete the necessary actions in a timely manner – all of which can ultimately help ensure HR compliance. 

While the format and specific items on an HR compliance checklist can vary depending on a company’s location, size, and industry, the following are some common and critical checklist items, along with a brief description for each category:

1. Recruitment, interviewing, and hiring

• Ensure fair and consistent hiring practices: Standardize recruiting and interviewing procedures to ensure fair and inclusive hiring practices are followed. This includes prohibiting inappropriate interview questions, such as personal questions unrelated to the business or job at hand, avoiding preferential or discriminatory language in job postings, etc. 
• Background check and reference check compliance: Ensure consistency in administering and applying background checks. Develop an approval and documentation process for any exceptions.
• Form I-9 and work authorization compliance: Adherence to federal Form I-9 and work authorization requirements is critical. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can conduct periodic Form I-9 audits for completion, accuracy, and timeliness of Form I-9s.
• Records retention: Develop and adhere to documentation and records retention requirements on all recruitment and hiring initiatives, including Form I-9 retention.

2. Onboarding procedures and company policies

• New hire orientation: HR should provide thorough new employee onboarding that includes explaining all company policies. This could also include training on anti-discrimination and harassment, safety, employee rights and responsibilities, and any other applicable compliance policies or procedures. 
• Records retention: Maintain training and acknowledgment records of new employees from their new hire orientations

3. Employee classification

• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) compliance: HR is responsible for ensuring that company jobs are categorized accurately regarding exempt vs. non-exempt status. This impacts overtime eligibility.
• Contingent workforce: Workers must be classified correctly based on the type of hire, such as Independent contractors vs .W-2 employees, temporary employees, etc.

4. Compensation and benefits

• Payroll: Ensure tax compliance related to withholdings and reporting.
• Wages: Ensure compliance with any minimum wage laws.
• Benefits administration to eligible employees: Administration of healthcare, retirement, and other benefits. This includes leave of absence and adherence to applicable laws such as the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Affordable Care Act (ACA).

5. Safety and worker’s compensation

• Disability benefits: Ensure compliance with Department of Labor (DOL) Workers’ Compensation laws that entitle eligible workers to disability benefits if injured on the job.
• Posting requirements: Certain required Workers’ Compensation notices of workers’ rights and reporting procedures must be posted in areas visible to employees.
• Job and safety training: If applicable, provide job and safety training in accordance with OSHA requirements.

6. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)

• DEIB initiatives: Develop DEIB policies that address equal pay practices, reasonable accommodation policies, good faith efforts, etc.
• Affirmative Action Plans (AAP): Develop AAPs and communicate goals to hiring managers. Retention of AAP and good faith effort documentation. This is subject to audit by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). 

7. Data privacy and information security

• Data handling and storage policies: This includes controls such as who has access to employee data, how it’s stored, and a data and records retention policy.
• Cybersecurity measures: Take proactive steps in the prevention of cyberattacks and phishing scams, and development of a data breach response plan. This may include the development of additional policies, such as an electronic communication-related policy.
• Compliance with data protection laws: Be aware of data privacy laws, such as HIPAA and make sure there are policies, procedures, and controls in place.

8. Termination and separation

• Termination procedures: Establish a termination policy, including removing access to company network and systems. Conduct exit interviews, payout of any unused vacation time. Provide information to employees on final paychecks and the continuation of benefits (COBRA).
• Classification of termination: Ensure accurate termination documentation and classification, such as voluntary vs. involuntary terminations. This will help if the former employer files for unemployment compensation or files any grievances against the company.

9. Unions and collective bargaining agreements

• Contract training: Train managers on key elements of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) if any company jobs are covered under this agreement. Covered employees can file grievances for noncompliance with the CBA, which can also be costly to companies 
• Labor law training: Train managers on any applicable labor laws.

This checklist serves as a general guide, and HR should tailor their checklists to their specific needs, circumstances, and applicable labor laws. Regular review and updates can ensure continued compliance with evolving laws and regulations

Developing an agile HR compliance strategy

One of the many important roles of Human Resources is to ensure a safe, fair, and equitable workplace for all employees. This includes providing oversight to a company’s adherence to employment laws and regulations, as well as an understanding of which governing agencies are responsible for enforcement. 

By being proactive rather than reactive, HR can help protect the company from legal and financial risks. Here are some HR compliance best practices HR can assist with that support the adherence to labor laws:

1. Stay current with new or updated regulations: Labor regulations can change over time, including federal, state, and local regulations. It’s important that HR supports the organization by staying abreast of new and changing regulations. Consult with internal or external legal counsel if needed.

HR tip

Refer to trusted and reliable resources to stay up-to-date with regulations: 

• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• U.S. Department of Labor
• Society for Human Resource Management

2. Use HR technology: Various HR software can assist with HR compliance, such as for payroll and applicant tracking.  

3. Practice policy documentation: Ensure that your company’s policies and procedures are documented and easily available to all employees. This can include posting the policies on the company’s internal website, in an employee handbook, a company’s standard operating procedures, or in a compliance manual. 

4. New hire training: Offer a comprehensive onboarding process, where newly hired employees learn about company policies, procedures and processes. Ensure that employee acknowledge their understanding of the policies, their rights and responsibilities, and how to report any grievances or potential noncompliance. Employees should undergo additional or refresher compliance training at various intervals, such as annually or every 2 years. 

5. Management and HR training: Ensure HR teams and managers are knowledgeable about leave laws and accommodation requirements and that they can communicate with employees about their rights and responsibilities. Hiring managers often need reminding of HR compliance items such as appropriate interview questions before speaking with candidates. 

6. Regularly audit policies: Regularly auditing an organization’s policies and associated procedures is key to staying compliant. Again, companies can partner with legal counsel on this. Any changes to policies and procedures need to be communicated to employees and management in a timely manner.

7. Compliance risk assessment: HR can design a risk assessment to take a proactive approach to understanding the key company risks and a plan to address them through policies, procedures, and other related processes and actions. The risk assessment can be reviewed on a regular basis as determined by HR.

Key takeaways

Few aspects of HR are more “high-stakes” than HR compliance. Compliance in HR includes the development of policies, procedures, and related processes that help ensure companies carry out fair practices according to law and regulations.Noncompliant companies run the risk of spending millions of dollars on fines and settlements – all of which can be detrimental to a company’s bottom line and reputation. 

The ever-changing nature of employment regulations can make HR compliance complex and seem like a chore that takes time away from running a business. The time it takes to be proactive and stay abreast of labor laws is key to a company’s long-term success when it comes to remaining in compliance. This is where, once again, HR can help “save the day” by staying up-to-date on any labor laws and regulations that may affect their organization. 

The post Your Ultimate HR Compliance Checklist for 2024 appeared first on AIHR.

In this article, we’ll review the purpose and elements of a time off request form. We’ll also share how to create one, some best practices for using it, and provide a downloadable time off request form template.

Contents
What is a time off request?
Why is a time off request form needed?
How do you create a time off request form?
6 time off request best practices
Time off request form template
FAQ

What is a time off request?

A time off request is a formalized method of anticipating and planning for employee absences. The process involves employees submitting a paper or online document that states the specific dates they would like to take leave from work and then receiving approval or denial from their employer.

Although they should be handled consistently throughout an organization, time off request requirements vary among different types of businesses. For organizations that function with self-directed employees, time off requests may be more of a notification than a request for approval. An employee who manages their own schedule may be free to simply state, “I’ll be gone the first two weeks of July.” 

However, for a wide variety of organizations, employees must follow a structured approach to taking time off so the business can maintain operations. For example, grocery stores need a certain number of cashiers every shift, and factories must have enough workers on the floor to preserve production levels. In these cases, employees should obtain approval for their absences in advance.

Why is a time off request form needed?

An organized format helps organizations adhere to leave policies. Documenting requests for time off serves several purposes, such as:

• Streamlining the request and approval process for HR, managers, and employees
• Tracking employee absences and maintaining time off policy consistency
• Receiving advanced notice of absences to allow time for staffing needs planning
• Retaining records for compliance with company policies and legal requirements.

How do you create a time off request form?

An employee time off request form must be simple to use and include all the critical information. Carefully thinking through how to develop a form specific to your organization will help you accomplish this.

Whether starting from scratch or customizing a template (see our sample below), the following nine steps cover the main elements a time off request should include:

• Determine which information the form needs to include: Collecting all the relevant information on one form simplifies the process and prevents approval delays. Typically, this includes:
  • Employee’s name and signature
  • Employee ID number or job title
  • Department or team
  • Date of request
  • Type of leave (e.g., vacation, sick leave, military leave, personal day)
  • Dates of leave
  • Return to work date
  • Date of approval or denial
    
    Depending on the details of your time off policy, you may need to add other options, such as:
  • Reason for leave 
  • Contact information during leave
  • Section for additional comments or attachments (in case further explanation or supporting documentation is necessary)

• Choose a format: According to your organization’s resources and workforce needs, select the appropriate format for the time off request form. Options include a paper document, a digital form via email, or an HR information system submission. Provided that all your employees can access them, digital formats are the most convenient and easiest to track.

• Design the form: Create a visual document for the time off request form. This can be done through Google Forms or Word, for example. Construct a form that is eye-catching, straightforward, and logically organized.

• State the instructions: Provide clear, concise instructions on the top of the form that describe how to fill it out and the submission and approval process. Be sure to include how far in advance of the leave employees must submit the form. In addition, clarify where to submit it and explain how employees are notified of approval or denial.

• Add fields for required information: Create fields for all the necessary details you established in Step 1. Ensure the fields are clearly labeled and easy to understand and that each one contains appropriate space for accommodating the applicable information.

• Incorporate an approval section: The person who will approve or deny the time off request needs a place to formally indicate the decision. It should also have space for comments and either a physical or digital signature.

• Ensure the form is user-friendly: Ask a couple of HR colleagues to review the form with a fresh set of eyes. In addition, be sure to get feedback from each department that will need to access the form, as well as the employee perspective, to confirm that it flows well, is easy to use, and contains everything that will be required. 

• Implement and communicate: Once the form is finalized and ready to implement, make sure everyone knows about it. Announce that there is a new time off request method and communicate with all employees the guidelines for how the process works. If necessary, provide training, such as a quick instruction video.

• Review and update regularly: Don’t allow the time off request form to become inadequate or obsolete. Periodically reviewing it and the process can reveal whether they still meet the organization’s needs or should be revised. Making needed updates will keep the time off requests running smoothly.

6 time off request best practices

Once you have an employee time off request form in place, there are some considerations for successfully implementing it. Here are six best practices for an effective time off request process:

1. Separate requests for vacation days from requests for medical time off

Although you can use the same unpaid or paid time off request form for all types of leave, medical leave must take priority. 

It’s common policy and often required by law that employers provide sick days and time for employees to see doctors and receive treatments or therapy. Therefore, when balancing the number of absences in your workforce, time off for medical reasons should be approved before vacation days are granted. If need be, you could consider having a separate vacation request form.

2. Have a policy in place for when multiple people want the same day off

Certain times of the year are more desirable for taking time off, such as around holidays and school breaks. This means you are bound to have overlapped time off requests and must have a policy that will address these situations. 

Is it “first come, first served” or do you approve based on seniority? Should managerial discretion play a role? Does the reason for the leave weigh in? For instance, would a wedding or family reunion be prioritized over a casual weekend getaway? 

When you have a seniority rules policy, keep in mind that new hires will never get the week between Christmas and New Year’s off. This could cause a retention issue. Think through all these scenarios before creating your policy, as each business has different conditions and needs.

A union contract may also dictate how you approve days off, so make sure your policy matches the company’s legal obligations. 

3. Set up rules for when people can request time off

Place reasonable boundaries around the timing of submitting requests. Allowing people to claim time off years in advance could mean that some will monopolize the most desirable days. However, you also want to affirm that employees have ample time to plan a trip. 

On the other end of the spectrum, allowing people to make last-minute (non-emergency) leave requests can make covering their duties much more challenging.

Here is one example of setting parameters around time off request submission:

• At least 14 working days prior
• No more than one year in advance
• Requests for summer months must be submitted by March 31. 

4. Don’t ask for too much personal information

Whatever time off employees are entitled to is their time. They shouldn’t have to justify how they spend their time off because their employer is prying into their reasons for taking it. 

If you have a conflict where too many people want the same day off, you may need to prioritize based on the planned activity. However, if someone has available vacation time and the business won’t be adversely affected, their request should be granted without an inquiry. 

5. Strive to say yes

According to a Pew Research Center survey,  46% of U.S. workers who have access to paid time off take less than what they are eligible for. 

If there is any possible way to approve a day off, approve it. This is part of your employees’ compensation package; let them use and enjoy it. 

6. Don’t revoke already approved time off

Approving an employee’s time off request and then revoking it harms employee morale and your employer brand. 

When anticipating time off from work, people coordinate vacations with their families or traveling companions. This may include buying plane tickets and booking hotels. Having to cancel these plans is a major disappointment and inconvenience. It can also cause financial hardship.

These situations should be avoided to every extent possible. A well-organized time off request process can help safeguard against granting vacation days when they shouldn’t be. 

Time off request form template

Whether you’re creating a paper form or confirming that a digital format contains all the information you need, the following form template can help you get started:

The exact content of the employee time off request form will depend on your organization’s specific requirements and location, but it should be as concise as possible. More detailed information isn’t required unless there is a conflict with too many people wanting the same day off. 

However, certain situations may require a more expanded form. For instance, when employees are responsible for finding someone to replace them during their absence, you may choose to include space for them to name this person. Also, if your organization requires supplemental documentation to justify medical, military, or jury leave, you might want to add a place for this.

Over to you

Managing time off requests should create a balance between the demands of your organization and your workforce. 

Employees need their allotted time off to refresh themselves or take care of personal business. Having a thorough, simple employee time off request form in place coordinates the authorization process to give employees easy access and reduce miscommunication and errors. In addition, it allows you to better plan for absences and practice good record-keeping to uphold your time off policy and legal compliance.

FAQ

The post Time Off Request Form Template + How-To Guide appeared first on AIHR.

According to Precision Reports, the HR chatbot market is projected to grow considerably between 2023 and 2030. The US will play a key role in the development trend of HR chatbots. The high adoption of this technology and the presence of large players in this area will create enough growth opportunities for the market. Growing demand in the e-commerce, BFSI, telecom, government, education, food, and beverage industries directly impacts the growth of HR chatbots. 

Contents
What are HR chatbots?
Types of HR chatbots
The advantages of using HR chatbots
The disadvantages of using HR chatbots
5 examples of companies using chatbots in HR
HR chatbot providers

What are HR chatbots? 

HR chatbots are AI-powered virtual assistants designed to perform various human resources inquiries and tasks. They use natural language processing (NLP) to understand employee and candidate questions and provide relevant information or complete actions. Think of them as friendly, self-service HR representatives available 24/7.

In Engagedly’s State of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Human Resource Management report, the AI adoption rate worldwide stands at 21%. More companies recognize the benefits of AI for managing their employees. Global HRM leaders are adopting AI to drive transformations in HRM, with 45% incorporating AI for HRM. 

Also, 65% of respondents reported that AI improved productivity and efficiency in their HR departments. Performance management, employee engagement and satisfaction, training and development, recruitment and talent acquisition, and employee inquiries are among the top five functions that AI has significantly impacted.

Types of HR chatbots

1. Recruitment chatbots: Reply to basic candidate questions about the company and the open role, collect initial candidate information, schedule job interviews, and pre-qualify them by scoring their responses.
2. Onboarding chatbots: Guide new employees through onboarding and discuss company policies, benefits, tools, and culture. They also collect documents and answer questions.
3. HR helpdesk: Handles routine employee inquiries like benefits information, leave policies, and policy clarifications. They can also update employees’ information, track attendance, and direct staff to relevant HR resources.
4. Surveys and feedback chatbots: Conduct employee surveys (pulse surveys, exit surveys, engagement surveys) and gather employee feedback and sentiment to improve work culture.
5. Employee engagement chatbots: Help improve the employee experience by giving them access to company resources, allowing employees to communicate with each other, gather employee feedback about culture and business practices, and promote company events.
6. Wellbeing chatbots: Respond to health-related concerns, offer mental health support, and connect staff to wellness resources. 
7. Training and development chatbots: Assist employees in accessing training materials, recommend training courses, and answer training-related questions.
8. Performance management chatbots: Guide managers and staff during performance assessments, setting goals, and giving feedback. 
9. HR analytics chatbots: allow HR personnel to access analytics and insights to make data-driven decisions related to workforce planning, talent management, and employee engagement. 

The advantages of using HR chatbots

• Increase efficiency: Chatbots can streamline workflows and automate repetitive and routine HR tasks, so HR personnel can focus more on performing more strategic duties. 
• Enhance accessibility: They offer 24/7 access to information and support so that employees’ concerns can be addressed promptly.
• Improve employee experience: HR chatbots empower employees to self-serve and take control of their HR needs anytime, anywhere.
• Cost savings: Reduce HR operational expenses related to handling basic inquiries. 
• Boost employee engagement: They can offer a convenient and accessible platform to communicate and send feedback between employees and managers. 
• Better decision-making: HR chatbots collect valuable data from employees’ interactions, so HR can identify areas for improvement 
• Improved compliance: Provide consistent and accurate information on policies and procedures, lowering the risk of human error and ensuring adherence to laws and regulations. 
• Promote inclusivity: Chatbots can support multiple languages and provides accessible options for employees with disabilities, catering to a diverse workforce. It also eliminates potential biases in information delivery, which is impossible with human interaction. 

The disadvantages of using HR chatbots

While there are many advantages of using HR chatbots, there are also some disadvantages to consider: 

• Limited capabilities: Might not be able to understand nuanced or complex employee concerns, which requires human judgment for example. It may not understand sarcasm, emotions, or the context completely. 
• Lacking human touch: Can feel impersonal, especially when handling sensitive issues. Cannot replace empathy and authentic human interaction.
• Data privacy concerns: Data collected by chatbots needs proper handling and observance of privacy and security measures. Data usage must also be transparent to avoid breaching employee privacy and trust. 
• Implementation costs: Initial development and implementation can be too expensive. It also requires data integration and employee training. 
• Technical glitches: Chatbots can also malfunction or misinterpret queries, leading to employee frustration. Algorithms powering the chatbots may inherit biases from input data. Careful monitoring and strong IT back up and mitigation strategies are critical.

5 examples of companies using chatbots in HR

1. Eightfold AI 

Ubisoft is a video game publisher, creating Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, For Honor, Just Dance, Prince of Persia, Rabbids, Rayman, Tom Clancy’s, and Watch Dogs video game series. 

Departing employees found applying for openings at different Ubisoft locations, offices, or studios challenging. When employees applied internally, their job boards would submit their applications through the same ATS used by external candidates, resulting in misplaced applications. This meant that employees did not use the system widely, leading to an increasingly low attrition rate and a perceived lack of career progression within the company. 

Ubisoft sought the help of Eightfold AI. Using Eightfold AI’s Talent Management solution, Ubisoft implemented its own internal talent marketplace. This centralized hub contained job openings, projects, gigs, events, and mentors to increase internal applications’ engagement. It also allowed hiring managers to identify employees with the skills they need to complete projects. 

As a result, Ubisoft launched its talent marketplace in 28 countries in six months. Over half of the employees now use the platform to grow their careers. It has helped improve the company culture and increase employee satisfaction and retention. 

2. Bloomfire

Aite Group is an independent research and advisory firm specializing in business, tech, and regulatory issues and how they affect the financial services industry. 

The company needs the processes and technology to capture and share training documents, best practices, and knowledge from other employees. They wanted to improve their onboarding process by providing a single source of information that could be updated and shared within the organization while encouraging collaboration among employees. 

Using Bloomfire’s Knowledge Management Software System software, Aite Group created hundreds of pieces of content for employees. The company’s knowledge base has helped new employees self-pace their learning by searching and accessing information by themselves, without the assistance of HR or their managers. Also, sharing feedback about the knowledge base is encouraged, so management can measure their effectiveness and make adjustments when necessary. 

3. Hirevue

National Safety Apparel (NSA) manufactures protective clothing for customers in industrial environments. The company wanted to find and evaluate candidates rapidly. They also needed to fill their requisitions faster without hiring a staffing agency, ensuring they have enough people in their Ohio factory. 

Working with Hirevue, the NSA created a system that allowed candidates to find a job on the NSA’s website quickly, prescreen for the position, and self-schedule an interview via text or web chatbot. Recruiters could then focus on interviewing candidates within a shorter time frame, connecting within days rather than weeks. The time to hire was also shortened. Candidates receive job offers within 15 days, 4x times faster than before.

4. Leena AI

Globe Telecom is the Philippines’ largest mobile telecommunications network, with at least 86.6 million subscribers. It provides broadband services, fixed-line telephony, and money remittance services. 

Before, the telco was manually monitoring HR tickets, issues, and queries, which meant many pending tasks and delays in resolution. 25% of tickets were unresolved within the set SLAs. Most KPIs were unmet. The lack of automated processes resulted in inaccurate data.  The telco wanted to reduce the employee query resolution time from 24 hours to real-time, strictly adhering to established SLAs and TAT. They also want to gain insights from HR dashboards and analytics and optimize HR processes within the organization. 

Leena-AI created the AI-powered HR bot EVA, which exponentially enhanced the employee experience. This resulted in 2.5x faster average ticket resolution time from 24hrs to 9.5hrs, 4.4x faster average ticket first response time from 8hrs to 1.8hrs, and 126% better average first response time than the set target.

5. The Bot Platform

Honest Burgers started as a small restaurant in London and has since grown into a national group of more than 40 restaurants across the UK. The company uses Meta’s Workplace to keep their staff connected. They wanted to integrate their services and applications into the Workplace, so employees could easily access their work tools, including training. 

With the help of The Bot Platform, the company launched Honest College. This personalized learning program directly integrates into the Workplace and can be accessed on desktop and mobile devices. The bot includes bite-sized training modules, offering lessons related to Honest’s various positions and responsibilities. Employees learn skills such as time and money management, and wellbeing.

To date, the program has successfully upskilled 150 waiters to become chefs. It also led to 15.6x positive ROI achievement within the first year, a 100% completion rate on compliance training, and a 73% engagement rate from staff on Honest Ops. 

HR chatbot providers

To sum up

HR chatbots can help HR professionals with admin intensive tasks, freeing up valuable time that can be better spent in providing value for the business. From addressing basic employee concerns to providing HR services, chatbots have enhanced how companies attract, serve, and retain employees. As technology evolves, we can expect even more advanced and effective chatbots to further improve HR functions and employee experience. 

However, HR professionals should remember that chatbots shouldn’t replace the human touch in human resources. There should be a balance between technology and human involvement to receive the best benefits. 

The post How HR Chatbots Can Improve HR Processes (Includes Company Examples) appeared first on AIHR.

In this article, we share a selection of HR quotes that will inspire and motivate you. Most of them come from our very own Subject Matter Experts and AIHR’s People Team!

Contents
Motivational HR quotes
HR professional quotes
Funny HR quotes

Motivational HR quotes

#1

This powerful, short quote serves as a reminder to HR professionals, particularly because we sometimes get so wrapped up in taking care of everyone else that we forget about ourselves. 

Laura recommends taking your paid time off (PTO) to rest and recharge. Also, to set expectations in your role. For example, advocate for a budget to help you do your job well and prioritize your professional learning and development.

→ What you can do:

• Check out Laura’s full post here.

#2

HR is not just simply about helping the people of the organization. It’s also about helping the organization meet its objectives. As HR practitioners, it is essential to align your people-oriented goals with the business goals to facilitate success for both the business and its employees.”

→ What you can do:

• When designing or implementing a new policy, initiative, or strategy, ask whether the approach is good for the organization and your people. 

#3

At AIHR, we believe that HR can be a force for good that balances the needs of individuals, organizations, and society to deliver mutually beneficial value. HR holds a distinct position to make a contribution and impact across six wide-ranging areas: 

1. Accessibility of work 
2. Equality and fairness
3. Human-AI interaction
4. Voice for societal issues
5. Human wellbeing
6. Climate adaptation.

→ What you can do:

• Read our in-depth article ‘HR as a Force for Good: Driving Positive Change in Business & Society’ by our subject matter experts, Dr. Marna and Dr. Dieter Veldsman.
• Implement the recommended 4-step approach as a starting point for your organization’s HR for Good initiatives. 

#4

Dr. Veldsman emphasizes the transformative role of HR in unlocking individual potential. HR professionals should view their work not as mere resource management but as a catalyst for personal and professional growth. 

HR professionals can foster a culture that values and nurtures each employee’s unique abilities. By doing so, they contribute to organizational success and the fulfillment and empowerment of individuals within the workforce.

→ What you can do:

• As HR, think of ways to involve employees in building a culture that values and nurtures each employee’s unique abilities. 

#5

While this quote isn’t directly (or uniquely) aimed at HR professionals, Adam beautifully describes part of what HR’s role entails here. Creating a transparent work environment where people feel supported during the good and bad times.

A lot of what HR has to deal with on a regular basis can be referred to as hard times, employee grievances such as sexual harassment, employees who are seriously ill, layoffs, disgruntled staff, and the list goes on. It’s in these moments that the people involved need to feel supported – this goes for employees as well as the HR team.

→ What you can do:

• As an HR team, organize a workshop around how to best support employees – and each other – in hard times.
• Ask HR professionals from outside the company, for example, in an online or offline HR community, for tips and best practices.

#6

Julie Turney is a former HR professional turned HR for HR Coach. She is also a vocal advocate for self-care within the HR community. 

Julie fully understands the challenges HR professionals face, including mental health issues and burnout. 

Recent reports indicate how burnt-out HR professionals are. Post-covid challenges, a chronic lack of support and unappreciation, and an increased workload are some reasons why 98% of HR professionals report being burned out, and 88% admit they dread going to work. 

→ What you can do:

• It is time for HR professionals to start practicing HR for HR. Julie has created a concept called SAFE HR, which is a good starting point. In a nutshell, it entails:
  • S – Self-awareness. Recognizing your strong points as well as areas for improvement.
  • A- Act. Engaging in difficult discussions with leadership to express your needs and the support you require.
  • F – Forgive. Allowing yourself to move past projects that didn’t meet expectations, focusing instead on your accomplishments.
  • E – Educate. Commited HR professionals take full responsibility for their own professional growth, including skill enhancement, technological literacy, and understanding the needs of their People Team. They do everything in their power to be the best HR professional they can be.
• Read our article about HR for HR, which shares nine actionable tips for HR’s well-being. 

#7

This advice is true for all of us, whether we’re in HR or not. However, HR has had to navigate some negative perceptions of the department. An aspiring HR professional encountered a negative attitude to HR on Instagram reels. People had scathingly commented that the HR department was a useless department and most actively disliked HR. 

In one of AIHR’s podcasts, Steve Browne also discusses HR’s poor reputation and where it comes from. He believes that part of it is due to the fact that people base their experiences with HR on if something went wrong, and then that becomes their framework reference. The other part, he believes, is coming from HR itself, focusing more on the negative than the positive when it comes to people. 

So, there is work to do on that front. 

→ What you can do:

• Define the value that you bring as an HR professional. If there is an area where you don’t feel confident in, find support or opportunities to develop and equip yourself
• Have confidence in the value, knowledge, and expertise that you bring to the organization. This confidence will help you when others have an opinion or negative perception of what you do 
• Consider how, as an HR department, you can communicate that value to executives and employees in the business.

#8

In the LinkedIn post that accompanies one of her signature illustrations, Liz explains that when we feel pressure to conform, we tend to hide who we really are. We also stay quiet instead of sharing what we know, even if it would benefit the team.

This is food for thought for HR professionals and teams. How can we create a culture where people feel confident to share their ideas because they feel a sense of belonging?

→ What you can do:

• Read our Rethinking DEIB authored by Dr. Dieter Veldsman and Neelie Veldsman (that’s me)
• In this piece, we share a multi-level perspective on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging with practical tips on creating a DEIB environment in an ever-evolving space. 

HR professional quotes

#9

HR professionals need a broad range of skills to succeed in their roles. Essential HR skills include role-specific and soft skills, business acumen, and digital and data literacy. Not only will these skills help HR practitioners develop their careers, but they will also contribute to the organization’s success. 

Moritz emphasizes the importance of combining business-related skills, such as data literacy, with people-related skills, like empathy and understanding. It’s this variety of skills and finding the right balance between them that makes working in HR so exciting – and challenging at the same time.

→ What you can do:

• Take a look at our overview of 18 HR skills every HR professional needs to get an idea of what skills you might want to develop or brush up on this year
• Based on your assessment, check out various HR courses or certificate programs and sign up for the ones that seem most relevant and exciting. 

#10

The advent of generative AI like ChatGPT has accelerated the need for HR professionals to use technology (and become more efficient). 

This rapid adoption of AI also requires HR to guide the organization and its employees in its adoption and use. It will be up to HR to create policies around the use of these new technologies.

But HR cannot serve as a guide if we don’t see (and use) technology as a value-adding productivity partner. 

→ What you can do:

• Assess how technology is or can be a value-adding partner in productivity within your organization, starting with your own HR team.

#11

Erik emphasizes the role of HR in unlocking individual potential. To do so, HR needs to unlock its own potential first. 

This requires HR professionals to identify skills gaps and prioritize professional development goals to develop the skills and competencies needed to provide business value and people value. It also means acknowledging when to focus on wellbeing and developing resilience in a rapidly changing work environment.

→ What you can do:

• As an HR professional and as an HR team, ask: What do I need to enable myself, and what do we need as a team?

Funny HR quotes

#12

Recruiters frequently find themselves balancing multiple candidates with the expectations of eager yet occasionally impatient hiring managers. All the while, they must meticulously manage the stages of the hiring process.

It’s a lot to manage.

→ What you can do:

• Hold an intake meeting with the hiring manager to understand more about the job and the ideal candidate so that you can align the recruitment process with the hiring manager’s expectations
• Set realistic expectations with the hiring manager
• Communicate clearly and consistently during the recruitment process to manage candidate expectations.

#12

Dieter highlights the importance of understanding your role in HR. Being the people’s advocate at times means that you have to be the voice of reason.

This means that sometimes you will have to take the unpopular stance, and be the one that asks, “what are the implications if we do or don’t do this?”. HR is about treating people fair so they respect you, not about trying to be “liked”.

→ What you can do:

• Take a moment to reflect on some of your recent decisions. What motivated you to take a particular stance?
• What is the level of respect for the HR function in your organization? A great way to assess the current perception of HR is to conduct an HR Impact Survey and gather feedback from stakeholders.

#13

A fun, lighthearted quote to wrap up our list of HR quotes. Something that many people in HR may have thought at least once in their careers. 

So much is expected of HR professionals — from leadership, employees, and our peers. Sometimes people can inadvertently think we are miracle workers. But we are not. 

→ What you can do:

• Stay calm and keep smiling. 

The post 13 HR Quotes To Inspire and Motivate HR Professionals in 2024 appeared first on AIHR.

In this article, we explore how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) requirements are changing the role of HR and highlight the opportunities on the horizon for HR leaders and professionals as part of the ESG agenda.

Contents
Understanding ESG
How HR contributes to the ESG agenda
Integrating ESG into the HR strategy
How HR can start driving ESG within their organization

Understanding ESG

The ESG acronym stands for three domains of responsibility organizations need to consider in terms of how they conduct their business: environmental, social, and governance.

Environmental

Environmental refers to the impact organizations have on the environment. For example, their carbon footprint, utilization of resources, and adoption of pro-environmental practices.

Case example

BMW Group is using renewable energy at their plants.

• Wind turbines support production at the Leipzig plant in Germany, and hydrogen fuels approximately 130 floor conveyors. The facility is also piloting a newly developed hydrogen-powered burner technology in its paint shop.
• The San Luis Potosi site in Mexico fully powers its operations with CO2-free electricity, thanks to solar panels.
• The Munich site harnesses hydroelectric power from the Lech and Isar rivers to generate electricity for its production needs.

Social

Social refers to how the organization manages its relationship with other parties, including its employees, customers, suppliers, and communities. For example, responsible labor practices, focus on inclusive work, and upholding human rights and safety all relate to the social pillar.

Case example

Nestle, Mars, and Hershey all source cocoa from West Africa, where cases of child labor and forced labor have been an unresolved challenge. Public scrutiny has demanded some of these brands take a more active view on dealing with responsible suppliers and ensuring fair and decent practices.

In contrast, Tony Chocolonely is a brand committed to fair practices and paying fair prices to ensure decent work practices from their suppliers. By their own admission, they are not 100% slave-free but actively campaign and eradicate unfair labor practices from their supply chain.

Governance

Governance refers to how the company is managed. For example, factors such as board diversity, executive compensation, transparency of policy and practice, and ethics are all related to the governance pillar.

Case example

Many companies took to social media to celebrate their commitment to female representation in leadership on International Women’s Day 2023. Meanwhile, Francesca Lawsome and Ali Fensome built a gender pay gap chatbot that automatically extracted publicly accessible data from these companies to assess their commitment to gender equality in the workplace.

This initiative showed many inconsistencies between what companies say and what they do:

• Heathrow Airport posted stories from “Women at Heathrow”. However, women’s median hourly pay is 14% lower than men’s.
• Male employees at the domestic violence charity Refuge were paid 23.9% more than their female counterparts.
• On International Women’s Day, Scottish Widows promoted its services aimed at closing the pension gap. It turned out that they pay female employees 14% less than their male workers.

ESG is about managing risks and making conscious decisions on how the organization engages with the world, acts responsibly as part of the community, and upholds excellent ethical practices. It involves holding organizations to predefined standards and good practice frameworks.

In many organizations, ESG is the sole responsibility of Investor Relations or Sustainability Committees, yet this approach does not deliver tangible results. Traditionally, ESG has been understood from investors’ perspective, highlighting their desire to allocate resources to companies that act responsibly and sustainably. Professor Adolf Berle is considered the father of ESG, and his work in the 1930s set the tone for modern-day practices related to the social responsibility of for-profit corporations.

ESG has to be ingrained across the organization as a way of work that permeates across departments in the culture of the business. Even though some aspects will find a natural home given the areas of accountability and responsibility, ESG cannot be something organizations “do” but needs to become part of what they are.

We discussed ESG and HR with ESG advisor Sakshi Bansal. Watch the full interview below:

How HR contributes to the ESG agenda

Shifting our lens to HR, various matters related to ESG fall within the responsibility of Human Resources. Unfortunately, many HR professionals don’t make the connection, and ESG remains a concept that does not reside within the scope of their function.

Contrary to this belief, HR is already actively involved in ESG in many ways. Here is an overview:

It’s clear that ESG activities are closely linked to the HR strategy. Currently, in many organizations, HR does not actively incorporate ESG activities into the people strategy, often only being involved at an operational level. They are not present in strategic conversations regarding how ESG can be incorporated into organizational culture, practice, and values.

For HR to become more active within the ESG domain, a shift in strategy is required.

Integrating ESG into the HR strategy

There are two different approaches to integrating ESG into the HR agenda. Both have benefits and limitations; depending on the business context, organizations need to make a decision about which will be more appropriate.

Approach 1:  ESG as an independent pillar and area in the HR strategy

In this approach, ESG becomes a dedicated strategic pillar of the HR strategy next to key components like talent acquisition, talent management, and compensation and benefits.

The benefit of this approach is that ESG is articulated clearly with designated objectives and outcomes related to the topic. The limitation of this approach relates to the sense that ESG responsibility only resides with the team that focuses on that pillar. This positioning could create a lack of shared accountability with other functions not actively contributing to ESG. 

This approach might be a good fit for HR teams only starting with ESG initiatives as it allows the opportunity to first incubate skills and knowledge related to ESG. With active collaboration and alignment between different functions, this approach can provide a good foundation for ESG to deliver value.

Approach 2:  ESG as a value underpinning the HR strategy

The second approach sees ESG as an integrated approach where all functions need to contribute to function-specific goals related to ESG. In other words, ESG becomes a shared responsibility.

This approach requires a broader and more intimate understanding of ESG to understand the different contributing factors. It is well suited to organizations that have established the foundational understanding and importance of ESG and allows ESG to be fully integrated into the organizational focus and culture.

The risk of this approach is that ESG is not actively monitored and reported upon as part of operational and strategic progress. If not monitored, this could lead to inaction.

“A significant undercurrent is the belief that ESG is for finance and economics people. Almost as if it does not affect the rest of the organization or the normal working population.  

 

It is like saying, “Oh, like I breathe the air, but the air quality is not my concern.” It’s not possible. If you are living in this world, then sustainability is your concern. It concerns you, your business, your activity, and your job description. And just because the word sustainability isn’t in your job description doesn’t mean that there’s nothing for you to do with it.”

Sakshi Bansal, ESG Advisor

“When organizations go from a 15-person company to a 50 to a 100 to a 500, there are step changes in an organization that need to be reflected in your recruitment, people, and governance strategies. 

 

And these are things that we historically have seen that technical leaders, as great as they are, aren’t able to build a strategy for. You can’t expect your CTOs and CEOs to have the intrinsic know-how to build such large HR processes.”

Sakshi Bansal, ESG Advisor

How HR can start driving ESG within their organization

The following actions can enable HR to build the knowledge, skills, and expertise required to champion the ESG agenda as part of the HR scope.

Action 1: Build knowledge by understanding current ESG frameworks and standards

First, HR must better understand the current ESG frameworks and the standards they refer to. Even though the scope of this article will not cover each of these in detail, the following frameworks are important:

Action 2: Analyze current HR practices and processes

HR teams can analyze current HR practices using these frameworks to assess the strengths and gaps that need addressing. For example, the ILO provides standards and guidelines to evaluate decent work practices.

The next step is to use data and people analytics to better understand the talent pools, inherent biases, and potential barriers to employment within the organization.

For example, a multi-national insurance business used labor data to evaluate their pay equity practices. Over three years, it managed to close the gender pay gap and start reporting transparently on pay.

Action 3: Bring a committee together to discuss ESG

ESG is a shared responsibility, and establishing an internal, cross-functional committee to discuss ESG matters is essential.

Participants of this committee need to include representatives from Risk, Finance, HR, Facilities, Legal, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Operations as a starting point and be empowered to make recommendations to the executive team on improving the ESG agenda.  

Where ESG practices become more advanced, the organization should appoint a Sustainability Officer with a team that actively drives and manages ESG-related matters.

“If CHROs want to find their voice regarding ESG, this is a good time to differentiate themselves. With a sense of transparency, the power of factual reporting, and conveying a clear message, ESG is not about how organizations set themselves up after making money but how they make their money in the first place.

 

This is about the DNA of the organization, the business, the contracts, and what goes into that thought process. These topics are the fabric of both HR and ESG.”

Sakshi Bansal, ESG Advisor

Action 4: Create a clear stance on ESG matters for the organization to implement

For many, ESG remains a theoretical concept, and they don’t see the practical actions that can lead to a better future. The organization must develop a clear stance on ESG-related matters, defining its focus and priorities in a way that resonates both internally and externally. It’s important to create and clearly articulate the ESG strategy and goals, ensuring that investors, employees, and other stakeholders understand their practical impact.

Internally, within the organization, employees must understand how ESG is incorporated into how the organization operates and what is expected daily to deliver on the internally set goals.

Wrapping up

The HR contribution to ESG practices has to take priority in people strategies and practices going forward. For too long, ESG has not been perceived as a shared responsibility within the organization, and HR has a crucial role in ingraining ESG into organizational culture, values, and practices. 

To do so, HR professionals must educate themselves on the available ESG frameworks and how they can be applied within their organizations to drive action.

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