HR professionals and recruiters’ top five most irritating telephone habits revealedThose of us working in HR and particularly recruitment, know how difficult 2018 was, exacerbated by all the ongoing uncertainty around Brexit. What can we do to make 2019 better and more productive?
1. Train managers in recruitment processes. And refresh their training annually. We want to empower our managers but we also need them to know how to recruit properly and to know that they can’t make job offers until we are sure that the potential employee has the right to work in the UK, necessary qualifications, etc.
It is demotivating for existing employees if they apply for roles and their applications are not managed properly – a common complaint in some sectors.
Managers will always argue that they are too busy to attend training. Find a way to incentivise them to attend if your board is not supportive.
2. Review your recruitment processes. Lots of organisations still rely on manual or semi-manual systems, which are painfully time-consuming for HR. Most software companies will give you a free demo and it is honestly worth the time when you find the right system to automate your processes. You could go further too and look at screening tools, to see whether they meet your organisation’s needs.
It’s also worth taking the time to build a strong relationship with at least one recruitment agency that specialises in your field. When you get to know each other properly, it pays dividends.
3. Set aside time for strategic planning. It is far too easy to get caught up in all the reactive, day-to-day business only to find another year has passed, nothing has changed and you haven’t done any of those important jobs. Set aside at least half a day per month (book it in your calendar right now) and start moving ahead.
4. Make mental health a priority. The Mental Health Foundation says 70 million working days are lost in the UK each year as a result of mental health problems, which costs employers in the region of £2.4 billion! There are other positive benefits of focussing on this too: employees tend to feel more engaged when they see their employer investing time and money in them and it’s less far expensive to keep an employee than to have to recruit someone else.
5. Ensure that all your policies are up-to-date and legally compliant. Maybe your organisation has just refreshed the language in its corporate strategy or board composition has changed or there has been a change in legislation? No matter what the reason, it’s worth checking to make sure that your policies are still fit for purpose. It is extremely embarrassing when you are giving evidence in an employment tribunal and one of your policies refers to a post that no longer exists.
If you start 2019 with these resolutions, you will get the year off to a flying start.
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