HR Thoughts…Week Ending 4.12.2024
We’re at the end of another week, so it’s time for some HR Thoughts.
HR can and should help managers become better leaders.
HR should have a great understanding of how managers are performing across the organization. If you’re a large company, your HRBPs are going to play a central role in this. If you’re a small company with an HR department of one (or maybe a couple more), this falls onto that individual or team. This doesn’t mean that managers need to report in to HR. It does mean that HR has a regular cadence of meetings and trainings with managers and has access to how managers are engaging with and monitoring the performance of their teams. These data points are critical to recognizing gaps in manager training, as well as areas where additional support may be needed.
HR can bridge gaps, improve company performance and also lift employee engagement.
When it comes to performance, candor is key. No one should be surprised to hear they are underperforming.
If someone is just hearing about a performance issue at the termination meeting or when a performance improvement plan (PIP) is being handed down, it’s a problem. Performance issues should never be a surprise to the person who is underperforming. Managers needed to have a constant pulse on performance and progress toward goals and also a consistent feedback cycle with their team members to ensure that issues are quickly addressed and mitigated and their people are rerouted toward success in a way that works for everyone involved.
If you’re hiring in multiple states, it’s really risky to not utilize a payroll platform.
Hiring in multiple jurisdictions is a beautiful thing. You get access to the best talent, no matter where they live. But, in hiring across states, it’s important to set your business up for success. If you have a rockstar accountant or HR manager who knows the ins and outs of the various jurisdictions where people live, maybe you can make it happen without utilizing a payroll platform. But absent that, don’t do it. I’d say most businesses fall into the later category. It’s way too hard to try to manage. There are nuances that you might not realize across states and so many payroll platforms available today help you get set up, take the right deductions and send them to the right jurisdictions. Initial implementation takes some time, but it is well worth the effort!
Looking to level up HR within your organization? Let’s chat!