Category: HR

Get Set for Success: Onboarding Best Practices

Posted on by jess

During a time of increasingly challenging talent acquisition and retention, organizations must find ways to gain a competitive advantage. A massive opportunity exists in creating exceptional employee experiences—from onboarding to offboarding.

These interactions have an enormous impact on your workforce (not to mention your organization’s reputation). Research from our human capital management (HCM) partner, isolved, finds that nearly half of employees have been tempted to leave a new job due to a negative onboarding experience.

And that’s not all…

  • 86% of employees say onboarding is important
  • 48% of employees say onboarding should be completed in the first month
  • 32% of employees say their current employer doesn’t offer a modern onboarding experience

First Impressions Matter

Onboarding is crucial for setting the stage for their success within an organization. It provides new hires with essential information, resources, and support to integrate seamlessly into their roles and the company culture. Effective onboarding fosters engagement, reduces turnover, and accelerates productivity. It does this by clarifying expectations, building relationships, and facilitating a smooth transition into the organization.

Starting a new job with a new company is an exciting prospect for employees. They have the chance to meet new team members, get immersed in a new company culture, and ultimately make their own unique imprint on the organization. With great excitement comes great expectations—and companies should have processes in place to deliver what their employees want.

Optimal Onboarding

Here are some tips for enhancing your onboarding experience:

Make it Snappy – A slow and disjointed onboarding process poorly reflects an organization. A new employee is ready to hit the ground running, and the onboarding process should provide a smooth and clear runway.

Streamline the Process – If a new hire feels like they’re on a scavenger hunt during their first days, they’re likely to get lost. Clear and concise communications are a must for new team members.

Deliver a Modern Experience – If you’re using outdated processes, like fax machines or physical signatures, your new hire might wonder which century their new employment home is operating in. A modern onboarding experience assures a new hire they’ve made the right decision to accept a position within your organization.

Utilize Built-In Tools – Leverage technology to automate employee eligibility I-9 forms and processes for new hires and hiring managers—giving them both valuable time back on their calendars.

Enable E-signatures – Enable new team members to breeze through documents like employee handbooks and non-disclosure agreements digitally with electronic signatures.

Automate Workflows – Implement, collect, track and store all forms and documents, including federal and state tax forms and prevent potential costly errors.

Power Up Self-Serve – Allow onboarding tasks to be completed from any device, at any time, and from any place. Provide a secure, self-service environment that empowers employees and saves your HR staff time and effort.

New hires are excited to join your team! Meet their excitement through a modern, streamlined onboarding experience that will ensure that feel valued, motivated and prepared to make a meaningful impact on your organization.

Learn more about how Counter Point HCM can help you better welcome new employees for better outcomes. Request a call today!

The 4 Cs of Employee Engagement

Posted on by jess

Are your employees coming in late and calling out sick more often than usual?

Do they appear withdrawn, stressed, or exhibiting a negative attitude?

Have you noticed a drop in productivity?

If so, your workforce may be disengaged. Employee engagement is critical to an organization’s success. High engagement levels are associated with a lower incidence of turnover and a higher level of productivity.

Fortunately, even if employee dissatisfaction is widespread, there are actions you can take today to energize your workforce.

The Maslow Connection

You may recall learning about Abraham Maslow in your high school psychology class. According to his Hierarchy of Needs, all people have needs that they instinctively seek to satisfy. He illustrated this through a pyramid with the most basic needs on the bottom level. His theory is often cited when it comes to motivating employees in the workplace, especially the top three levels: belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization.

This model supports what we have labeled the 4 Cs, four things that employees seek from their employers for engagement.

Communication

Employees value transparency. 70% of employees say they are most engaged when senior leadership updates them and communicates openly. Employees need to be informed to be motivated and fully engaged.

And they need to be heard. Listen to your employees; encourage them to speak freely about any job-related questions, concerns, and ideas. When their voices are heard and their contributions are valued, employees feel more connected to the company, enthusiastic about their job, and motivated to meet company goals.

Compensation

Beyond competitive salaries and benefits packages, employees need to feel valued. Provide feedback and recognition regularly. Discuss individual performance, and career goals, and set achievable milestones. Employees who feel accountable and appreciated are more productive.

Recognize your employees’ potential within the organization through training and development. Demonstrate your commitment by investing in a comprehensive learning management system. Knowing that an employer is willing to provide opportunities for growth builds loyalty and attracts top talent.

Collaboration

According to a Gallup Report, 75% of employers rate teamwork and collaboration as “very important” for success. Coworkers have a profound impact on each other’s job performance and job satisfaction. In productive organizations employees feed off each other’s desire to succeed.

With many employees working remotely, encouraging collaboration and camaraderie has become more challenging than ever. To help your team collaborate, provide them with the tools they need to share ideas and stay aligned across functions and locations.

Connection

Employees feel connected to an organization when they share the same vision. To encourage this, define your company through a mission statement, share department goals, and continually educate employees on your products and services. The more your employees know, the faster they will align with the objectives that you are all working towards.

Connect employees with your mission and goals by identifying where they fit in the process. Review job descriptions and evaluate performance regularly. Take the time to make sure each employee knows what they are doing, why they are doing it, and that their role matters.

From self-service tools to engagement platforms, technology can play an important role in engaging employees. To learn more, schedule an appointment with Counter Point HCM today.

3 HR Best Practices Every Small Business Should Follow

Posted on by jess

Managing the HR needs of a growing workforce is challenging, especially when resources and headcount are limited. For organizations without a dedicated HR professional, these responsibilities are oftentimes left to individuals who wear several hats and hold countless responsibilities.

They may feel overwhelmed having to navigate numerous systems and tackle endless tasks including managing employee information, processing payroll, keeping track of time and attendance, onboarding, recruiting, and more. When you factor in maintaining compliance, these accidental HR professionals may find themselves asking “Where do I start?”

Luckily, there are best practices every small to mid-sized business can follow to make their HR workload more manageable.

Review the Employee Handbook

The employee handbook is something that is often overlooked, but immensely important for clear internal communication and appropriate employee relations. At the very least, it should be updated annually.

It serves as a rulebook that addresses all things related to the employee/employer relationship and provides legal protection against employment claims. A well-written one should integrate company policy, answer common workplace questions, and most importantly, be in accordance and up to date with employment law.

What to include in an employee handbook? At a minimum, it should cover:

  • Company mission, vision and values
  • Anti-harassment and non-discrimination policy
  • Standards of conduct
  • Dress code
  • Communication policy
  • Compensation and benefits Information
  • Discipline processes
  • New hire and separation procedures
  • A confidentiality policy

Leverage an HR Information System

An HR information system (HRIS) should solve your problems, not add to them. Multiple, disconnected systems are a thing of the past. Your HRIS should centralize all important HR tasks in one place.

If you already have a solution in place, take the time to evaluate it and see what is working and what isn’t. Your HRIS should work for you, not the other way around. Automated workflows, configurable forms and reports, and real-time access to accurate and consistent employee information enable a reduction in administrative workload and a minimized compliance risk.

Your HRIS should streamline all facets of the employee life cycle including:

  • Onboarding
  • Benefits administration
  • Job and salary management
  • Training management
  • Certification tracking
  • Performance management
  • Compliance reporting
  • Statement of total compensation
  • Separation

Conduct Management Training

You’ve reviewed the handbook, found an HRIS that works for your organization and streamlined processes, what’s next? Training.

Training through an intuitive learning management system ensures alignment and that management is on the same page. Not only does training teach new and even experienced managers the fundamentals of being successful, but it also promotes a compliant workplace.

A comprehensive training program should cover these topics:

  • Inclusivity and diversity in the workplace
  • Conflict resolution
  • Workplace security
  • Hiring and termination processes
  • Employee retention
  • Emergency procedures
  • Accessibility requirements
  • Problem-solving
  • Management skills
  • Workplace changes
  • Company goals

Staying current on all things HR can be a daunting task. That’s why it’s important to not only look over employment laws, but also ensure the technology and solutions you have in place can keep up with the demands of your workforce. To learn more about HR best practices and how Counter Point HCM can play a role in helping your business succeed and thrive, request a call today.