The Top 6 Personnel Mistakes that a Company Can Make

When things are going well, it’s easy to overlook the human resources side of your organization. After all, there are far more urgent issues that plague us on a daily basis. Employee relationships can be joyful and gratifying, or time-consuming and terrifying, depending on the circumstances.

Being proactive in the field of human resources, discovering and correcting HR mistakes before they become major issues, can save you endless headaches and protect your company from costly legal claims.

An out-of-date employee manual

Every company, large or small, should have an up-to-date employee handbook. You’re asking for trouble if you don’t put the most recent dos and don’ts in writing. Furthermore, regulations change, which may have a substantial impact on the application of your policies.

Even a few pages detailing acceptable and expected behavior provides practical instructions to staff. Every two years, the employee handbook should be updated, and all employees should sign an acknowledgment form saying that they received the publication and would follow its policies.

Include details such as your

• company’s code of conduct,
• communications policy,
• nondiscrimination policy,
• remuneration and benefits,
• employment
• termination standards.

If you don’t want to pay someone else to send out bills, sending invoices via email is a wonderful way to ensure that all of your customers see them.

It can be worthwhile for you to experiment with a free invoice generator to see if it fits your business strategy.

Failure to record performance issues

Employee behavior is governed by written policies and standard operating procedures. When there is a violation, it must be accurately and properly reported. Although noting in a file that someone was admonished for recurrent tardiness may appear time-consuming, it is significant evidence that can support a decision to terminate that worker for unsatisfactory job performance, for example.

Furthermore, when a corporation applies performance issues consistently, it is better able to manage possible legal difficulties that may occur in the future, such as a discrimination claim.

Putting in place a comprehensive sales performance management strategy might be difficult. A sales strategy is made up of several interconnected pieces, each of which influences the others. A sales leader’s tools for assessing and managing a sales team include account segmentation, incentive compensation, territory planning, quota setting, pipeline optimization, and forecasting. What happens in one of them inevitably has an effect on the others. As a result, the most forward-thinking sales leaders approach sales performance management holistically, viewing SPM as a single set of problems rather than a collection of disparate worries.

Employee files that are incomplete

It is critical to preserve records of all personnel documentation linked to your workers’ job history for compliance purposes.

It’s also a good idea to have all necessary documentation in the employee performance file. Personal information-containing documents, such as leave and disability forms, should be maintained in a separate folder because they are personal in nature and aren’t required to manage an employee’s performance.

A binder holding all valid I-9s, which establish employee identity and job eligibility in the United States, is useful. They should be easily accessible and updated as needed. If you are unable to show current and accurate paperwork when requested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, fines can quickly mount (ICE).

Furthermore, due of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), it may be prudent to separate your employees’ health and welfare-related benefits information.

Inadequate job descriptions and hasty hiring

Hiring and promotion processes that are rushed can cause a slew of issues for organizations. Before you even consider hiring someone, think about why you’re hiring and what qualities the perfect candidate should have.

A few hours spent writing a good job description will save you countless hours of trouble in the future. When you’re looking for a candidate, for example, they may have remarkable talents, but those skills must also answer your needs. A thorough job description allows you to focus on what you need in a possible candidate.

Similarly, job descriptions are useful references when an employee asks for a job adjustment for medical reasons.

Assume John, one of your warehouse supervisors, is in an accident and breaks his leg while on vacation. He recovers and returns to work, but he is no longer physically capable of doing the hard lifting he was before capable of. Can he keep playing the same part? If so, does he require a modification to assist him in carrying out his responsibilities? What are your choices if he is unable to continue in the role? You’ll need to participate in the interactive process to find out. The first stage in this process is to go over the work’s important and marginal functions, which should be identified in his job description.

When dealing with the Americans with Disabilities Act, understanding exactly what is expected of the employee, including which work responsibilities are essential and which are minor, helps ease an otherwise complicated procedure (ADA). It can also assist determine what a company can provide employees in a situation like John’s.

Disregard for education

Investing in your staff’ training is a wise investment in the future of your company. By incorporating training into the onboarding process, your employees may become more engaged and understand how to best use their abilities to help your organization.

Employers who invest in training receive an indirect benefit as well: staff who believe they are valuable and capable of accomplishing more for your firm.

Also, keep in mind that it is critical that the employee’s performance, including skills and areas of opportunity and improvement, is appropriately reflected in their performance reviews.

Inadequate human resource policies

Don’t underestimate the value of an internal HR audit. Set aside time each year to ensure that your HR policies are up to date and complete.

Many companies, for example, do not have a vacation payout policy in their employee handbooks, nor do they have a complaint mechanism or a catastrophe and workplace violence plan in place. As a result, employees who have unused vacation time may be forced to resign. They will likely grumble if they do not know how that time will be addressed ahead of time.

Also, calamity strikes when the unthinkable occurs. You can assist reduce the impact of an incident on your staff and your organization by setting clear rules on how to respond in advance.

A well-planned strategy will help to protect you, your employees, and your customers.

Consider the following questions as you create your strategy:

• Who will be in command?
• What are your standard responses?
• In specific conditions, will you choose to shelter in place or evacuate?
• Do you have an off-site meeting space where individuals can congregate?
• During a disaster, how will you communicate with your employees?

Having policies and processes in place to deal with unexpected situations saves stress, liability, and costs for your company.