Human resource management policies are vital for organizations which are serious about resolving personnel issues and finding HR solutions. Small businesses, more often than not, have to carry out these activities themselves because they cannot afford part or full-time staff.
Every organization requires sound, straight-forward HR policies and clear and concise job descriptions. Failure to do so leaves your enterprise vulnerable to challenges, grievances and possibly lawsuits, particularly if you are inconsistent in how you apply your policies and your pay structure/system. Grievances and lawsuits mean THREE things:
Increased costs that impact your bottom line
Increased staff turnover
Negative morale and lack of motivation
The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities. Key elements revolve around your staffing needs and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs. Further facets include training the best employees and ensuring they are high performers, while ascertaining that your personnel and management practices conform to various regulations.
Other activities also include managing your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies. Businesses, no matter how small, should always ensure that employees have -- and are aware of -- personnel policies which conform to current regulations. These policies are often found in manuals distributed to all employees.
In some cases, entrepreneurs may be at a loss as to how to approach these issues. However, it is easy to avoid potential problems if your organization has established policies, procedures and job descriptions, something Specto can help you build up.
Specto provides clients with professional human resource advice, human resource policy solutions, creation of Job Description writing and employee evaluation services. Our products and services incorporate years of experience to help you maximize the effectiveness of your Human Resources function to achieve sustainable results and superior value.
Employee Appraisals
Employee performance appraisals are important tools for small and growing businesses. Appraisals are crucial in developing employees, reinforcing good performance and pointing out areas for improvement. Appraisals also provide an opportunity to communicate formally expectations of future performance.
Yet many businesses dread making appraisals or carry out an inadequate job whilst making them. Here are some tips for making good performance appraisals:
Convey good and bad examples concerning past performance
Set clear goals
Outline areas for improvement
Give detailed feedback—vague generalities will not help the employee
Set new goals
Establish procedures for ongoing feedback—not just once or twice a year - through a formal performance appraisal process
Good documentation—such as performance appraisals showing poor performance—is useful evidence should you get involved in a legal issue over what you felt was a justified termination.
Job descriptions
Job descriptions provide an opportunity to communicate clearly the company’s direction and where the employee fits inside the big picture.
Whether you are recruiting new employees or posting jobs for internal applicants, job descriptions tell the candidate exactly what you expect from the selected person.
Job Descriptions are an essential tool for a growing business. They provide the foundation for hiring and retaining good employees by outlining the required skills, duties, responsibilities, training and education required for each position. They are extremely useful when filling an open position and can be a valuable tool for new employee orientations, training, performance evaluations, promotion and accountability purposes.
Job descriptions serve to assist employers in determining the essential tasks of each position. Essential job functions are those functions any candidate or employee must be able to complete in order to qualify for the position. It is advisable to attach Job descriptions to the employment contracts of new employees. It is also advisable to give new job descriptions to existing employees who have been promoted internally.
For effectiveness, you must regularly look at and use job descriptions as part of your day-to-day work. Job descriptions that sit unused in a drawer, or worst, filed in the HR office, are a waste of time; they must be integral to your modus operandi.
The functional use of job descriptions includes:
a.
helping employees at all levels acquire greater understanding of their present positions;
b.
reassigning and fixing functions and responsibilities in the entire organization;
c.
evaluating job performance by comparing what the employee does and what the job description says he/she should do;
d.
serving as an introduction to new employees for their positions;
e.
assisting in hiring and placing employees in positions for which they are best suited;
f.
setting forth lines of promotion within all departments and at all levels;
g.
assisting in forecasting training needs for a particular function;
h.
improving work flow;
i.
reviewing the existing practices at all levels;
j.
serving as a guide to making decisions concerning transfers.
Job descriptions should be updated on a regular basis to avoid inaccuracies. Supervisors should review the accuracy of job descriptions:
before advertising for a vacant position,
during an employee's annual performance appraisal,
whenever departmental changes affect the distribution of duties and responsibilities.
Revisions to written job descriptions must be reviewed with the current incumbent to ensure the employee's acknowledgement and understanding of changes and current job expectations.
The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities. Key elements revolve around your staffing needs and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs. Further facets include training the best employees and ensuring they are high performers, while ascertaining that your personnel and management practices conform to various regulations. 
Job descriptions serve to assist employers in determining the essential tasks of each position. Essential job functions are those functions any candidate or employee must be able to complete in order to qualify for the position. It is advisable to attach Job descriptions to the employment contracts of new employees. It is also advisable to give new job descriptions to existing employees who have been promoted internally. 
