“The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.” – Bill Gates
- Think local and global to find the skills you need.
- Employ the best staff you can find and expect them to be smarter than you.
- Diversity is not a barrier to achieving an enterprise’s objectives unless your enterprise makes it a barrier.
- Reward staff fairly for the work they do and provide benefits that are relevant, market competitive, and also affordable by the enterprise.
- Ensure that policies, processes and practices comply with the law & are adhered to.
- Operate recruitment and retention strategies that ensure the skilled staff required to meet business objectives are delivered in a timely manner.
- Proactively monitor and manage attrition to meet agreed business objectives.
- Recruit or promote staff into leadership positions based on the success of what they’ve achieved and their future capabilities, not who they know.
- Operate a clear and effective on-boarding process for new recruits, and have an equivalent for leavers which includes a formal exit interview.
- Use a council of elected staff representatives and embrace it openly and transparently at leadership level to assist with driving success for the business.
- Publish a ‘staff handbook’ using modern online techniques; make it accessible and real for staff and keep it up to date.
- Have clear career pathways supported by designated training, and an objective-centred, performance review process to drive career and salary progression.
- Manage poor performance, complaints, poor attendance and disciplinary issues in a fair and confidential manner using clearly stated processes.
- Always deal with claims of discrimination and bullying in a fair and objective manner, and in accordance with relevant employment law.
- Create a physical work environment that is secure, safe, provides the right facilities for staff to do their job, and promotes good morale across the workforce.
- Employment law differs markedly in different countries; failure to take full account of this can lead to expensive mistakes during the restructuring of a workforce.
- Remember – any Human Resources department serves the needs and objectives of the enterprise; it isn’t there to look after an individual’s needs, desires or priorities.