5 Ways to be a More Efficient HR Manager

Onboarding. Paperwork. Data entry. Labor laws. 
These are just some of the things that can bog down an HR manager’s productivity at work. If this sounds familiar to you, check out our great tips below to help you increase efficiency at work.

Get Help from an HR Software

Dealing with day-to-day administrative work – like onboarding, setting employee health benefits, managing time off requests, etc. – can be extremely time-consuming for HR managers.  But more importantly, the manual nature of the work makes it very inefficient.
Enter your new best friend, HR Software. It’s purpose? To help you work smarter and faster.
For example, with the right HR Software, employees can onboard themselves online by signing and submitting all paperwork directly through the HR Software. Employees can also view and select their health benefits online, as well as set up commuter benefits and direct deposit – with no touch at all from an HR manager. Sounds pretty great, right?

Use Data to Influence Decisions

One of the HR tech trends for 2017 is the rise of people analytics, according to the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). We couldn’t agree more.
The best HR analytics tools will include data on the following:  

• Compensation
• Equal Opportunity Data
• Headcount
• Stock Option Grants
• Turnover

HR leaders can utilize this data to help inform their decisions and to easily analyze processes that are working, and those that aren’t. For example, if a company is experiencing high turnover, HR managers can view trends in compensation, stock option grants, performance reviews, etc. to gain insights.
The ease and accessibility of these reports allow HR managers to efficiently analyze trends and implement changes as needed.

Keep an Open Dialogue with Employees

After their immediate manager, HR managers are often the go-to person for employees to share workplace conflicts and causes of unhappiness with. And in many cases, they’re the person employees confide in – not only for professional issues, but also personal issues. As such, it’s vital for HR managers to maintain discretion.
However, they should also utilize this time efficiently to understand what employees love and hate about their job and the company. If you’re hearing the same complaints from employees, or the same adorations – it’ll help inform your priorities.

Delegate Company Culture

Having a strong company culture is important. It gives the company an identity, offers energy in the office, and when done well – keeps employees happy and motivated.
However, creating a strong company culture shouldn’t rest solely on HR. While HR should spearhead the initiative, creating a company culture should be collaborative, with buy-in and support from all business leaders, according to “HR Can’t Change Company Culture by Itself,” an article from the Harvard Business Review (HBR).  
HBR adds that HR teams can help business leaders execute by doing the following things:

• Spearhead the research on culture
• Convince leaders culture can change
• Teach business leaders how to change culture by setting an example
• Have a formal “handoff” where the project is handed over to the business leaders

By delegating some of this work to business leaders, HR managers can focus this saved time on other business initiatives.

Continue to Grow Your Knowledge

With the amount of rules and regulations HR managers need to keep up with to do their job well, this one is key. There’s always something more to learn or stay on top of.
One good example of this? The hard-to-comprehend Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The labor law became even more complicated when a federal judge blocked the December 1st, 2016 rule that would have increased the minimum salary threshold for overtime pay.
With these ever-changing regulations, it’s critical for HR managers to stay sharp and up to date.
Here are some resources to help you stay on top of your game:

• People Now Newsletter. Subscribe via the Zenefits blog. 
• Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)

There’s also a slew of webinars, podcasts, conferences, free online classes, etc. that you can utilize. Just remember to stay curious.

Now What?

Lead the charge. Consider the above tips and see what’s actionable now vs. in the future. You won’t become an efficient machine overnight, but with the tips we outlined in this article, you’re on the right track.
Click to get more information about HR software and productivity tools.