You Can’t Run HR Without These Resources

HR teams have a lot going on. Responsible for everything from keep-the-lights-on tasks like compliance to building out the company’s people strategy, the modern human resource department is a marvel of talent, skill, and efficiency.

And at small or medium-sized businesses, HR team members likely are just one or a few in a pared-down department. Trusted HR resources from a respected source are a vital time and energy saver for teams like this. We’re big believers in working smarter, not harder. So, we’ve compiled a list of the 6 essential resources for HR management.

1. Employee onboarding template

Onboarding is how a new hire gets to know your business. While the hiring process is their first interaction with your company, the first impression you’re making continues on through the onboarding process. In other words, it’s really important. So important that it directly affects your ability to retain new hires. Research by Glassdoor found that “organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.”

Organizations with a strong onboarding process improve hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.

HR teams can use a customizable employee onboarding template to put their best foot forward with new hires. Select an option that:

• Prompts employees for the input you need
• Offers customizable sections
• Allows for employer branding

2. New hire checklist — a critical HR resource

An employee onboarding template is an excellent external-facing employee resource for HR. But it’s helpful to have an HR-specific new hire checklist, too. A must-have for any HR professionals, the best new hire checklists:

• Include necessary tax and compliance-related forms (e.g., 1-9s and W-4s)
• Offer suggestions, like when and how to complete OSHA and sexual harassment training

3. HR resources to help with payroll

Payroll comes with lots of compliance and tax-related implications. Consider that 40% of small to mid-sized businesses incur IRS penalties related to incorrect payroll filings with an average penalty of $845. Getting payroll right is non-negotiable but can be confusing and complicated and a source of significant headaches for business owners.

Payroll reports can help businesses avoid these issues and other tax liabilities, but only if they’re formatted correctly and contain the proper information. This is where payroll report templates come in. A good payroll report template will help you better control and understand your business’ labor costs, protect the business and support compliance, and serve as a cross-reference for information on other forms like Form 944, Form 940, and W-2s, and W-3s when the time comes to file taxes.

Since a lot is riding on payroll reports, HR teams should use templates to ensure they get the correct information where it needs to be. Select a payroll report template that includes:

• Regular, overtime, and other hours
• Regular, overtime, and other earnings
• Reimbursements
• Deductions
• Employer contributions
• Employee, nand employer taxes
• Net pay by an individual employee for a pay run or period

4. Employee handbook builder or guide

An employee handbook template will help you develop a mission statement, educate your staff, and more.

Writing an employee handbook often isn’t something most businesses think about until there’s a need. And when the need arises, it can be hard to know where to start. Employee handbook resources are a good place to do some. Many resources exist and range from employee handbook builders to checklists of items to include.

An employee handbook builder can be a helpful one-stop-shop tool for busy business owners or HR professionals. At the same time, checklists or other “lite” resources are helpful to inspire those eager to write their own from scratch.

A great employee handbook template will help you:

• Develop an inspiring company mission statement, core values, and a cohesive company story
• Share general office information and accessibility accommodations
• Teach your new hires how to talk about and position your product or service
• Inform workers all about their benefits packages and work perks

5. Employee termination guide

Few things strike fear into the hearts and minds of HR professionals, like terminating an employee for the first time — or the 10th time! While most human resources individuals grow more comfortable with it over time, the act of separating from an employee is never easy — for either party. The challenge is to conduct the meeting in a professional way that protects the rights of the business and those of the employee. Employee termination guides are helpful resources that outline how to terminate an employee, and the best ones even include scripts of what to say.

6. Flexible work arrangements guide

Now that companies are working from the office some, part, or most of the time, HR teams are on the hook to outline just exactly what their company’s flexible work arrangement looks like. Sure, your company has probably settled on a hybrid policy to navigate the ongoing health crisis and respect employee wishes. But a hybrid workplace policy without clear guidelines creates a confusing and ambiguous work environment. Therefore, HR teams are wise to lean on flexible workplace policy resources for examples of and data on standard flexible work policies while they design their own.

At Zenefits, we’re in the business of supporting SMBs, which is why we’ve created free downloads for all these HR tasks and more. Check out more of our trusted resources here.