HR professionals cite staffing as the top critical function in their role, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. To maintain a competitive edge, HR professionals align talent acquisition with attractive benefits and compensation to attract the top talent in the industry. This enables them to develop a strategic workforce plan that meets business requirements. HR staffing issues usually involve deciding whether to hire, outsource or eliminate.
Recruiting
HR professionals typically manage recruiting programs to handle both internal transfers and external hires. They establish screening policies and procedures, which may include drug testing and background checks. An HR professional also establishes a presence on university campuses to recruit graduates. Additionally, she may manage employee referral programs. Recruiting issues might involve identify fraud. HR professionals need to ensure a person is who he says he is through identification authentication procedures.
Mergers and Acquisitions
When companies merge or acquire other businesses, HR professionals manage the process to ensure that the company follows local, state and federal regulations. They publish reference tools to help managers in the company follow the rules to ensure a smooth transition. This enables HR professionals to integrate staffing programs, consolidate processes and deal with issues such as temporary workers, immigration, relocation and taxes. Merging HR information systems may require extensive time, effort and coordination to maintain data integrity. Additionally, for global companies, processes may vary by country and region as well.
Workforce Changes
Because of changing demographics, multiple generations exist in the workforce. Attracting new staff, such as younger workers, requires offering nontraditional options such as flexible schedules, telecommuting and tuition reimbursement. For example, your company might want to encourage workers to be mobile and adaptive to changing business conditions. You may encourage internal transfers, typically after employees spend a minimum period in their current role, such as 12 months. Due to economic changes, HR professionals might also need to help the company conserve resources at some point. Poor financial performance typically results in layoffs and other workforce reduction programs, including early retirement options. HR professionals usually support affected employees by providing guidance on how to apply for benefits or find other employment.
Inducting
Ensuring that newly hired employees get the resources they need typically involves conducting new employee orientation programs. These workshops, seminars or self-paced courses provide an introduction to the company, its history, policies and procedures, and organizational structure. Without adequate guidance, new employees feel disengaged and disoriented. This leads to low job satisfaction, absenteeism and a high rate of attrition. To mitigate these issues, HR professionals offer regular classes and support to new employees to aid in their transition to the workplace and ensure that new employees receive the resources they need to become productive quickly.
