Are you trying to create a fresh, energizing and successful environment where people thrive at their jobs and your business soars?

Your company has reached an employee headcount that requires more than the office manager or the CFO to handle. You want to build a separate HR function. What are the best building blocks to accomplish this?  

Below are the main functions of HR highlighting new business leaders practicing effective   building blocks for a great company and HR foundation!

1.    Topgrading- if you haven’t heard the term, it has been coined by Bradford Smart, Ph.D. Pick the A players through a more individualized interviewing technique with proven statistics for better hires. (Note: a wrong hire can cost up to 1.2 M per year in lost costs) http://topgrading.com

2.    Onboarding new employees or transitioning employees into a new position efficiently and productively: Michael Watkins in The First 90 Days shows proven strategies for getting up to speed faster in the first 90 days. (Note: large costs savings to accelerate learning curve)

3.    Allow people to shine at their job: What motivates and drives people to excel? Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. Instill, implement and inspire all three. DRIVE by career analyst Daniel Pink tells us how to accomplish this. http://www.danpink.com/books/drive/

4.    Dump the performance reviews: People are not motivated by an annual performance checkup. Regular and irregular mini-check in’s are effective and more connective.

5.    Capitalize on your employee’s strengths: recognize their strengths and teach managers how to leverage strengths in a team. Tom Roth & Marcus Buckingham with Gallop’s 25 years of intensive research and analytics has shown that people fall within a range of 34 major strengths. Identifying and growing those strengths makes for effective and far-reaching results.https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/

6.    Create the right environment for personal productivity: Help people realize the patterns and processes of how they work; then give them tools from Carson Tate’s Work Simply to adjust and create a simpler way to work.

7.    Keep the pipeline of talent full: recruit from everyone’s A list of contacts. In the first 30 days of a new employee’s hire, have them share their lists of great contacts and colleagues. Then give an employee a reference fee (after 90 days) if one of their great A list players is hired.

8.    Avoid legal wipeouts: Create self-awareness of crossing the boundaries and inappropriate behavior with pro-active risk management training.

9.    Measure once, measure twice and cut: Metrics are the master revealer of what is happening in the workplace. In-house metrics and industry measures allows C-level and managers wise strategy and execution.

10. Off-boarding doesn’t have to be a swan song: Whether termed or leaving on their own, ex-employees should be handled gently and professionally (including bad apples). Fairly and firmly HR navigates the intricacies of exiting employees.

11. Bonus: Brand the company as the place to work in Denver! HR working with marketing sets up social branding through glassdoor.com/ Indeed.com, etc. HR attends industry events to spread the good word and scout for future talent.

12. Stress Reduction/Pre-Energizing: play workouts to start the creative juices running and keep the stress out of work. Simple ways to help employees de-stress. Before a meeting,  right-brain simple play allows access to creative ideas while problem-solving. 

Build your foundation correctly and there will be less problems, better retention, happier employees and managers. 

By Victoria Yeary PHR, February 2015

www.linkedin.com/pub/victoria-yeary/