3 Proven Ways To Get HR Noticed At Your Company

As a Human Resources (HR) professional, do department managers and top company leaders fail to take your department seriously? Are you left struggling to have a seat with the company's big decision-makers? You’re not alone. Too often, no one thinks about HR until an issue arises. At that point if things are not in line, up-to-date and compliant, the results could be catastrophic to your business. Avoiding this simply involves showing company leaders the importance of HR policies and procedures, and ensuring they’re followed and updated frequently.

Not sure you really have the ability to influence decisions like these at your company? Here are 3 proven ways to get corporate leaders to listen to you no matter the size of your bottom line:

1. Emphasize the potential costs of an HR error, even a small one. A Human Resources blunder is one of the fastest ways a company can land in a courtroom. The costs of neglecting basic Human Resources policies, procedures and guidelines could be costly to your company, while a big oversight or mistake could mean the end of business as you know it.

• Did you know that you could be penalized up to $1,100 for each incorrect I-9 Form?
• Did you know that during the past five years, 6 out of 10 employers have faced an employee lawsuit?
• Did you know that an average out of court settlement is about $40,000 for an employee lawsuit?
• Did you know that the Department of Labor estimates that approximately 70 percent of employers are routinely violating wage and hour laws?

2. Remind top leaders how much you have to gain by making HR a priority. Show up for meetings and take them seriously. Stop being concerned with taking over the meeting and letting everyone else get their comments heard. Take over, manage, organize and make sure that some resolution occurs at every meeting. No meeting should last more than 45 minutes. Remember that “you are driving the bus,” so get out of your own way and lead by example.