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.
3. Show the advantages of investing in an effective People Strategy. Ignoring training and development for your staff? Stifling good communications? Not encouraging accountability or a sense of mission and purpose? How do senior leaders expect to maintain a healthy corporate culture and motivate staff? How do they expect their employees to learn and grow? A staff that is properly managed, maintained and motivated helps encourage employee engagement, moving your company forward and ahead of the competition.
Don’t let HR take a back seat. Keeping HR in the forefront of top management can give your company the advantage it needs to remain at the top of your industry.
For additional information, visit us at www.mccloskeypartners.com, call (215) 453-1978 or contact Heather McCloskey directly at heather@mccloskeypartners.com.
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