• Retention

  October 30, 2018

Nine Best HR Hacks That Every Business Needs to Know

Efficient, lean HR teams and innovative hiring ideas can provide for the staffing of efficient employees in the most affordable ways. The methods—or innovative hacks—also save time so that the HR professionals and teams can focus on other employee engagement programs and cultural initiatives.

4 min read

Certain HR hacks are fully oriented towards the hiring of the best of leaders, workers, and managers and the implementation of these hacks requires minimal of resources. While certain hiring approaches can be very complex and costly, it is always possible to devise and implement refreshing employment hacks that specifically address the current hiring requirements, organization size, and job processes, among other relevant aspects.

Below are nine of the cost-effective and easy to implement HR hacks that all employees and HR personnel should be aware of:

Create Appealing Job Descriptions
HR can make job postings and  descriptions more appealing and exciting for the end applicants. It can portray the job in a more employee-friendly manner, detail the innovations/learning/incentives involved, and  also include other employee-friendly policies and programs of the organization. A welcoming job description may attract more talented and skilled employees; it may also increase the popularity of the organization. Leading organizations today post video job descriptions that provide a 360 degree perspective and feel of the job and the working environment to the prospective employees.

Hire Previous Employees or Boomerangs
An organization may hire the employees that have left the organization before. Calling previous employers can be very beneficial when a team has to be created in a rather less time period. The employees may also bring in a new and increased set of skills which they might have gained in the absence period. As they are aware of the processes and jobs in most cases, expenditure towards training decreases. An employer or business organization should be always in touch with the existing or old employees, as it may require their services at a short notice.

Reach Out Via Social Media
The charm of social media is evident and there-to-be-witnessed in the professional world as well. The sheer expanse of internet and breakthroughs in communication technologies have made social media and social media websites the most popular platforms where employees share their views, profiles and other info. Websites like LinkedIn have a dedicated professional network and a search with the right keywords can reveal some of the best names/ profiles for hiring purposes. This hack not only reduces the time involved in searching the right candidate, but it also erases the boundaries so that you can hire the best talent from across regions.

Host Social or Informal Events
The social events may many different purposes at the same time, and hiring may be one of them. Companies can aim to hire even at the marketing and promotion events, and at other informal or social events. Preliminary interaction rounds do not require any resources or deployment of a number of personnel. The same advertisement that carries the message related to marketing or promotion may also include one related to hiring.

Reach Inwards for Referrals
Referrals towards hire are one of the oldest hacks. This old practice has taken new and more relevant forms in the modern age. Companies today provide exciting bonuses and prizes to the employees who provide them relevant, able and skilled referrals. Employees who refer other aspirants to their job place are aware that a bad call may damage their own reputation. Hence they suggest a name after careful scrutiny. HR Teams can generate references from any other sources as well, including business organizations, partners, and clients among others.

Remodel the Job Itself
A recent study pointed out that more than 60 per cent of employees who leave a business organization do so in the first few months of joining it. A company can remodel its jobs so that it becomes more appealing and lucrative for the employees. The existing processes can be overhauled so that the new joiners find them in a more hospitable, efficient, and friendly atmosphere where they would want to stay longer.

Extend Employee Tag, Along with Benefits
The contractual and temporary employees may be given a promotion so that they gain the authority, status, and privileges provided to a full-time employee. These existing employees make for far better choices as they already have a thorough know-how of the organization and the job roles, and can easily accustom to the new status and job requirements. Hiring them is a more cost effective endeavour as well.

Offer a  Customized Employment Proposition
Not all job aspirants/candidates are alike. Hence, it is always better to offer a more customized employment proposition that addresses  the needs and situation of any prospective employee better. For instance, a higher salary may be well-suited for a candidate with greater experience, while a job at a particular location may suit an employee that seeks to work in that particular area due to family proximity. Further, inputs can be also taken by the existing employees and the new jobs created should have ample of features that would contribute towards higher retention rate.

Boost the PR Effort
Unlike other departments of a business or commercial organization, the public relations department is in constant interaction with the community and press around. A boost in PR activities may lead to a greater number of job applications, as many people would like to be employed in a firm that has a positive business and social reputation. Organizations with a strong media, public, and social profile can get the best of talent with least of efforts.

Bagging the best of talents at the least of costs does require efforts, innovation, and implementation of positive ideas. The best of ideas and hacks also improve the skill and experience pool of an organization, enhance its reputation and improve the quality of the end products or services that it offers.

Credit: Written by Jasika Adams, Index Time Clock. This article was originally published in Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of British Columbia & Yukon (CPHR BC & Yukon)’s PeopleTalk Magazine.