Menu

Productivity

3 Incredible Stories: How Your Health and Wellness Initiatives Impact Employees

by

Michelle Holland Executive Director at SynergyIQ
Rebecca Kraut Mtime
Marty Spargo Owner, Reize Club

3 Incredible Stories: How Your Health and Wellness Initiatives Impact Employees

Not every employee has the time, luxury, or courage they need to address their health and wellness challenges. The reasons could be many, from the lack of support at home to no means of access to the right kind of attention they need. 

At the workplace, though, it may be easier for employees to seek help, especially when help is readily available through professionals, and there is a set process in place that revolves around the health of the employee at all times. 

So how does this effort shown by an employer affect the lives of employees? Does this effort have an effect on performance and productivity too? Is this effect positive or negative? After all, every initiative, no matter how small, requires employees to spend time away from their work desks! 

To bring to you a well-rounded opinion that is not just based on our team’s insights alone, we bring to you a post that addresses this all-important topic of how your health and wellness initiatives are impacting employees through three beautiful workplace stories that help us drive home our point.

The SynergyIQ Story: When an Hour of Fun does a Lot More than You Think!

Michelle Holland, Executive Director at SynergyIQ, shares quite a unique solution that may seem like only a fun one but evidently has far-reaching positive consequences. “Each and every week, we make time to have some fun together at SynergyIQ. It’s called our hour of silly, and it’s a non-negotiable for us. Even on our busiest days!” So doesn’t this have an impact on productivity? An hour sure sounds like a lot when you are pursuing targets that only seem to be further away every time you look up. “Sure, we lose a bit of productivity during the hour of silly, but we make up for that in the hours that follow,” shares Michelle. So what does this hour (which is beginning to sound even more interesting with each passing minute) include for employees?

Michelle Holland Executive Director at SynergyIQ

In terms of some of the things we’ve done during that hour of silly, we’ve had dogs visit the office (no explanation needed!), we play games which help us understand each other’s HBDI thinking styles, team quizzes and more. Some activities are more light-hearted, others are more about getting to know each other.

Michelle Holland
Executive Director at SynergyIQ

“In terms of some of the things we’ve done during that hour of silly, we’ve had dogs visit the office (no explanation needed!), we play games which help us understand each other’s HBDI thinking styles, team quizzes and more. Some activities are more light-hearted, others are more about getting to know each other,” she says. 

And has there been any notable impact on employees? Well, of course participating in such a fun-filled hour sounds like a great experience but does it have any real impact on the ground? “Attendance in the office increases on these days, as does output afterwards. Happier employees are healthier and more engaged,” reveals Michelle, and we have to agree. 

“So if you’re not having any fun at work, we suggest you start an hour of silly of your own,” advises Michelle, and going by the experience she shares, there’s every reason for you to carve out your own ‘hour of silly’ at the workplace too. Hey, don’t you forget that health and wellness is also about being playful!

The mtime Story: Where Moncierge Well-being Surpasses Client and Business

mtime

At mtime, the employee is at the top of every pyramid, and that’s how this unique business operates. Rebecca Kraut reveals how they go one step ahead to protect the interests of their employees and show them they care for their own. 

“We run what we call ‘culture of care’ at our business. This is specifically designed to support our employees (moncierges, our name for our in-home carers) and one of the most controversial initiatives we have is taking feedback from our employees on our clients; and letting them rate the experience of working with the family!” reveals Rebecca. 

But why would this be controversial? After all, although not prevalent, employers seeking employee feedback on clients isn’t a practice that’s unheard of. What Rebecca reveals next throws some light on this. 

“The feedback our employees provide can, at times, lead to us firing the clients because we don’t compromise on the rules of culture of care for our employees and the customer is not always right!”

Does that sound like something your business would do? If it does, take a bow! Because we all know that very few businesses out there would go as far as firing clients only to protect their employees. But that’s Rebecca and the rest of the mtimes team manage to do, and the outcome of this commitment towards employee well-being is evident.

Rebecca Kraut Mtime

We run what we call ‘culture of care’ at our business. This is specifically designed to support our employees (moncierges, our name for our in-home carers) and one of the most controversial initiatives we have is taking feedback from our employees on our clients; and letting them rate the experience of working with the family!

Rebecca Kraut
Mtime

“The result is that the women in these blue collar roles are finally feeling supported, growing in confidence, building independence (financially & otherwise) and we’re retaining them for longer! Our business is nothing without our staff & so everyday & every action is centered around a culture of care – rather than maybe a more fickle ‘wellness initiative’!”

Now there’s a twist to the term wellness that we sure would like to witness in more and more workplaces. Hey, we don’t even mind the ‘fickle’ jab because we know Rebecca isn’t wrong here.

Plenty of workplaces out there have everything in line, but only on paper. When it comes to actionable steps, though, there is always a permanent lag. And if you were to ask even the bigger brands if they’d go as far as to fire a client over feedback provided by employees, we’re sure you’d only get raised eyebrows or smirks in reply. 

Kudos, team mtime! There’s a lot we can all learn from you here.

The Reize Club Story: When You Know Your Employees, You can Help Them Better

Reize

While this take was all things fun, there is another angle to paying attention to the mental health of employees. For, at times, these interactions can help peers or leaders uncover tragic personal lows some of your employees may be experiencing in their lives. 

Marty Spargo, owner of Reize Club, has one such highly impactful story to share. 

Marty Spargo Owner, Reize Club

I worked with an employee to create a wellness plan that would help her manage her symptoms and keep them under control while still allowing enough flexibility so that she could continue working at full capacity

Marty Spargo
Owner, Reize Club

“I have seen firsthand how much of an impact my programs can have on the mental health of our employees. One of my employees was in a very dark place when she came to me for help. She had recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and she was terrified that her condition would prevent her from doing her job effectively or even being able to work at all. She was also struggling with depression and anxiety, which made it difficult for her to get out of bed in the morning,” shares Marty. 

When you consider a modern workplace, it almost seems providential that a leader was even able to notice something wrong with an employee. But this is one of the perks of increasing close interactions among your workforce. It brings to the surface problems that are otherwise hidden. 

So how was Marty able to help his employee? 

“I worked with this employee to create a wellness plan that would help her manage her symptoms and keep them under control while still allowing enough flexibility so that she could continue working at full capacity,” he says. 

Now, there’s a boss we wouldn’t mind going to work for in a heartbeat!

The HR Spotlight Quick Five List: How Health and Wellness Initiatives Impact Your Employees

12-Insightful-Leaders-on-Why-an-HR-Team-is-Important-1.jpg

We’ve decided to leave the usual conversations that revolve around employee engagement, retention, and brand impact out of this list. Instead, we’re only going to approach this list from how it affects employees on a personal level. And as the varying stories we mentioned above reveal, how this impact has far-reaching positive consequences. 

So here’s our list that tells you how your health and wellness initiatives impact your employees.

You show employees you care

The initiatives your organizations carry out to promote the well-being of your employees speak volumes of the commitment you have towards your workforce. And this emotion isn’t wasted on your workers. Every initiative and gesture that is taken to protect and promote the mental and physical health of employees tell them how they work for a brand that goes beyond what’s required of them to show they care. To employees who are struggling in their lives, this means more than you’ll possibly ever know.

You protect your employees

Yes, your employees may be spending more time outside the office in a typical work week, but there’s enough reason for you to believe that they spend the most conscious hours at the workplace you’ve designed for them. So when you protect their well-being through proactive steps, this feeling of being in a safe place isn’t lost on them. And when you know you can count on the people or programs at your workplace, employees even look forward to returning to the workplace for relative peace and calm.

You add positivity to the workplace

A healthy workforce that is able to work with a healthy body and a positive mind is a happy one. This positivity that individuals add to their lives reflects in the workplace too. So when you introduce health and wellness initiatives, you are also adding positivity to your workplace. This enables the work environment to perform at high levels without the physical or mental challenges of the workforce adversely impacting it in any way.

You remove roadblocks

Seeking help or embracing positive change isn’t always easy. Even when every reason is right there in front of you, it is difficult to take that most important step forward and make a change. In promoting the right initiatives at your workplace, you help your employees tackle and overcome these common roadblocks by offering strength in numbers and infusing trust. To someone who has been struggling alone, this means a lot more than we would ever know.

You educate

Not every employee in your workforce may be aware of how important their physical and mental wellness is to their personal and professional lives. There are times when even the most unhealthy people remain unaware of the problems and challenges they face and realize them only when they receive some education about them. Your workplace’s health and wellness initiatives may very well be the first awareness experiences for these employees.

A healthy and well workforce makes for a high-performance workplace

A commitment shown by a business is never lost on an employee. Firstly, the elements of health and wellness that employees are now able to add to their lives positively affect their way of work and help them do more at work. Secondly, the extra mile their employers have gone for them encourages them to give back in any way they can to the workplace too.

3 Incredible Stories: How Your Health and Wellness Initiatives Impact Employees

This dual benefit brought on by your initiatives — apart from the extremely crucial element of improving the individual lives of your employees — results in a healthy workforce that is always mindful of their responsibilities at work and contributes to building and maintaining a high-performance environment. 

Do you have a take on why an HR team is important, even if it’s a one-person team? Or is there another insight you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

13 Factors Impacting Your Team Productivity

by

13 Factors Impacting Your Team Productivity

HR teams around the world fight the productivity fight each day, within their own teams and out on the work floor of the businesses they serve.

What is team productivity, and why is your team productivity nosediving?

The HR Spotlight team set out to find answers to these questions, and here we are to provide you with a list that helps you identify shortcomings and shows you where you might be going wrong.

What is Team Productivity?

To shed more light on what team productivity is all about, let’s consider workers A and B contributing to the productivity charts of the company they work for with their own set of tasks and responsibilities.

Employee A is doing wonderfully well at the workplace and has all the traits from self-motivation to work ethics that keep delivery and performance 100%.

On the other hand, Employee B suffers from low morale and a general dislike for every task placed at their desk each day, which means that the delivery and performance B brings to the table is only 50%. Put the two together, draw out an average, and you know your team productivity stands at 75%.

But is this team productivity number of 75% only because of the high performance that A delivers and the low performance of B? Or are there other factors at play behind the scenes? Is this even the right method to derive team productivity? Or does this method take the spotlight away from other prevalent factors at the workplace and beyond?

Of course, employee contribution does drive productivity, but will the resolution of the problem on an individual level provide all the answers?

Factors Impacting Your Team Productivity

Well, as it turns out, team productivity has to do with a lot more than employee productivity, and here’s the list that tells you why your team productivity is nosediving.

#1: Recruitment

Your recruitment process is where it all begins, so yes, the recruitment strategies you have in place do have an impact. After all, it is your recruitment process that determines the percentage of As and Bs in your organization. It also determines the overall commitment you’re able to derive from your employees through all that you offer them right from the recruitment stages. If your recruitment isn’t being done right, it has a direct adverse impact on team productivity.

#2: Onboarding

Your onboarding process determines the commitment you derive from your employees. When an employee meets a highly driven HR team and is introduced to managers who are heartily sharing stories of how they lead a workplace that is all about performance and productivity, this approach rubs off on employees.

On the other hand, when new employees are met with a lethargic onboarding process and interact with a team that is not very willing to inspire or lead from the front, chances are they witness this same attitude playing out on the work floor too. Under these circumstances, even the most productive employees will find it challenging to keep up their drive to perform well.

#3: Managers and leaders

Are the managers and leaders at your workplace an inspirational lot? Or do they suffer from performance and productivity issues too? When the ones who lead are lost, how can they lead their teams toward optimal performance?

In the absence of managers and leaders who believe in leading from the front, no team can even create a team productivity roadmap, to begin with. If your managers are uninspiring, do little to trace the negatives in your team, do even less to inspire, and are just not committed to their roles, your team productivity is bound to nosedive.

#4: Productivity roadmap

No matter how self-driven, self-motivated, and well-trained, every employee requires a productivity roadmap that clearly references their tasks and responsibilities and shows them exactly how they can contribute to the team’s productivity. When this roadmap is unclear, when it is vague enough to confuse employees, or when it doesn’t even exist, team productivity will undoubtedly take a hit. After all, even the best workers need direction and know at least the basics of their production schedule to deliver their best. Without this roadmap, even the best efforts of an outstanding workforce are wasted.

#5: Learning and development

Every workplace requires a set of learning and development practices that help employees do better. When your workplace does not commit to learning and development and has a workforce that isn’t learning anything new or even forgetting what they’ve learned until now, you will soon have a team that just isn’t as capable as their peers who are exposed to regular learning opportunities.

In addition to affecting team productivity, the lack of learning also leaves employees less capable. They learn nothing new, have nothing to show for all the months or years they’ve spent at your company, and soon enough, will realize that all they’ve done is work without learning anything worthwhile. And one look at the productivity numbers will show that they haven’t contributed a lot on that front either.

#6: Remuneration, perks, and benefits

Different factors drive every employee in your team, and it is up to you as a leader to provide the right balance. When you fail to do so, employee performance will face a negative impact too. The remuneration your employees receive on a regular basis and the perks and benefits that add up to this fixed amount are major influential factors on this list.

Suppose you do not offer suitable remuneration, and the perks and benefits in line do little to drive employees to give their best. In that case, there is a strong chance that your productivity numbers will reflect this lack of motivation.

#7: Growth opportunities

Promotions to the next seat in the hierarchy, better positions within the team, or even a full-fledged bump to the post of a manager are all key influencers that inspire employee productivity. Employees are driven hard by the motivation to grow within the team and even more by opportunities that lead them to managerial positions. In the absence of these opportunities, employees have little to work towards, and this means that your productivity will nosedive too.

#8: Ownership issues

When employees know they are being held responsible for certain productivity factors, they also plan their input accordingly. In the absence of ownership, employees find it difficult to peg responsibilities on themselves. This means that the onus of performing well at the workplace seldom finds its way to them. If your team hierarchy lacks this critical element of ownership and creates a rather vague ownership structure, it can affect productivity negatively too. After all, when employees don’t even know what they’re responsible for, how can they measure the effort required to accomplish them?

#9: Work distribution

Every employee has unique strengths and weaknesses, and when the work they do matches this unique list, the output is of the same caliber too. For example, if your employees are being allotted tasks that they’re not really good at, it would be a joke to expect high team productivity. On the other hand, when you’re able to identify each employee’s strengths and prepare a work list that makes the most of these strengths, productivity is bound to spike. Not paying enough attention to the work distribution process is, therefore, one factor affecting team productivity.

#10: Project management

A solid project management system helps managers define every work process and distribute responsibilities to the right members of their team and enables real-time tracking of every function. It shows managers as well as employees where they stand at any given point of the project in terms of schedule and output.

When your team does not have a robust project management system in place, there is no way to measure output against the requirements of the project, and even the timeline goes haywire. So if the project management system your team relies on isn’t the right one, you can be sure that this factor is draining your team’s productivity too.

#11: Employee freedom

Employee freedom is a rather delicate subject, and every manager who heads a team knows how tough it is to create the right balance when it comes to allowing certain employees freedoms and disallowing others. When the balance is right, team productivity is hardly an issue; when it’s wrong, the direct adverse impact on productivity is quite evident. So what is employee freedom in this context?

Suppose your managers are micro-managing the entire workflow and not giving employees the freedom to make even the most minor decisions. In that case, your employees do not have enough space to give their best and work freely. On the other hand, if your managers are not paying enough attention to their employees’ work patterns and it’s all haywire from a team’s point of view, this approach contributes to a productivity nosedive too.

#12: Teamwork

You can have 10 of the world’s best players on your team and still lose the easiest of games if there is a lack of teamwork and camaraderie among the players. This is how it is at the workplace too. If the employees on your team do not get along with each other, if there is a dearth of collaboration and communication, and even worse, if there are employees who make deliberate attempts to sabotage the performance of others, there’s no way your team productivity can stay away from the damage caused by such an environment.

The lack of teamwork contributes to a drop in productivity in more ways than you think, and even the ease of projects and simplicity of work schedules will cease to matter under these circumstances.

#13: Health and wellness

The health and wellness of your individual employees add up to the health and wellness of your team. And while encouraging your workforce to pay attention to their physical and mental health is always a good thing, ensuring that this is a thing at the workplace is crucial too. After all, your employees easily spend the most waking hours of their day at the workplace, and what they do here regarding their health is also influential to their well-being. In the absence of company commitment to employees’ health and wellness, team productivity is sure to bear the brunt.

Pulling Your Team Up from a Productivity Nosedive

Now that you know the possible reasons behind the nosediving productivity of your team, you can lay out the plans to tackle each problem too. At HR Spotlight, we have all the answers you need to latch on to high-productivity models at your workplace and enable the HR team to do more than they ever thought they would.

Do you have any more factors you think we can add to this list? Or is there something else you’d like to share with us?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

5 Easy Health and Wellness Solutions for Your Remote Team

by

Natalia Brzezinska, Marketing & Outreach Manager, PhotoAiD
Laura Martinez, Consultant, PersonalityMax
Shauna Moran, Founder, Operate Remote
Louise Ogilvy, Recruitment Director, Propeller-Tech
Krishna Vakharia, Clinical Director, Patient.info

5 Easy Health and Wellness Solutions for Your Remote Team

Health and wellness is no longer an optional component at the workplace of today, and whether your team is working in the office or remotely, your organization’s commitment to their well-being remains constant. While relaying this commitment and following up on it is a challenge even in an office setting, actionable pursuit becomes even more difficult in a remote work environment.

But when leaders put their minds to something, they find solutions that work no matter what! And that’s what this article is all about.

Here are five easy and innovative health and wellness solutions these leaders provide for their remote teams:

  • Invest in Gym Membership Cards as a Benefit
  • Provide an Easily Accessible Hotline
  • Have a Clear and Realistic Plan for Tasks and Expected Output
  • Encourage Team Members to Participate in Wellness Challenges
  • Vary Meeting Formats and Schedule Meetings With Breaks

Invest in Gym Membership Cards as a Benefit

Remote employees spend a lot of time in one place, often lacking in any real physical exercise. Because they’re right at home all the time, they’re often also more inclined to just lie down and rest after work. That leaves the issue of no physical exercise unresolved.

Natalia Brzezinska, Marketing & Outreach Manager, PhotoAiD

Offer employees access to gym facilities as a benefit. Gym memberships aren’t cheap, and if the employees get the ability to work out to relieve some stress or just to keep their body and mind healthy, chances are they will take full advantage of it.

Natalia Brzezinska, Marketing & Outreach Manager, PhotoAiD

Thus, the best solution, I think, is to offer employees access to gym facilities as a benefit. Gym memberships aren’t cheap, and if the employees get the ability to work out to relieve some stress or just to keep their body and mind healthy, chances are they will take full advantage of it.

Natalia Brzezinska, Marketing & Outreach Manager, PhotoAiD

Provide an Easily Accessible Hotline

It must be a number that they can call for their health and wellness concerns. This is very important, especially for mental wellness. In these challenging days, employees must have someone to reach. It will be in case of despair, exhaustion, and anxiety. These cases are sensitive and must be dealt with by a professional. Having someone to listen to their woes and worries can be very important.

Laura Martinez, Consultant, PersonalityMax

Mental issues are a reality. These woes and dilemmas can happen to anyone, even to the best people that we know. If there is a venue for them to vent their concerns, it will be the best move that an organization can take.

Laura Martinez, Consultant, PersonalityMax

Mental issues are a reality. These woes and dilemmas can happen to anyone, even to the best people that we know. If there is a venue for them to vent their concerns, it will be the best move that an organization can take. It will prove the sense of belongingness that must offer.

Laura Martinez, Consultant, PersonalityMax

Have a Clear and Realistic Plan for Tasks and Expected Output

I would argue that remote work increases an organization’s responsibility for employee wellbeing and wellness. After all, remote workers are more likely to feel isolated than their office counterpoints, and it’s easier for red flags to be missed when we don’t work together in person.

Shauna Moran, Founder, Operate Remote

Having 30% fewer meetings each week, a high-quality coaching conversation from a leader, and a clear and realistic plan for tasks and expected output would make all of the difference to wellbeing and productivity.

Shauna Moran, Founder, Operate Remote

When organizations approach me with innovative wellness solutions because their team is burnt-out, I always look at the basic foundations that are backed by research as the most frequent contributors to burnout. For example, too many back-to-back meetings, unrealistic timelines, workloads, lack of support for managers, and so many more. Often it’s these foundations that are missing, but these foundations can really be the key to making a shift within cultures and employee wellbeing. For example, having 30% fewer meetings each week, a high-quality coaching conversation from a leader, and a clear and realistic plan for tasks and expected output would make all of the difference to wellbeing and productivity.

Shauna Moran, Founder, Operate Remote

Encourage Team Members to Participate in Wellness Challenges

There are a few easy and innovative health & wellness solutions for a remote team. One solution is to create a wellness library for the team. This can be a collection of books, articles, or even websites that team members can access when they need some inspiration or motivation.

Louise Ogilvy, Recruitment Director, Propeller-Tech

One solution is to create a wellness library for the team. This can be a collection of books, articles, or even websites that team members can access when they need some inspiration or motivation.

Louise Ogilvy, Recruitment Director, Propeller-Tech

In addition, you can also encourage team members to participate in wellness challenges. These can be fun and competitive, and they help to promote healthy habits within the team. By implementing these easy and innovative solutions, you can help your remote team stay healthy and well.

Louise Ogilvy, Recruitment Director, Propeller-Tech

Vary Meeting Formats and Schedule Meetings With Breaks

My tip would be to have no meeting before 10 am on a Monday or after 3 pm on a Friday. Also, meetings are often back to back, so it helps to schedule them to start at 5 past the hour and end 10 minutes to the hour to allow time for a stretch or comfort break.

Krishna Vakharia, Clinical Director, Patient.info

My tip would be to have no meeting before 10 am on a Monday or after 3 pm on a Friday. Also, meetings are often back to back, so it helps to schedule them to start at 5 past the hour and end 10 minutes to the hour to allow time for a stretch or comfort break.

Krishna Vakharia, Clinical Director, Patient.info

Beyond that, you could mix up the meeting styles – try walking meetings for variety or meetings with videos off to alleviate feelings of anxiety or pressure.

Krishna Vakharia, Clinical Director, Patient.info

Innovative Health and Wellness Solutions Results in Healthy and Productive Remote Teams

Managing a remote team is not an easy task, and even more difficult is engaging them and including them in programs and events that would otherwise be a breeze in an office environment. Thanks to these solutions shared by leaders, as well as an entire list of others that are out there to help organizations create a health-focused and wellness-oriented work environment, engaging even remote employees and contributing to their well-being is a possibility.

Remote work does not tone down an organization’s responsibility for employee well-being. What is your go-to easy and innovative health & wellness solution for a remote team? Do you have a solution you think should absolutely make this list?

 

Recent Posts

Topics

12 Insightful Leaders Tell You Why an HR Team is Important

by

Greg Sloan - Chief Purpose Officer & Co-Founder, Go Beyond
Michelle Hague, HR Manager, Solar Panels Network USA
Julia Voloshchenko, PR Manager, Usetech
Maureen Cawley, VP, People, Saatva
Robert H. Johnson Jr. - Founder, Principal, RHJ Consulting Group
Eduardo Binda Zane
Bill Catlette
Steve Saville
Michael Alexis
Lorena-Perez
Jordan Cullen
Jared Pope

12 Insightful Leaders Tell You Why an HR Team is Important

Your organization has its share of operations and processes, each one contributing to the productivity of your company and proving its relevance to your brand’s success, each day, every day. Their contribution to every inch of growth is right there on paper in the form of numbers, and there’s no denying that each one of these departments are crucial to the stability of your company. 

Using the same parameters, however, it would be difficult to put down on paper the contributions of your HR team, especially in terms of numbers. Yes, you have your recruiting numbers. Yes, you have your engagement targets. And how can we even forget the all-important retention figures to round up an HR team’s efforts. But do these numbers truly tell us of the many roles an HR team plays in your organization? Do they even come close to the overall efforts that an HR team puts into the daily workings of your company? 

They really don’t. 

To let you in on why an HR team is important to every organization big and small, even if it’s a one-person team, we bring to you 12 insights from leaders who know just why an HR engine is a crucial addition to your company’s operations. Some of these insights are detailed, some succinct, but each of them drive home the point we all know only too well — an HR team is indeed the glue that holds it all together.

Concertmaster to the Organizational Symphony

We can think of a small or mid-sized business as a beautifully conducted symphony of well-trained musicians. A successful small business with well-oiled operations and processes can produce great customer results, just like a symphony of 20-30 musicians can create beautiful music for its listeners. 

Music orchestration

While there are many parts, instruments, and musicians in the symphony, there is only one conductor and only one concertmaster. It’s easy to see the conductor as the CEO, leading the entire orchestra (organization) through the symphony. But who is the concertmaster, and what role does she play? 

The concertmaster is the “first chair” in the violin section and is the chief intermediary between the conductor and the musicians. Not only does she need to be an expert in the symphony itself, but she must also be an expert in the skills and capabilities of her musicians. Without the CEO, there is no vision, and without people, there is no one to execute that mission. 

Greg Sloan - Chief Purpose Officer & Co-Founder, Go Beyond

A successful small business with well-oiled operations and processes can produce great customer results, just like a symphony of 20-30 musicians can create beautiful music for its listeners.

Greg Sloan
Chief Purpose Officer & Co-Founder, GoBeyond

Without an HR leader, no one is serving the CEO to get the right people in the right seats playing their roles at the right time. Smart CEOs know this and often see their HR partner as their right-hand person, particularly when they are a one-person HR team.

Greg Sloan – Chief Purpose Officer & Co-Founder, Go Beyond

Change Management Gurus

Workplaces are in a constant state of change. HR functions are the backdrop to maintain calm in chaos as everyone adjusts to new regulations and schedules. They can be the source of reason and support through change management.

Steve Saville – President, SkillGigs, Inc

People Strategy

The HR team is super important as it’s the team that provides the People Strategy – not just defining the strategy but implementing it as well. Without attracting and recruiting the appropriate talent and motivating and developing them, a business could never reach its business goals. 

Companies are made of People, and if companies don’t have the right people performing at their best, they will fail. The HR team is responsible for ensuring the strategies and tools are in place to allow people to perform at their best. This is why HR is fundamental to any business.

Lorena Perez – Chief People Officer, Novakid

Compliance, Recruitment and Retention, Handling Communication and Conflict, Policymaking

An HR team ensures that your company complies with all employment laws. Having a dedicated HR team ensures that your company is up-to-date on all employment laws and regulations. This includes things like equal employment opportunity, wage and hour laws, and health and safety regulations.

An HR team can help you attract and retain the best employees. A good HR team will work to recruit the best talent for your company. They will also work to create a positive work environment that employees want to be a part of. This can help you reduce turnover and save money in the long.

Michelle Hague, HR Manager, Solar Panels Network USA

An HR team can help you develop policies and procedures that encourage open communication between employees and management. They can also help you resolve conflict before it escalates and becomes a bigger problem.

Michelle Hague
HR Manager, Solar Panels Network USA

An HR team can help you improve communication and resolve conflict. Good communication is essential for any business. An HR team can help you develop policies and procedures that encourage open communication between employees and management. They can also help you resolve conflict before it escalates and becomes a bigger problem.

They also help to create and enforce policies that keep your employees safe and productive. This includes things like developing anti-harassment policies, creating drug-free workplace policies, and setting up safety procedures.

Michelle Hague – HR Manager, Solar Panels Network USA

Crucial Component of a Growing Workplace

Human Resources is often considered one of the essential components of an organization, and for a good reason. This definitely applies to us at Cullen Jewellery. In the day-to-day operations of our business, people are the single most important asset. 

It is the responsibility of Human Resources to ensure that employees are hired and managed in a way that maximizes their potential and contributes to the overall success of the organization. From developing and implementing policies and procedures to managing payroll and benefits, Human Resources plays a vital role in keeping an organization running smoothly, especially when the organization is growing fast as we are. 

In addition, Human Resources is often the first point of contact for employees with questions or concerns, making it an essential part of maintaining a positive workplace culture.

Jordan Cullen – Founder & Director, Cullen Jewellery

The Heart of an Organization

If you were to personify a company, HR is the heart. The human resources department is connected, or should be connected, to every other part of the organization. HR is also the lifeblood, creating and supporting healthy company culture. In practical terms, HR supports all of the people that make an organization possible. Payroll? Check. Benefits? Check. Employee happiness? Check. If you don’t have a strong HR department, you may just be in trouble!

Michael Alexis – CEO, TeamBuilding

The Two-pronged Approach – HR and Recruitment

Working as a team and working alone are two topics that have long been debated. When it comes to HR, I believe that teamwork is important here. This includes support, brainstorming, and joint meetings.

In our company, we have two Human Resources departments – recruitment and HR itself. Recruitment is a hiring specialty that involves finding “future” employees with the help of job platforms, initial meetings, and guiding the candidate through the process of getting to the top, inside the company.

Julia Voloshchenko, PR Manager, Usetech

Working as a team and working alone are two topics that have long been debated. When it comes to HR, I believe that teamwork is important here. This includes support, brainstorming, and joint meetings.

Julia Voloshchenko
PR Manager, Usetech

HR, on the other hand, solves the internal human resources issue. As a rule, the tasks of such a specialist are focused on issues of employee retention in the company and specialist development.

If all functions are concentrated in one person, efficiency will suffer. Therefore, it will be better to work together as a team. It is also handy when someone goes on holiday, and you can hand over tasks to a colleague.

Julia Voloshchenko – PR Manager, Usetech

Process, Interface, and Psychological Safety

Human resources (HR) is an important department in any organization. Even if it’s just one person doing the job, there are at least three reasons why an HR team is key:

First, it deals with processes. At its core functional level, human resources departments often deal with policies and procedures that help the organization run smoothly. For example, they may oversee the hiring process so that applicants are screened properly and then hired by the right people for the right positions.

Second, it serves as the interface between management’s requests and the team’s needs. Human resources is also a communication hub between management and staff. It handles requests from management and relays them to staff members who need to act on them. These requests may be about scheduling or pay issues or anything else related to their jobs.

Third and most important, an HR team is a source of psychological safety because it’s responsible for protecting employees’ rights and interests and helping them address workplace issues that they might feel uncomfortable bringing up with their direct supervisors or anyone else. This not only creates an environment where employees feel safe speaking up about their needs and concerns but also fosters trust between management and employees — which is crucial for creating a work environment where people feel comfortable taking risks, experimenting with new ideas, and stepping outside of their comfort zones.

Edoardo Binda Zane – Founder, Emotional Intelligence Test

Workforce Engagement and More

A competent, adequately staffed, and properly funded HR department reflects that a company values its team. At the most basic level, an HR department is charged with maintaining compliance with legislation that protects employees and ensuring consistent application of company policy. These two functions make up the basic foundation of fairness within an organization.

Maureen Cawley, VP, People, Saatva

It is well-documented that an engaged workforce delivers the best results, and the best way for a company to ensure the engagement of its workforce is to support its HR team so that they can lead the way!

Maureen Cawley
SVP, People, Saatva

With that sound foundation in place, companies can depend on their HR departments to drive continuous improvements in the employer value proposition. These improvements may include enhancing employee benefits to be more competitive in the market, providing training and development opportunities, or building a best-in-class talent acquisition function. 

While all of these HR functions directly benefit employee experience, they also benefit the organization as a whole. It is well-documented that an engaged workforce delivers the best results, and the best way for a company to ensure the engagement of its workforce is to support its HR team so that they can lead the way!

Maureen Cawley – SVP, People, Saatva

Investing in Employee Well-being

An effective HR strategy is the only proven way to keep employees included, engaged, and fulfilled within their workplace. With efficient HR tools to effectively report misconduct, harassment, and discrimination, employees will never have to question their safety again. As a result, employee loyalty to their company increases, productivity increases, and both the employee and the employer are satisfied. 

More than benefits and payroll, even if an HR department is a one-person team, it is an essential element to all company operations and processes. By investing in your employee’s well-being, you can build a great company, not just a good company.

Jared Pope – Founder & CEO, Work Shield

Competitive Advantage

A professional HR team creates a competitive advantage for any labor-intensive organization when well-led, constituted, and well-supported. That’s right, competitive advantage. 

First things first, HR must be an amalgam of people who have a deep understanding of and commitment to the organization’s purpose or business. People who “do HR” but don’t understand the business are of little to no use to an organization.

Shortly after graduating from the University of Miami’s school of business, I found myself employed as the HR Manager of Genuine Parts Company’s Miami distribution center. Within a few weeks of starting, I had the occasion to meet briefly with one of the company’s EVPs who had flown in from HQ.

After listening to a summary of my initial priorities, he interrupted me with words to the effect that: You seem like a smart, nice fellow who will likely do well here, but I’m bothered that “you don’t know jacks*&t about this business.” Thud.

He asked for my business cards, and I quickly retrieved one from my shirt pocket. He asked me to produce the full box of cards which I did. He explained that he was taking them from me until such time as I had spent at least a month working the counter in some of our parts stores and done an equal amount of time in the cavernous warehouse, not ten yards from where we were sitting. “Then, and only then, do you get to be known as an HR professional.” That man did me a huge favor at a critical moment in my career, and I’ve never forgotten it.

HR “pros,” a word not taken lightly, helps secure, deploy, and sustain talent, the right talent, when and where needed. They see that the organization’s systems, methods, policies, and procedures support (and incentivize) people doing their best work every day. Frequently calling balls and strikes on people matters, HR pros are neither employee advocates nor manager adversaries or the other way around. They exist to provide tangible value to the business via its human assets because, in today’s economy, competitive advantage means that my people can out-hustle and out-execute yours.

Bill Catlette – Partner, Contented Cow Partners

Protect, Serve, and Support

An HR partner is critical to successfully leading and growing an organization. The role and responsibility of an HR business partner is much more complex than hiring and firing.
Robert H. Johnson Jr. - Founder, Principal, RHJ Consulting Group

An HR partner is critical to successfully leading and growing an organization. The role and responsibility of an HR business partner is much more complex than hiring and firing.

Robert H. Johnson Jr.
Founder, Principal, RHJ Consulting Group

In fact, a great HRBP helps business leaders make important people and organizational decisions. They are key to creating and sustaining a strong psychological and physically safe culture. HR Partners are what Robin is to Batman. They protect, serve, support, and are quite often the unsung heroes within an organization.

Robert H. Johnson Jr. – Founder, Principal, RHJ Consulting Group

HR – The Engine that Drives Organizations 

Each of these insights from industry leaders tells us the one thing that anyone who has ever worked in an organization knows only too well — no matter what its size, the HR department is indeed the engine that drives an organization. 

Do you have a take on why an HR team is important, even if it’s a one-person team? Or is there another insight you’d like to share with readers across the globe? 

Write to us at contribute@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

Recent Posts

Topics