As a Human Resource Manager for your company, you work with the “data of people”—but are you giving yourself the chance to focus on the individuals behind the numbers? The following tips will help you concentrate on seeing the big picture, engaging with employees, and humanizing your hiring practices. Ultimately, the most successful HR Managers know how to juggle both worlds.
1. Make Sure Your Recognition Is on Par with Your Recruiting
Are your recognition and review policies matching the pace of hiring? Can you be sure you’re not overlooking your current employees and their achievements in the rush to recruit capable workers? Recruitment is a massive part of a Human Resource Manager’s job; it can often overshadow your current employees, especially if you work for a company on the move. However, your recruiting efforts will never cease if you don’t focus on engaging current employees. As an HR Manager, you have to see the big picture and allocate effort toward each stage of employment.
Hiring the right person at the outset can allow you to focus more on your current workforce and less on your hiring practices. One of the “secret weapons” that top HR Managers use to maximize their time is outsourcing their pre-screening of potential employees to a third party. Not only does this restore crucial time to oversee your additional duties as manager, but it also contributes a layer of protection by separating you from information that is irrelevant to the hiring process.
2. Take Employment Verification with a Grain of Salt
Employment verification is time-consuming, even when limited by your state’s laws as to what you can ask. Though you may be curbed by regulations, the previous employer isn’t in how they respond. A disgruntled former employer may take advantage of this to sabotage your candidate. While not all candidates are quality workers, never take the negative reviews at face value. Wait until you see a trend and then confirm anything egregious with your prospective hire—if you don’t allow the candidate to explain themselves, you may be working off of slander rather than fact. This is not only unethical but could land you in legal hot water!
Again, a third-party can be an excellent resource for navigating employment verification. A skilled screening service will find facts objectively. Only pertinent information is provided, and an embittered boss is less likely to avoid bashing a candidate when they’re not speaking directly to a prospective employer.
3. Use Your Newfound Time to Engage with Current Employees
Engagement plays into that “big picture” focus you should have as the Human Resources Manager. To know how best to assess the progress of current employees, it’s good practice to engage them and make your presence known. Interacting with the current staff will also help you maintain an appearance of compassion and learn more about your employees’ needs. What’s more, working with the HR department will seem less like going to the principal’s office if the staff view you as approachable.
You don’t necessarily have to be a “people person,” but you do want to remind yourself that your employees are people—not just a set of numbers to evaluate. Taking the time to chat with employees is easier said than done when you continuously undergo the recruiting and hiring processes: this is why bringing in a third-party screener should become part of your arsenal, too!
4. Limit Background Checks to the Final Hiring Stage
Across the country, states are deprioritizing background checks, specifically criminal history. “Ban the Box” laws refer to the inclusion of a consent to background check on the initial application. This trend to remove a criminal history check from the early stages of hiring is beneficial to your company in two ways:
- By restricting your background pulls to candidates who receive job offers, you save yourself, your team, and your company additional effort—and expense!
- Waiting until after you’ve conducted all interviews gives each candidate the chance to put their best foot forward; your hiring staff can approach every applicant with a fresh and open mind.
Criminal background checks can be tricky, too: if you’re cutting corners and using free databases, you may pull incorrect information or the information may be out of date. On top of that, some states are choosing to either expunge or seal records of offenses and arrests that never lead to a conviction. Even if your state doesn’t have these new laws in the works, it’s a trend to be aware of.
Applying These Tips Starts with the Right Resources
When it does come time to pull a criminal background check, reach out to CNet Technologies: we guarantee the reports we provide are gained legally and ethically. With accurate and up-to-date information, you know you’re basing your final decision on real data—allowing you the time to see the person behind it.
When you actively put the “Human” back in Human Resource Manager, you become the embodiment of your role—and CNet technologies is here to support your journey to becoming the best every step of the way. Put our extensive resources to work for you, and see what a difference having extra time can make for the morale of your employees!
