7 Common HR Challenges and How to Handle Them

Working in Human Resources has been a challenge since forever. Managing people can be fulfilling, but can also be frustrating at times. Why? Because people are so different and everyone has specific needs and desires and it is the job of HR managers and specialists to deal with all that. We have put together the most common HR challenges, and try to provide solutions to each of them.

1. Productivity

Productivity has to be present on all levels of an organization. The lack of it generates bad outcomes that culminate with the overall in-success of the business.

HR professionals firstly need to find the source of the low productivity within the company — it may be one single employee or an entire team. Think of this as a quick study. After finding the low points, they can begin the problem-solving.

Workplace productivity can be frequently enhanced by increasing employee motivation and morale, by offering intensive training to some specific employees or by changing company procedures regarding some tasks.

2. Sensitive employee queries

We all know that the HR department operates as an intermediary between the employees and the organization itself (the employer). Therefore, any problem related to employment an employee may encounter will be guided through HR in order to be fairly dealt with and quickly resolved. The solution to this type of issue is to have access to accurate and substantial data. That is, you as HR specialist need to have knowledge of all the processes regarding payroll, time off policies, disciplinary hearing and you have to be able to explain them to every employee.

For example, one senior employee comes angry, wondering why some of his colleagues have more benefits than him. You will need to explain the company’s policy regarding benefits and privileges and that loyalty (the number of years spent within the company) and performance are the criteria that are taken into account.

Knowledge is power, so you can answer any sensitive query if you have the right information.

3. Recruitment

Some industry specialists may see this as the most challenging human resources issue ever.

Company owners and team leaders fear about it. Finding the perfect staff for your company — the one with the talent, the skills, the discipline you are looking for. HR recruiters face nowadays an additional bump in the road when it comes to recruitment — more and more people choose to work from home as freelancers.

So can you solve this essential matter — recruiting?

We have 2 options: choose one or use both for a rock-star recruitment strategy.

1. Search for staff through specialized online platforms, such as Linkedin. It is not just an easy method to recruit, but also pleasant.
2. Use an HR software system that allows you to collect CV-s, applications, and contact information for possible candidates. Having all this data centralized, you will find it easier to select the perfect future employee.

4. Dealing with negative coworkers

In every company, you will find one or two employees that display negativity on a daily basis. Either because they don’t like their job, or they don’t like their boss. Not doing anything is not the solution, because you risk bringing down the whole team.

You should listen to them, to their objections, make them feel safe about sharing complaints. Then offer your help in solving the problem they believe are experiencing.

Another solution is to try to pair them into work with a hopeless optimistic, so he can transmit its positivism.

5. Employee retention

One of the most common human resources issues is employee retention. And almost always, the ones that are easily blamed are the HR professionals. What was the reason they left? Why didn’t you see that coming? How can we make sure this won’t happen in the near future? Managers will ask these questions.

Well, dealing with employee retention is indeed the job of the HR department. Nevertheless, people are at the core of every successful organization.

What strategy should you apply in order to retain as many employees as possible?

We believe that remuneration and benefits should be something to focus on. The salary should be fair, paid accordingly to the work everyone achieves. Then, remember that a good benefits package can be the key to keeping your team: a discount card to a gym, or to the movies may appeal to them more than a bump of 5% in the salary.

Also, keep in mind that onboarding is a huge factor: great onboarding practices will help you retain the most talented employees because it is crucial to make them feel at home and appreciated from the first day, week, and month of work.

6. Discrimination and diversity

A very sensitive HR issue — ensuring a workplace that is discrimination-free and promotes diversity.

Organizations nowadays have specific internal policies to guarantee these 2 essential matters, but if yours doesn’t by now, start creating and implementing one. It is the only transparent way to make sure every employee feels safe and it is very useful for you, as an HR practitioner, because you need something to turn to, in case an issue regarding discrimination arises.

Every incident implicating discrimination must be recorded and investigated, through a disciplinary process.

Lastly, it might be a reasonable practice to register demographic data when recruiting and employing new people. Just add this practice to your recruitment process and you will confirm that your company is committed to diversity.

7. Health and safety

The challenge here is to gain the interest of employees about health and safety. Their first thought when hearing these words is: oh, I need to read all that legal stuff — long and boring.

The solution is to try to create more engaging documentation regarding health and safety because they really need to be informed about all this, in order to be safe at the workplace.

Employees need to attend special courses throughout the time and records of the attendance must be kept by the HR staff.

We have presented only 7 of the problems HR specialists can encounter, but we hope that the provided solutions will be of support. Relevant data is always the key, so you need to always know what policy to use for each challenge.

Many organizations clash with human resources challenges, but LeaveBoard is always here to come to your rescue. Keep all your employee data in one secure place, manage absences, offer self-service to your employees, and success will come naturally. Make strategic decisions based on accurate HR reports and gain valuable insight into how to grow your business.

LeaveBoard aligns with your company’s policies, procedures, and drives performance in your company through digital transformation. Try the HR software today!