People make mistakes. It happens in life and in the workplace on a regular basis. Unfortunately, common HR mistakes can cause major headaches. Hiring, managing, and dealing with employees is no easy task. If you are an HR professional, learn about common HR mistakes now before it’s too late.
Many common HR mistakes may seem harmless at the time, but they can come back to haunt you later on. Whether they lead to costly legal headaches, terrible employees, fines, or extra hours on the job, be proactive about addressing these mistakes before they happen.
The Following Are Some Common HR Mistakes That Every Company Makes:
- Poor Hiring Practices – Hiring is an integral part of every company’s success. Putting the right people in the right positions can make or break your company. Take your time and hire the best candidate for the job. For tips on how to find great people through social media, check out our eBook by clicking here.
- Disregard For Employment Laws – Employment laws are very strictly enforced and must be followed at all times. These laws apply to every business and every situation so treat them with respect and never ever break them.
- Ineffective Onboarding – Spend the right amount of time getting your new employees adjusted to the way your company works. If you don’t, they will never learn the ropes and will not live up to their potential. To get rid of the new hire paperwork and focus on training during your onboarding process, check out WorkBright’s digital onboarding platform.
- Inadequate Employee Handbooks – Employee handbooks are an important part of your business. They must be updated regularly as these publications highlight the dos and don’ts of your operation. If they are outdated or incomplete, it’s time to update. Having something to reference back to when bad behavior occurs is essential to enforcing rules.
- Missing Documentation – In the HR world, it is mandatory to document every little detail. These documents represent every interaction with an employee. They need to remain in an employee’s file for a specific timeframe determined by your management team.
- Lack of Training – Training is a long-term investment in your employees. It provides them with the tools and skills to do the job you need them to do.
- Misclassification of Employees – Employees need to be classified as employees or as independent contractors. This classification directly impacts taxes, insurance, and compensation.
- Illegal Questions Or Comments – What you say and do in a job interview or in the workplace can have legal repercussions. Even a seemingly harmless question or comment could be illegal. Is this an exhaustive list of HR mistakes? Of course not. But it does highlight common HR mistakes that businesses make regularly. These errors will directly impact your business so always take HR matters seriously.
It’s your responsibility to know your job in the HR department. If you have questions or concerns about the role of HR or the consequences of a mistake, consult with your management team or arrange a meeting with your company’s legal counsel. It’s always better to do things right the first time than make a costly mistake that could have been avoided.
For WorkBright Users
Are you using your WorkBright platform to keep records of performance reviews and other documents related to your employees? You can easily do this using “Internal Documents”. Check out this help article to get started! Click here to view.
Not a WorkBright user but want to be able to easily onboard new employees? Request a free demo here.