New to HR? Seeking Guidance on Setting Up an Efficient HR System for 150 Employees in Oman

Hi HR fraternity,

I am a new joiner in a trading company in Oman. I do not have previous generalist HR experience. Here, they have asked me to set up a proper HR division (practices) for the company. The company has around 150 employees, and in the present system, the employee files, leave handling, etc., are done manually, with payroll being handled by the finance department. We wish to organize the employee files and related HR practices (from joining formalities until an employee leaves the organization) so that access can be simplified, thus saving time. Please provide me with a framework on how to proceed regarding this and examples of the areas to be covered, along with sufficient spreadsheets.

Kindly guide me in this matter.

Regards,
Lakshmi

Hi, to start with, you need to know the functions of the company, what rules and regulations they are following. Take a brief note on the rules, and then separate it from the accounts department as it is not a concern within the HR field.

Then, prepare the following forms:

1. Employee file for each employee (full and up-to-date information like employee data form, employee checklist, PF, offer letter, confirmation letter, payroll, attendance sheet, etc.).
2. Always keep the file updated manually as well as a soft copy.
3. Make the rules and regulation book (employee handbook) for employees to have a clear picture of what an HR department deals with and the company norms.
4. Then, as and when required, update the rules and regulations.

Hope this will help you. All the best.

Dear Lakshmi,

First of all, get a clear idea about what the HR policy of your organization is. If there is nothing of the sort, create a comprehensive HR Manual in line with the organizational objectives and regional legal requirements and implement it immediately. You can seek help from government websites, other local professional bodies, etc.

To better understand your requirements, please refer to the attachment. You can utilize the contents and modify them according to your needs.

For additional HR files and manuals, please click the link provided (link outdated).

Thank you.

Dear Lakshmi,

I am forwarding you an attachment that can help you in setting up the HR Department. I suppose I collected this information from this site. I hope it is useful to you.

Regards,

Sweetner.

Dear Lakshmy,

I hope the information provided by the experts here was helpful for you. If you need any more help, please feel free to write to me. I am also based in Muscat.

Take care,
Krish

Hi Lakshmi,

From my experience of working in Oman for the last 1.5 years for a fairly large company, HR also consists of a lot of admin-related work there. People prefer to call it the "Admin & HR" department instead of just the "HR" department.

For example, in most Middle Eastern countries, there is a significant amount of admin work involved such as managing passports, visas, resident cards of employees, family members, visit visas, medical certificates, road permits, etc. If your company provides housing, then managing that data, including who is staying where and when the lease is expiring, becomes a substantial task.

It would be a good idea to invest in software that can help you efficiently manage and deliver all these services to your clients. This software would bring structure to the work, as most tasks would be integrated into it, facilitating the overall process.

Handling all these tasks with numerous Excel files can become very cumbersome, time-consuming, and increase the likelihood of errors.

I know of companies that have benefited from automation. If you are interested, please write to me at rowjee@gmail.com, and I will provide you with relevant information.

Regards,

Girish

Hi,

I am new to the organizational environment. Here, politics are more prevalent in this organization. The issue is that I am unable to close the requirements for my organization. If you can help me out in such a situation, I will be grateful to all of you. We deal with Microsoft Dynamics positions, and when I am sourcing the profiles, I am not finding any suitable candidates. Can anyone help me out at this particular point in time?

Regards,
Sridevi

Hi Sridevi,

Politics are part and parcel of every organization. You can't avoid it, just face it with a cool head because the moment you lose your temper, you've lost. I believe you are just beginning your career, so work hard to learn from whatever experiences come your way. Let politics take its course. If you can't meet the requirements, then there may be something wrong with the process you are undertaking. Talk to your superior and discuss the process you are following.

All the best,
Suresh

Dear Lakshmi,

I suggest that if you do not have any experience, you need to hire an external consultant to keep things in place. Then, you can take over. In this case, you will learn too.

Regards,
Sonali

I want to tell you to please specify the type of organization and the important factor which management desires.