New HR in a Small Company: How Can I Improve Employee Engagement and Trust?

I am newly joined in a company as an HR, and this is my first company. My company has an employee strength of 100, with offices pan India. I'm at the HO where 15 employees are located. Here, there is no process; branch offices send their attendance on a daily basis in an Excel sheet, but I can't cross-check whether it is genuine or not. I am the first HR here. In terms of policies, they have travel, local conveyance, leave, and phone connection policies. What I am doing here is just recruitment, preparing salary sheets, managing attendance, managing leaves, and organizing birthday celebrations. I issue offer and appointment letters. I also don't discuss any issues with the director as I think I will be backbiting about employees, but he expects that I should discuss everything with him. Here, appraisals only happen for selected persons, but most employees have been waiting for their appraisals for two years.

HR GURUS, MY QUESTION IS: WHAT ACTIVITIES CAN I DO HERE?

Employees think that as an HR, I am not fulfilling my duties. We also don't have any employee benefit programs as the company does not want to incur any extra costs.

Observing and Building Rapport
As you are new to this company, you should first observe the environment. Take note of every activity, including anything suspicious, identify hard-working staff, and list those spending extra time in the office. Pay attention to branch activities as well. Try to build a good rapport with the branch office staff to gather background data. You may need to engage in these activities for the first three months.

Planning a Personnel Meeting
Then, plan a personnel meeting with employees and listen to their concerns. Make sure to listen to everyone, from housekeeping and office boys to management level. Avoid presenting or pushing your opinions or ideas immediately, as they may not suit the new company.

By collecting the above data, you will develop a clear action plan on how and where to start.

As an HR professional, your first priority should be focusing on the needs of employees. It is advisable to seek advice from the most senior person in the organization who has been serving for a long time. He or she will be able to provide valuable insights into the current situation, procedures, and the reactions of both management and employees. Make sure to document the key areas requiring improvement and discuss these points with your director.

Consider organizing job-specific training sessions for employees to enhance productivity within the company. Additionally, introducing facilities such as a canteen, gym, or mini library can boost employee morale, although this may be subject to the company's budget constraints. Implementing a biometric system for time and attendance management, which can be integrated with the payroll system, can ensure better authentication and streamline processes.

Moreover, organizing cultural events like Dusshera celebrations or office picnics can foster a positive work environment. Remember to remain patient and calm throughout the process.

Best regards,
[Your Name]

If your branch office doesn't have an electronic attendance system, then it's not feasible to cross-check the same. Make sure you email the boss and copy the concerned persons at the branch office, stating that you are receiving attendance in an Excel sheet and there is no other way to verify its authenticity. Therefore, you are considering the sent attendance as final. Additionally, suggest to management in the same email to install a biometric attendance system to avoid any future discrepancies.

Discuss with your boss about the appraisal and its adverse effects on the organization for those employees who are not receiving their appraisal. As an HR person, you should inform your boss of all key points. This is not backbiting; you are simply doing your job. Consider setting up an account department to further streamline the process.

Regards

Role of HR in Organizational Dynamics

HR's job is to capture the undercurrents of the organization and present them to management. Your boss/leader is right from his perspective. Regarding backbiting, it is actually HR's responsibility to protect the company and its human assets from any untoward situations or malicious individuals. So, don't consider it as backbiting; it is indeed your job. It's similar to the police; criminals don't like law and order. HR professionals are the policemen of the company.

Attendance Management and Vigilance

Regarding attendance cross-checking, ask the concerned individual to get it signed by the Office Head (PAN India office) and then send it to you. This will ensure a level of vigilance. Additionally, you can implement an ERP system to personally monitor it. All the best!

Regards

Dear Sir,

With reference to your suggestion, please guide me on how I can take note of branch activities while sitting in the Head Office.

Regards, Prachi

Dear Stephen Sir,

With reference to your suggestion, could you please guide me on how I can take note of branch activities while sitting in the Head Office?

Regards,
Prachi

You can incorporate a daily progress report sheet in Excel. Ask them to fill it and send it to you on a daily basis. Also, ask them to keep their admin and functional head in the loop while sending the said reports.