New to the Company: Seeking Your Advice on My HR Department Analysis

Hello HR Gurus, I recently joined a company and have conducted an analysis of the current situation in the HR department. I am seeking your professional advice regarding my findings. Please review the attached analysis report on the HR department's current situation and my findings. Thank you.

Dear Kashif, first and foremost, you deserve appreciation as you have done a good audit of the HR Department and have found out on your own where you stand and what needs to be done. While the tendency is to ask basic things which are as good as spoon-feeding, you have come up with the draft. Well done. Keep it up!

Comments on Your Points

First, let me comment on the points that you have brought out:

a) For Sl No 3 and 5, you need to hire an external consultant. Please note that designing KPIs and KRAs is no easy task. My observation is that people spend years or even decades in a particular department, but they are unable to design the performance measures for their department.

b) In Sl No 7, you may include the company's history. The second thing that merits inclusion is how, in the past, the senior management personnel have lived with the values of the company. If you are able to show the video, then it will help in shaping the company's culture.

c) In Sl No 8, if you are able to define the levels of misconduct and what punishment will be awarded, then better. For this, you need to categorize various misconduct and also define which misconduct will merit immediate discharge from the company. Going further, in the policy, you need to define the process of discipline as well. As a part of the policy, if you are able to create the templates of the warning letter, show-cause notice, etc., then it will add value.

d) In Sl No 10, please focus on the ROI. Since no employee training is conducted as of now, start with only those programs where ROI is measurable. If you measure the ROI and show the effectiveness of the employee training, your credibility in the eyes of the top management will be improved.

Additional Points for Inclusion

Additionally, the following points merit inclusion:

e) Launching Employee Suggestion Programme

f) Policy on Maintaining Employee Records

g) Retention Policy on the Documents of the Ex-employees and above all

h) Measurement of the Effectiveness of the HR Department. You must be able to measure the effectiveness of the HR department as a whole.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Suggestions for HR Policy Improvement

Congrats on taking the initiative to improve the HR department. It looks great. Also, I found the suggestions by Mr. Dinesh worthy of inclusion. I would like to suggest that maybe you can list out the key practices of your organization and draft policies on those subjects.

Policies for Specific Scenarios

For example, policies for employees coming in late, leaving the organization early, or requesting a half-day. What are the policies on those scenarios? Additionally, consider outlining the leave policy and any other benefits policy. Start by listing out the relevant subjects and then draft policies accordingly.

Regards,
Priya

It is really great that you have conducted a thorough audit of the HR Department and have identified the gaps that need to be addressed. I totally agree with the points that Dinesh has mentioned.

Avoiding the Bell Curve Model

Please refrain from using the "Bell Curve Model." The reason being, to implement a Bell Curve, you need to have accurate and complete data on employee performance. As per the feedback from many HR professionals, the Bell Curve often yields underperforming results, leading many major companies to discontinue its use. Additionally, you will come across numerous reports outlining the disadvantages of the Bell Curve in performance appraisal.

Designing Reward and Recognition Programs

Ensure the policy is designed in a way that promotes employee happiness and fair judgment. Nominees should be identified through voting, and the results should be shared with everyone so that employees can understand why a particular individual received an award and how they performed.

Enhancing Employee Engagement Activities

When it comes to Employee Engagement Activities, do not restrict them solely to wellness camps. Consider adding a Monthly Birthday party where all employees' birthdays for the month are celebrated on the last day in the cafeteria. This provides an opportunity for employees to interact with colleagues from other departments while enjoying some snacks.

Training and Development Policy

Consider engaging external trainers (consultants) who specialize in providing training and insights on the training needs of the organization. They can work closely with employees, managers, and departments to identify the necessary training and provide detailed reports.

Wishing you the best of luck, and I hope our suggestions will help you bring out the best in your employees. Please do keep us updated.

Regards,
Shyam Das