When we talk about Human Resources, we often focus on the first part --- recruitment. However, we have to remember that the employees will spend more time with us, and their employment period is a part of their life cycle in our company. Like in real life outside the company, it's important to look for happiness and self- development. I think it might be interesting to briefly describe each of the stages so feel invited to read this post and post your comments if you feel we omitted something important --- we're still learning best practices:)
Recruitment
It all starts with finding an employee who suits the company. The secret is the right person in the right place. In addition to qualifications and skills, the candidate's personality and attitude should match the company's goals and (what's even more important) values. Effective employer branding has an impact on the people we attract. That is why good advertisement, messages, promotion in social media and the company's public presentation are so important.
One of the most important things is the message we send. It must be clear and accurate. No one likes to read long stories missing important information.
Onboarding
Onboarding of the new hires is the process companies go through to welcome and integrate them into the workplace. It doesn't take one day and it's not only about giving a new hire the information and tools needed to work. Effective onboarding can improve the retention of the company's employees. It also affects the employee's productivity. A new person shouldn't have to waste time looking for the answers to simple questions about the company's rules. Clear rules and a feeling that you can ask for everything allow the employee to feel comfortable. If you feel like at home you don't think about changing a job.
The most important thing is making sure an employee knows the main values of the company and puts them into work.
Onboarding is a process connected with the next stage- development. We must remember that each of the stages of the HR lifecycle influences and affects others. That is why you shouldn't think about it separately
A few tips about the onboarding process:
- make a checklist that includes things you should prepare for the new person before they start
- prepare the team for the new employee
- send a message to the new person before their first day
- make sure that the new employee knows what to do, do they have all the necessary tools, and if they know who should they ask in case of a problem
- make sure they know everything about rules in the office and the team culture
- make a meeting after the first month of work and ask about personal impressions about working and onboarding process
Development
After an employee has established themselves in the company Engineering Manager or his/her manager should help them to find long-term goals. These goals will be combined with the company's goals but you should make sure that they also match the employee's personal expectations concerning development. It's important for the employee to feel that they're constantly learning and are not stuck in one place. Career development should be a top priority for employers. Self-development makes them feel satisfied and useful. We should observe whether a new person is determined as at the beginning. Their work makes sense=they're happy=you have satisfied and more creative employees.
For the development of an employee and a company, it is important to support a person in gaining experience and knowledge which involves courses, training, presentations and/or participation in conferences. They should know they have such possibilities.
The employee should feel appreciated and that their work is noticeable. On the other hand, independence is important. As we are all adults, we know our responsibilities and no one likes to be controlled.
We need to remember about birthdays and anniversaries of the employee's coming to work. These are small gestures but show that you treat a person individually and they are a valuable piece of a puzzle for you.
Retention
Employee retention is a process where the employees are encouraged to remain with the organization for the maximum period of time.
The easiest method for keeping an employee is of course money, but research shows that for many people it's not the most important thing. Of course, the raise should take place once a year but it shouldn't be the main reason for staying in the company. The factors that affect the employees staying in the current job is the atmosphere and the possibility of development.
Work should never become monotonous and has to offer new learning possibilities as often as possible. The responsibilities should match the personal career path. It's very important it should also suit their qualifications. If we give the employee a task above qualifications --- they may feel overwhelmed and frustrated, if under their qualifications --- bored and unappreciated. That's why it's so crucial for engineering managers to monitor the requirements and expectations of their team members. It comes down to one of the most important things --- regular meetings. Such meetings give the opportunity to observe and react quickly if something is wrong or makes the work impossible. It's also the way to find out about employee's needs and make sure if they are satisfied with their development. The meetings should take place once a month --- then the amount of possible concerns doesn't cumulate. 360 reviews are also a good idea. An employee receives feedback --- they know what they should work on and what to cultivate. That helps them to set new goals.
To put it in a nutshell --- transparency and warmth is the key to creating a good atmosphere.
It's important for working professionals to maintain a work-life balance. Practices like occasional work from home and flexible working hours are ways to help employees to do it. Still, we should control if people work at home after hours --- that should not be accepted unless both parties agree to such situation and it happens really rarely. If a person is doing so, additional compensation should be considered.
Last but not least is organizing community activities. We don't have to organize big events. It can be meeting for a drink, watching movies together, playing board games. After such meetings, it may turn out that we have similar passions. Then we can share it and learn from each other. It may seem trivial but creating a great team it's not only about building it at work. If you want your employees to be effective and happy, they have to feel comfortable with one another. Of course, it's connected with mentioned before --- recruiting people who share similar values. However, even if we are different, creating a community has a very big impact on the atmosphere at work. Getting to know people in a different setting than work, helps us to understand them, which certainly comes in handy solving problems at the workplace.
Exit interview
An exit interview is an opportunity for employers to understand better what they are doing right and identify areas for improvement.
The exit interview shows the employee that their opinion is important for you. What the employees think about you goes with them further into the world --- that's why you should take care of the last stage of their work. How we say goodbye to the employee shows how we really treat people. What they say about working in your company affects other potential employees. An exit interview is a very important part of the HR circle because it gives you the opportunity to stop and think about what you can do to create a better working place. The employees are usually very honest in this conversation so we should find it valuable.
The employee should be informed of why you would like to talk to them and why it is so important for you. You should explain the reason and give an employee the opportunity to refuse. You can't force anyone because it can cause bad publicity.
A good idea is to divide questions into certain categories. We can do it in different ways. It's also nice if we don't take any notes during the meeting --- this shows that we are focused on our interlocutor and carefully listen to them. Additionally, they do not feel that we try to use their words against anybody:)
OH! Don't forget about goodbye gift! It's a small thing but very nice.
As far as you can see "employee lifecycle" is a very vast term. It involves work, self-development but also entertainment and satisfaction from spending time together. With good atmosphere, efficiency comes along. As we all know it, a happy employee is more productive and creative, and that's what it boils down to at the end of the day. When we talk about satisfaction at work, we should mention "well-being" as one of the important factors when it comes to building and managing organizations. But this would be the topic for the next article:)
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