As anyone with a career in HR knows, there are many things that can make you dread going to work in the morning. Sometimes it’s the humans, and sometimes it’s the resources. Let’s take a look at seven things HR hates that can make your job more difficult.
#1 Thing HR Hates: Handling Open Enrollment Season
It is hard to deal with hundreds of applications all at once on an extremely tight deadline. Thank goodness many of the larger insurance companies are going digital and no longer require you to fax over manual forms that are almost certain to get jammed and smeared in the scanner. But even if you’ve completely outsourced the enrollment process to a benefits provider, you’re still dealing with the fact that employees need to take time out of their work day to go through their options. And they will still keep asking health insurance questions that you may not be able answer.
#2 Thing HR Hates: Chasing Paperwork
Isn’t it lovely whenever a new form or policy is added to the growing stack of documents you manage for employees? Don’t you enjoy tracking down every worker and making sure they sign on the dotted line? No? This is the paper pushing part of the job that is endlessly annoying. Even worse, it can seem like the promised ‘paperless’ future is getting farther and farther away.
#3 Thing HR Hates: Using Outdated Software
Forget about the future for a moment, what about the past? If you are dealing with ancient software that requires manual entry of the same data over and over, this can be just as frustrating as managing paper forms. You worry about errors, omissions, and missed deadlines constantly. What you really want deep down is something that will practically do the work for you. Fortunately, there are affordable systems that can automate the workflow from applicant tracking to new hire onboarding and beyond.
#4 Thing HR Hates: Dealing with Employee Misbehavior
There are many varieties of “problem employees” that can make your day feel endless. From special snowflakes to gossip mongers and people who have nothing better to do than stir up drama, there’s always someone you dread seeing at your office door. Fortunately, they are usually the exception rather than the rule. But you sure wish they would take up less of your time so you could focus on helping the rest of your workers achieve their full potential.
#5 Thing HR Hates: Having to Do It All
The typical HR Director or manager wears many hats. But there are times when the job is overwhelming—especially when you have to keep up with everything from Recruiting to Payroll. The problem is that you may not have the budget to hire specialists in every area in-house. As a company grows, it often makes more sense to outsource specific roles and activities.
#6 Thing HR Hates: Stressing Over Compliance Concerns
Whether it’s a lawsuit from a disgruntled employee or an audit by the DOL, IRS, or DHS, nothing feels worse than knowing that mistakes in your department could cause damage to your organization. Grasping the current laws is hard enough. But they keep changing constantly as well. While a thorough review by an HR legal professional is a good way to identify the “unknown unknowns” before they turn into fines and penalties, using the right tools that support best practices and catch errors is smart as well. It’s also a good reason to outsource complex, compliance-centric activities to trusted partners.
#7 Things HR Hate: Not Getting a Seat at the Table
This is, perhaps, the wound that cuts the deepest. Organizations that view the workforce as a cost center rather than the core value driver for business also tend to see HR as simply an administrative function rather than a strategic partner. To change this perception, it helps to be proactive about showing ways your organization can leverage its workforce to improve the bottom line. One quick win that can impress the executive leadership within your organization is implementing WOTC processing to capture four, five, or even six figures in tax credits for your company. That’s a language everyone understands!
We can’t help you out with all seven items on this list, but there is a lot of frustration we can take off your plate for the year. To learn more, contact our sales team today.