When we think of HR many people still associate it with endless paperwork, box-ticking and being told how we need to behave. The biggest critics say HR managers are too caught up in administration and hold a company back. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Your HR manager and their team are your businesses’ superheroes. They are the champions of your company, they lead the charge and they set the tone for being successful.
Gone are the days of a traditional HR-admin function. Today’s HR manager needs to be business driven and work closely with the business in all strategic decisions. They need to be able to respond and react to the needs of the business while at the same time loving people and making sure they are happy as well as performing at their best.
Your HR team will be integral to helping your company grow and achieve your vision while at the same time having employees who enjoy work and who love being part of the journey.
In industries like retail and hospitality the challenges HR managers face are wide and varied. These industries typically have high staff turnover (and therefore high levels of recruitment), multiple sites and a workforce with low levels of engagement.
This is where HR managers come into their own and where the best ones excel. When the right procedures, processes and systems are in place retention levels can increase and morale can soar.
As Quinyx HR Manager, Karin Wintle, says, it’s vital for HR managers to be able to respond quickly and to make the best decisions for the business: “The HR Manager needs to be quick and agile while at the same time make informed and well thought through decisions, which of course can be challenging when things are moving quickly, as they do in fast-paced industries."
“In any business, employees need to understand how and why they’re imperative in making the company successful. We do this by including them in the vision of the company and letting them be part of how we shape the company.”
Impressing this idea on new employees is essential in their first few weeks of a role. In the service industries, where the majority of roles are customer-facing, it’s fundamental to get the onboarding process for new employees right to make sure customer experience remains consistent and positive.
Karin says: “Everyone wants to hit the ground running. It's important employees get up to speed really quickly which is why on-boarding weeks are so great."
“At Quinyx, this is a packed full week of product training, understanding our vision and how we need to work together to reach it. This includes interactive sessions on how we all need to make sure how to sell or market Quinyx and loads of other fun activities."
“We also have a buddy program to make sure the new Quinyx-er always has someone to turn to. How a new employee is on-boarded and how successful on-boarding is really sets the tone for how successful the new employee will be in their role at Quinyx.”
It’s often a frustrating battle for HR managers to make sure there’s a thorough onboarding process for businesses like hotels, restaurants and bars where there are so many transient employees. Within these industries there will always be a proportion of the workforce who are part time workers or using the job as a stepping stone. However, the effect from this can be mitigated by creating an awesome culture within the business.
“Culture, and keeping a great culture, is everything in fast moving companies,” Karin adds. “A successful company will create a culture where there's room for ideas and more importantly where ideas are acted upon. They’ll always include their employees and make sure they feel they can speak freely."
“Excellent communication and balanced information is key. Businesses need to make sure employees always know what to focus on and how to excel in their work. This helps make sure everyone works together as a team to get to where they need to be.”
Whether it’s finding the right people, making sure the best people stay, helping the business grow strategically or ensuring there’s a culture where people can thrive, the role of the HR manager is all encompassing. To do this well they need to possess extraordinary talents, be dedicated to realising a vision and care about the people they are doing it for. That’s why they are your businesses’ superheroes.
