HR Management

By Federica Gianoglio, an enthusiast walks in nature and a speaker of 4 languages, HR Success Manager at Pearl Lemon

In 1482, Leonardo da Vinci created the first professional CV, and in the 1950s, it became a staple of the hiring process. For the past 70 years, the CV has always been among the most important things to consider when hiring for a new position.

But not anymore.

These days a lot of innovative, remote startups look at everything about a candidate EXCEPT their CV. This is exactly what we do at Pearl Lemon, a totally remote marketing agency whose team is spread across the world. As the HR Success Manager at Pearl Lemon who has been deeply involved in the hiring process at Pearl Lemon for more than 8 months, I crazily-enough have never checked a CV to hire our team members.

(Insane, I know – let me explain!)

There are so many alternative tools to assess potential employees and expose them for who they really are. But before getting into what these are, let’s take a look at why CVs are officially outdated.

It IS the end of an era!

Why a CV can complicate the recruitment process

Since CVs showcase potential candidates’ past experiences and skills, one might think that they can paint an accurate picture of the kind of employee they will be.

But the truth is, relying so heavily on CVs turns out to be misleading and, therefore, a waste of time.

One reason is that candidates are tempted to embellish their CV. According to HireRight’s 2017 employment screening benchmark report, 85% of employers caught applicants lying or misrepresenting themselves.

And even when candidates don’t lie, you cannot anticipate how well they will perform in the new company and if they can fit in with the new team by reading a few lines about their past experience.

CVs are also limited in space, so it can be hard for candidates to truly demonstrate their potential. Some job seekers may have the right qualities for a job position, but don’t know how to market themselves.

Standing out from the crowd when you only have one or two pages to fill in and a standardised structure to follow isn’t always easy. This can become a real disadvantage especially for talents whose experience derives from practical learning rather than from attending specific courses or universities.

Even if recruiters spend on average only 5-7 seconds to look at each CV, overall this becomes a time-consuming activity. Filtering irrelevant applications takes time away from more worthwhile candidates. This is especially true when recruiters decide to hire a candidate who ends up not meeting their expectations.

Another problem that can occur is when two CVs are so similar to each other that it’s hard to compare them and pick the most suitable candidate for the position applied.

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A study (carried out in 2021!) shows that when recruiters find themselves in front of the same information in a CV, decisions are made on conscious or unconscious bias which often leads to discrimination.

Names, gender, and ethnicity are some of the criteria that seem to increase or decrease the chances of being called back to continue the application process.

Some people even thought of changing their own name because it was clear that, no matter their education, coming from an ethnic minority prevented them from securing a job.

Women are discriminated against because they can potentially become pregnant which will lead to time off (maternity leave). Having a name that makes it hard to guess what the gender is leads to the same outcome and candidates may not be chosen for this reason.

Federica Gianoglio

The same happens when, for example, the graduation year is shown in the CV because this contributes to assumptions on someone’s age.

Skills and abilities should be what recruiters focus on and 5-7 seconds spent glancing at someone’s CV cannot be enough to get a true sense of a candidate’s value and potential because a lot of nuances are missed.

What is better than a CV?

The traditional hiring process pushes recruiters to check out CVs in the first place. But if CVs proved to be inadequate because of what they show (or don’t show), how can you really understand if someone is a good fit to move to the next step of the application process?

The answer is by going beyond a CV and trying to look at a candidate from different perspectives.

In today’s digitalised world, there are a lot of ways to learn more about a candidate before you even meet them. Here are examples of strategies that are already in place in some companies as part of their recruitment process.

The benefits of video interviews

An alternative to the CV, cover letter, or even the usual in person interview, is the video interview. Applicants are asked to reply to a list of questions or simply to introduce themselves without a set ladder.

The Lighthouse research in 2016 revealed that 50% of candidates surveyed prefer video interviews over other tools because they help them stand out from the crowd, besides having other benefits.

When recording a video, candidates can present themselves and their skills in a more natural way. In addition to describing past experiences, applicants can also mention how they felt about them and convey motivation and passion for what they are talking about.

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A video allows the use of tone and body language and it gives candidates more time to explore multiple aspects of their experiences. Moreover, by going into more detail, people show their general work attitude, which is important for all jobs, but especially for those in close contact with customers.

For example, in the sales field, it is critical to see how a potential sales person carries a conversation. It is something that cannot be shown in a CV and that’s not to mention that someone’s skills may not be directly proportional to the years of experience in the position.

Among the points in favour of video interviews, there’s the opportunity to outsource human resources from anywhere in the world as well as to evaluate candidates asynchronously. As a result, neither the recruitment team nor the candidate have to attend a meeting at a set time and place at the early stages of the hiring process. This is particularly advantageous for remote teams who need to take into consideration several time zones.

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Using forms to standardise the candidate’s experience

To put all candidates on the same level, they would need to go through the same user experience. 

Forms are a way to ask applicants the same questions and requests, regardless of their past experience, and ensure everyone provides you with all the information you need. Recruiters will then be able to have uniform applications and comparison will be easier and more objective.

Questions can focus on details like the candidate’s contact information and time availability or they can be specific to the job position on offer and ask about the required skills.

This also becomes an occasion for the recruiters to better explain job functions, company policies and procedures. Every candidate receives the same information and, if they accept all conditions, it means they are willing and ready to proceed to the next steps.

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Tests and quizzes to reveal personality and potential

Besides wanting to know what a candidate did in the past, recruiters may well be curious about what applicants can potentially do in the future if hired.

A great way to assess specific abilities and skills is by creating a common scenario or challenge that employees may encounter. Candidates can then be tested by how well they perform in those specific conditions. The list of areas employers can learn about include (but are not limited to):

• Problem solving, creative thinking
• Organisation, prioritisation, time management
• Communication
• Leadership, collaboration
• Decision-making
• Stress management

These tests will also reveal how much knowledge and expertise job seekers have in the field they applied to.

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Templates and instructions for tests and quizzes can be found online. Employers should look for something that matches their culture and organisation so that applicants can also understand what to expect from a role in a company.

An alternative can be to give candidates test tasks during a trial period that is very similar to what they will do once hired.

How these hiring practices benefit your company

It’s important that your company tailors these strategies to your brand, values, features, and communication. If well thought-out and structured, the recruitment process can be an excellent way to establish who you are and where you want to position yourself on the market.

Personalising what you present to your candidates helps clarify what you and your company consider most important.

For instance, if your company provides new hires with detailed training to learn everything from scratch, your recruiters should test the candidates’ behavioural competencies rather than technical skills.

If you’re hiring for a sales position, you may prefer a video interview, while a social media manager can put their expertise into practice with a sample task to carry out.

Even the way you ask questions can set the tone of your organisation and convey a more formal or informal communication.

The type of tool and length of the process will be decisive. You might encourage more people to apply or stop others from wasting their time with a job and company that don’t match what they were looking for.

Engagement is, indeed, another fundamental aspect to consider. Lack of engagement dramatically decreases productivity and this can cost a company around $300 billion each year.

If an applicant goes all the way until the end of your hiring process, it shows how engaged they are with the possibility to join your company. On the contrary, if pre-hire assessments are not well built, they’re likely to push people away from your organisation. Investigations indicated that 47% of respondents didn’t like the test they were doing because it took them too long and 37% didn’t even understand the purpose of the activity.

All of these modern hiring practices ensure a better recruitment process. The quality of talent pools and hires improves, engagement is enhanced while the turnover rate decreases. The overall process is simpler, faster, and more objective.

No wonder modern recruiters have no time nor interest in looking at CVs!

About Author:

Federica Gianoglio is an enthusiast of walks in nature and a speaker of 4 languages. At Pearl Lemon, she is the HR Success Manager who contributed to increasing the team from 10 to 25 people in 6 months while developing ideas and company processes to ensure the successful management of an entirely remote team.

Businesses have suffered tremendously during this pandemic; many have collapsed whilst others have managed to stay afloat, but they are now in desperate need of strategies to survive. Many have shifted their focus to expand globally. Having a functional website, with quick load times and easy navigation is vital but the most important factor is that it’s accessible from anywhere in the world. This simple aspect means you can promote and sell overseas, but to truly succeed in international sales, a wider strategy needs to be implemented.

Your business needs to be relevant to people all around the world and your website needs to be relevant for your target audience and the territory they are located in. The key to globalising is localising. To help you understand how to effectively set your website up for global success, the experts at Absolute Translations have shared their 5 tips.

1) Local SEO

Selling overseas means you should consider local search engine optimisation (SEO). Research and identify which search engines your overseas target market uses and the terms they frequently search for surrounding your industry. Most often, people do not search for the direct translation of the terms used by your English market. Search engines always crawl to produce results that best fit with the user. It is vital to analyse how international search engines produce their results and ensuring your copy is optimised for differing search terms such as ‘color or colour’. This will help you rank higher than your competitors and reach your new international audience.

2) Translate

This might seem obvious, but some businesses assume their English website will work globally. According to HBR, 72.4% of consumers would be more likely to buy a product with information in their own native language. Once you have decided on the content to apply on your international sites, you can begin to translate. Some of the fastest growing languages for business translations from English include Korean, Hebrew and Chinese, the wider audiences provide businesses with a large online presence overseas.

3) Domain extension

When shopping online, especially internationally, trust plays an important role. Websites that hold a .com domain is seen as trustworthy and reliable all around the world and it could be the difference to strengthen your international e-commerce strategy. The more you can do to show that you company is legitimate, better. You should also factor in loading times, tools such as this gauge the loading speed of your website around the world, be wise and choose your hosting company carefully.

4) Social media

Translating your website is one step but you need to also consider your other digital channels to ensure all content is consistent and relevant to overseas audiences. Some companies chose to create individual social media accounts for each territory you operate in, this allows a direct and personalised approach to each market. Pre-recorded campaigns can be adapted by adding in subtitles or voice overs, this will engage your new audience into a trusted relationship with your business. The use of different networks varies significantly from country to country, in some countries, YouTube is blocked and in others Twitter might be the most popular platform. Research will ensure that that you’re placing your time and budget in the most relevant social media networks.

5) Templates

A good tip is to avoid text embedded as a graphic. Web font services such a Google font replacement offers a simple way for businesses to use a range of fonts without embedding text as a graphic. Translating your website into other languages may leave the pages and boxes looking longer or shorter depending on the language used. The template of your website needs to be flexible enough, so it looks presentable, regardless of the language.

By Marc Jones

LONDON (Reuters) – World shares and the dollar zig-zagged higher on Friday, as hopes for economic recovery and the week’s easing of global bond market yields helped lift the mood.

As the last full week of a hectic first quarter drew to a close, traders were still watching the world’s most costly traffic jam build up in the Suez canal and the global COVID-19 case count rising again.

Asian stocks had clawed off a three-month low overnight as Chinese markets rebounded from their latest U.S. relationship worries while a near 3% jump in commodity stocks and weak euro put Europe on course for a fourth straight weekly rise. [.EU]

Euro zone bond yields edged up but benchmark German bonds were set for their best weekly performance in 3-1/2 months as the bloc’s coronavirus woes supported its safe-haven assets. [GVD/EUR]

The euro’s struggles are part of that too but the dollar bulls are on the charge again with the U.S. vaccine programme ramping up. The greenback’s rise on Friday meant it had almost clawed back all its post-U.S. election fall. Emerging markets currencies have had their worst run of the year this week.

“We left 2020 with the validation of the consensus view the dollar would weaken,” said the chief investment officer at Indosuez Wealth Management, Vincent Manuel.

“We have woken up in 2021 facing the reality that the U.S. is growing much quicker than Europe… so we have a massive divergence”.

Weekly money flow data from Bank of America showed global investors have been darting for safety amid this week’s drama. They pumped $45.6 billion into cash funds, the largest since April 2020 when COVID-19 was spreading like wildfire.

The end of the week news flow has been slightly more friendly though.

U.S. Labor Department data on Thursday showed claims for unemployment benefits dropped to a one-year low last week, a sign that the U.S. economy is on the verge of stronger growth as the public health situation improves.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s first formal news conference was a boost too as he said he would double his vaccination rollout plan after reaching the previous goal of 100 million shots 42 days ahead of schedule.

SUEZ STRIFE

Turkey’s markets continued to settle after the lira’s 9% slump triggered by President Tayyip Erdogan’s latest central bank chief sacking.

Bluechip Chinese stocks rebounded more than 2% too after a three-day losing streak, which, like emerging market shares generally, had left them at the lowest level of the year.

“All the sanctions (on China) so far have been largely symbolic and should have little economic impact. But the Sino-U.S. confrontation is affecting market sentiment. It could take some time for them to come to any compromise,” said Yasutada Suzuki, head of emerging market investment at Sumitomo Mitsui Bank.

The dollar also rose to a new nine-month high on the Japanese yen of 109.44 yen. The euro licked its wounds at $1.1794 after falling to a four-month low on Thursday.

The ongoing efforts to dislodge a beached tanker in the Suez canal saw oil prices rebound a tad from a 4% drop on Thursday, though they are on course for their third straight week of losses on worries about further reduction in demand. [O/R]

In addition to Europe, major developing economies such as Brazil and India are also struggling with a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.

Brent was at $62.62, up 1.08%, U.S. crude was last up 1.33% at $59.35 per barrel, gold was flat and copper, though more than 1% higher on the day, was still in its $8,600 – $9,200 a tonne recent range. [/MCU3=LX]

Reeling from the blockage in the Suez, shipping rates for oil product tankers have nearly doubled this week, and several vessels were diverted away from the vital waterway.

(Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

Content words, also known as “content words,” are those words that contribute to the overall meaning of a sentence and have meaning independent of the word they are used with. An excellent example of a content word is the word “life.” As you know, life is a very large and important concept, and it cannot be defined in only words.

However, words like these, “life” and “Lifetime” do not have any content words in them. They simply describe a very large concept, and this concept can be described in different ways depending on who uses them. If you were to use these two examples at the start of a sentence, the first sentence would be a clear instance of content. The second sentence, however, is not. It would be an improper choice for most English speakers to use the phrase without defining it first.

As an instructor of composition, I often hear phrases like, “forget the definition, write what you feel.” This is not a bad idea for spoken language, where listeners are free to substitute their own interpretations for the author’s. But it can lead to problems when writing, where content words may be used to replace more formal words such as “meaning.”

Consider this example. Mary goes shopping. She finds a coat she loves, and the label says it is the coats made especially for her. The next sentence tells us that Mary’s friend also wears coats made just for her, but it does not have any content words indicating that it is a coat specifically made for Mary. It simply has the content words “for her” and “just for her.”

Even though I am not a big fan of arbitrary content words, I recognize that some students are good at coming up with creative combinations. So I often give points for creativity, even when there is no clear connection between content words and the meaning of a sentence. After all, Mary is a caring and compassionate person who wears a beautiful coat. Why would she need a reason to wear it?

Sometimes I remind my students that they do have to choose words carefully. An essay must be written in a style that would be appropriate for a formal paper. Students who skip the formatting rules can encounter a lot of “free flowing” writing that ends up sounding insincere or lacking in meaning. The point is to show your intelligence, not to provide a fancy vocabulary.

Students who use proper grammar do not sound unprofessional, but they also do not come across as lazy. When I tell students to write the first sentence of an essay without using any content words, it often prompts them to think about why they chose that sentence in the first place. They may have intended to say something like, “John Doe is a mechanic who works on automobiles.” But if they had used the word” Mechanics” in the first sentence, John could have been left-out, and the writer would not have been accused of grammatically misreading the student’s paper. Using content words after the verb will make certain points more obvious to readers.

The truth is that many English writing teachers are unfamiliar with the content-based approach to essay writing, even though they often teach it. Most teachers seem to believe that you can throw together a sentence consisting of no matter how many content words it contains and call it an essay. That may be true in some cases, but the best-written essays are written with the conscious knowledge that each sentence carries its own set of meaning. A truly good essay consists of several well-crafted sentences that communicate clearly and with great appeal to the reader.

Content development is an ongoing activity aimed at increasing sales and providing online visibility. Web content development refers to the creative process of arranging, researching, composing, and publishing material for online display. It helps make a site more attractive by increasing traffic and boosting sales through the internet. Some of the content development techniques are web content writing, web designing, and web programming. Web content development is a set of processes that can be subdivided into different stages: planning, writing, creating, testing, and optimizing. Web content development services include website creation and management, web promotion, internet marketing, ecommerce, flash development, corporate blogging, graphic design, social media, corporate learning and development, and more.

The planning stage is essential for any content development process. This is the stage where strategies for increasing exposure are formulated. The strategies include search engine optimization, link building, and social media marketing. After the planning stage, the writing stage begins. Here the writer must brainstorm with the web writer to craft keywords and titles for each article or piece of writing.

The content development strategy then decides how to reach the targeted audience. This strategy will determine the content, the site visitors will see and read. For instance, if the target audience is male high school students, the articles and content on the site will be geared toward this audience. On the other hand, if the target audience is female college students, the articles and content on the site will be targeted to this group.

Writing is the final step of the content development strategy. It is the stage where readers will be introduced to the articles and content. This stage is also known as the proofreading stage. The purpose of this step is to ensure that the content development is grammatically correct, free from plagiarism, and contains no errors. The author’s expertise and reputation in the niche are also taken into account during this stage.

At this stage, it is important for the content-development strategy to incorporate the marketing tools that will help boost the readership. This means the use of advertising and marketing tools like banner ads and pay per click marketing campaigns. Also, the use of search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to position the site higher in the search results will also help. With these tools, readers will have more options and will be encouraged to visit the site.

The final stage of content development involves creating quality content. This content will be beneficial to the audience because it contains what the audience needs to know. For instance, if the audience is a group of parents, the parenting tips included on the site will be helpful to them. Likewise, if the audience is college students, they will want to read up about the latest trends in the industry.

This content development and content marketing strategy require an investment of time and money from the company that is publishing information about a specific industry or topic. Without this investment, the company may not see the desired results from their efforts. Most business owners can no longer afford to ignore the online audience because this is where the majority of future profits are made. Thus, companies need to invest in content development for the sake of their future profits.

Content development and content marketing are not complete without the implementation of a good content development process. With the assistance of a creative team, the strategy can move forward and become successful in achieving the goals that the publishing business has. To get started with the content development process, it is best to contact a reputable online content development company that has years of experience and skills. They will be able to assist the publishing business in putting together a strong marketing calendar that will allow their audience to come online whenever they need to.

What is an HR generalist? That is a question that can seem impossible to answer given the many different titles that are routinely used in the workplace. There are of course the entry level positions, ranging from receptionist to management itself. But what about those in more senior positions? Are there any titles that best describe what they do?

Usually when someone needs to make an appointment with the boss or another higher-up, they bring along their best employee. In order to get the job done properly, it is important that the person with the title understands exactly what is expected of them. This is why it is often helpful to have an HR generalist in place. They have been specifically trained to be able to provide the best service possible.

Some people think that the term “HR” simply stands for “Human Resource.” This is not entirely accurate. Human resources (HR) actually encompasses a wide array of responsibilities. The best HR individuals are not always the highest paid, but rather the ones who are able to put together the best team possible to do the best possible job. They know how to handle all aspects of running an organization from a corporate standpoint down to the daily operations at hand.

So what is an HR generalist really doing? More than you probably think! They are responsible for managing and scheduling appointments for clients, staff, and visiting clients as needed. They may also be asked to ensure that appropriate paperwork is available, file any paperwork that needs to be shared among different departments, and set up one-on-one consultations with various employees, clients, and business owners. If this seems like too much work for one person to handle, then another well-trained specialist should be called in.

Generally speaking, they are hired for their ability to work effectively as a team. Their role is to provide sound business judgment as it relates to the best use of resources for maximum benefit to all parties. Some may be involved in training sessions or providing workshops on ways to improve customer service, while others are responsible for implementing changes and keeping things moving forward. They may need to work closely with Finance, accounting, and HR to make sure that everyone is on the same page and that everybody is moving towards the same goal. It really depends upon the situation, but generally speaking, the HR generalist is the go-to person in the department that deals with a variety of tasks.

If you are interested in what is an HR generalist, keep in mind that they are usually hired from within the company for a specific position. This means that they are familiar with the workings of the organization and what its leaders and managers are looking for in their employees. As a result, if you are looking for a generalist, then your best bet may be to find a recruiting firm that specializes in helping companies find good HR generalists.

Recruiting firms have the benefit of working with many different employers, so they have many leads on the best people to hire. The best part about using a recruiting firm is that you can get what is an HR generalist without spending too much money on training. Because these professionals already know how to do the job, they will usually come highly recommended by their current employers and they will come with a lot of recommendations that they have made to them.

It may take some getting used to, but it will be worth it. If you are struggling to understand what HR generalists do, then you may want to consider taking a class or watching a video about the job. There are many sources online that can help you learn what is an HR generalist, so you will not have to spend too much time researching for the information you need.

What does HR do? This is a frequently asked question by employees and leaders alike. In order to ensure the success of your business, what does HR do? In this article, we will explain what HR does and how it can benefit your organization.

First, HR must implement policies that establish a clear vision and mission for your organization. By setting forth the goals of the organization, employees and leaders are motivated to help make your company successful. Once the goals are established, employees must understand their roles and responsibilities, as well as the direction in which the company is headed.

What does HR do? Every employee in every department must understand what their duties are and what is expected of them. They must know how much they earn, how much they are responsible for, and how their performance affects the success or failure of the company. For example, if there are poor performers within your department, your employees will know it. If your department is losing money, your employees will know it. If you have a poor leadership team, your employees will know it.

So, as an employer, what does HR do? You hire the best people for the best positions based on what the company is looking for, and you develop a system to let them know how their performance impacts the success of the company. You develop a rewards system that gives bonuses and incentives for excellent performance so that your employees are motivated to succeed. You develop training and development programs so your employees stay current on what is happening within your industry and what the latest trends are so your best people always have the information they need to be the best.

So, what does HR do? Now, I realize that the purpose of this article is to explain what HR does, but I also want to discuss what an employer can do. The first step an employer can take is to develop a compensation plan that rewards employees fairly and properly for their work. If you offer the best wages and benefits, your employees will be motivated to do their best and to get the best results for the company.

Next, you need to develop a feedback process so you can measure your employees’ performance. Feedback is important because it lets your employees know what you expect of them and what you are expecting of yourself. If you don’t offer feedback, you may get rid of some very good staff because they won’t know how they are performing or why they aren’t doing as well as they’d like. This could result in the loss of employees and the failure of the company to achieve its goals.

In summary, what does HR do? It is probably one of the most important roles within a company, so if you aren’t the best person for the job, then find someone who is. However, what does HR do when there are problems within your company that are preventing your staff from reaching its goals? She would do everything she could to make sure that the problems were resolved so that she could help you achieve the best results. So no matter what kind of problem you have, whether it’s a legal issue, an employee conflict or something else, if you’re working with the right HR department, they’ll take care of it.

So next time you’re thinking about what HR does, consider all of the skills that she possesses. Not only do you get to benefit from her skills, but also her experience. It’s important that you find a person who has the skills you’re looking for to ensure that you have a successful and growing business that provides for you and your employees’ needs.

What is HR Management Software? HR management software is computer software which maintains employee records according to federal, state, and local laws. It gives tools for monitoring hours worked, salaries, deductions, various benefits, administrative action, and many other details related to an individual’s career. Such programs have become essential for both large and small organizations. They are used by recruiting agencies as well as human resource departments to manage their employees.

As the need for human resources and payroll experts grows, the HR managers have also grown in numbers. This has resulted in some companies outsourcing part or even all of their human resource management functions to other companies. This trend is advantageous to both sides, because it means that the HR managers of a company don’t have to hire and train additional staff members and incur other payroll administrative expenses. The advantages for the employee, however, are numerous.

The best companies are able to recruit and retain the best human resource management talent because they know the ins and outs of human resources. This kind of specialized knowledge is the result of years of experience and development. Therefore, they can provide effective and timely services.

The best providers of HR management software have extensive experience in this particular field. The program works closely with the benefits administration department to make sure that the entire payroll process runs smoothly. The entire process includes the collection, filing, processing, and delivering of payments. Some of the software even handles the electronic payment system and prepares the Eula accounts. It can also help with the employee’s retirement benefits administration.

There are several popular platforms available for managing the human resources function. Some of the popular HR software platforms include: Microsoft Dynamics GP, NetSuite, Quicken, PeopleSoft, Hru, Axapta, and Maple. All of these platforms have key features that include:

Some of the best HR software platforms are designed to meet the varied needs of human resource management departments around the world. For example, they can handle international payroll needs, employee information management, retirement plans, income tax, disability insurance and more. This system allows employees and department heads to easily manage their financial obligations including: taxes, social security, health insurance and other benefits. The best hr software systems provide comprehensive reporting about the day-to-day functions performed by the company. In fact, some of these programs can generate invoices and receipts, print work orders, manage the cash drawer, track time and cost of labor and much more.

The best programs are also designed to integrate with applicant tracking systems (ATS), human resources software, payroll, vendor and accounting systems. When an administrator installs the best HR software into his office, he is immediately able to track applicant information and track his department’s performance within the organization. Managers can perform assessments and keep track of the progress of their employees in accordance with the objectives set at the strategic business planning. An administrator can make adjustments to increase the productivity and profitability of the business without spending a lot of time and money on design and implementation. He just has to install the best HR management solution for his organization and he will be able to enjoy these benefits:

The best benefit of using these shift planning platforms is the reduction in overhead costs. Managers no longer need to hire new staff to perform HR functions because the solution provided by these applications is all it takes to effectively complete the responsibilities and ensure compliance with company policies and regulations. Another advantage offered by these HRs is the reduction in recruiting costs, since these solutions are designed to integrate with existing applicant tracking systems (ATS). If you want your business to achieve maximum profitability, you should definitely consider these benefits administration solutions offered by the leading HR software providers.

By Lorraine Heber-Brause, Vice President & Global Head of People, NS1

Given the events of 2020, there has never been a more important time for companies to invest in the wellbeing of their staff and take a hard look at current and future talent needs. In a few short months three seismic events have collided to disrupt business as usual: a global health pandemic, a worldwide movement calling for social justice, and concerns about economic uncertainty on the horizon.

The recent sudden and massive shift to home working at scale means organisations have had to rethink their HR strategies fast. Dealing with the management of the remote workforce and keeping people engaged and productive is just part of the challenge. Supporting the health and wellbeing of employees as they navigate new working norms also represents another top priority.

For some organisations, this change has meant finding ways to engineer a wholesale shift to digital and distributed work models. For others, it has meant embracing new technologies like video conferencing and collaboration platforms or fostering an outcome-driven culture that empowers teams and ensures they have the resources to be efficient and effective in their work.

The path forward is two-fold: Evolve where needed and double down on the basics.

Evolve where needed – Reinventing the Art of Communication

In addition to ensuring that everyone has the right equipment and home office furnishings to work safely and appropriately, many organisations have quickly recognised the importance of supporting individuals in new ways:  for instance, dealing with isolation and other additional stress factors created by the crisis. Whether that meant balancing work with home-schooling children, supporting elderly relatives, or dealing with the lack of in-person team bonding opportunities that somehow has had to be replicated in the virtual world.

Many have learned that leading virtual teams requires a different and structured approach. One that is centred on frequent communication routines to not only keep employees informed, but also establish and maintain a culture of trust while encouraging a collaborative approach to problem solving.

As lockdowns begin to ease, organisations are contemplating what the new normal will look like. Using learnings from the past months, they are identifying which practices, communication tools and processes will be critical to sustain and reinforce a successful and resilient workforce featuring employees who work virtually either full or part time.

Which means that HR considerations like talent development, recruitment and employee onboarding must also be reimagined to ensure the company continues to be fit for the future.

Double down on the basics

Even in light of this evolution in how we communicate, support and prioritise employees’ time, being great at the basics is becoming a more critical skill.  What we are talking about here is solid leadership practices, from one-on-one meetings, to coaching, guiding and basic block and tackling to ensure employees can be successful under these unique circumstances.  For 2021, I encourage all companies to think about how to get better at sharing/embracing feedback and recognition.  If we get these fundamentals right, it can reinforce to employees that we care enough to be truthful and will recognise great work when we see it.

Lorraine Heber-Brause

An addition to the basics is reinforcing the importance of a forward-looking culture – diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

The recent global health crisis has rewritten the social contract as far as employees are concerned. Which is why forward-thinking HR leaders must now focus on the need to redefine and reinvent the workplace in line with the evolving needs and expectations of the workforce. This can involve rebuilding the trust and loyalty of employees so they feel safe to return to normal office activities, providing greater flexibility in terms of how and where they can work, or creating new forms of employee care as part of company cultures and values.

With issues of diversity hitting the headlines this year, organisations can’t afford to miss a beat when it comes to leading with empathy or creating programmes that demonstrate their commitment to building back better.

Instead of feeling constrained by the current environment, our virtual new world has enabled us to tap into D&I efforts in a whole new way by broadening our reach to diverse candidates.  We can now attract talent from more countries and more diverse backgrounds than ever before.

Companies have long paid lip service to issues like diversity and inclusion (D&I), despite the fact that numerous studies show that organisations that adopt D&I practices see huge gains in the form of improved business results, innovation, and decision-making. If there was ever a time to review D&I priorities and have open and transparent conversations about the inclusivity of people from every demographic, regardless of their age or gender, then this is the moment.

Fortunately, the recent mass shift to the digital workplace has opened significant talent mobility opportunities for organisations to tap into. With talent in short supply in certain roles, especially in fields like engineering, data analytics and IT, organisations that want to create a distinctive employer brand will need to rethink their recruitment practices and tap into this expanded supply of talent.

Alongside rethinking recruitment practices, HR leaders should not only lead the fray on the design and implementation of development and succession programmes for people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. They should also be focused on initiating D&I assessment programmes that drive behavioural change and out-of-the-box thinking across the enterprise, challenging senior leaders to go beyond simply considering Millennials, Gen Z, or people with a certain educational background for a variety of roles.

Workforce transformation

The pandemic has served to press the fast forward button on digitalisation trends. As companies reimagine their operations for the next normal, preparing employees for the future of work is a priority, whether that’s upskilling them to handle their current roles, or reskilling them for different or new roles.

Tackling the skills issue is not easy. According to research from McKinsey, organisations have identified some key barriers to success, including an inability to quantify the impact future automation would have on skills requirements and difficulties in executing a new strategy designed to address  emerging skills gaps.

In a world where competitive advantage depends on digital innovation, the HR organisation is becoming a key driver of digital transformation and workforce redesign. Responsible for delivering predictive change analytics and insights that can help direct and evolve organisations, HR must guide the transformation process forward without impacting workforce morale, engagement or productivity.

Looking ahead with confidence

The events of 2020 have accelerated business change and uncertainty, requiring a stream of communication between managers and staff to gather feedback, deliver updates, and ensure a level of transparency that facilitates trust. Now, more than ever, we need to approach people with empathy, adjusting goals as needed, engaging in more frequent one-to-one discussions, and enabling feedback loops that articulate the impact that employees and teams have on customers—and the company as a whole.

Thriving and surviving depends on creating opportunities for employees to work towards shared goals, developing performance metrics that are relevant to the realities of today’s world of work (keeping the bar high), and building the workforce skills that will benefit both the individual employee—and the business—for the long term.