When you start your own business, everything can feel like a race against the clock – premises need to be ready, supply chains sorted, credit lines finalised and staff need to be hired and trained. And your competitors either feel on your shoulder or way out in front.
With so many things to consider, HR can be one of the first things to be sacrificed, especially if you’re a smaller start-up – interviewing and hiring can be rushed through along with employment contracts and expectations.
But it doesn’t need to be that way, as there are a number of HR solutions that can help ensure that everything from holidays and absences to onboarding and payroll are taken care of. Here’s all you need to know about HR solutions for start-ups and consideration for staff.
Get the right HR solution in place from the start
When starting out in business, the burden of hiring and onboarding often falls on your shoulders, and once staff have been employed, you need to consider payroll, holidays and absences – all of which can add unnecessary admin to your already hectic schedule.
Here are three ways in which integrated HR software can help.
- Reduce admin – HR solutions offer self-service systems that enable employees to take control of holidays, absences, and personal information to help streamline admin and improve employee engagement. For ease of use, this employee self-service has 24/7 mobile access and sends automated notifications.
- Manage payroll – Integrating payroll software with your HR systems can improve pay run accuracy and efficiency, while dramatically cutting the amount of manual data entry to reduce the risks of mistakes being made. All of which can save your business both time and money. It also means employees can access documents anytime, anywhere, including online payslips, P60s, P11Ds, and P45s.
- eRecruitment and onboarding – Using an online recruitment platform and both attract and assess quality candidates, while online onboarding tools will help familiarise new hires with your brand, culture and values and offer a seamless experience for all candidates. Application forms and processes can be tailored to suit the needs of your business.
Get the right people in from the start
Although HR software can streamline processes and help with the onboarding process, the job of hiring staff will always be a very personal experience.
It goes without saying that we all want to get the best people for the job, but there’s more to hiring than someone’s CV ticking all the right boxes – you need to ensure employees are compatible with each other and ethos of your business to make sure it gets off to the very best start.
And because the same employment laws apply to all businesses that employ between one and 50 staff members, you need to ensure your business is compliant from the outset. This means you need to make sure employee contracts are legally compliant and robust, as are all guidelines and procedures around conflict resolution and discipline. Your HR software can act as a central hub for all of this information and ensure it’s easily accessible by all employees.
Keep pushing your business forward
Employee development is key to the success of every business, enabling you to keep pushing forward while ensuring employees remain engaged and enthused. Having the right HR system in place can help to engage and develop your people.
