Six Signs Your HR Department is Overworked

The HR department is at the heart of every company, so it is vital they are able to work at their peak levels. Unfortunately, demanding too much from overworked HR staff means the quality of service could slip, creating problems in the hiring process, or even when it comes to employee happiness. Here are six signs your HR department is overworked as well as how you can ease the burden.

Long Hours or Late Starts

One of the warning signs of an overworked HR department is when employees are staying longer than normal, or arriving late on a regular basis. Not being able to function in the mornings, or being forced to stay late, often highlights stress when it comes to day-to-day tasks.

Missed Deadlines

A tangible sign of overworked HR employees is repeatedly missed deadlines. If staff are struggling to profile candidates before the interview stage or handle payroll on time, they may simply have too much on their plates. Outsourcing some tasks like identify verification or background checks to a third party service could relieve some of this stress, freeing the HR department up for other vital jobs.

Complaints from Other Employees

If other staff are complaining about the timeliness of quality of your HR department, look into whether they need a break, or a chance to catch up on overdue projects.

Frustrated HR Staff

When in doubt, simply talk to HR staff directly to get their input. HR employees who are frustrated about their workloads and tell you they are struggling to complete daily tasks are almost certainly overworked. Strategize with them about how best to reduce stress.

Rapid Increase in Company Size

You might be excited your company is growing rapidly and bringing in new employees, but make sure your HR department expands to match. If your company is getting bigger, the same HR department won’t be able to cope with the added work without getting burned out.

Budget Cuts in the HR Department

Downsizing is a necessary process for some companies, but major budget cuts to human resources may cause big problems down the road. Check in after any budget cuts to ensure that HR staff can still cope and are not getting overworked.

Keeping an eye out for these warning signs can help you spot an overworked HR department before major problems crop up. Along with hiring additional employees and adjusting deadlines, outsourcing work can provide the department with a solution as well. Using an online employment background check system like PeopleFacts could be a good way to get work spread out.

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How to Keep Employees Safe on the Job: 5 Excellent Programs

Safety on the job isn’t just about construction accidents, but involves many different aspects for protecting employees and employers alike. Below introduces five excellent programs on how to keep employees safe on the job.

How to Keep Employees Safe on the Job

OSHA Safety Program

Any company that employs manual labor should have a safety program based on sample OSHA Policies. There are a variety of topics which need to be covered, such as lockout/tagout, fall protection, and hazard communication. Most states offer an official OSHA-approved state program and most of these state’s Safety and Health departments offer free consultations and assistance with setting up a formal safety program.

Safe Driving

Companies that require employees to drive as a regular part of their duties, such as a delivery service company, should offer safe driving training. A defensive driving course can be offered online, in person, or outsourced to an actual driving school. When possible, consider allowing employees to take a defensive driving course with an experienced instructor so they are more prepared to handle incidents on the road.

Health and Wellness

Employee safety goes beyond preventing accidents and physical harm. Health and wellness promotion is one of the best tools to prevent accidents and health problems. Consider encouraging employees to exercise through offering gym reimbursements or bonuses. Even better, consider building a simple on-site gym for employees to work-out in. This is an excellent way to promote healthy living while reducing stress and cost for you the employer.

Emergency Action Training

Emergencies can consist of anything from a medical emergency, to an earthquake, to workplace violence. Consider implementing regular emergency action training. Every company should offer Basic First Aid/CPR training to employees. However, not every employee needs to be certified. Having a few employees and one supervisor from each department should be sufficient. In addition, teach all employees how to respond to natural disasters.

Drug Free Workplace

Every company should have zero tolerance for drug and alcohol use in the workplace. Not only do they cause accidents, but result in loss of money and even lives. As part of the drug free program, consider performing annual, random UAs on all employees. If there are any concerns due to drug use, consult with a business lawyer like Carter West. While some drugs like marijuana may have medical uses, it is still unsafe for on the job use, especially in industries that work with tools and equipment, such as manufacturing and construction.

Listed here are five programs that will improve employee safety and save your company money. These include adopting an OSHA Safety Program, offering defensive driving training and health and wellness programs. In addition, emergency action training and enacting a drug free workplace program are essential to protect lives and save on injuries and accidents in the workplace.

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