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Welcoming FY 2023: The 7 must-do items for HR professionals. As the finance and account departments were burning the midnight oil, Catherine was wondering what it is all about, especially in the month of March. As one of the new joiners, she was curious to know the same. However, she was surprised to understand that even HR look forward to a brand new financial year and keeps their plans ready. One afternoon, Catherine walked up to her HR Manager and asked why a new financial year is significant to the HR team. Lima, the HR Manager was all smiles and amid her tight schedules, too, she addressed the query. As HR professionals, you play a critical role in building and maintaining a productive and engaged workforce. To do this, it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest HR best practices and emerging trends. In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, it can be challenging to know where to focus your attention and resources. Here we outline 7 must-do-items for HR in the upcoming financial year. Whether you’re looking to improve employee well-being, implement remote work policies, foster diversity and inclusion, or optimize your recruitment and retention strategies, this post has got you covered. Let’s dive in! The 7 must-do-items for HR Focus on employee wellbeing and mental health: Given the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic and economic landscape, HR professionals should prioritize employee wellbeing and mental health by offering support and resources such as counseling, flexible work arrangements, and training programs to promote resilience and stress management. Implement remote work policies and technologies: Remote work has become a staple of modern work, and HR professionals should work to develop policies and technologies that facilitate remote work and ensure employee engagement, productivity, and safety in virtual environments. Foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): HR professionals should prioritize DEI initiatives by developing policies and programs that nurture an inclusive workplace culture and address issues of bias and discrimination. Upskill and reskill employees: The rapid pace of technological change and automation means that HR professionals should prioritize upskilling and reskilling programs to help employees acquire the skills needed for the future of work. Develop agile workforce planning strategies: Because of the volatility and uncertainty of the current economic climate, HR professionals should focus on developing agile workforce planning strategies that can adapt to changing business needs. Leverage data analytics and AI: HR professionals should leverage data analytics and AI to inform decision-making, optimize recruitment and retention strategies, and identify areas for improvement in employee engagement and productivity. Build strong employer branding: HR professionals have to work to build strong employer branding by developing a compelling company culture, communicating transparently with employees, and promoting the organization’s mission and values to attract and retain top talent. There are many HR best practices that can help organizations effectively manage their workforce, attract and retain top talent, and create a positive work environment. Most commonly recognized HR best practices Recruitment and selection: Developing clear job descriptions, identifying the most effective sourcing channels, and establishing a structured selection process are key elements for effective recruitment and selection. Onboarding and orientation: Providing an all-inclusive onboarding and orientation program can help new hires feel welcomed, informed, and productive from day one. Performance management: Establishing clear performance expectations, providing regular feedback and coaching, and conducting regular performance reviews are essential components of effective performance management. Compensation and benefits: Offering competitive compensation and benefits packages can help attract and retain top talent while supporting employee engagement and satisfaction. Training and development: Offering opportunities for employee training and development can improve skills, enhance performance, and support career progression. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): Fostering an inclusive workplace culture and prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives can help build a more engaged, innovative, and effective workforce. Employee engagement: Prioritizing employee engagement through regular communication, feedback, recognition, and wellness programs can help build a positive work environment and foster employee motivation, loyalty, and productivity. Compliance: Ensuring compliance with legal requirements and regulations related to employment, health and safety, and privacy is essential for mitigating legal and reputational risks. Overall, HR best practices are designed to create a workplace that is fair, transparent, and supportive of employee development and success. By implementing these best practices, organizations can improve their HR processes and support the growth and success of their workforce. HR in the era of ChatGPT In 2023, it’s not possible to discuss HR without the mention of ChatGPT and many other AI tools that are going to storm the market. As an AI language model, ChatGPT is not a substitute for human resources professionals, but it can be a valuable tool for supporting HR processes and enhancing the employee experience. Here are some ways that HR professionals can leverage chatbots like ChatGPT to support their work: Recruitment and onboarding: Chatbots are a valuable tool to streamline the recruitment and onboarding process by handling initial screening, scheduling interviews, and answering common questions about the organization and the role. Employee engagement: Chatbots can be used to facilitate communication with employees, answering questions about company policies, benefits, and other HR-related topics. They can also provide real-time feedback and support to employees, improving their overall experience and satisfaction.   Performance management: With chatbots it is easy to facilitate regular check-ins and feedback sessions between employees and their managers, making the performance management process more efficient and effective. Training and development: Chatbots can add a lot of value in delivering training content and providing employees with on-demand support and resources to enhance their skills and knowledge. Benefits management: Chatbots are effective in helping employees understand their benefits packages and make informed decisions about their coverage, improving their overall health and well-being. Data analytics: One of the major benefits of Chatbots is data analysis. It can be used to analyze employee data and identify trends and patterns, helping HR professionals make more informed decisions about workforce planning, recruitment, and retention. Overall, chatbots like ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for HR

Ways to Express Appreciation for Employee Engagement Who doesn’t love appreciation? Everyone has the desire to be appreciated, praised, and recognized. People want appreciation for their efforts in the workplace too. Organizations that focus on employee appreciation are able to achieve improved employee engagement. When Jane reached her seat, she saw a box of her favorite doughnuts. There was a beautifully written note saying Thank You, mentioning her achievement in the last week. Jane was almost in tears. She had joined the organization just a fortnight ago and had never experienced such recognition in her previous workplace. Her eyes became moist with happiness. Her colleagues hugged her and congratulated her. Studies have shown that employees work harder and stay more loyal if their efforts are recognized. From the annual appreciation certificate, the workplace has come a long way; accordingly, employee recognition programs are also seeing a shift.  Employee recognition has a positive effect not only on the employees but also on the entire organization.  Let’s see the different types and ways organizations can show their appreciation towards employees for better employee engagement. Types of Employee Recognition for Better Employee Engagement  There are many ways to recognize and show gratitude towards employees. There are three key recognition types, and they serve different purposes. Micro recognition Micro recognition is also known as day-to-day recognition. It is an ongoing and frequent recognition. Showing appreciation notes, giving cards, publishing on bulletin boards, or recognizing employees quickly and easily can be considered micro recognition. The biggest advantage of micro recognition is that you don’t require any major resources or time. It is a way to reinstate organizational values regularly and make employees valued consistently.   Informal recognition Remember when you went for a Pizza party or a happy hour outing? Organizations often recognize them informally when individuals or teams reach goals or complete projects. It can be a pizza party, potluck, a trip to a pub, or even an outing. Sometimes small gifts are also included in it. Informal recognition doesn’t occur daily but is not structured as formal recognition. Formal recognition Formal recognition is more organized. Sometimes it’s for the length of the service, or in certain cases, nomination and selection processes are involved. There will be a special ceremony to celebrate the same. However, formal recognition programs are not done frequently and need a lot of planning and a big budget. It doesn’t matter what type of recognition you’re planning for the employees/teams. Ensure that it is meaningful for your employees. Surprise them with treats or eats Who doesn’t like a pleasant surprise amid tight budgets and strict deadlines? Give them some donuts or chilled drinks on a hot day. Allow them to take a short break, enjoy the treat, and return to work. If your treat is blended with a little humor, nothing can match that. They will enjoy such fun treats during busy days or stressful times.   Have an employee wall of fame A Picture Paints a Thousand Words. You can achieve results that a long letter of appreciation cannot achieve with a photo. A wall of fame is a great way to highlight the achievements of both individuals and teams. It’s a distinct method to put your organization’s culture on a show for everyone to see. You can click candid pictures while they are at work and use them to put them on the wall of fame. You can also highlight team wins with photos of the team once they complete projects, achieve sales targets, or win new projects. Leverage social media Use your company’s social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to appreciate your employees. When you recognize your star employees on social media, you showcase your company’s culture and values for everyone to see. Recognizing employees on social media is a major manner to share how proud the company is of its employees. When sharing the success of your employee, make sure to give a small bio with their role, achievement, and how it benefitted the organization. You can be sure that the recognized employees will share the social recognition posts with their followers. Isn’t this a simple way of creating brand ambassadors for your organization? Plan an off-site  A little change of place is sure to boost productivity. You can plan the off-site at a café, a resort, or any location that suits the team. However, it would be best to let them know what they are being recognized or appreciated for. It will ensure to give them a clear focus. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to off-site. You can also celebrate the halfway of a project with an off-site. Give rotation trophy  Giving a trophy you can pass around the office is a great way to boost employee engagement. You can give it to an employee to demonstrate your organizational values. Allow them to keep it on their desk for a week. Create a note with the trophy mentioning what organizational value the employee showed to earn it. Announce it to your peers. In the next team meeting or the following month, the employee can hand it off to the next employee who deserves it. This is a great way to build employee engagement and a culture of recognition. Employee recognition tees Design various T-shirt designs for different awards and encourage them to wear them each Friday. Either create a T-shirt for each company value and give the team or have the teammates sign a company tee with thank you messages. Cheers for peers  Peer recognition is a sincere expression of praise and appreciation between co-workers. It is based on the concept of employees celebrating each other. Peer-to-peer recognition involves everyone in the organization stepping up and sharing praise. In this program, there is no excessive stress on managers and executives to be the only ones providing praise and recognition. The entire organization can work together to improve team morale and appreciation. Making peer-to-peer recognition a part of your recognition strategy helps

How HR Can Mitigate The Challenges In Remote Hiring Even though the pandemic has eased in most places, remote work will stay. A good number of employees are tuned into working from home/remote work, and organizations, too, are okay with it. While organizations have more or less managed to keep productivity even with remote work, HR is one area that continues to face challenges. While HR managers see a good opportunity with remote work, they agree that remote hiring throws up challenges, and it’s not easy as one thinks. Let’s see what the major challenges HR faces in remote hiring are. A large pool of applicants Remote working offers a chance for every candidate to apply for their dream company. Since there are no compulsions regarding proximity to the workplace, people from different geographical locations can apply for vacancies. While it offers diversity and better talent, HR has to sift through many applications. HR managers must go through thousands of resumes before shortlisting candidates, which is a tedious process. Studies show that remote workers have increased by 160%. To manage the burgeoning number of applications, HR needs to be crystal clear about their expectations. They should create well-written and detailed job descriptions to avoid applications that lack the required qualifications and experience. They can take aid from tech as AI-based application tracking systems helps optimize the remote hiring process. Differences in time zones Remote hiring helps in tapping into a global talent pool. HR managers can now select prospective candidates from far-off places. But the geographical autonomy can be difficult to manage when scheduling interviews and conducting real-time assessments. However, here, HRs can take the help of automatic scheduling tools that help the candidates to choose a time that suits them best and for the company. Using such tools, HR managers can address the productivity gap due to time zone differences. Technical difficulties Sometimes, even after thorough preparation, too, technology can fail you. Software problems, poor internet connection, and inconsistent video or audio quality can hamper the interview process. When such technical issues happen, there is a high chance that the candidate may misunderstand the question or give an incorrect answer. Sometimes the noise from other sources can distract and disturb you. Such issues can influence your judgment of the interview process. It’s better to create a backup plan if your web conferencing technology fails you. You can also reschedule the interviews and work on correcting the glitch. Evaluation of skillsets  HR managers must choose candidates with enough job-specific skills and relevant experience. To ensure the same, whatever the position be, HR Managers conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the skillset. However, skill assessments and evaluations are quite challenging in a remote setting. To minimize the struggle, HRs should take help from the organization. They can create dedicated tests and skill assessments to screen the candidates effectively. Difficulties in onboarding A work-from-office model allows new joiners to interact with the employees in real-time, and it becomes easy for them, as well as the HRs, to align them to the company’s culture and vision. In remote hiring, onboarding is a bit tough. In the initial days, new employees may feel overwhelmed and find it tough to get the hang of things and create a peer group. These can lead to productivity loss, and HR must take measures to tackle it. HR managers will have to put extra effort into creating a smooth onboarding process and should take care to enhance the learning curve. Introductory sessions, orientation programs, and impromptu sessions should be organized, so the new jokiness understands the company and the workflow in a stress-free manner. Contracts In remote work, legal contracts are critical. Though hiring managers might feel it is tedious work, they must understand the labor laws of different countries, so there is no compliance violation. Having a standard template and hiring law and compliance experts can fine–tune and speed up the process. Payment of salaries Proper salary disbursement is vital for employee retention and satisfaction. But, transferring salaries to remote employees is a challenging task. It can be complicated due to offshore issues. Tax laws, international money transfers, and calculations and invoicing can create issues. One way to manage the above is to have payroll solutions. Remote payroll and compliance providers can help solve the challenges and ease the HR team’s pain areas. Conclusion  Although remote hiring throws up its share of challenges, it’s worth the trouble. Remote companies can tackle the challenges with the right remote hiring strategy. While AI-powered application tracking systems can speed up the screening process, automatic meeting schedulers can reduce interview time zone differences. Test projects and customized skill assessments would take care of the evaluation process. Strategically planned introductory sessions can offer a smooth onboarding process. Having standardized templates reduce contractual misinterpretations, whereas remote payroll service providers can ensure punctuality and accuracy in salary disbursement. With the right tools, planning, preparedness, and backup, the hiring team can complete the hiring process with minimal or no stress.   Recent Verifitech News Welcoming FY 2023: The 7 must-do items for HR professionals. March 23, 2023 Will ChatGPT Replace HR Professionals? February 24, 2023 How HR Can Mitigate The Challenges In Remote Hiring January 13, 2023 Leadership And Management Lessons From The FIFA World Cup 2022 December 31, 2022 Top HR Skills That Will Be In High Demand In The Future December 30, 2022 What makes vetting talent and background verification important December 17, 2022 Load More Leave comments on this post

Leadership And Management Lessons From The FIFA World Cup 2022 With the spectacular win of the Argentina team in the FIFA 2022 World Cup under the captaincy of Lionel Messi, the management world is trying to decipher the great leadership lessons the captain has shown on and off the field. The concluding workweek of 2022 was filled with cheer for the team. The team had a relaxed week as the world was busy preparing to welcome the New Year. On top of that, Johnson, Manager of the off-shore team, has arranged for a buffet lunch to celebrate the historic win of Argentina against France in the FIFA 2022 World Cup. But the teams were divided. While many rooted for Ronaldo, others were jubilant as Messi had led the Argentina team to victory. As the arguments were going on, Ravi Ram, an ardent footballer, and Strategy Manager of the team, made an announcement. He said, “The debate of Messi Vs. Ronaldo seems eternal. But I would like to quote Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, here. In 2020, he came with an excellent insight into the players and their game. He had said that while the Portuguese is an athletic footballer, the Argentine is a touch artist.”  Ravi continued, “I go with what Arsene Wenger said. He often says that Cristiano Ronaldo is an athlete-footballer, and Lionel Messi, is an exceptional artist. This is the difference between the two. Everyone prefers one or the other. When we like the game, we prefer the artist. The creative makes you discover things you do not see or have not even considered from the stands.” The entire team broke into thunderous applause. Ravi added, “If you can spare a few minutes, I would like to share some of the valuable lessons the 2022 FIFA World Cup has taught us.” Everyone cheered Ravi and asked him to continue. Leadership Lessons the Corporate World Can Learn from Football On December 18, Lionel Messi created history by leading Argentina to a World Cup victory. Argentina encountered France in the finals and won the final soccer match by 2 goals. Messi recreated the late Diego Maradona’s magic when Argentina won the World Cup in 1986. Messi displayed a thrilling set of skills and helped the team create history. Besides, like a true leader, Messi carried the goods by being unassuming and unfazed by the initial failure. He understood the true value of a team game and displayed it. Throughout the tourney, Messi notched seven goals and assisted the team on three others. Most outstandingly, when the stakes were high, he achieved his best. Messi scored one goal and assisted a wonderful goal that changed the game against Croatia in the semi-finals. In the finals, the soccer star scored two goals and had the opening goal in the shootout. Learn from failures  Argentina’s loss to a relatively small team in their first match in Qatar did not deter their spirits. The team, headlined by Messi, returned to defeat stronger teams in the latter matches. This is one of the major lessons for every company. Take failure to learn. Every failure discloses your strength and weakness. It would be best if you took it to galvanize your confidence to thrive in your ensuing efforts. Teamwork pays The Argentina-Netherlands quarterfinal had a nail-biting finish in the last 10 minutes. Argentina’s goalkeeper Martinez saved two penalties, and Lautaro Martinez scored the winning penalty. While all the players ran to congratulate Lautaro, Messi, the captain, rushed to celebrate it with the goalkeeper. That moment was one of the best leadership lessons. Messi recognized the hidden team member. Instead of creating heroes in a team, as a captain, Messi focused on collective ownership in win and loss. Achieving under pressure It is said that when the pressure is high, great leaders deliver big. Managers can take this lesson from Messi. He showcased his ability to execute and shine under pressure. Focus on the common goal Football is all about showcasing the team’s abilities. Playing football at the world level and winning requires a combination of effort, skill, and talent. The game is not about individual performance. Players should align themselves to the common goal and coordinate their efforts. When individual players forego their personal goals and play towards realizing the common goals, victory follows. HR managers would agree that the employees’ personal goals need to be aligned with the common organizational goals. Just like how Messi directed his team’s efforts, it is vital for the company’s leadership to channel their employees’ efforts towards a common purpose. Without this, organizations won’t be able to achieve success. Messi displayed his focus and determination right from the start of the World Cup. Despite the defeats in the initial matches, his team never lost momentum. As the captain, the credit goes to Messi, who steered the team from the front when the situation was difficult. Performing at the peak level in high-pressure situations takes work. But Messi displayed that perfect leadership skills can achieve the same in a better manner. Execution is key When performing under pressure to achieve big, one must trust the preparation and execute it. They should not get bogged down by thinking about the consequences. Argentina, headlined by Messi, meticulously executed everything. Facing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, who scored four goals in the finals, was not easy. Led by Messi, the Argentina team battled it out and won the game. Fight to reach your dream Messi did not rest on his past laurels. Just like how a leader should not rest on past glory but should perform at the moment, Messi, too, considered every game a new one. He did not get distracted by the hype or media. With single-minded focus and determination, he helped his team lift the FIFA World Cup. Earlier, Messi had said, “You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.” No organization can attain glory without the hard work

Top HR Skills That Will Be In High Demand In The Future However, The role of HR managers has undergone a dramatic transition in line with economic and technical advancements. Today, HR professionals are at the intersection, helping the stars and strugglers. As machines are taking over the tasks done by humans, HR managers are now playing the role of championship coaches. They are poised to play bigger roles, supporting and guiding employees in their career journey. However, to equip themselves for that, they need to work more on business analytics and strategy. Today, technology has made it possible for HR to be free from mundane tasks. It enables them to take more challenging roles, which are exciting, demanding, and competitive. To position themselves as advisors, HR managers need to reposition themselves as strategic partners. Future skills for HR teams The world is rapidly shifting with digital transformation. Industries and domains are not immune to digital shifts. New trends have started in human resources, and artificial intelligence, machine learning, people analytics, VR training, and upskilling have become the norm. People analytics HR teams are sitting on a pile of data. They are data-rich but need better insight. Knowingly or unknowingly, HR has been gathering data like recruitment data, training data, career growth, absenteeism figures, productivity data, performance reviews, and staff satisfaction data, and the list is quite long. Besides the traditional HR data sets, companies can now gather much more data – social media data, emails, etc. to understand employee sentiment. HR data is extremely valuable and is one of the greatest assets for HR teams. When organizations use HR data to take better decisions, create better workplaces and optimize processes, it can add immense value to the organization. In the past, most HR data went unused except in the corporate presentation. However, with big data and analytics, companies use their data to develop insights. It helps them to forecast when employees will leave, where to recruit suitable candidates, how to identify and attract the most suitable candidates, and how to keep them happy once they join the organization. Hence, people analytics, also called HR analytics, is one of the crucial skills for most establishments. People analytics is a data-driven method of human resource management. It includes analysing and reporting HR data to measure the effect of HR metrics on business performance. People analytics is an indispensable skill for HR professionals that help them judiciously identify, train, and retain exceptional talent. Besides, it offers them insights based on which actions can be taken and which, in turn, will fuel business growth. For informed decision-making, people analytics enable HRs to rely on data. Soft skills Soft skills are critical for all professionals, and HR is no exception. Communication, persuasion, coaching, advising, assurance, flexibility, and organizational skills are priceless for HR teams in today’s working atmosphere. Soft skills can be built using various methods. While reading and public speaking sessions can improve communication skills, classes are available for learning and conflict management. Also, there are various tools that HRs can use to improve their skill sets. Recruitment marketing Recruitment is one of the major functions of an HR professional. In today’s competitive world, identifying the right candidate is extremely challenging. While plenty of talent is available for certain roles, there are a few candidates for some jobs. Hence, today, an HR has to act like a marketing professional. From projecting the brand image to leveraging culture and goodwill, HR has to market its recruitment to bag the best talent from the pool of candidates. Recruiting marketing is a fine blend of strategy and tools. HRs can achieve this by making the most of appropriate forums to promote the brand’s philosophies and values and rolling out engaging packages to attract potential candidates. If you log on to LinkedIn and scan through, you will see how recruitment marketing functions. Traditional recruiting is reactive and starts when a particular hiring need is identified. But recruitment marketing is proactive and pays attention to promoting the company and its brand to lure job seekers, keeping the organization top of mind. Achieve recruitment marketing skills, HR professionals should establish a strong LinkedIn profile and share content from the organization regularly. HR teams can regularly share content from their organization, post industry news and updates, and promote company events. There are many avenues, from engaging with colleagues to sharing their wins and interacting with potential candidates. Interestingly, the best part of the recruitment marketing tactics comes at no cost. Social media, omnichannel promotions, targeted messaging, and professional forums are suitable platforms to send out brand messages, address hiring needs, and develop employee engagement. HR can combine employer marketing and inbound recruiting to acquire target candidates. AI and VR Several human resource management activities, such as recruitment, training, development, and employee onboarding, are ably supported by advanced technologies. Keeping up with the artificial intelligence and VR training trends will help HR keep an edge in the market over its competitors. Many HR functions rely heavily on technology, and that trend will grow further as the modern workplace keeps evolving. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are the most popular HR management technologies due to their ability to replicate human thinking closely. Familiarising themselves with the different HR technology areas will help HR teams’ future-proof their skills. Conclusion How people work and conduct the business has changed radically since the pandemic outbreak. While HR will continue to be at the centre of business advancement, better HR skills will facilitate improved career experiences. Better HR skills will foster a supportive workplace centered on development, employee engagement, and retention. It will also pave the way for creating an inclusive and inspiring organization. Organizations must help empower HR with modern skills to play a key role in developing future-ready employees. However, HR’s role in assisting business change has fast-tracked, making it an enabler of change for processes in the new normal. With the backing of new technologies, HR professionals can upskill themselves with digital knowledge

Enabling a fine balance between WFH and Work-From-Office Candidates are demanding, and they have more options as they can now work for many organizations remotely. Employees preferred working from home because it provided a better work-life balance We all know that hybrid working has become a key to attracting talent. Candidates are demanding, and they have more options as they can now work for many organizations remotely. To win the ongoing recruitment challenge, HRs are focusing on where to take the hybrid model next. Organizations have started thinking on the lines of making workplaces a point for collaboration rather than where people go and work. Now, the challenge for HR managers is how to find the right balance. And there is no one size fits all solution. Rather than formalizing the hybrid working policies or stipulating minimum work days from the office, the focus must be to listen to people and find out what works best for them. Besides, what works for a team may not work well with another team of the same organization. While wellbeing has become a vital criterion, it’s time HR focus on the long-term results and customizes it to suit the employees in the evolving working models.   Recent Verifitech News Welcoming FY 2023: The 7 must-do items for HR professionals. March 23, 2023 Will ChatGPT Replace HR Professionals? February 24, 2023 Leadership And Management Lessons From The FIFA World Cup 2022 December 31, 2022 Top HR Skills That Will Be In High Demand In The Future December 30, 2022 What makes vetting talent and background verification important December 17, 2022 Enabling a fine balance between WFH and Work-From-Office December 16, 2022 Load More Leave comments on this post