In yesterday’s Advisor, we looked at 8 factors that promote individual “happiness” at work. Today we’ll see how that plays out in a team setting, courtesy of BLR’s HR Department of One.
Managing teams is different from managing individual contributors. Although there is clearly overlap in the “happiness factors,” there is also a clearly a different perspective.
Here’s what BLR’s unique resource for smaller HR operations, HR Department of One, sees as key “happiness” (read retention and productivity) factors for teams:
- Shared concept/vision. Team members know where they want to go. They look to the future rather than dwelling on the past or focusing only on immediate demands.
- Agreement about their overall purpose. Team members who agree about their purpose set priorities and assign tasks that are meaningful. And that makes them feel that they’re making a specific contribution toward a valued result.
Managers of small HR departments have found the special help they need in a unique BLR product—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine it at no cost or risk for 30 days. Click for info.
▪ Team thinking. People enjoy the feeling of belonging to a group. Knowing that others depend on their work is a good motivator.
▪ Sense of responsibility to the group. Once they have committed to goals—especially those they helped establish themselves—team members feel a strong obligation to support the team, and not let the team down.
▪ Sensitivity to changes in individual roles. As roles develop and change, opportunities for learning expand. Members of a team get the benefit of learning from one another.
▪ Free discussion. Team members are free to present and argue their points of view safely. They feel that others really listen and respect their points of view.
▪ Team-set goals. Because the team sets goals, priorities, and tasks, there is a way of evaluating and recognizing achievement. This makes work more satisfying.
Help with Challenges Beyond Teambuilding
Teambuilding is just one challenge out of—what—100 challenges HR managers face? HR is not an easy job, and it’s especially difficult in a small department, where one or two people have to do it all, from succession planning to recruiting to training to recordkeeping to benefits. How can anyone possibly handle it all?
We asked our editors if there was any special help directed right at the smaller—or even one-person—HR office. They say the program we quoted above, Managing an HR Department of One, is unique in addressing the special pressures small HR departments face. Here are some of the features included:
▪ Tutorial on how HR supports organizational goals. This section explains how to probe for what your top management really wants and how to build credibility in your ability to deliver it.
Feel like you’re all alone in HR? Take on a partner—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine at no cost or risk for 30 days. Click for info.
▪ Overview of compliance responsibilities through a really useful 2-page chart of 21 separate laws that HR needs to comply with. These range from the well-known Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and FMLA to lesser known, but equally critical, rules such as Executive Order 11246. Also included are federal and state posting requirements. (Proper postings are among the first things a visiting inspector looks for … especially now that the minimum wage has been changing repeatedly.)
▪ Training guidelines. No matter what your company size, expect to do training. Some of it is required by law. Some of it is just good business sense. Managing an HR Department of One gives you the vital information you need to train efficiently and effectively, for the least time and money.
▪ Prewritten forms, policies, and checklists. These are enormous work-savers! Managing an HR Department of One has 46 such forms, from job applications and background check sheets to performance appraisals and leave requests, in both paper and on CD. The CD lets you easily customize any form with your company’s name and specifics.
If you’d like a more complete look at what Managing an HR Department of One covers, click the Table of Contents link below. Or better yet, take a look at the entire program. We’ll send it to you for 30 days’ evaluation in your own office with no obligation to buy. Click here, and we’ll be happy to make the arrangements.