Best practices in Training & Development

Best practices for delivering effective learning to employees are constantly changing and getting your training program right is now more important. Training or development program is a common service that HR consultancy firms can offer. They’re doing this through seminar, orientation, and in-house training.

Training and development are vital part of the human resource development. In the wake of advancement of technology that resulted in increasing competition, rise in customer’s expectation of quality and service and subsequent need to lower costs, training and development assumed to be the most important thing. It is also a program designed in different specific skills like for example in order to prepare workers for new jobs. Peter Drucker also said that the fastest growing industry would be training and development as a result of replacement of industrial workers with knowledge workers. It is important to understand that there are other factors that contribute for increased need of training inputs to employees not only the technology.

Change is one of the two biggest factors; change covers almost everything. It leads to the need for training and development and training and development leads to individual and organizational change which is a direct relationship between the two. More specifically, it is the technology that is driving the need; changing the way how business function, compete and deliver. The other factor is which a strong reason for training and development is the development itself. Some people who work with organizations seek more than just employment out of their work; they look at holistic development of self.  They also seek happiness at jobs which may not be possible unless an individual is aware of the self. For more information also see https://www.managementstudyguide.com/training-and-development.htm

For training to be effective it must be a planned activity conducted after a thorough need analysis and target at certain competencies. While designing the training program it must be kept in mind that both the individual goals and organizational goals are kept in mind. Most of the organizations prepare their training calendars at the beginning of the financial year where training needs are identified for the employees.    

GAP Analysis

Identifying the areas where organizations need to improve their capabilities most is an important step in any change effort. Such a skill is helpful particularly in times of cost-cutting—where limited training resources must be used to close the critical competency gaps that prevent companies from meeting business objectives. However, many training programs don’t yield the desired results. One reason is that they are usually launched without sufficient knowledge of where the gaps in employee skills exist. A good way to pinpoint these learning needs is to survey employees and let them evaluate the current skill levels of their peers and estimate the skill level their group must reach in order to be successful.

Gap Analysis compares current situation with the future state that organisation want to achieve. By conducting a Gap Analysis, organisation can identify what it need to do to “bridge the gap”. Conducting a skill gap analysis helps to identify skills one need to meet their business objectives. Skills gap analysis can be performed on Individual employees to identify the skills a job requires and compare them to an employee’s actual skill level.

The gap analysis, being also known as needs analysis, need-gap analysis and needs assessment, is an effective tool in the hands of a business management for making a comparison between the current performance and the desired performance level of a business organization. Quantifying and comparing the gap existing between the current functioning states of a business entity with that of a future state business requirements, the gap analysis leads to add value to the business.

Time & Attendance Management

Time & Attendance Management is a critical aspect of business for all business owners and HR professionals. While some business follow a strict time & attendance policy, many businesses which have employees who work variable hours have actually improved their efficiency while cutting back on wasted costs. By implementing Employee Time Tracking technology in the business environment, you can streamline time sheet maintenance & data collection process. Advanced Time & Attendance management software with great features and smart functionality can take the worry and make sure to eliminate human errors.

We have looked at various available options in the market and found various on-premise and cloud-based technologies. Latest Time and attendance solutions allows employees to clock in at a computer terminal or, in some implementations in the retail industry, at the point of sale terminal where they work. We have also found GPS technologies which allows employees to log in from any place across the world. For more information visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attendance_management. This eliminates the problem of a punch card being incorrectly or illegibly punched. Previous time and attendance machines required a specific password, ID card, or biometric identification to reduce the chance of employees clocking in and out for one another. But this problem is resolved by the GPS technology.

Technology is changing the way time and attendance records are kept and changed. Now a days Human Resources doesn’t have to spend time chasing down employees, and employees don’t have to manually alert their manager about the need for a change in their timesheet. Companies must use smart systems which are cost effective and time saving.

Strategically managing Compensation and Benefits in an organization

Compensation and benefits are key factors in hiring, motivating, engaging and retaining the best talent for any level job in every industry. Employers know that it is tough to find and keep good talent. Today employees have the luxury to compare their compensation with global organizations. That makes the job of an SME organization even more challenging. HR professionals in SMEs are challenged to benchmark salaries with large organizations and device effective compensation & benefits practices. As a result, more companies are offering very competitive benefits packages. It might be difficult for a smaller company to compete with bigger companies because a smaller company might not have the financial means to do so. Even without the deep pockets that big companies have, small business owners can strategically plan to compete with compensation and benefits programs.

Strategic compensation planning considers effectively positioning the organization by considering all aspects of total reward including tangible and non-tangible benefits like career progression. Some companies are even looking for innovative options like cafeteria benefit schemes for employees which gives them more flexibility to choose from available benefit options depending on their personal needs. Specialized HR consultancies play a vital role in helping companies designing their benefit plans.

Flexible Benefits Play a Major Role in Engaging Rewarding Employees

·        An increased focus on encouraging employees to control or manage their own housing / medical costs

·        An increased focus on giving employees the flexibility to select benefits and manage their taxes

·        An increased focus on enhancing employee mobility and managing company costs

An important aspect to C&B is linking pay with performance. Compensation should be performance based and should be designed to attract as well as to retain the already existing employees in the organization. Benefits should also be designed to improve job satisfaction as well as to motivate the employees within the organization to improve their performance. The pay for performance philosophy of an organization should also be integrated with the HR policies & procedures. This will help organizations in effectively managing compensation and benefits as well as avoid any discrimination or litigation arising out of C&B programs.

Why is an Organizational Structure Necessary?

What is an organizational structure? For any company to achieve positive and successful goals, every company must have a certain way in which all the activities are systematic, well managed and coordinated. It is therefore important to note why every company requires an organizational structure as jobs have various other names under them and it is important to understand who is responsible for what. Organisational Structure HR Consultants can do a business and function review and provide valuable inputs for designing an effective structure.  

The structure of an organization includes advantages to the company for example, it improves the function of competence by providing coherence. This allows for a well-managed structure which therefore boosts the level of accomplishment that the company will result in. More information on the benefits of an effective organizational structure can be found here http://smallbusiness.chron.com/benefits-organizational-structure-2776.html

Companies should consider the positive outcomes a well-managed organizational structure must offer. For example, the structure of a company is highly important for communication. Thus, a good structure will allow for the administration of authority.

A good structure is also important for assessing an employee’s performance. Organizational structures will therefore allow supervisors to better assess the skills and capabilities their employees establish as well as if they are comfortable with other employees or not.

Organizational structures also allow employees to reach certain goals and objectives therefore, it engages in teamwork where all the employees will work together to reach a similar goal.

The organizational structure is also important for HR consulting services as this allows them to recognize the expertise required by the company. It also ensures that there will be enough human resources inside the company to achieve the objectives which have been set in the company’s future.

Without an effective organizational structure, there would be no work flow. This would result in a decline in communication, a negative outcome in work products such as a slow-down and various bottom line profits are affected. As a company grows, it is important to check to ensure the structure of the company is up to date and regularly changed according to the growth of the organization.

The Importance of HR Consultants for a Business

Human resources (HR) are individuals who search for efficient workforce and look after employee affairs. Therefore, human resources can either be an individual person or an employee within the company or an external HR consultant who provides advice and guidance on HR matters such as training, hiring, performance management and compensation.

It is also essential to note the importance of human resources and how they play a major role in the development of a successful company. HR consulting in UAE have been shown to be successful due to the implementation of various strategies as well as recommending and establishing procedures for employees and the company to reach successful goals.

Similarly, human resource management (HRM) is a process in which both the company and individuals are brought together to ensure the goals of each are met therefore, to develop and maintain proficient workforce to achieve the goals of a company in an effective and successful manner. Additionally, human resource professionals usually create specific methods which are then used for managing employees that support a company’s general procedure. To accomplish this, they must analyse and design jobs, ensure legal compliance, recruit and select applicants to fill in vacancies and train, develop applicants to meet the current and future job demands, to create motivation plans and to maintain the workforce.  An example of one of the HR companies in the UAE that implement these are HR consultants in Oman.

To understand human resource management well, human resource management functions must also be understood. There are seven main functions of human resource management such as manpower planning, recruitment and selection of employees, employee education, training and development, compensation and benefits (employee motivation), performance appraisal (employee evaluation), industrial relations and provision of employee services (safety and health benefits). Therefore, the roles and responsibilities of human resource consultancies is to maintain the company well to keep the level of satisfaction. More information can be found at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/businesswhizz

Hiring external consultants is advantageous to a company as it provides fresh perspective on current business challenges and also provided expertise in resolving these business problems.