Wondering how to increase employee satisfaction and engagement? The first place you should look is your HR department.
If you want to work for a company that cares about its employees, make sure it values its HR department. MetLife just launched their new HR Heroes initiative to celebrate great HR reps and showcase their achievements, showing that they know just how essential good hiring is to a company’s success.
HR’s Importance
Because it serves as the connection between the executive level and the rest of the staff, a happy HR department makes for a happy company. Better communication with HR makes for more informed and less frustrated employees. As OnRec notes, the HR Heroes campaign “reveals the importance of good employee benefits communication – often one of the many roles performed by HR heroes, but one that can be overlooked.”
The concept is simple, really: if employees don’t know about their workplace benefits, they won’t be excited about them. Through effective, targeted information campaigns and clear, friendly communication with workers, HR can ensure employees know exactly what kind of benefits they can expect.
But an exceptional Human Resources department doesn’t just communicate benefits – it also understands exactly how and why those benefits are useful. They have to present the benefits as legitimate solutions to employees’ problems, which means they must make an effort to understand what those problems are. It’s part of what the CIPD calls the ‘psychological contract.’ When employees understand their benefits and feel as though they’re being taken care of, they’re much more likely to be satisfied in the workplace.
In fact, MetLife’s research shows that “43% of employees who place a high value on their benefits believe their company is a great place to work compared with a figure of just 20% for those who don’t value their benefits.”
Improving the Experience
So what can be done to make this happen? According to two reports by the CIPD, one on employee engagement and another on productivity, knowledge-sharing from HR is the key to boosting positive employee attitudes. Problem-solving and relationship-building between HR and employees is another vital piece of the equation.
The benefits of strong communication in HR begin as early as the hiring process, according to Elaine Orler, chairman and founder of Talent Board. Writing in Talent Management, she notes that companies can improve candidates’ and new hires’ experiences by increasing the frequency and quality of communication during the application and interview processes.
Orler also cites better HR technology, specifically for the onboarding process, as crucial to raising employee performance and easing adjustment. She claims that, overall, companies are ‘moving in the right direction’ – a clear indication that HR is committed to raising employee satisfaction.
Time to Celebrate
Human Resources is doing remarkable work to enhance the employee experience, and those efforts ought to be rewarded. Just as with any employees, HR reps will continue to do better when they receive clear and concerted feedback. By celebrating their departments, companies are showing exactly how valuable HR is to business functions. They’re dispelling antiquated stereotypes, and inspiring the department to continue striving for higher standards.
A great HR department can do wonders for employee positivity and engagement, which will result in higher productivity, more output, and better morale. When Human Resources wins, everybody wins.
