Best HR Advice For Startup Entrepreneurs

Starting a business is no easy task.

Equally, finding the right talent for your organisation can be just as difficult.

Talented people are now willing to quit their jobs if their employers don’t align with their values, or offer flexible, ie remote or hybrid working conditions.

What is Human Resources (HR)

Human Resources (HR) is the division of a business that is charged with finding, recruiting, screening, and training job applicants. It also administers employee benefit programs.

HR department sets out policies, procedures, and practices that guide the recruitment, selection, development, and management of employees.

It can help organisations attract top talents, retain valuable employees, and enhance their overall performance.

In this article, we’ll provide 6 HR practices that play a key role in startup success.

1. Outsource HR to access the best talent

Startups often choose to outsource HR to access a wider cross-border talent without the need to open a local entity.

You can go now and outsource your HR to find the best talent and create an efficient HR framework.

HR laws and regulations can be complex and vary from region to region. HR outsourcing firms stay updated on these regulations, reducing the risk of non-compliance for startups. These firms also help to reduce the risks associated with HR processes, such as wrongful termination claims, discrimination claims, and other legal issues.

HR firms can also help you to create a detailed profile of your ideal candidate, including job title, industry, location, experience level, and any specific skills or certifications required.

2. Cultivate employer brand to attract the best talent

Having great training opportunities and making it known to the public is an excellent PR for your company making it easier to attract top Millennial and Gen Z talent.

Employee development and training is a great recruitment tool. This is because most talented people are hungry for professional development to remain competitive in the marketplace.

3. Prioritise onboarding to retain the best talent

Remote onboarding can feel daunting, and if done poorly, can impact retention.

Employee onboarding is a process of helping new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours to become effective members of an organization.

Some strategies include:

• Introducing a buddy system or internal mentors
• Sharing clear expectations around behavioural standards and performance expectations.
• Ask for feedback on the onboarding experience, ideally within the first month.

The first impression is important because it sets the tone for the whole employment.

It is crucial to have a private one-on-one discussion between the new staff and their immediate supervisor about what really needs to be done and what skills and attitudes are required to achieve the results.

3. Improve communication between teams to avoid unnecessary stress

Better communication means swift/clear communication, that can easily be tracked and referred to.

It’s not just about juggling endless messages but creating an ecosystem where clarity and effective interactions are the norm.

There are lots of software and project management tools for that.

Slack – internal messaging tool
Zoom – for virtual meetings
Loom – for screen and video recording
Jira – project management tool

4. Encourage positive human interactions to keep the culture alive

Organise regular socials and company day-outs for team bonding.

If your teams are remote, think ‘water cooler chats’ and ‘after work activities’ you can do online.

These can be:

• Regular virtual trivia nights
• Virtual happy hour with a themed tipple each week
• Video coffee dates – including across teams to encourage non-work-related chat

5. Use productivity and performance software to speed up work

Productivity is essential for profitability. Learning how to use new technologies or tools and software can significantly cut the time it takes to perform everyday tasks.

With the help of advanced software solutions and cutting-edge tools, the HR team can leverage technology to streamline workflows and achieve better results for the company.

Efficient businesses are better able to compete in the marketplace as well as provide their customers with the best possible service. The efficiency in which a business operates is often a direct reflection of the quality of its employees.

6. Implement a flexible work policy to keep people happy

Allow for some freedom with the work schedule. This could be setting their own hours, or having a more flexible start and end time for their work day.

Shift your mindset from “managing by seeing” to “managing by results”, so it shouldn’t really matter when and how long it takes to do the job, as long as it’s done on time.

Millennials and Gen Z seek more results-oriented work, in which productivity counts for more than doggedly sticking to conventional office hours and regulations.

Just be sure to somehow track and monitor employees’ progress, and adjust the policy as needed.