TEKST 1: WIN-WIN STRATEGIES FOR THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

In today's changing economic environment, business owners face greater challenges in

keeping their business alive and profitable. Many employers are struggling to pay their
employees while trying to cut their operating expenses. In addition, employers anticipate
heavier burdens ahead regarding new laws on taxes and health insurance requirements
for their employees.
As companies reevaluate every line item on their financial sheets, even the budget of the
Human Resources department may experience cutbacks. How can the Human Resources
department help the employer do well in such a business environment?
Hidden in the current crisis are opportunities for new HR strategies. Traditional functions
of the Human Resources department have focused more on employee hiring, firing,
training, and the administering of employee benefits. Today's fast-changing world
presents fresh avenues for the HR department to become a stronger strategic partner for
the company or the employer. Some of these strategies have been adopted by large
companies with proven success. Some of these methods are in the experimental stage
with promising results.
To make a significant contribution to the company's stability and success, the Human
Resources team must seek ways to address existing or potential needs of the employees
beyond their professional development. Visionary companies know good employees are
their most valuable asset. It is the HR department's top priority to provide strong support
to the personal and family needs of the employees in the corporate setting.
When employers help their employees lead a balanced life between work and family, they
become more productive for the employer and stay with the same company much longer.
Strategically, the HR department can guide the company with creative and wellimplemented solutions that will enhance the reputation of the company in the workplace.
The following examples illustrate how some of these proactive strategies can generate
visible results for the employer:
Coordinate a Flextime Work Schedule
HR departments can coordinate a flextime work schedule for employees who would like to
study or attend to personal responsibilities during normal office hours. Employers can
benefit from this practice by extending customer service hours without paying overtime.
This also allows part-time workers more flexibilityin work scheduling. It is up to the HR
team to ensure that such a plan is executed smoothly throughout the whole of the
company.
Provide On-Site Child Care for Employees
The HR departments of smaller companies can help employees to balance their personal
and professional lives by providing on-site child care facilities. The expertise of outside
child-care enterprises can be used to assist in such an initiative. Key employees can
function as supervisors in the process.
Offer On-Site Medical Clinics
On-site medical facilities enable employers to save money and increase productivity by
virtually eliminating the need for employees to take time off work for routine medical
appointments. The HR department of a small business can hire outside medical staff to

run an on-site clinic on a part-time basis, offering employees the convenience of on-site
preventative care.
To safeguard the privacy of the employees' medical records, the employers must abide
by privacy rules. The Human Resources department can also hire an outside provider to
run the clinic. Strategies like these will enable HR departments to serve both employer
and employees well.

TEKST 2: RECRUITMENT TIPS FOR HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONALS

Recruitment is one of the responsibilities of a company's Human Resources (or HR)
department. Recruitment includes attracting skilled potential employees, gathering
applications, conducting job interviews and hiring the most appropriate applicants.
Sometimes, recruitment for specific positions takes place internally, with open positions
filled as a result of promotion or departmental changes. Companies have a number of
options to help them recruit new talent, but most of these options work well when the HR
department plays an integral role in the process.
1. HR professionals usually draftadvertisements for open positions. A job advertisement
should list the job's requirements including the skills and educational level needed, and
other information about the job. The advertisement may also include the salary and
applicable benefits.
2. HR personnel place recruitment advertisements in media that appeal to prospective
employees. Trade magazines, newspaper classified sections and job listing websites
are all appropriate locations for "wanted ads." HR professionals should determine which
media are the most popular among potential employees.
3. Remember that some applications and CVs may already be on file, either
asunsolicited applications or from previous recruitment drives. Other applications may
come from current employees referring colleagues and peers. HR professionals can use
previously written job requirements to select applicants to interview.
4. HR personnel should create a list of applicable interview questions. The interview
questions determine whether an individual applicant's skills, goals and personality match
the organization's objectives.
5. Interviews should be conducted face-to-face, between the potential employee and a
member of the HR team. If applicable, the HR professional may factor in the employee's
appearance and demeanourwhen making hiring decisions. In some cases, a second
round of interviews is needed before making the final hiring choice.
6. HR personnel choose the best applicants after the interviews. Sometimes, the HR
professional makes the hiring decision alone, but often holds discussions with department
heads and executives to help determine which applicant to hire.

TEKST 3: HOW TO INDUCT A NEW EMPLOYEE

Today, in most companies, induction is an integral part of the hiring process. Also known
as employee orientation or employee on-boarding, the induction process is important
because it is the easiest way to introduce a new employee to the company's values,
culture, organizational structure and processes. The main objective of the induction
process is to ensure that a new employee enters the work stream as smoothly as
possible. The induction process helps each new employee to integrate into the normal
working environment of existing employees on a mental and emotional level.
Induction not only involves training of the new employee in the required job skills but also
provides a platform for the proper communication of health and safety measures, security
measures, company benefits, and facility orientation, which is mandatory by law in most
countries. Induction involves introductions to departments, managers, and peers.
An induction programme may involve a welcome celebration, training, and ongoing
support for the new employee.
Welcome Celebration
The new employees have just passed through a rigorous selection process and achieved
their aspiration to be part of your organization. This calls for a celebration. This may
involve a formal lunch to which family members are invited, and an introductory
presentation by the head of the company. You should verbally acknowledge the new
employees as part of the company and ensure that they feel welcome and valued.
Organizing an informal interactive session with a few existing employees can also go a
long way towards retaining the best talent that you have hired.
Induction Training
Some jobs do not require a separate training session. In this case, on-the-job training can
be carried out with an assigned trainer. This provides room for one-to-one interaction and
relationship building.
Other jobs require industry-specific training, which may last from a day to over a month,
depending on the depth of skills required to reach moderate productivity. The first day of
training is usually dedicated to filling out necessary forms and introducing the new
employees to company policies, job profiles, processes, and shifts (if applicable). Your
company can provide rigorous and specific training with constant feedback during the
remaining days of the training period.

It is important to make the training schedule interesting and ensure that the new
employees are not overwhelmedwith information. Being transparent about the training
objectives and evaluation is vital to employee satisfaction. Expectations have to be set at
the beginning and you should provide enough guidance to enable the trainee to meet
these expectations. Include a trainer feedback form at the end to ensure that the
induction training programme can be continuously improved.
Ongoing Support
An effective induction programme does not end when the official induction training
course finishes. It is a wise idea to assign your new employee a friend or a mentor who
can clarify the new employee's questions and help him or her to settle in to the company.
One month after the induction, managers can have an informal chat with the new
employee to see how he or she is settling in to the job and the company. Follow up the
formal induction programme with performance reviews and testing, to check how well the
employee has absorbed the new information.
Adapt your induction programme according to the feedback you receive from new
employees, managers, and peers, so that you have a happy and well-adjusted workforce.
Focusing your efforts on inducting new employees increases the likelihood of the
employees fitting into the company and increases the employee retention rate. The
induction sets the tone and the employee's expectations of the company.

TEKST 4: HOW TO MANAGE A STRESSED EMPLOYEE

As times get tough, organizations are putting more pressure on their staff, to achieve
results. Sometimes this happens without managers even being aware of it, but if one of
their team falls apart, they have to deal with the situation accordingly. This means
ensuring the well-being of the person in question as well as managing the adverse effects
on co-workers and the organization as a whole. This is not an easy task for any manager.
Unfortunately, stress does not have a one-size-fits-all solution. What will drive some
people to the doctor, seeking help because they are unable to carry out the simplest of
tasks will be what motivates others to a successful performance. But while many cases of
stress are caused by factors outside the workplace, work can greatlyexacerbate the
condition.
However, given the prevalence of stress in the workplace today, a number of employees
use the term "stressed" to seek sympathy - and a reduced workload - from colleagues
and managers. Therefore, when dealing with a stressed worker, it is important to first
identify whether the condition is genuine as this will affect how you deal with the
situation.
When managing a stressed worker, it is important to obtain an
independentassessment of his or her condition. Your organization should have access to
a medical professional to whom you can refer the worker for assessment. It is difficult to
start to deal with a stressed worker without this independent assessment, as you need to
know whether the condition merits the time the worker is taking off as sick leave, or
whether his or her erratic behaviour could be due to stress.
Focusing on the worker's performance will help support attempts to reduce the stress the
employee is suffering. A stressed employee usually worries so much about what needs to
be done, that he or she ends up doing less and less. Set clear and simple tasks and
realistic timescales. Do not plan too far ahead; concentrate on a few months at a time
and include review meetings. Remember that while it is important to be supportive of
your stressed employee, the objective is to achieve results.
Let the other team members know what steps you are putting in place to help the
employee return to his or her full performance level. Seek their support and
understanding. Try to avoid handing out additional work to team members - one stressed
employee is more than enough to cope with!
Decide how much time you will invest in helping the employee re-build his or her
performance. No organization can indefinitely carry a worker who is under-performing. Be
clear and firm about how long you will allow performance to continue at a below-par level.
Halfway through the designated period, carry out an assessment and, if no progress is
being made, consider more significant changes.
Ultimately, you may come to the conclusion - with or without the agreement of the
stressed employee - that it is not in his or her health interests to continue in the job. If the
stressed worker's current role is too demanding and he or she continues to suffer stress,
resulting in absenteeism, then you will have to try to find an alternative position within
the company. If this is not possible and there is no alternative but to terminate the
worker's employment, be as supportive as you can in doing this. Remind the employee

that he or she will benefit in the long term from leaving the organization and finding a
more suitable role.