The Human Resources department is often overlooked as one of the most important aspects of a business. After all, it’s the employees that keep the company moving forward. Ensuring that employees feel appreciated and cared for will improve their productivity and the business’s bottom line.

When it comes to both the short and long-term tasks of your HR department, there are a few tasks that stand above the rest in terms of prioritization. Here are the five things your HR department should be prioritizing (that they probably aren’t).

Streamlining Processes

Streamlining processes through the implementation of technology and automation is something that often gets put on the back burner. The research phase for these processes can be extensive, and HR professionals often worry that they’ll work themselves out of a job. However, many of the streamlined processes will free up time for HR professionals to handle other aspects of the job, rather than getting caught up in the day-to-day work.

There are various platforms available to help streamline processes. Humanity is a scheduling platform that empowers employees to manage their own schedules while using analytics to assist with the scheduling process. JazzHR is an online applicant tracking system that streamlines the hiring process, from candidate applications to onboarding. HR should be highlighting these applications to help improve the company’s efficiency.

Developing an HR Strategy

Believe it or not, there are a lot of organizations that don’t have a planned out HR strategy. To ensure cohesion between the needs of the business and the deliverables of the HR department, the members of said department should be working diligently to create a strong HR strategy.

For an HR strategy to be effective, it should outline important business processes that will be overseen by the HR department, as well as KPIs to measure their effectiveness. For example, the employee performance review protocol would be mentioned in this strategy, as well as measurements for success, and compensation. This document would also outline the hierarchy of the organization and the reporting structure.

Sharing the Burden

Your HR department should not be the primary point of contact for managing your employees on a day-to-day basis. Rather, they should be the foundation and support for the managers of your organization as they manage their subordinates. In many cases, especially in smaller or startup businesses, the HR staff members take on a large part of the management process.

Ensuring the proper chain of command is in place (often outlined in the aforementioned HR strategy document) ensures that the workload is divided accordingly and expectations are managed at all levels.

Connecting on a Human Level

HR represents an important connection between the business and its people. To be able to feel confident that employees will bring forth their concerns and pay attention to policy, it’s essential that HR professionals take time to connect on a human level.

There are many ways that an HR professional can connect. Having strong communication skills is of the utmost importance while maintaining an aura of authenticity and trustworthiness will assist in rapport building efforts. Getting on the ground level and having an open door policy is also key.

Keeping Policies Aligned with Social Needs

Society is evolving rapidly, and the past few years have brought to light a lot of issues regarding policies that keep employees happy and safe. It’s time for HR professionals to ensure that the company is aligned with societal and cultural values by implementing strong policies regarding sexual harassment, as well as adding practices to encourage diversity and inclusion.

By keeping policies up to date and relevant, you reduce the risk of a costly, damaging scandal within the organization.

Ultimately, it’s important to make sure that your HR department is taking a high-level approach to the running of the organization, rather than getting caught up in the day-to-day work. By doing so, you’ll ensure that your company’s greatest asset is protected and nurtured.