Human Resources isn’t just about hiring and firing anymore. Sure, the department still handles those issues, but it also handles onboarding, training and professional development, conflict management, and employee engagement and morale. That’s not to mention staying on top of—and rolling out plans to adapt to—the latest employment rules and regulations. It’s a lot on one plate! It’s so much, it can lead to burnout or high HR-employee turnover.

Can you notice the signs of a burned-out or disengaged HR team in time to turn it around?

• They’re clueless about who does what. HR is responsible for crafting great-fitting employee engagement initiatives, such as employee recognition programs. They also tend to be your core company event planners. So how well would that work if HR lost touch with the roles in the organization and the employees filling them?
• They’re all about the money. Financial compatibility is important in HR’s decision making. But money should never be the only driving force, especially when it means shooting the company in the foot. An HR team that prioritizes financial concerns above talent acquisition or employee engagement may have become singularly focused on what is concrete and easy.
• They’re unpleasant. As the communication liaison between management and employees, HR has to strike a delicate balance between company and employee welfare. It’s not always an easy angle to work. But they can smile while they do it! If the HR team is unprofessional or unpleasant—gossipy, snippy, dismissive—how helpful is that to employees looking to share their deepest concerns?
• They’re narrow minded. Many HR goals focus on growth and change. So an HR team that is closed off to new ideas and feedback is not effectively serving anyone. Maintaining the status quo at the expense of employee needs only pits employees against the HR Department.
• They’re just plain ineffective. HR has to make some tough decisions, especially with the company’s best interests at stake, but they should still offer a safe place for employees to take their concerns. So what happens when HR employees are the problem, by failing to help employees or by making employee concerns worse? Mishandling—or not handling—HR concerns will quickly turn off employees, and is a serious sign of an overwhelmed or burned-out HR team.

If you’re concerned about your HR team, what can you do? Well first, ask what you can automate, digitize, or eliminate to help take the load off the day to day. Then, ask what training can help the HR team manage their troubles. It could be stress management, time management, person-to-person communication… And finally, ask who can you hire to help.

Since 2004, YES! Your Human Resources Solution has met success connecting business initiatives with employee needs to achieve strategic objectives. Our expert consultants blend seamlessly with your company’s existing HR resources as we get to know your company inside and out. Our wide network of resources, including HR-specific data, surveys, and referrals to experts in other fields, will help you get the exact solutions you need, exactly when you need them. YES! clients say they get the best of both worlds. Contact us for a free consultation to see how we can help you increase returns on your most critical investment: your workforce!