HR issues in your small business, if left unsolved, can cause some serious issues and make your best people want to leave the company. Unfortunately, many small businesses lack the time or resources to properly address HR issues in their small business. There are several things that you must do to effectively defuse any human resources issues at your company if you do not want them to grow into significant problems that have a negative impact on your productivity.

Be Careful of Microinequities

Microinequities are defined as small incidents in the workplace that may not seem like a big deal in an isolated setting, but when they are happening consistently, they can lead to employee discontent. These types of HR issues in your small business can also make your team members feel like they are not valued the way that they should be. The biggest challenge of microinequities is that not everyone understands when they are doing something that another person might be offended by. They may even be surprised to learn that something they viewed as a harmless quirk was actually deeply offensive to one of their colleagues.

There are plenty of different kinds of microinequities: for example, looking at your watch or sending a text message on your phone when someone is talking to you may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is a big sign of disrespect for many people. Many microinequities are also related to race or gender: for example, asking someone a question about something that their race stereotypically knows about can be construed as offensive.

Create Some HR Policies

Even small businesses that do not have a significant human resources department will be served well by having some official guidelines in place regarding the way that HR issues in your small business are dealt with. With these guidelines you will be better equipped to handle difficulties or conflicts that you come across, because you can be sure that you are doing things fairly. Your employees should be able to easily understand and access your HR policies whenever there is a question about them, which will help you ensure that your workplace is always on the same page even if there are some small conflicts or disagreements.

Set A Policy For Performance Management

Without a method in place to ensure that your team members are performing at the highest level possible, it is very difficult to hold your employees accountable for their work. Your performance management policy should hinge on feedback: it is crucial that everyone gets the information they need about how they are doing on a consistent basis.

Some small businesses also make the mistake of thinking that having yearly or biannual reviews is enough for their employees to get an adequate understanding of how they are doing. When you have reviews this infrequently, your employees may be taken aback at the results and could react in a negative way. Avoid taking anyone by surprise by setting a consistent policy in place for performance management and regularly adhering to it.

Understand the Laws That Apply to Human Resources

The laws regarding human resources can vary depending on where your operation is based or what type of business you run. Be certain that you are up to date on all of the regulations that you need to follow as it relates to managing your people. This issue is doubly important when you consider the fact that if you do not pay close attention to HR laws, you also run the risk of facing legal action from an employee that was treated unfairly. If you need to, you can hire a consultant to help you on an as-needed basis in this area. Any time or money that you spend familiarising yourself with the laws that affect your small business may seem like an unnecessary investment, but they will pay dividends down the line if you are able to avoid a much more costly incident in the future.

 

HR issues in your small business can be a huge challenge, not because you are trying to take advantage of your team or treat them unfairly, but because you simply do not have the time or resources to address them the way that you need to. By keeping in mind these important concepts relating to human resources, you will have a much easier time giving your employees a workplace that they can be happy and fulfilled at.