Finding the Time

Imagine this……you’re a busy HR professional and every day you start with the best of intentions but, every day, the work (and the interruptions) just get the better of you. So you start the next day working on what you should have completed yesterday.

⏱ You know something needs to improve….

⏱ You know that improvements will enable you and your team to add value…..

⏱ You know all the work is important, that the day job cannot just stop….

So, how do you find the time to make the lasting changes needed?

Firstly, take small steps. When it comes to making changes at work, remember that even small steps can lead to significant transformations. Challenge the notion that change requires massive overhauls, and instead, start by identifying small areas that can be improved. By tackling these bite-sized changes, you'll gradually build momentum and pave the way for more significant transformations.

Next, look to foster collaboration in your team. Too often, the knowledge or experience is held with one person or one area, leading to silos, known to be a common barrier to change. By breaking down these barriers, encouraging knowledge sharing and collaboration, you will encourage opportunities for everyone to instigate improvements in their work, to see the bigger picture.

“But that’s how we’ve always done it” - a mindset that is often found in amongst those silos. So, while you’re fostering increased collaboration, there’s also a piece on challenging that mindset, on supporting your team members to embrace change.

Also, consider utilising your systems. Are you using your systems helping or hindering? Can you set up automatic reporting or dashboards? Are there workflows you could use so there’s less manual admin for the team? According to a recent survey by Personio (2020), an average HR team spends 42% of their time on admin. Is that reflected in your team?

Along with systems, you need to take a look at your HR data. Is it up to date, or are you having to make manual adjustments to correct it whenever you run reports? It might seem counterintuitive but sometimes you have to move sideways to jump forwards in making progress. Time spent on improving your HR data and reporting can go a very long way to saving you and your team time in the long run.

Finally, if you want any more ideas or suggestions tailored to your HR team and your organisation, get in touch and we can a free, no-obligation chat about how I can help and examples of improvements delivered for other clients.