The Role of HR in the IT Industry
We all know that organizations and businesses can’t function without human resources (HR) departments. Who’s going to hire people if you don’t have people to do the recruiting and hiring for you?
The Role of HR in the IT Industry
The inclusion of an HR department is a must when starting a business. As an entrepreneur, you should know how important HR is as you formulate your business plan. Even an industry like information technology (IT) needs HR.
Let’s talk about its role in the equally complex industry.
Role of HR in IT Industry
Let’s say you own a small startup tech company. You may think you can wear a lot of hats at the same time—since it’s a small business, why not do a lot of the work yourself? And because it’s a startup venture, you’d rather spend your budget on something else.
But the truth is, you can’t juggle overseeing your business’s progress while looking for employees. It’s a costly and inefficient practice. Having a competent HR department in your business is something that’ll pay off in the long run.
Here are the specific roles HR departments play in the IT and software industry.
Talent Acquisition/Recruitment
Since the market is tight with the competition, HR departments have to find those people and get them to work for their businesses before their competitors spot them. Yes, a lot of people want jobs, but businesses are just as hungry to fill those vacancies.
HR departments should cook up recruitment strategies that align with anticipated needs. These needs can be market expansion, product development, or following labor market trends. With that said, they need to position their companies as a choice employment destination. If a business has a welcoming presence and a good reputation, people will want to work there.
Training and Development
Never underestimate the effects of proper training and career development. According to Dr. Catherine Ashcraft, 61% of mid-level technical employees will consider sticking around if promotion opportunities arise. To keep good employees, HR staff in IT companies should beef up their training and development section. They can do this through these 2 options:
- Offer Internal Promotions: The selection criteria for this should be consistent and objective.
- Hold Feedback Sessions: Employees, trainers, and supervisors can talk about career options while discussing job performances. Don’t allow HR recruitment efforts to go down the drain. Do your part to help your employees grow.
Managing Staff
Tech companies have a variety of personalities in the workforce. You have the feisty millennials on one end, and seasoned veterans on the other. Although diversity in workplaces is always a plus, there’s bound to head butting in offices.
How should HR managers lead to diverse tech workplaces? Here’s a solution: clear and effective communication. Something as simple as this can go a long way in offices.
HR managers and staff should convey their messages clearly and set realistic expectations for employees. If there are conflicts, they should address them professionally and promptly. All these make for effective people management
Employee Wellness
Burnout is an unfortunately common occurrence in the tech industry. In a survey, the workplace application Blind revealed that a whopping 57.16% (that’s more than half of the respondents, mind you) of tech employees admitted to suffering from work burnout. This rate should be a cause of concern.
Gone is the stereotype where IT employees are glued to their desks. Companies and HR teams should up their games here since this goes beyond physical health. To have happier and healthier workplaces, they can offer more holistic options for the benefit of everybody. Employee wellness goes beyond discounted gym memberships.
Employee Compensation and Benefits
There’s nothing like the feeling of receiving fair compensation and benefits in exchange for hard work. This shouldn’t be decided on a whim since it can affect employees’ decisions to continue working for a business.
HR employees should be people dealing with such delicate matters. Otherwise, it would just come down to biases instead of market value for job positions. If an employee were to approach HR personnel regarding pay increases, actual conversations on the subject can be held. If an employee is performing above his or her pay grade, a salary increase shouldn’t be out of the question.
Payroll Management
Payroll management isn’t something to scoff at. If you’re a tech business owner, it’s best to leave this to HR professionals who have experience. Besides, you have other things to look after.
HR teams in tech companies can take advantage of the industry they’re working in when it comes to payroll matters. The boom of IT has caused the inception of many payroll software to make their jobs easier. You don’t need to be a tech wizard to operate them since they’re usually easy to use. Not only do these tools save time and resources, but they also reduce human errors too.
Maintaining Work Culture
It goes without saying that no one wants to work in toxic work environments. With a field as competitive as IT, how can HR departments keep workplaces from imploding?
The “all work and no play” mentality should be lessened. Although work shouldn’t be neglected, people should be allowed to have at least a little fun at work. Fun can be in the form of team building sessions and company-wide monthly birthday celebrations.
Healthy workplace cultures can also be cultivated by killing zero tolerance for mistakes. Don’t berate employees for minor mishaps and errors. Instead, address them as constructively as possible.
Employee Relations
Employers and employees must see eye-to-eye when it comes to company success. It will be difficult if one party isn’t fully engaged.
HR departments are the middlemen between the two parties. One of their jobs is making sure employees and employers are on the same page at work. If one side has a concern to raise to the other, HR can step in and help them out.
With the industry’s continuous rise, tech companies want their slice of the pie. Success will only be possible if employees and employers cooperate effectively. It’s on HR departments to make sure that happens.
Should Have Legal Knowledge
The creation of business policies and procedures mostly fall in the hands of HR departments. As part of their jobs, they should be fairly adept in state, federal, and labor laws. This allows them to make fair and reasonable workplace rules and regulations.
HR departments working for tech companies should have a good grasp of cyber laws too. Just like regular laws, the policies and standards in this industry vary in cities, states, and countries. They can read up on legal documents to familiarize themselves with such policies. They can also consult IT, lawyers if they’re having trouble with policy-making.
HR employees in the IT industry aren’t far off from the professionals working in other sectors. The difference is that they’re working in an industry that is the catalyst for the technology trends their peers follow.
Regardless of your tech company’s size, don’t think twice about investing in a good HR team. They’ll help you grow your business just like the products and services you’re trying to market and sell.
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