MightyRecruiterWhen you got up this morning, did you build a fire from scratch, harvest and roast your own coffee beans, or weave a warm wool coat before stepping outside to go to work? Probably not. Division of labor is an important part of modern civilization. Different people have different skills, making life run more smoothly for everyone involved. This principle is just as true on a smaller level in your own workplace. HR best practice customization can help your company tailor the work experience to the individual skills and interests of employees. When people are doing what they do best, they’re happier and more productive. Customization means employees who are more engaged, better performing, more willing to learn new skills and more likely to stay with the company for a longer time.
How Can HR Help With Customization?
Old-fashioned ïone size fits allï HR practices are increasingly a thing of the past. HR best practice customization recognizes that every employee has unique talents. Workforces are more diverse than ever before, with people coming from different cultural, educational and vocational backgrounds. When managers make an effort to use this diversity to its fullest, they can benefit on every level. HR experts are here to help you get the most out of your workforceïand to help your employees get the most out of their jobs.
Basic Principles for Customizing the Work Experience
HR best practice customization is based on some fundamental principles: – Workforce segmentation – Basic rules – Modular choices – Employee-defined customization Employers can improve their company culture by implementing these four basic principles.
Principle #1: Think in Terms of Segmentation
Start by thinking about your workforce as a number of different groups. Can they be classified by seniority, roles, learning styles, personality type or even overall well-being? Different sets of employees have different needs and strengths. Segmentation is a valuable step in HR best practice customization. As soon as you begin to recognize that not all employees are identical, the process has begun. This can be as simple as dividing your workforce into two sets: newer arrivals and those who have been with the company for more than three years.
Principle #2: Keep the Rules Simple
When your basic rules are simple and broad, they can be interpreted in a way that suits each group of employees and their individual needs. Rather than demanding very specific activities and processes, tell your workforce that they are expected to get positive results. Then leave the process to them. Many personnel will work more effectively if they have some choice in the matter of where and when they work. Some people do better in small groups. Others do better on their own. Some people may be able to work from home at least part of the time, keeping late or eccentric hours. As long as they’re getting the results you need, the process can be customized.
Principle #3: Choices Can Be Modular
HR best practice customization isn’t a matter of black-and-white, yes-or-no decisions. The best choices are often modular choices. Many large companies allow their more experienced employees to ïmix and matchï options in the workplace, depending on their particular style of working and their particular talents. The more options they have, the better they can customize their workflow to get results.
Principle #4: Practice Employee-Defined Personalization
The basic principle of customization is that each employee has a unique set of talents to offer. Your workforce is a team, but it’s a team made up of very distinct individuals with their own skills. Employee-defined personalization can allow people to create their own best practices. At this most personalized level of HR best practice customization, employees might create custom training content for one another or participate in an internal job auction website for positions that are difficult to fill. In some cases, employees even set their own levels of compensation for different jobs. This level of involvement can be healthy for everyone involved. It’s the most intense level of HR best practice customization: every employee, especially above a certain level of skill and seniority, can be treated as a ïworkforce of oneï with something unique to contribute.
Customization Brings Real Benefits
Customization isn’t always simple or easy to implement in the workplace, but it can give your business a real advantage over the competition. When people take responsibility for their own work environment and work process, they’re more likely to get great results and show long-time loyalty. Would you like to learn more about top management strategies? We have plenty of articles and tools here at Mighty Recruiter to help you take the next step toward excellence.