Gone are the days of the human resources department being a big, bad, scary thing. These days, HR really is about supporting employees, the company, and the overall mission, vision, and values of where the business is headed. But sometimes, that support comes at a price.
The job of a human resources professional is harder than ever with so many rules and regulations to follow, things to consider, influences to adhere to, and sometimes, cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. If human resources aren’t focused on ensuring a safe, happy, and effective workplace, it can turn into a nightmare pretty quickly.
Often, a simple oversight can result in a big problem for a company, which can last for longer than just a passing glance. Let’s look at some of the things that can happen in an office that can turn into a nightmare for a human resources professional.
Lying
Employees who lie on their applications can cause more than just a headache for a human resources professional who was responsible for vetting their case and hiring them.
Luckily, these days, many organizations are getting wise to the fact that multiple people should be involved in the hiring process, and vetting should be done by third-party providers to reduce the risk of favoritism. But when human resources departments are backlogged and people need to moved into positions, issues can arise quickly. Employees who mislead an HR professional can cause a mile-high pile of paperwork and a trip to the CEO’s office to explain what happened.
Breach of Information
While many IT departments are in charge of data use, collection, and storage, human resource departments are responsible for the information related to people. Human capital is at risk when information is missing, lost, or stolen from an organization, and that can send a department and an entire organization reeling into reaction mode.
Companies are figuring out that controls need to be in place to ensure that nobody is put at risk. Access control policies can help to move information around a company in a safe and effective way and ensures that only the necessary personnel see and can use the information provided by employees or patrons.
Compliance Issues
If there’s one thing that can send an HR department into a tailspin, it’s a compliance issue. When protocols are broken, people, information and finances can be put at risk.
While human resources departments rarely have anything to do with the outside operations, issues can arise within the organization that require remediation, training, discipline, and termination related to compliance. This can lead to mountains of paperwork, investigations, follow-up, rehabilitation and more!
Without the proper protocols in place, entire businesses are put in jeopardy and people and their information can be put at risk. In today’s hacker-heavy world, you can’t be too careful.
Companies would be well served to invest in proper training for their HR representatives, departments and support staff to ensure that everyone understands the risks and rewards of being prepared for issues. No business is perfect, but it can be effective and safe with the proper protocols in place.
When it comes to avoiding these so-called nightmares, the best thing a business can do is be honest about the risks they face and begin to put safeguards in place as soon as possible.
