We agree with her approach, but we believe healthy HR practice relies heavily on organisation which can only be achieved through a quality HR software system, allowing line managers to follow procedures efficiently and easily, and completely eradicating the temptation to skip steps and rushing over company policies.
She notes the importance of handling employee disputes efficiently and effectively – a goal which is often not met by line managers who are tempted to skip steps and rush through procedures ‘in an attempt to get a quick, and desired, result’. See our article ‘Ineffective Managers Create Risk’ for a similar angle on this issue.
In turn, HR managers are often required to take over and pick up the pieces, which can be a time-consuming and difficult effort once the issue has reached this stage.
The article stresses the importance of following procedures effectively – both company policies and legal HR procedures need to be considered to avoid further action being taken.
Indeed, she believes that although it is tempting to rush over these procedures to get the process over with, it is far more effective in the long-term to do it properly, and will save you time and effort in the future.
We agree with Kelly’s points, however as much as these ideas are great in theory, managers need a system to implement these policies and procedures. The likelihood is, for many businesses, current procedure documentation is sitting in an office cupboard somewhere gathering dust, not been looked at since its creation.
What we would like to contribute to Kelly’s article is the importance of an ever-ready support platform as the enabler to enhance line manager effectiveness, and ensure that your company is compliant with the latest policies.
HR software systems can provide you with a way to store this documentation, and therefore you can throw away the dusty paper volumes, and access an easy digital solution.
How can HR software systems help me avoid these pitfalls when dealing with disputes?
A good quality HRIS can provide you with a full solution to investigation and disciplinary processes, which is going to save you time and assist you to avoid the temptation to skip steps. They will do all the work for you, in a sense, by allowing you to track the process of an investigation, produce meeting guides, create situation-specific letters based on templates which are provided for you and ready to use, and recording witness statements for you to review at any point.
As well as this, some systems keep you up-to-date with the latest HR policies and ensure compliance with employment regulations. Youmanage HR software, for example, provides you with step-by-step processes for managers to follow to avoid these pitfalls.
In her article, Kelly Tucker correctly stresses the importance of handling issues properly and effectively, and this can be difficult to do if your system is disorganised. HR software allows you to keep all the information in one secure place, which makes it much easier to review evidence in a successful manner.
“Follow the correct procedures, listen and if you are unsure, always seek advice.”
HR software systems save you the time it takes to research these procedures, by simply providing you with the templates and step-by-step instructions for you to follow.
Youmanage HR’s Disciplinary & Grievance module assists you through every stage of Investigation, Disciplinary & Grievance case management processes for optimum results. The benefits are invaluable to this system – you’ll end up saving time and ensuring best practice compliance through standardising your HR processes. Disorganisation breeds bad HR practice, and HRIS systems allow you to keep your HR processes tidy and therefore effective.
To find out more about the great benefits Youmanage can provide for your company, read more about our modular HR system, or sign up for your free 30 day trial today.
To see Kelly Tucker’s article, click here.
Did you find this article useful? Youmanage HR offers software to help you streamline your HR processes and ensure compliance within your company. We also write articles on HR, leadership, employee engagement, health & well-being and much more. Start a free trial of Youmanage, get in touch to ask questions, or check out our blog to help you to deliver HR best practice in your business.
