Human Resource / Workplace Issue

A. Why do we need Human Resources?

The rapid growth of today's global business may pose challenges to enterprises. A human resources department is an important department in any large company or enterprise and plays a key role in managing the company's most valuable resources and employees. It provides a stable environment to help the company operate better as well as handle employee requirements and compliance issues every day.

Efficient human resources departments can create positive differences in the workplace because they are actively involved in building company culture and maintaining employee engagement, which will directly affect productivity and the business bottom line. On the contrary, human resources issues can reduce business efficiency, and productivity, and reduce employee morale.

It is very important to set the right policies and procedures in the Employees Manual / Staff Handbook as the first port of call to resolve common human resources problems and common workplace issues. In preparing the Employees Manual / Staff Handbook, human resources professionals need to understand human resources and workplace issues. Please refer to the separate section on drafting the Employees Manual / Staff Handbook.

B. Workplace Issues

1. Workplace Discrimination and Harassment

Workplace diversity includes age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion, which may lead to discriminatory practices or unequal treatment among employees. Turning a blind eye on issues surrounding workplace discrimination and harassment is not a wise move for the company as it may result in low morale, loss of productivity, resignations, mental health issues or mental disorders, or even lawsuits by the affected employees. It will also result in reputation damage to the company, and difficulty in future recruitment as no one would want to work for an employer that allows workplace discrimination and harassment. It is thus of fundamental importance for the management team and the human resources department to take this seriously and investigate each complaint. The safety of employees should always be paramount.

2. Employee Productivity and Morale

Having policies against discrimination and taking employees’ complaints seriously are just the first steps to protecting employees. To ensure that employees maintain high efficiency, one will need good human resource management, performance management, and organisational management, which in turn will lead to higher job satisfaction. Another way to boost a company’s morale is through incentives and rewards, or even something small like a letter of appreciation or a congratulatory message.

3. Letter of Appreciation / Congratulatory Message

It is important to say thank you to an employee who has helped out in the company. This is not only commonly written by the employer to a subordinate, but can also be used to show one’s appreciation to an employer or a colleague. If there is any cause for celebration for an employee, such as performance appraisals or anniversaries, one could write a congratulatory message to the employee. It is important to bear the following in mind when preparing them:

1. be sincere and personal in writing the message;  
2. always start with "thank you"; and
3. end with a positive and genuine statement. 

C. Staff training and Compliance

1. Staff Training and Development

Employees are the company's biggest asset. The human resources department is responsible for the implementation of the job training plan. Some of these plans ensure that employees comply with policies and procedures, while others are for skill training, increase efficiency, and promotion. In some professional environments, employees need to complete certain certification procedures and additional training may be provided by employers in accomplishing this.

2. Compliance Issues

A major purpose of training is to ensure that the employees are fully qualified for their work and understand all company policies. The implementation of company compliance is usually the responsibility of the human resources department. Apart from internal policies such as performance appraisals and annual reviews, there may also be regulatory requirements from the government or professional bodies.

If a company policy has been breached or an employee has performance issues, a letter of warning should be issued by the employer to the employee highlighting the issues, improvement details, and expected improvement date. In case of a serious breach of employment laws or government regulations, it could result in termination or a report to the relevant authorities.

Where there is no compliance, the human resources department will also need to ensure compliance with government regulations by the company on issues such as fair wages, discrimination, and leave entitlements. The department will also need to be up to speed with new employment laws and regulations to ensure compliance.

3. Internal Memo and Notifications

The human resources department may handle many daily requests and questions from employees. For common human resources issues such as annual leaves and dates of appraisal, it may be easier to prepare an internal memo or notification to all employees to save response time for the human resources department.