Documents you need to start your HR department:

1. Start with the job profiles:

Create a profile for each role within your company and the person who fills it. You can include
as much or as little information as you’d like but keep in mind if you choose to include more
information (like what makes the current employee successful in that role) you will be able to
use it for multiple projects (like building out sourcing profiles for future hiring).

2. Use the profiles to create a hierarchal structure of your company:

In many startups, this is a bit antithetical to the way they work so you may face a little
resistance. But there’s nothing like a great company structure document to help with future
tasks like workforce planning, succession structure and what to outsource, when.

3. Create a business staffing plan:

When your company is hiring just a few key positions, this almost seems like a moot point but
having a plan you can refer to is crucial as the business scales. Who do you need to speak
with? Sales, operations, product development and marketing. These people or teams should
have a solid idea of how many widgets they want to make or how many contracts they want
to sign and the people that you need to hire are part of that plan. So, make sure you get a
sketch of what they’re doing over the next 12 months to figure out what you need to be hiring
for.

4. You need a system:

Most smaller companies start with an Excel spreadsheet and some scattered emails but with
the software available to you now, that just makes no sense. We suggest starting with a solid
and scalable ATS (applicant tracking system) that’s built for SMBs. Having your staffing plan
will help you evaluate new products to ensure they meet your needs. Keeping track and
contact with various candidates will soon become a big part of your routine, so find an ATS
that can help you and your team do that.

5. Devise a salary structure document:

This is by far the most neglected document in a small to medium business. Don’t let that
happen to you. Discover salaries for various functions within the company and compare and
contrast those with fair market value for similar positions. Revise every six months to ensure
that you stay competitive. If your company offers other forms of compensation like benefits,
stock options, profit sharing or a work-flex environment; make note of them but keep them
separate from the salary structure document.

6. Training and development:

Like many smaller businesses, you may not yet have set up a training and development
process, which is okay (for now). But start thinking about what the employees get out of
working for you. You may not be able to bring in big name speakers to train your crew but you
can build a mentoring program, support professional initiatives or leverage your vendors for
useful training opportunities (like webinars and white papers series). The important thing is
 to have a plan in place, whether the budget exists or not, but even more importantly is getting
buy-in from the managers in your company. They know what sort of learning opportunities
their people need and how to ferret them out. But social, leadership and creating employee
ambassadors are all topics that transcend job title.

7. Create a compensation and benefits documents:

Newer companies may not offer the same sort of traditional benefits that many employees
are used to receiving, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have as much to offer. Get creative.
Find out what your managers might be able to swing in their departments. Can employees
work from home? Can you purchase equipment or offer discounted rates from benefits
companies?

8. When do your employees get time off?

Do managers get festival off but not interns? Does the executive team meet for an early
Tuesday meeting? Which holidays does your company observe? All of these are unique to
your company, industry and occasionally location. But be clear about your vacation policy, sick
policy, time off policy and holiday policy. Include things like permissions, notices, time off that
is job specific and when it’s okay to trade schedules with another worker. Don’t forget to
include some sort of recording system to help you keep track your employees will ask.

9. A way to measure performance:

In the beginning, this usually falls to the department head or hiring manager but that’s not
always the best person for the job. When creating your job profiles, find out how each person
measures their success and write those measurements down. Sure, those will change as the
company grows but knowing how the team defines “doing well” and sets their goals will only
help new hires get acclimated. In addition, it helps you create the dreaded performance
evaluation. Not all companies have or enforce these, but I believe they are important,
especially given the influx of millennials in today’s workforce. The key is constant and
measurable feedback, rather than the typical year review.

10. Travel and expenses tracking:

How will your organization handle this? You need a policy and a simple and easy to use
application that allows you to track these expenses and travel. Luckily there are lots of
consumer-based apps that fit well into a small or medium sized business

11. Time and attendance are as important as you make it:

Today’s modern HR department is far less “clock in/clock out” than it was, but there are still
many workplaces that have staff that need to track their attendance. Whether you use an
application like Time Tracker to implement this or an old-fashioned Outlook add-on, make
sure your policies are clear before employee’s Day 1. If you are in an industry that frequently
uses overtime structure, keep that in mind as well.

12. The end of the road:

At some point you will have to fire someone…or someone will quit. Turnover is a part of life
and must be addressed (preferably before it happens on your watch). So how are you going
to handle it? Are you going to conduct an exit interview? Will you have a sit-down with the
exiting employee’s supervisor or manager? Is there a formal process (like written and verbal
 warnings) that precedes terminating an employee? Do you request two weeks’ notice? Are
you an at-will employee? Figuring out all these answers ahead of time will save an unpleasant
task far less messy.

13. Job descriptions template:

This is a toss-up. You want to ensure that your job ads are read by the right talent and the best
way to do this is to create compelling, fun copy, which is tough to do with a template. On the
other hand, your ads may have to create a consistent tone via various job boards and
distribution engines. You want those to always tell your company’s story — so what to do?
Some progressive companies tell the corporate and cultural story up front and follow up with
individualized job descriptions. Either way, have a standardized template that you can give to
team members or use when you need to get something up FAST.

14. Establish your company’s culture:

It’s important for every company to take steps to actively create a positive work environment.
If it’s ignored, an incomplete or even negative company culture can form on its own. Culture
includes both the intangible feeling of the workplace and the perks and policies that make
your company a great place to work.

15. Make your new hires feel welcome:

Are your new hires ready for their first day? Beyond their immediate job responsibilities, do
they know what your company’s policies and employee expectations are? Most importantly,
have you done everything possible to make them feel comfortable and welcome? Too many
companies neglect to properly onboard new hires.

16. Outline how your employee represent the company:

Most professional know how to act at work. But in the unlikely occurrence someone
misbehaves or represents your company in a negative light, it’s important to have an official
policy in place that includes specific consequences.

17. The right apparel for the job:

People are generally allowed to wear what they want in most modern offices. But a dress code
policy can be necessary if your employees interact with customers or do jobs with safety
considerations. If your company has certain expectations for employee apparel.

18. Your brand as an employer:

Most companies care what potential customers think of their company but not enough care
what potential employees think. A favorable employer brand sums up what it’s like to work
for your company and attracts the right candidates.
 HR Specialist Roles
• Workforce Planning and Employment
o Implementing the organization’s recruiting strategy
o Interviewing applicants
o Administering pre-employment tests
o Assisting with completing background investigations
o Processing transfers, promotions, and terminations
• HR Development
o Conducting training sessions
o Administering on-the-job training programs
o Evaluating the effectiveness of training programs
o Maintaining records of employee participation in all training and
development programs
• Total Rewards
o Analysing job duties
o Writing job descriptions
o Performing job evaluations and job analyses
o Conducting and analysing compensation surveys
• Employee and Labor Relations (union environments)
o Interpreting union contracts
o Helping to negotiate collective bargaining agreements
o Resolving grievances
o Advising supervisors on union contract interpretation
• Employee and Labor Relations (non-union environments)
o Assisting with processing employee complaints
o Overseeing engagement programs and other employee relations work
• Risk Management
o Developing and administering health and safety programs
o Conducting safety inspections
o Maintaining accident records
o Preparing government reports as to remain in compliance