An essential part of any Quality System is the capability to work in alignment and according to standardized and explicit Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
To ensure you and your team are operating from a formalized and facilitated process not only increases productivity but also decreases the risk of errors. While everyone might want to do the right thing, often each one’s version of that right thing is likely to be somewhat different. This means that how a task is completed is likely to vary as per to who is undertaking that task.
If the expectation at your business is that every individual is to follow the same rules, then you must make it clear what those rules are. The best method to do this is to document them.
Implementing standard operating procedures is important because of the fact that you want easy work routines for employees to follow. SOPs reduces the requirement for you and your employees to start from scratch each time you want to complete a task or make a decision. SOPs for HR help in treating employees fairly and maintain appropriate documentation for their personnel files.
What are SOPs for HR?
SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) are the documented processes that an organization has in place to make sure that services and products are delivered consistently every time. SOPs are often utilized to demonstrate compliance with the regulation or operational practices and to document how tasks must be accomplished at your organization.
Often when an organization is growing and just starting, the CEO or management team tend to make all the internal decisions. As the company reaches a particular size, this form of decision-making can restrict its capacity to grow further as the CEO or management team can’t make all decisions in the appropriate time-frame or be involved in each and every aspect of the business. In this instance, your SOPs would typically dominate and act as your governing word. SOPs can also be an effective way to communicate changes in the method in which your business operates to your employees.
The requirements for SOPs for HR and their format will range from industry to industry. Requirements SOP could also rely on the type of activity your organization is undertaking, or what regulations your business is governed by. In clinical research, these requirements are precise.
Here are some of the pints where SoPs can play an important role,
Procedures
A procedure incorporates steps involved in a task. Explain a procedure with the help of a bulleted or numbered list of statements or by using a flowchart. This latter diagram is a series of connected shapes and signs, usually with arrows indicating directions. A numbered list is sufficient for procedures including simple steps. A more complicated procedure with many steps could need to create a hierarchical list, such as letters and Roman numerals or drawing a flowchart. Utilize a procedure to document your hiring process, including a checklist of all documents that must be completed for a new recruit.
Details
Standard operating procedures are more helpful for Human Resource staff when they include details on implementation. For each procedure, provide the title of the position responsible for managing the procedure, such as the director of HR. Incorporate a list of potential users who might complete the procedure and the approvals they must obtain at different stages of a process. Indicate the timelines that apply to a process and its component parts. For example, charge an HR specialist with completing a new hire checklist, including all documentation of the hiring process, within 30 days of the date from which a new hire is an employee.
Division of Labours
In preparing SOPs, analyze all the tasks related to HR in your small business. Numerous small businesses outsource one or more traditional HR functions. Your recruitment procedure might involve steps to complete a new hire’s file that aren’t performed by internal staff, such as sending all payroll documentation to an outsourced payroll firm and sending an employee’s records release and fingerprint card to a company that performs criminal background verifications.
Accountability
When you recruit employees, you assume responsibilities as an employer. In addition to becoming responsible for documenting employees as legal workers in the United States and withholding income taxes from employee wages, you want to demonstrate other types of accountability. SOPs for HR help you in keeping track of ways your company complies with federal and state laws, especially in areas of equal opportunity, workplace safety, compensation and benefits and privacy.
Training
Utilize SoPs as training tools for individuals who join the HR department. Since government laws and rules are constantly changing, update HR procedures over every interval and share those updates with affected personnel. Employees might recommend improvements to SOPs based on prior HR experience and ongoing professional development in the field of human resources.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aashish Yadav
Content Writer, Martech Cube
Aashish is currently a Content writer at Martech Cube. He is an enthusiastic and avid writer. His key region of interests include covering different aspects of technology and mixing them up with layman ideologies to pan out an interesting take. His main area of interests range from medical journals to marketing arena.
