5 ways to create a bespoke HR strategy

While there may be common themes that successful businesses share, no two business were created exactly alike. With that in mind, we show you how to create a bespoke business strategy that suits your organisation’s needs alone.

1. Understand your bespoke business needs

The starting point for any human resources strategy should be what you want to achieve from your business. After all, the point of HR is to support your business goals, not to stand in the way. So any business looking to devise its HR strategy needs to work out where they want to be and then thinking about the people you’ll need to get you there. Who will you need to hire and at what point? By doing taking this step, you’ll have the basis for a recruitment plan. But you should be doing more than that too.

Turn your mind to the kind of culture you want to create in your organisation and write down what you come up with. This will help you understand both the kind of people you want to hire and the HR policies and procedures that will underpin your company both now and as you grow.

2. Understand your human resources obligations

Your business goals may be what inform your human resources strategy, but the HR laws and regulations will be the rules you’ll need to play by.

Too often, employers leave themselves exposed when it comes to HR law, not because they mean ill but because they don’t have the time or resources to keep up with the detail of what’s happening. For instance, they may miss the boat on the rules around flexible working, slip up on which Awards or Agreements apply or fail to understand where the law has moved when it comes to workplace bullying.

Being across these – and any changes to them – will save you time and money, protect your reputation and help you build rapport with staff and clients or customers alike. But more importantly, it will mean your HR function is built on the right foundations too.

3. Put HR policies and procedures in writing

That said, complying with the regulations is just a minimum requirement when it comes to HR. Of itself, the law won’t, and can’t, drive your business to the heights you’ll want to reach. For that, you’ll need HR policies and procedures. And you’ll need them in writing.

These policies and procedures should regulate what you expect from your employees and what they should expect from you in return. As a minimum, this should include the rules that govern the day-to-day working environment such as working hours and leave processes. It should also cover the things that will influence productivity such as social media (will you let people use it or not?), working from home (when can they do it?) and mental health.

After all, the right policies and procedures can energise and motivate your staff and give your business the edge. The wrong ones can lead to all kinds of problems.

4. Plan for the long term

Your business is unlikely to look the same five years from now as it does today, so one of the most important things you can do when it comes to your HR strategy is to make sure you have the flexibility to deal with that change. For instance, if you employ 10 people right now, could the same leave policies processes you use right now apply when you have 100 staff? How about your flexible working and remuneration policies?

Speaking of which, when it comes to HR planning for the future also means planning to do what you can to bring on the careers of your key staff while ensuring they work with you towards your goals. That means working out a training and education schedule. It can also mean putting in place the kind of incentivisation scheme that makes sure they’re motivated in the right direction.

5. Sort out your HR function

Finally, there’s no point having a human resources strategy at all without also having an HR function. It’s their role to make sure it plays out in your organisation the way you want it to so that the day-to-day practices of your business and your staff help you achieve all you can.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to run out and create an HR department. In fact, if you’re a small business you may not even need one dedicated HR person. Instead, you can spread HR responsibilities among your team. Alternatively, you could hire an outsourced human resources consultancy to help you stay on top of all things HR. Even if you’re a larger employer, an HR consultancy can help supplement your existing team so that you stay on track and reach your goals.

Are you ready for your bespoke HR strategy?

If you’re considering revisiting your HR policies or are going through major changes in your organisation, consider speaking with us today. At Catalina Consultants we specialise in developing bespoke and tailored HR strategies for our clients,