The corporate world is a complicated place comprised of two types of employees. The first group, found at some companies, absolutely loves their job and looks forward to spending their time at work. Employees at some companies, however, dread waking up every morning for their unappealing jobs. The question is: how can all companies reach the status quo which fits with the first group mentioned? Many factors affect where companies fit within this workplace spectrum, and those implementing the best HR practices seem to be the ones comprised of satisfied employees.

Since a large amount of an individual’s time is spent at work, companies should try to make the workplace safe, happy and comfortable. The more “at home” employees feel, the more their work performance will improve. With all other stresses removed, employees will remain motivated and content with retaining their positions at the company. You may wonder how employers know whether or not their employees are satisfied with their current work environment. Through human resources training, one will become aware that distributing employee surveys will provide the knowledge and insight necessary to evaluate overall employee satisfaction. HR managers will be able to assess the data received by employees and will be better prepared to change specific environmental aspects at the company.

Through implementation of open management practices, employees will feel a part of the company and remain enthusiastic about their jobs. Employees do not like being kept in the dark on important topics such as contracts, sales, new clients, management objectives, or company policies. Successful HR practices have noticed that when knowledge shared openly, employees are given the opportunity to participate and offer suggestions on how to improve various situations. When employees and management are able to develop trust with one another, they form deeper relationships and are able to communicate more effectively. Creating information databases accessible to all employees is another great way to promote open communication. This way, when employees return from informational seminars, they are able to broadcast innovative ideas that they have picked up with their coworkers. Since the greatest source of ideas are generated collectively by the company’s employees, the most successful companies must find innovative ways to recognize, cultivate and implement those ideas.

Individual recognition makes employees feel accepted and appreciated by their coworkers. Performance initiatives can be offered to employees, which will motivate them to work to their ultimate potential. These incentives can be implemented at both the individual and team level. It has been observed that this works extremely well in encouraging employees to improve performance by unbelievable percentages. However, it is vital to remember that bonuses should only be given for justifiable reasons, unless it has been previously decided upon in a contract, such as year-end bonuses. Human resources training also suggests that good performance should be publicized among the rest of the company. Those recognized individuals will gain confidence and it will also encourage others to perform at their level. Though a competitive environment may form at the company, competition works well to motivate all involved.

Working in human resources can be stressful, but when the best HR practices are executed, the company will prosper. There are many useful tools that an HR manager can use to boost the morale of the company and open the communication flow between employees and management. Taking part in human resources training will teach one to use these tools and methods to make the work environment one that employees are happy to be a part of.

Author Bio: David Shoemaker is Vice President of Learning Solutions and Innovation at eCornell. For more information on HR practices, human resources training, or eCornell, please visit http://www.eCornell.com

Category: Education
Keywords: HR practices, human resources training