The Human Resources Best Practices Checklist is a one-of-a-kind book, compiling interviews with Human Resource directors from across the nation.
Periscope Data’s Human Resources Best Practices Checklist is a tool that helps you before and during the hiring process, and always using Hiring Success Coach, based on HRBP. It is powered by Workable for automated job applications, interview scheduling and tracking of new hires.
Emphasize the “people” in “people management”
First and foremost, employees are people.
I know, I know: that’s obvious, right?
Step back and think about it a minute, though. Is it really obvious? Sure, you’ve probably had at least one hands-on interaction with most of the employees at your company over the years – possibly even more than that for a small company – but what do you really know about them?
I’m talking non-work-related things, here. Of course you’re going to remember the guy who complains every week about the snacks in the breakroom, or the one who never logs their hours properly, or the highest achiever on the sales team, but what about everyone in between?
Maintaining close personal relationships with everyone in your company is neither possible nor practical, but it is beneficial to remember that employees are individuals, and need to feel like more than an unappreciated cog in the machine.
GitLab puts this at the forefront of their People Group Vision by prioritizing an engaged team. The primary method for doing this is by asking the employees themselves. GitLab constantly monitors its employee net promoter score (eNPS), and, if that score is off, has a procedure to probe further.
Additionally, they also implement a yearly survey using Gallup’s Q12 Index (12 core elements linked to key business outcomes), which includes questions about the employee’s professional role (Do you have the materials to do your work right) as well as their personal development (Does your supervisor seem to care about you as a person).
The People Group Vision has a total of nine points altogether:
- Engaged team
- Industry-leading hiring practices
- Be a preferred employer
- Effective onboarding
- GitLab workflow
- Compliance
- Learning & Development
- Compensation
- Benefits
Each of these points demonstrates a commitment to maintaining the best standards when it comes to hiring, retention, and development.
GitLab understands that it’s not enough to simply attract the best people; keeping them requires constant commitment, encouragement, and recognition of each employee’s individual strengths and value to the organization.
Doing this is actually a lot easier than it sounds – especially if you work process documentation and automation into the mix (which, if you want to save yourself time and neck strain, you will definitely do). Here are a few easy, actionable steps you can take to create that community vibe:
Employee Development Plans (EDP):
This is invaluable. All of your line managers need to create employee development plans with their teams.. Note: that’s with, not for. EDPs should be updated on a regular basis (every three months during the first year, then annually or bi-annually after that), and consistently reviewed with the employee. Have their career aspirations changed over time? Are they ready to take on a new challenge or more responsibility? An EDP will map out what training and mentoring the employee needs to reach their goals, and specify a timeframe to do it in.
EDPs come in all shapes and sizes, but I strongly recommend keeping a digital version that’s stored in a central database or knowledge library that all the necessary people have access to. This makes it easier and faster to update, and keeps everyone on the same page. You can use something as simple as Google Docs and Notion, or go with a full human resource information system (HRIS) like BambooHR or Oracle. (Oliver Peterson explains how to choose the right software this HRIS post.)
You gotta walk the inclusive talk
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are essential considerations in the contemporary workplace – digital or otherwise. How your company approaches these issues will play a significant role in how your employees feel about leadership and the company as a whole.
While legislation will cover some of these areas, and HR managers are responsible for ensuring that, not every situation is covered by legal regulations. For example, there is no legislation about inclusivity, and while it may seem that employing a diverse workforce ticks that box, this isn’t the case. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are all very distinct and separate concepts.
As such, HR managers will need to stay up-to-date on any accessibility and inclusivity issues employees face in order to ensure the organization is truly diverse and equitable.
In looking at how GitLab’s People Group handles these concepts, there are the usual points about equal opportunity, health and safety, ethics, privacy, and so on. These are all very good things, and, I suspect, points we’ve all become accustomed to seeing from our employers.
True to form, though, GitLab doesn’t limit itself to what’s considered “standard.”
Among the People Success Performance Indicators are KPIs for the percentage of women at GitLab (31% in 2020), percentage of women in management (32% in 2020), and women in senior leadership (0% in 2020). One of the recruiting KPIs focuses on sourcing for underrepresented groups with an aim of 95% for outreach to diverse candidates. GitLab exceeded this goal from May to August 2020, while outreach fell during the end of 2020.
While GitLab hasn’t succeeded in meeting their goals yet (all are projected to be met by 2022), in addition to the Women in Sales Mentorship Program Pilot, these KPIs show that GitLab doesn’t intend to simply check the diversity box, but create a company culture that truly embraces the DEIA concepts.
GitLab’s inclusivity policies aren’t limited to the more obvious or expected differences or modes of accessibility. A large portion of the GitLab protections policies is devoted to mental health awareness and a commitment to both encouraging employees to talk about their own mental health and educating employees about the stigmatization of mental health disorders.
A final note on diversity and inclusivity – which GitLab also addresses in their very respectable Gender and Sexual Orientation Identity FAQ (no lie; the detail made my little rainbow heart flutter) – achieving DEIA is not a static goal. Identifications and terminology changes. Different communities have different nuances. The most important strategy you can take is to listen to your employees. You won’t be able to predict every instance of exclusion or inequity; you will slip into unconscious bias at some point. That’s okay, though – provided you take on board feedback when it’s pointed out.
It’s a good idea as an HR manager to institute regular diversity training for leadership as well as employees. DEIA improvements have to be well-integrated into the company culture, and that starts at the top.
Study the data
Every department within your company has KPIs that let them know whether or not what they’re doing is working. HR should be no different.
I mentioned it in Tip #3, but the People Success Performance Indicators page is actually an excellent resource for the state of personnel at GitLab. The executive summary heads up the page with a list of every tracked People Group KPI, as well as the health and status of each individual indicator. Clicking on any of the KPIs jumps down to an explanation of why and how that particular item is measured.
Looking back at the “women at GitLab” KPI, GitLab aims for a target of 40% of team members that identify as women. This is based on the EEOC Survey at the end of every month, and calculated based on the number of women in relation to the total number of employees.
By monitoring this percentage on a monthly basis, People Group managers can gauge how their hiring practices are effective in meeting company goals. Adding data about other indicators – such as offer acceptance rate, team member retention, and pay equality – provides context about employee satisfaction and what changes are needed to meet the company’s People Group KPIs.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Every one of my past writing teachers is collectively screaming in my subconscious right now, but cliché as it may be, teamwork really does make the dream work.
Fostering a positive team dynamic – particularly for a remote company – is not always the easiest task. There will be those teams that click from day one, and there will be those who never manage to get along. Most, however, will find a way to productively collaborate after an initial adjustment period.
As a remote company, GitLab’s People Group approaches the necessity of building remote relationships in a few very innovative ways.
Onboarding buddies 👯♂️
From the very beginning, new employees are matched with a “buddy.” This person is separate from the main onboarding process; their role is to integrate the new employee into the company’s culture and help them establish connections with their new colleagues.
At Process Street, we don’t get a specific “buddy,” but we do have one-on-one calls with everyone in our department when we first start. Honestly, when I was given that task, my first thought was 🤬. Half hour conversations with people I’d never met seemed like a particularly tortuous form of speed-dating (which I also feel is too long to talk to a stranger). Now, though? I am 100% behind the concept.
The introductions to my colleagues were more in-depth than the usual This is Jerry from accounting, clued me in on their personal as well as professional interests, and made settling into the team dynamic a breeze. I’m now getting to experience it from the other side, with some new members coming in, and I’m actually looking forward to having those intro chats.
Those first few days at a new company can be overwhelming, confusing, and – let’s face it – lonely. No one really likes being the new kid. Having a buddy to show you the ropes – especially if you’re new to remote work – can definitely alleviate some of that “New Hire Panic”.
Visiting & significant life event grants 👰
In a traditional, face-to-face work environment, it’d be natural to develop relationships with your colleagues outside of work hours. You may go out for drinks on a regular basis, or have meals together. It’s not even that unlikely you’d invite them to your wedding or other significant life events.
GitLab not only facilitates this by offering employees grants to visit each other, but also encourages them to share stories in order to highlight how GitLab team members stay connected while working remotely.
Birthdays and anniversaries 🎂
It may seem like a very small thing, but the fact is, when it comes to people management, it is the small things that make a difference.
GitLab utilizes a bot that automatically announces any birthdays or anniversaries each day. Yes, it is an automated message, but if GitLab’s employees are anything like Process Street employees (we have our own Birthday Bot in Slack), everyone jumps in to congratulate people on their special day with endless GIFs, emojis, light-hearted banter, and well-wishes – even if that birthday or anniversary falls on a weekend. It’s a great way for us all to participate in each other’s accomplishments and milestones, even if we aren’t in the same time zone.
In addition to the bot, GitLab encourages team members to send cards for colleagues’ birthdays, and will even organize sending a gift or flowers for a significant life event.
Remote work has a lot of perks, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Taking a moment or two to celebrate with a colleague, or have a team member wish you happy birthday, is part of the groundwork for building a cohesive team.
As I said, we use Slack for pretty much everything, and not just work. We have the Birthday Bot, but we also have a “matchmaking” bot (matches 2-3 employees for a half-hour social call each week) and a “conversation starter” bot (posts a weekly topic/question for everyone to respond to) that go a little further to facilitate colleague interaction.
Creating a space – whether it’s a Zoom coffee date or a welcoming break room – for your employees to interact and relax during their downtime is just as important for maintaining a productive team as more traditional, task-focused methods.
Conclusion
Want to strengthen your People Capability? Here are 4 HR Best Practices Checklist that will help you implement effective processes in the organization to detect, solve and prevent problems. These 4 HR Best Practices Checklist helps to accomplish functioning goals that support individual life goals, team goals and the organization goals.