In a world framed by increasing globalization, business competition is becoming increasingly complex, which leads companies to resort to infinite techniques and strategies that seek from cost reduction to total process reengineering, without However, regardless of the complexity or novelty of the measures adopted, they all have one common factor: they need people to achieve it.
Starting from the definition of the Human Capital Administration as "the set of techniques used for the members of the organization to contribute to the achievement of its objectives", we will see that it is essential to have a correct Administration of Human Capital to achieve the Small and Medium Business Success.
Considering these two situations, SMEs need people willing to collaborate to achieve the goals in their workplace instead of simply "doing what the boss asks" or what the worker "imagines is right" is for That more than workers "collaborators" are needed.
Despite the importance of matching the understanding between the collaborator and the organization on the primary criteria to achieve the objectives necessary for its success, in reality if we ask the workers and their immediate bosses separately or worse still, the managers We will note that the main problem lies in the differences between what the worker thinks is expected of him and what the company really expects of him.
But how to get collaborator and company to walk in the same direction?
Undoubtedly, there are different ways and ways of explaining it, however, below I dare to share a brief “guide” (it would be illogical to try to outline the entire process in the following lines) which, due to its results, has been more effective in Small and Medium-sized companies in which I have had the pleasure to collaborate.
The first step is to establish objectives for the Administration of Human Capital.
It is of vital importance to have a goal towards which to direct Human Capital, SMEs that due to their size lack a department or even a person responsible for the Administration of Human Capital are not exempt from it, on the contrary, in them the establishment One of the objectives becomes more important to avoid that the development of the daily operations of SMEs or entropy deviate or nullify the activities aimed at Managing Human Capital in the desired direction. When setting goals (or reviewing them if they already exist) I suggest taking the following into account:
The objectives relating to the Administration of Human Capital must be in accordance with the objectives and general strategies of the company, they must be quantifiable and last, but not least, they must serve the four "Internal Clients" of Human Capital: The owner of the company, area managers, collaborators and the society in which the SME is developed.
Once the objectives have been established, it is important to define what competencies my collaborators must have to properly carry out the work.
- On how many occasions has having our employees underutilized resulted in a resignation due to the fact that the work does not meet their professional expectations? How many times have we realized that the operations of the SME are deficient due to the tasks entrusted to Our collaborators exceed their capacities? The causes? They range from accidental ones such as the case of the person who is assigned to a position as a substitute for temporary disability and stays in it, to the structural causes derived from the absence of an analysis and description of the position.
The purpose of defining the competencies required to carry out the positions is to compare whether the personnel with whom it is available is really the ideal one to carry out the entrusted work. If this is not the case, the solutions range from training our collaborators in those skills that they need to carry out the work effectively, to relocating them.
Said definition of the required competences will also be of vital importance to identify the suitable personnel during future promotions and hiring. The purpose of this process is "to have the ideal person in the ideal job".
The next step is to define the processes that will be used to recruit employees.
Let's take into account that the recruitment process represents in most cases the first contact that the collaborator has with your company, so it will depend on you what image the applicants will perceive of it, since, in part, the type will derive of collaborators who approach as well as their attitude towards your company. Needless to say, the importance of the image and information that the people in charge of establishing the first contact with the candidate (recruiters, security guards, etc.) have about the company.
If your desire is to recruit the most suitable collaborators for the company, it is obvious that to achieve this it is necessary to have a recruiting program appropriate to the requirements of the company instead of a "traditional plan", for this it is advisable to respond to the questions:
- What kind of collaborators are really suitable for my company? Where are they? What is the best way to get their attention? Is my compensation scheme according to what the labor market is paying?
You will be surprised to realize that in most cases for effective recruitment creativity counts more than the allocated time or budget (free job boards on the Internet, schools, newspapers and government agencies as well as the recommendations themselves with colleagues and collaborators are just some of the multiple options).
Like recruitment, the selection process must be adequate to the requirements of the company and again I mean that this process, with proper planning, should not be expensive. Job interview, job skills tests, medical exams (respecting ethics and avoiding discrimination) and reference verification are basic components of any simple but complete selection process.
Although it is understandable that an SME lacks a person dedicated to carrying out the selection process, there are options such as training a trusted person so that they have the capacity to carry out a job interview, another highly recommended option is to hire providers of services so that, paying them per event, they carry out the verification of references, the medical examination, etc.
I remember the case of a colleague who, to verify that the candidates had the physical capacity required for the position, asked them to do a series of 10 push-ups and 10 abdominals, arguing "If they have injuries or bad pressure, they surely won't be able to do it". My question is Does that effective test have a cost? As I mentioned earlier for effective selection, creativity counts more than budget.
It is important that when a new collaborator joins the organization, from the first day he has all the legal requirements, that is, an employment contract (in the case of an individual relationship), registration with the IMSS, and the documentation that can derive from the work performed (Internal Labor Regulations, receipt of tools, etc.) It is advisable to request that a competent labor lawyer do an “audit” of the company's hiring processes, which, although it represents an investment, may be a determining factor to avoid expenses for labor lawsuits.
Since you have the right partner, the next step is Induction
Let's take into account that the main purpose of induction is to maintain the optimism with which the employee arrives on his first day of work during the entire time he collaborates with the company. In addition to this, in my opinion induction is a determining factor to ensure that the company and the collaborator work in the same direction. To achieve this I suggest dividing the induction process into three stages: primary, secondary, and recycling.
Regarding primary induction, I recommend structuring it in two phases: Business or "traditional" induction and functional induction.
The induction to the company is one in which topics such as, history, mission, clients, products, and all the relevant information of the organization, explanation and tour of the facilities as well as those general labor issues are discussed. The most suitable person to give this induction is the person in charge of Human Capital or, in the absence of this position, who carried out the selection process.
Regarding functional induction, I recommend dealing with the topics that the new collaborator needs to adequately carry out their work, such as the detailed description of the work to be carried out (times, forms, etc.), the level of contribution of their work to the success of the company, from what level or "work quota" is productive (its equilibrium point), its coworkers, how its performance will be evaluated, the behavior expected of it and what actions to avoid. The best person to give this induction is the immediate boss.
At the end of these two stages, it is highly recommended that you be given material with a summary of the information provided in the induction to the company and the functional one (in the understanding that said material does not replace the induction process) and clarify any doubts or concerns.
Unfortunately it is frequent that due to workload issues and even doubts about the importance of induction, this process is omitted or postponed, in light of the aforementioned I want to emphasize its impact to reduce the time of the learning curve of the new collaborator.
Regarding secondary induction, it is recommended to apply it after a prudent adaptation time of the collaborator (60, 90 days), the purpose of this process is to verify that what has been learned in primary induction has been understood and applied in daily work as well as correcting any deviations that may have arisen. It is recommended to develop this stage individually and structure it based on questions such as What is the main function of your work within the company? How does your work contribute to the success of the company? etc.
The third stage or Recycling Induction is intended to verify the validity of what has been learned in the previous stages, correct disorders and give the employee the opportunity to contribute suggestions to improve their work, or that of the company in general. The recommended period of time to apply this induction stage is each time the worker completes one more year in the company.
Although acquiring quality collaborators presents a challenge, keeping them within the company and with an adequate level of productivity can be a challenge or even greater than recruiting. How to do it?
Keeping our collaborators motivated
Consider that when a person enters a SME to work, they are more likely to remain in it because they like how they feel as part of it than because of the possibilities of professional development or salary increase to which they can aspire in the future, since By their nature, SMEs are at a disadvantage in these two areas compared to large companies.
The implementation of campaigns or economic incentives will be useless if the collaborator is not motivated. But how do you achieve effective motivation? A culture of self-motivation must be generated in the company: it is important that the person responsible for managing Human Capital and the immediate bosses orient and support the collaborator to find what motivates them to be in that job. The best way is for you to find motivation at three levels: Extrinsic, Intrinsic and Transcendent.
The Extrinsic level is the one that occurs when the collaborator likes what he receives in exchange for doing that work, an example may be the case of the teacher who likes his work because of the recognition he receives from parents, is It is not recommended that the only extrinsic motivation be money, since as soon as an opportunity with higher pay presents itself, without a doubt the collaborator will take that job.
The next level corresponds to motivation at the intrinsic level, which occurs when the collaborator carries out his work simply because he likes to do that activity. An example is the same case of the teacher who teaches because he likes working with children or the foreign salesman who likes his job because of the opportunity to travel. Can you imagine what would happen if the teacher was assigned an administrative job without contact with the children? or the foreign seller is transferred to the Telemarketing area ?.
The third level, and the recommended one, is in which the worker is motivated at a transcendent level, that is, when he performs that work for the benefits he hopes to obtain in the future. For example, I can cite the teacher who sees his contribution at work to make the country better thanks to his teaching or the worker who hopes to give his family a better future.
Within the same motivation plan it is important to consider a development plan for the collaborator. Although an SME may lack opportunities for growth in the organization chart, this does not limit the possibility of offering new knowledge, challenges or the continuation of their personal or professional training.
Lastly, in terms of motivation, it is important to monitor that there are no demotivators since an excellent self-motivation and development plan can be overshadowed or canceled by them. Let's consider that the three reasons why a collaborator does not carry out their work are: because they do not know (it is solved with training), because they cannot (either because something or someone prevents it or because they lack the necessary to do it) or simply because does not want; This is where the importance of motivation lies.
As long as the collaborator is aware that their development (work, personal, etc.) goes hand in hand with that of the company, the motivation for good performance will be reinforced.
After having read the suggestions above, it is very likely that you are now wondering
How to adequately serve the staff if there is no Human Resources department in my SME?
The good news is that there are several options, the best ?, simple: the one that best suits the size and operations of your SME. Among the most practical options I can recommend:
- Recruitment Maquila: Consists of requesting a human resources company to provide candidates for the desired position. In this modality, the selection process is the responsibility of the contracting company. Staff Selection Maquila: It consists of requesting a human resources company that, in addition to looking for candidates for the desired position, applies the selection process. In this modality, the contracting and induction is the responsibility of the contracting company. Payroll assembly: This option deals with the hiring of a third party to be in charge of carrying out everything necessary to process the payroll (calculations, printing of receipts and deposits with the IMSS and IFONAVIT and in bank accounts). Which reduces the possibility of labor problems due to errors or misunderstandings in the payroll, remember that "clear accounts, long friendships." Subcontracting personnel: It consists of requesting a third party to be in charge of recruiting, selecting and hiring personnel. Outsourcing: Consists of hiring a company in order to completely take care of a certain activity, which is not part of the core business of the company. In this case, the supplier company is legally responsible to the labor authorities (a very common example is the hiring of companies that are in charge of security or cleaning). Hiring a person in charge for said activity: As its name, this option tries to rehire a person who has the necessary knowledge to carry out the administration of Human Capital. Depending on the size of the company, this person can work full or part time. Payment of a match to an expert: This option is about hiring the services of a "free lancer" to take charge of the processes related to Human Capital without having to be a direct employee of the company (similar to hiring an external accountant so that we keep accounting).
Regardless of the modality with which you manage your Human Capital (outsourcing, payroll manufacturing, etc.), it is important to avoid distinctions in the treatment (except those established by law) between "collaborators and contractors" since, regardless of their origin How they contribute or not to the achievements of your company.
Although at first glance the aforementioned suggestions may in some cases represent a cost, you can be sure that, due to the benefits that they entail, such as avoiding turnover, expenses for lawsuits, disabilities, absenteeism and increased productivity, to name a few, more than an expense they will represent an investment.
As a last recommendation is the importance of consulting with experts in the area (not sellers) before undertaking any of these actions, because although there are cameras, associations, companies and service providers with an excellent career, there are also improvised people whose results leave much be desired.
