How HR Leaders Can Create a Great Place to Work | Ida D’Silva | Director of People Operations|AlphaSense

A one-way, command-and-control style of leadership has no place in today’s vibrant, modern workplace. In order to retain and engage today’s workforce, it’s essential to build a more collaborative workplace with leaders who are committed to nurturing the professional and emotional needs of the employees. With employees now placing huge importance on the work environment, the role of HR has become even more crucial in the functioning and success of a company.

Staying competitive to attract the best talent

In order to recruit the best talent, it’s critical for organizations to offer, alongside a competitive salary, employee benefits that are on par or better with those offered by leading tech companies. For example, fringe benefits like family health insurance, employee stock options, and Accident and Life Insurance cover are crucial in gaining a candidate’s confidence in the organization.

But employee demands are evolving every day, which means it’s also important to conduct an audit of the current trends and industry standards every quarter.

Cultivate a healthy work-life balance

As HR leaders, it’s important to state clearly to employees the kind of leaves available to them, including how they can request time off, and what happens with unused time off. Along with personal and bereavement leaves, a birthday leave can add the personal touch that employees need.

Sometimes, even with unlimited time off policies, employees don’t always take leaves or would rather get paid out at the end of the year. In these cases, HR leaders may need to step in to encourage time off by capping paid leaves to help employees avoid burnout.

Build a people-centric organization

While company policies support employees on a regular basis, in times of crisis, the leadership and HR team must take the extra effort to help their employees. During the Covid-19 lockdown, many employees struggled with both physical and mental health, including sometimes grieving the loss of family members. Assistance from the company in
these cases could make employees feel a part of the organization and build a more inclusive culture.

Getting to know your employees beyond their professional role can also build better collaboration and understanding within an organization. Companies should always provide or build an open support channel, where employees feel comfortable to approach HR leaders or their managers with any minor or major problems.

Upskilling employees

It’s been proven again and again: providing soft and hard skills training for employees makes them feel like the company is investing its time and resources in them. Not only does upskilling help employees become more confident, it also leads to enhanced collaboration, communication, and creativity. Something as simple as providing workshops to improve

English skills will not only develop their communication skills, but they will also end up contributing more to the company.

Great leaders see the need to put employee wellness and development at the forefront in order to achieve success as individuals and as a company. A “people-first” philosophy leads to a more vibrant and inclusive company culture, where employees feel valued and engaged.