You cannot build a great team of employees, without good Human Resources (HR). The key to good HR means treating employees as humans. Addressing individual and group human needs can only improve Human Resources functions such as recruiting, training, performance appraisals, motivating employees alongside workplace communication and safety, which are necessary to build and maintain a great workforce.

Human needs

Recognising employees as humans and addressing their needs is the key to good Human Resources. An adapted model of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs focuses on human needs includes; the need for making meaningful contribution, belonging and being appreciated.

These three factors can encourage heightened morale amongst employees, and can be useful to keep in mind when dealing with HR functions including:

Discussing employees performance appraisals.

Manoeuvring office politics.

Preparing for and navigating difficult conversations.Improve employees chances of getting promoted.

Performance appraisals

Performance appraisals are a great way to incorporate the human needs previously mentioned. Taking time to individually meet with staff allows you to review the employees performance, recognising their achievements, whilst identifying improvements.

A great way to approach how an employee can improve areas of their work is to openly discuss and set anticipated goals, whilst reflecting on their current work performance. This can in turn clearly identify training needs. When regularly undertaken, performance appraisals motivate employees and improve morale.

Address individual needsImproving your workforces morale by addressing individual needs, can encourage a positive work atmosphere which will in turn help the performance of an individual in an organisation. Regularly communicating with employees and asking their opinion for example about improvements both personal and organisational, will only encourage a friendly atmosphere that gives all staff job satisfaction.

Disputes

Unfortunately conflicts are inevitable when working in a Human Resources role. Instances where a dispute between employees and employers arise, will need to be effectively dealt with. It is often the human resources department will act as a consultant and mediator in such instances, to help find a resolution. Therefore remember to treat all parties involved as humans. Take into account their opinions and emotions prior to coming up with suitable solutions. This is particularly important to prevent the situation getting out of hand.