What to do if You're the Only One Handling the HR Department

With the amount of work today’s HR professionals must handle, being a one-man band in the HR department can be daunting. Juggling tasks and meeting deadlines take time and experience, but having the right practices and HR technologies in place can also make riding solo less overwhelming.

The Struggle is Unreal

Multiple studies have summarised that administrative tasks takes up way too much time for HR departments. A survey by CareerBuilder found that HR managers lose an average of 14 hours every week manually finishing tasks that could be automated.

If you’re the lone HR professional, that is a significant amount of time. Here are some ways to reduce your administrative burden and add more free time for strategic tasks.

1. Create and communicate clear and easily accessible HR policies

One quick way to add some free time is to reduce the number of questions you get from employees. An employee handbook that clearly states company policies, procedures, and expectations for employee conduct can save a lot of time and help to reduce the potential for employee disputes and legal problems.

Employees should receive a physical and electronic copy of the handbook so the entire organisation can refer to it anytime and anywhere.

2. Get help from experts

If the HR department starts and ends with you, it is essential to ask for advice from professionals with experience and knowledge in compliance and employment issues. You can get this type of help from a lawyer who specialises in employment law and regulatory compliance or online compliance resources such as Roubler, MIHRM and NHRC.

3. Improve the efficiency of your recordkeeping and reporting

In Malaysia, we have many HR software solutions such as Kakitangan, PayrollPanda and Orisoft. Since we have Cloud that enables us to store information online, HR technologies are now affordable for small and medium employers.

Moving manual processes to an online and automated system that also enables employees and managers to self-serve will significantly reduce the amount of time and energy you have to spend on administrative work.

Multitasking is now easier thanks to new HR technologies.

The important part is to find a solution that meets your specific needs and has the ability to accommodate future needs as your business grows or your objectives change. When searching for the right HR solution for your organisation, remember that the system you choose should:

• Serve as your single system of record

• Automate key HR processes (HR, payroll, benefits, time and attendance, onboarding, performance management)

• Provide employees and managers with self-service

• Have insight into organisational trends and patterns

Being a one-man HR department can make you feel like you are putting the whole company on your back but implementing these 3 suggestions will help you start to feel like there is a (virtual) staff helping you.

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This article is based on Surviving as an HR department of one by Lesley Lyons.