A Human Resource department ought to function like a well-oiled machine, seamlessly providing the hiring and personnel services a company needs to perform various operations.

Located in the heart of any company, an HR team works to ensure that a company can hire and hold on to top talent, in addition to develop internal talent. An overburdened HR department means negative impacts on productivity, hiring and employee relations. If left unaddressed, the results of a badly functioning HR department can be highly visible to customers and clients.

Therefore, it’s important to be able to identify signs that an HR department is getting overwhelmed. Consider the following indications that your HR staff need help.

Too Much Paperwork

HR is responsible for making payments, generating forms, keeping records and writing up contracts. HR handles this mountain of paperwork so managers can focus on revenue-generating tasks. Paperwork can stack up rapidly, making a backlog the ends up affecting the entire company.

If your HR department is not able to stay on top of paperwork, it could result in legal documents going missing or unchecked. This could impact everything from payroll to liability, putting the company in a serious legal bind.

Falling Behind Industry Standards

Keeping up with industry standards is an essential function of an HR department, which has to stay on top of industry standards and make certain the company complies with shifting laws. Falling behind on these issues means a business could lose major clients. It could also lead to breaking the law. When your business does not conform to industry guidelines for personnel, the HR department is the first place to look.

Lack of Trust from Employees

HR has the problem of enforcing guidelines and organizational policies. HR personnel have to address conflict and deal with disciplinary issues. If HR staff are overburdened, it could lead to poor judgements in these sensitive areas, causing employees to resent and even hate HR staff members. Company management and employees can easily fall into a ‘us vs. them’ mentality; a toxic relationship that could drive out the best staff members.

Increasing Conflict

If your HR staff is generally mild-mannered but start to get irritated or short-tempered, it probably has something to do with their workload. HR staff react to stress just as any other staff members might. They quarrel and start missing work. If you see this start to happen, looking at the HR workload is a good idea.

Departments Not Working Well Together

Bogged down HR departments can’t take the time they need to cultivate a supportive business culture, and wind up wasting time high turnover. This can result in strong divisions between departments. Also an overworked HR department may find it difficult to keep strong talent that the company depends upon.

We Can Ease the Stress on Your HR Staff

At Cornerstone, we partner seamlessly with our clients to ensure their HR departments are functioning in tip-top shape. Please contact us today to find out how we can assist you with HR matters.