FAQs Archive - Higher Talent

Q: Why is it important to have an HR Plan in place; and what does it include?

An HR Plan is a strategic document that outlines an organization’s HR objectives such as reducing turnover by 7%, or to increase employee engagement by 10%; or transforming an organization’s culture over the next three years. The plan outlines tactics and action items to achieve each objective. It is important to have a people plan as otherwise, you may not obtain the maximum return on investment for the dollars you spend on your people and HR-related programs and activities.

Q: Should I run a criminal reference check on a new hire prior to extending a job offer?

Whether you should run a criminal reference check on a new hire prior to extending a job offer depends on whether you have a job related reason for doing so. For example, if the employee is working with cash or with vulnerable persons you may want to perform background checks. Also ensure that relevant laws and regulations in your jurisdiction allow such a check to be performed. As always, document your procedure and be sure your policy is defensible and not used only for select employee groups to avoid human right complaints.

Q: How many employees do I need whereby it becomes important to have an Employee Handbook/HR Policy Manual?

It is a best practice to have an HR Policy manual as soon as you hire your first employee. As soon as you have five or more employees, it is a must-have to reduce your people risk.