AI is revolutionizing HR by automating processes, while the hybrid work model reshapes how HR leaders manage people.

Think about it: 'Processes' and 'People' are evolving rapidly. Yet some professionals still refer to past years' HR practices as the benchmark for today. How fair is that?

So here's a blog with a fresh take on HR best practices that will help you upgrade your current HR strategies and make them more successful in today's world!

What are HR Best Practices?

HR best practices are proven methods that HR (sometimes even L&D & T&D) departments can follow to manage people effectively within a company.

Applying these HR practices improves various aspects of the employee experience, such as recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, or even benefits, which can then lead to better business performance.

But, they are not a one-size-fits-all solution. While some practices are generally applicable, HR best practices should be tailored to industry-specific requirements.

Why & How are HR Best Practices Are Evolving in 2024?

Continued AI Integration

76% of HR leaders think that if their organizations do not adopt and implement AI solutions, like generative AI, within the next 12 to 24 months, they will fall behind in organizational success compared to those that do.

To avoid falling behind, HR senior executives must develop a strategy for attracting talent well-versed in using AI and who fits their needs. With AI making some jobs more efficient and reducing the number of employees required, HR leaders must redesign these jobs.

Such changes drastically transform core HR best practices.

Hybrid Workforce

Ola Snow, Cardinal Health's Chief HR Officer, mentioned in an interview how a mix of remote, hybrid, and in-person work can help attract and keep top talent. She highlights that hybrid work improves employee well-being by cutting down on commuting, giving people more time for personal growth, health, and family.

And she’s right! Such a blended workforce provides each team member with a balanced lifestyle, which, in turn, improves their job satisfaction and productivity—an outcome every HR leader strives to achieve within their organization.

To experience that outcome, they need to apply best practices relevant to these hybrid work models.

Focus on DE&I

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives play a significant role in shaping modern HR best practices. They allow HR leaders to cast a wider net when recruiting, attracting a more diverse pool of candidates with different backgrounds and experiences.

Plus, all employees, regardless of background, can access training and development programs, mentorship opportunities, and clear career paths.

Focusing on DE&I while applying HR best practices can promote reviewing resumes and conducting interviews with minimum bias.

List of HR Best Practices in 2024

Here's a Quick Overview of Top Practices:

Use AI-powered Recruitment Tools
Focus on Skill-based Hiring
Employ HRBPs To Align Goals with Objectives
Have a Structured Onboarding Program
Set Clear Expectations And Goals
Discover How Your Team Likes To Communicate
Conduct Periodic Salary Benchmarking
Offer Competitive Benefits Package
Develop Personalized Training Plans
Invest in Leadership Development Programs
Use Digital Adoption Platforms
Provide Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Help Employees Acquire AI literacy skills
Create an Ethics Policy for the Organization
Highlight Performers Who Stand Out
Overcome Resistance To Change with Transparency
Take Knowledge Sharing Seriously
Have a Comprehensive Separation Policy

Recruitment

1. Use AI-powered Recruitment Tools

AI adoption is increasing every day passing. In fact, a recent study showed that a significant portion of HR leaders are interested in generative AI, a specific type of AI.

For talent acquisition, you can use AI to:

Automate tedious tasks like resume screening, and sifting through massive candidate pools based on keywords and skills to shortlist the most qualified.
Create your own interview questions inside recruitment solutions within minutes by entering appropriate prompts.
Analyze video interviews to assess a candidate's communication skills, soft skills, & cultural fit – providing data points alongside the usual interview process.

In a nutshell, this is one of the major HR automation best practices that most professionals should be comfortable trying out and checking their recruitment process alongside AI tools like ChatGPT.

Zoho Recruit with AI capabilities

2. Focus on Skills-based Hiring

Another HR best practice for recruitment is that HR professionals should prioritize skills and competencies over traditional qualifications to find the right candidate.

Often, companies value degrees too much, but official education isn't everything. Some top performers only have a high school diploma or studied something different in college.
Especially since so many people have earned their degrees online in recent years, you can consider a candidate's career goals, willingness to learn, and coachability when hiring remotely.

After all, you can't teach problem-solving or brew a love of learning, but you can definitely teach job-specific skills.

Image Source

3. Employ HRBPs To Align Goals with Company Objectives

Hiring Human Resources Business Partners (HRBPs) for your organization is a unique practice for 2024. And you might be wondering how do HRBPs differ from traditional HR?

HRBPs are specialized professionals within the broader HR field. What sets them apart is their extensive, cross-industry experience that helps them provide a holistic perspective. They've tackled challenges across various company sizes and locations, making them adaptable and insightful when advising clients.

This human-centered expertise can be a game-changer for your business. Some companies employ dedicated HRBPs within their HR departments and some completely outsource it.

HRBPs could be your go-to folks for all things people-related – whether it is advising leaders, smoothing out conflicts, or nurturing talent.

Onboarding

4. Have a Structured Onboarding Program

To nail the onboarding experience for your new hires, invest time and resources into making sure the process makes sense for them and fits well with their tasks.

Even if virtual onboarding is a concern, the principles remain the same: prioritize understanding the needs of your new employees.

According to Harvard Business Review, formal onboarding can boost new hire productivity by up to 62%. So, take a structured approach where you can break down the onboarding process into a 30-60-90 day plan.

You can start with pre-work to get them excited, then focus on setting them up and introducing them to the team in the first week. Further, the first month can be about learning the ropes of their specific role, and the following months are about helping them thrive with goals and support.

5. Set Clear Expectations and Goals

Vague expectations lead to confusion and inefficiency, and HR is all about a smooth-running work environment, so setting clear expectations is a top priority.

HR professionals should make sure that their expectations from employees are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). They can also consider how individual goals align with the organization's broader objectives.

This clarity helps employees understand exactly what is expected of them and how their performance will be evaluated.

Employees who grasp how their work directly contributes to the company, eventually, become passionate about their roles.

6. Discover How Your Team Likes to Communicate

Understanding how your teams like to communicate is important for HR leaders.

First, ask, "How do you best receive new information?" This question is gold because it sets the tone for all future interactions. Some folks thrive on emails; they want all the details neatly laid out so they can digest them at their own pace.

Others might prefer a quick chat or a face-to-face meeting to really grasp the gist. This is one of the crucial HR communications best practices that allows HR leaders to tailor their communication strategy and make sure everyone's on the same page without causing information overload.

Also, you can ask your employee upfront – "When reviewing work in a meeting, do you prefer to be sent feedback ahead of time?" Nobody likes being put on the spot, right? By sending feedback in advance, team members can digest it, reflect on it, and maybe even jot down some questions or ideas.

Compensation and Benefits

7. Conduct Periodic Salary Benchmarking

Comparing your company's pay scales with industry standards can evoke a sense of dread. But here’s a salary benchmarking approach that you can take at fixed intervals:

First off, you'll need to set up a solid plan for comparing salaries. Think of it like putting everyone into boxes based on their job, how experienced they are, & where they work. This helps you match your team with similar roles out there.

Source

Next, you can figure out where to get your salary information. You can start with free online databases or choose paid options.
However, keep in mind that these online databases might have insufficient data or discrepancies between job categories. To tackle this, you apply less restrictive filters or explore different percentiles to derive competitive yet equitable pay structures.
Once you've got your data, it's time to see how your team's salaries measure up. Are you paying too much or too little? But remember, it's not just about the numbers – it's about what's right for the company and what keeps employees happy and motivated.

So yes, it's a bit of a balancing act, but with the right approach, you'll ace it!

8. Offer Competitive Benefits Package

If there was a human resources best practices checklist, offering a competitive benefits package should top the list. This is what attracts and retains top talent to your company.

Here are some of the basic benefits. These essentials acknowledge the commitment of employees who dedicate at least 30 hours per week to the company:

Health, dental, and vision insurance
Retirement savings plan
Paid holidays
Paid time off

But, HR leaders need to rethink. With rising living costs and growing financial and mental health concerns, attracting and retaining top talent needs HR professionals to be innovative and competitive. This includes offering additional benefits such as:

Education reimbursement
Wellness programs
On-demand pay
Childcare support

As a matter of fact, 57% of employees say that a competitive benefits package is a top priority when accepting a job.

If you want to keep your dream team together, you better stack that perk pile high!

Training and Development

9. Develop Personalized Training Plans

In-person training can be expensive and wasteful if employees don't retain the information. Thus, personalized plans focus on what's needed, maximizing the return on investment in training resources.

To create personalized training plans, identify individual skill gaps, and curate tailored training opportunities to address requirements for each employee. Thus, you can:

Offer a range of training methods to your employees – from online courses and instructor-led workshops to mentorship programs and on-the-job training.
Create manageable training portions, which means breaking down complex topics into easily digestible modules through microlearning.
Engage employees by including gamification elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards, we transform learning into an exciting journey.

Whatever might be employee’s learning objectives, such HR best practice will make sure they fulfill them with enthusiasm and dedication!

10. Invest in Leadership Development Programs

Investing in leadership development programs isn't just an HR best practice – it's a strategic investment in your organization's future.

While the global spend on these programs is around $60 million, true success goes beyond objective evaluations or performance metrics. Truly effective leadership programs care about employee’s deep personal growth and enhanced well-being.

But, the rise of remote work demands a shift toward online leadership development options. These programs offer several advantages:

Cost-effectiveness: Online delivery allows trainers to reach a wider audience, maximizing ROI.
Scalability: Programs can cater to geographically dispersed teams, ensuring everyone has access.
Flexibility: Learning happens on demand to fit easily into busy schedules.

Through online programs, managers gain the skills to effectively coach, motivate, and develop their teams, even remotely. This also helps high-performing employees with ownership and delegated tasks, creating a sense of responsibility and trust.

Follow this best practice and you'll also create a collaborative culture where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns!

11. Use Digital Adoption Platforms for Software Adoption

HR and L&D professionals often face a challenge: enabling employees to use complex, feature-rich applications the organization invests in. These tools promise great business results, but in-person training methods can be time-consuming.

Luckily, innovative solutions such as Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs) are emerging in the market. These platforms, some even powered by AI, provide a user-friendly learning experience directly within the software itself.

Imagine step-by-step guidance and help assistance popping up right where your employees need it – no more hunting through separate training materials.

Let's take Gyde, for example. Think of your team is transitioning to a new CRM system. Naturally, you want them to be proficient quickly.

Gyde allows you to create a central learning hub that integrates seamlessly with your new application, providing real-time support in the form of:

Step-by-step walkthroughs
Bite-sized videos
Contextual Help articles

Plus, all these support materials are available in the team’s language of preference, making it the perfect solution for globally distributed teams.

Moreover, the platform intelligently tracks and records screen actions while creating step-by-step walkthroughs, automatically generating the necessary content without requiring manual typing. This use of AI in Gyde is an added benefit that allows rapid content creation for training administrators.

Circling back: Digital adoption platforms(DAPs) should be your go-to solution if you want to offer real-time software guidance and training, reducing the likelihood of mistakes.

12. Provide Cybersecurity Awareness Training

Keeping your company's data safe is also a concern for many HR professionals; thus, they have to conduct cybersecurity training sessions regularly. These sessions cover everything from recognizing threats to practicing secure password management so that employees handle potential risks effectively.

Some important tasks to add to your human resources best practices checklist are:

Consider implementing phishing simulations. These simulations mimic real-world phishing attacks to test employee awareness and pinpoint areas for improvement. By doing so, you can proactively identify and address any vulnerabilities in your team's cybersecurity knowledge.
Develop clear policies on data security, acceptable technology use, and reporting suspicious activity. These policies provide a framework for employees to follow, promoting a culture of accountability and helping everyone understand their role in maintaining security.

Be aware, a well-informed workforce is your first line of defense against cyber threats!

13. Help Employees Acquire AI Literacy Skills

Today, AI is transforming the way we work.

Melissa Kee, Chief People Officer at Temus, says, “Employees want to be able to develop new skills in data analytics and AI and influence how their organizations apply these technologies.”

To adapt to this shift in what skills your employees want, HR leaders need to cultivate AI skills in their employees.

Here are some innovative ideas to help employees acquire AI literacy skills that go beyond traditional training methods:

Create an AI chatbot that acts as a virtual mentor, answering employee questions about AI in a conversational and accessible way. The chatbot can be integrated into communication platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Organize tours of the company's AI infrastructure or invite AI experts to do live demonstrations of how AI is used in different departments. This can help employees see the practical applications of AI and its relevance to their daily work.

Your competitors are already investing heavily in AI. Standing still while they advance is a recipe for business disaster. It's adapt or perish!

Employee Relations

14. Create an Ethics Policy for the Organization

Establishing a clear code of conduct is a cornerstone of good HR practice.

It's about creating a set of guidelines that outline the expectations for ethical behavior within the organization. This includes:

addressing topics like conflicts of interest, harassment, and the responsible use of company resources.
providing accessible channels for reporting violations

Leadership plays a pivotal role here, too.

Leaders should lead by example, embodying the values and principles of the code of conduct. Their actions should set the tone for the entire organization!

15. Highlight Performers Who Stand Out

Highlighting performers is an HR best practice that simply means recognizing employees publicly or privately and acknowledging their outstanding work. In action, these may look like awards, bonuses, or shout-outs to commend top performers.

Plus, HR leaders can connect the high performers to new hires for mentorship, guidance and skill sharing, further improving employee development on both ends.

Often, top performers are curious and hungry to learn more. Invest in their development by offering training programs, conferences, or mentorship opportunities.

High performers are the architects of innovation. Ongoing learning empowers them to push boundaries and stay ahead of emerging trends!

16. Overcome Resistance to Change With Transparency

Addressing resistance to change can be challenging, but transparency is a powerful tool in our HR toolbox. When you're open and honest about the reasons behind changes, you can build trust among employees. When employees trust you, they feel more secure and ultimately become more loyal to the organization.

Transparency isn't just about sharing the good news—it's also about being upfront about the tough stuff. Sharing successes and failures keeps everyone in the loop and makes them feel included in the company's journey. This motivates employees and fosters a sense of ownership and commitment to the organization's goals.

So, when faced with resistance to change, let's remember the power of transparency!

This is the last but certainly not the least HR documentation best practice for organizational success.

Documenting your organization's processes allows the HR department to create a clear and standardized framework for all HR-related activities. This comprehensive documentation serves as a reference guide, making sure there’s consistency in how tasks are performed and decisions are made.

Specifically, when it comes to software application processes, process documentation tools are your secret sauce for better knowledge sharing.

Such tools allow you to create user-friendly resources like "how-to" guides, FAQs, and other knowledge-based materials tailored to your audience.

You can even take it further with AI-powered tools like Gyde AI documentation. These tools generate screenshot guides in minutes, reducing content creation time.

By focusing on knowledge sharing, you can tap the collective intelligence of your workforce, bridging information silos and creating a learning culture!

18. Have a Comprehensive Separation Policy

There are four key scenarios where separation policy comes into play: terminations by the company, voluntary resignations, retirements, and layoffs.

To create an effective separation policy, outline transparent performance management processes, such as regular reviews and proper documentation of performance issues. These records will be crucial in supporting any separation decisions.

If an employee resigns, your policy should cover the entire separation process—from initial discussions to exit interviews. It should define HR and manager responsibilities, and outline the handling of company property and personal belongings. Make a note to process all final compensation promptly, including unused vacation days and bonuses.

When handling retirements, your policy should include clear communication and a plan for knowledge transfer. Celebrate the employee’s contributions and offer support for their transition to this next stage of life.

In case of layoffs and termination, sensitivity is advised. Both can be emotionally challenging, so your policy should have thoughtful communication, fair severance packages, and outplacement support.

Remember, an employee separation policy isn't just a document. It's a commitment to treating your employees fairly, even when it's time to part ways.

Customize HR Best Practices So They Aren't Generic

All the HR best practices mentioned in the blog should serve as inspiration.

We think your approach should be one that balances technology with empathy, flexibility with structure, and remote work with team cohesion!

Personalize these practices to suit your specific employee needs by asking yourself the following questions:

Will this practice help us achieve our strategic goals and objectives?
Do we have the necessary resources (time, budget, personnel) to implement it?
Who are the key stakeholders that need to be involved in this decision?
Does this practice have a long-term value, or does it serve a short-term purpose?
How will our employees react to this change?

By thoughtfully addressing these questions, you can build a stronger, more efficient HR department and enable your employees to thrive!

Why Digital Adoption Platforms Matter for HR's Tech Adoption

Lastly, we wanted to highlight a good HR practice that focuses on employee productivity and software adoption - the use of digital adoption platforms.

Why emphasize this again? Because technology is transforming HR, and it's important for teams to fully embrace it.

According to Gartner, 91% of businesses are engaged in digital initiatives, and 87% of senior HR leaders prioritize digitalization. This means that many HR tasks are now handled digitally through applications like Human Resource Management Software (HRMS) or Payroll software.

But let's be real—these systems can be tricky to navigate, and that’s why they are often underutilized. With digital adoption platforms, you can make it easier for employees to learn these tools and get comfortable using them.

It's a win-win: happier, more productive employees and better business outcomes.

So, let's cut the tech stress and get everyone up to speed. After all, wouldn't you rather want your employees to focus on their work than struggle with software?

FAQs

1. How to take care of your teams as an HR manager?

Here are four aspects to look out for when taking care of your team:

Communication: Keep it open, honest, and regular. Ask for their input and concerns.
Recognition: Appreciate their efforts and contributions. Make them feel valued.
Growth: Offer opportunities for learning and development. Help them reach their potential.
Well-being: Promote work-life balance and mental health initiatives.

2. What is a good HR strategy?

Good HR strategy focuses on the following:

Alignment: Align HR practices with company goals to create a win-win situation.
Focus on People: Prioritize employee well-being, engagement, and development.
Agility: Be adaptable to changing workforce needs and industry trends.
Data-driven: Use data to measure success and make informed decisions.

3. What is the difference between HR activities and HR best practices?

Activities: Day-to-day tasks like recruitment, onboarding, or payroll.
Best Practices: Proven methods for carrying out those activities. They lead to better outcomes.
Example: Conducting exit interviews (activity) helps identify reasons for employee turnover. Analyzing that data and addressing common issues (best practice) helps retain talent.