HR Manager: an advocate for employee or a strategic partner for the business

by Iryna Yemets, Head of HR, and HR Team at Netminds 

It is said that HR services are usually not visible in the company. When they work properly, you may not even notice that, it feels like everything just goes as it has to be. But if you take it away or any of the processes is broken, you will definitely feel it. 

So what makes HR an integral part of the company operations and strategic direction? 

Let’s start with the basis - what is the main role of HR in the company: It is a connection bridge between our customers, the company, and employees, aiming to achieve common business goals. HR ensures that communication and cooperation is held in a professional way, and also assists in constant development of the whole organization and each stakeholder. 

And here is how we achieve it at Netminds.

Employee lifecycle management

Helping the employee to start their path and assimilate into the company and get to know the processes, culture, and internal rules is the core function of HR. As well as leading the person when they leave the company, to make sure all the possible issues are discussed and the separation is smooth and without unpleasant experience.

Wellbeing, benefits, and motivation programs

It’s not a secret that today work is not only about completing tasks and receiving compensation (still for some people it is so, and we don’t judge :) 

While an interesting project and up-to-date technologies are the key points in terms of motivation in the IT sphere, still, additional bonuses such as wellbeing programs, benefits, events, and gifts make the daily routine more inspiring and engaging. 

Keeping the employees motivated and loyal ensures our long-term partnership with the customers. 

Corporate culture cultivation

We strive to create a positive environment to ensure that organizational values and employee behaviors are aligned. At Netminds, we are aiming to cultivate employee engagement, feedback sharing, and support, making the company a safe place to cooperate and communicate. We believe that going an extra mile beyond their personal duties strengthens team spirit even among employees working on separate projects. 

The other part of the HR job is to help our customers eliminate cultural differences, improve overall interaction and communication, and integrate their culture into their Polish and Ukrainian mates’ daily routine through team rituals, gifts, events, or branded merch.

Learning and development

By assisting in employees’ development via performance management of soft and hard skills and aligning personal goals with business objectives, we ensure higher quality service, discovering the value of each team member and their contribution into common success. 

We provide support in creating individual development plan, consulting on further development steps, organizing internal trainings and external education, like online courses, certifications, or training programs and conferences. 

Processes and policies development

Netminds always used to be a low-bureaucratic company. Thus, we have developed our set of processes and procedures that help us easier operate the daily routine and basic issues. Still, there is always a place for flexibility and common sense. 

We have also developed our internal systems to ensure that our processes are documented in a clear manner, the employees have easy access to any information they need, and all the updates are properly communicated. Along with that, employee data is properly collected and managed.

Risk and crisis management

Regular checks of mood and atmosphere via one-to-one meetings, sync-ups with the team, or chats during the coffee break at the office terrace help us be on site with employees to prevent issues before they arise.

At the same time, when facing unpredictable issues, like layoffs or economic downturns, HR manages proper communication, supports mental health of the whole team, and mitigates further risks, protecting both employees and business interests.

Surveys and analytics

Conducting regular and ad-hoc surveys to collect feedback, insights, and data helps us understand the general picture of the company and assist in making strategic decisions. Having various kinds of information allows us see the situation from different perspectives and put more effort into stuff that should be in focus at the moment, aiming to become better and better every day. 

So HR is not about “loving people”, it’s about helping businesses be profitable, customers be satisfied with the services, and people have a comfortable place to work.