As the work year begins to wind down and we all begin to plan for the holiday season, what better time of year than the fall to work on breaking and retraining bad habits. Human Resources professionals are not immune to the experience and it can negatively affect your company’s ability to source and hire the best professionals.

5 Common Bad Habits of HR Professionals (And How to Fix Them)

1. Gossip and leaking personal information. Human resources managers know a lot of information about a lot of people but it is extremely important that they practice confidentiality. If you see gossiping or even the accidental leaking of personal information out of your HR department, take immediate action.
2. Less than thorough screening of candidates. Improper background checks, drug screenings, or other oversights can lead to long term employment problems. It is also important to make sure that your HR team is compliant with laws regarding tax information and eligibility to work in the United States. Establish easy to follow procedures to conduct with every candidate and new employee.
3. Not following up with candidates. The resume review and interview process can be overwhelming. It may be difficult to contact all of the candidates to let them know where they stand. Once interviews are conducted, be sure to contact each candidate to inform them of their status in the process. You never know if another opportunity may come up for a candidate so you don’t want to make a bad impression as an employer.
4. Being reactive rather than proactive. Discipline problems happen in the workplace. Often, policies are created out of these crisis situations. However, making and enforcing rules based on negative events can actually backfire on the management team. Try to be proactive about policies and procedures not reactive to events that happen in the office.
5. Dislike of confrontation. Most people dislike confrontation, but that doesn’t mean it is always a bad thing. Sending out a general email to address an issue caused by one employee can be taken entirely the wrong way by the entire workforce. Subsequently, not addressing issues when they happen will lead to confusion and frustration when more drastic measures need to be taken. Talk to individuals about problems as they happen and offer practical and positive solutions.

Looking for More Management Tips and Best Practices?

Read our related articles on HR & Hiring Best Practices. If your team is looking to hire in 2014, contact the experienced recruiters at StaffEx for additional information on the benefits of partnering with our team to grow yours!