Many small businesses don’t have a dedicated HR department or human resources manager, yet someone needs to manage the everyday HR recordkeeping tasks that are necessary where employees are involved. Multi-tasking while working at a small business is both a perk (because it allows people to have a range of responsibilities that lets them expand their skill set and alleviates boredom), as well as a hindrance when asking for support in a role that may not be seen as theirs. For example, it can seem awkward for someone who’s not in a devoted human resource role to ask their manager to buy human resource software. 

Non-profits love our HR software in large part because it’s so affordable. Lately we’ve heard from a couple more not-for-profit organizations that have been using Staff Files for a while. It’s helped them get quick access to employee and staff reports, manage time-off accruals, and keep up with license and certification renewals. Learn more about how non-profits benefit from HR software.

It’s important to track training, certifications, and licenses for your employees because it can help you make decisions about promotions and raises. When there is more than one qualified employee competing for the same job, the amount of training could be used as the determining factor to pick which employee will receive the promotion. Tracking certifications and licenses may be even more important for organizations that have specific industry or government requirements that their employees need to meet. Examples of employees that require certifications and licenses are nurses, teachers, hair stylists, and truck drivers. You’ll also want a foolproof way of making sure your employees remember to renew those certifications and licenses.

Firing employees can be stressful and risky. When terminating employees, you risk possible lawsuits, as well as adding stress to your existing workforce. One way to avoid both of these situations is to have a progressive discipline policy in place. This policy should be clearly written and communicated to your personnel. It’s common to include a progressive discipline policy in an employee handbook. It’s also important for this policy, and any other company policies, to be enforced consistently and fairly among your entire staff.