Running a Nursery is a huge challenge. As a Nursery Owner or Manager you are constantly moving between a plethora of tasks to keep everything working properly. Your employees are your greatest asset but can also be a challenge, so making sure your HR processes are working properly is so important. The following 9 HR tips will help you focus on some of the key HR priorities in your Nursery:
- Recruit Talent
When you are recruiting new staff into your nursery be clear on what you are wanting them to accomplish and how you want them to do this. A good job description which outlines all of this will be a great starting point. You will then have a framework to compare candidates to, ensuring you are getting the closest match and the best talent for the role.
Following this with a fair and consistent interview process will also ensure you are giving yourself the best chance possible in recruiting the right people to work in your nursery.
Having the right people working in your nursery from the start will make life much easier for you in the long run. You might have to take more time in making sure your recruitment process is right but it will be worth it.
- Continuously Check In With Your Employees’
Communication is King in any business and having regular ‘check in’ discussions with your employees’ is a big benefit for you, them and the smooth running of your nursery. There should be a blend of performance reviews and more general, informal updates that you have with your staff.
Regular contact with your employees’ will make a great difference. I would recommend that you have an informal chat with each employee every 2 weeks and then a more formal review meeting every 2 months.
Many traditional HR practitioners would follow the mantra of having a 6 month review followed by an end of year annual performance review. But this is too long to not keep in contact with your people so definitely make it a regular and consistent event for your nursery.
- Get An Employee Handbook
This is a great HR Tip that all businesses should apply. It might be something you already have in your Nursery and that you have circulated to your employees, in which case great work! This is a fantastic way to communicate to your staff and show clearly the expectations you have of them and what your Nursery will do to support them.
But remember to keep updating it and ensure it covers off the key areas of HR that all employees should be aware of.
- Create a Positive Work Environment
You will have gone to an enormous amount of effort and expense to employ the right people for your nursery so never make the mistake of not following this by providing a great work environment for your employees’. This is so important and can be the difference between retaining the best talent or having people who leave within just a few weeks of starting with you.
Ensure you are investing in your people by providing the right training and spending time with them so they feel a part of your team from day one. Having a good induction programme that allows new employees’ to settle in is also essential.
Praising your staff for great work is also invaluable and shows you appreciate the results they are achieving.
Creating and maintaining positive morale amongst you employees by organising fun activities is also a great way to ensure you have a happy and productive work force.
- Go Paperless
Whether you are ready or not we have entered the era of tech and it is here to stay for a long time. But rather than fear it you should embrace it and take advantage of the fantastic benefits it can offer you and your nursery. This single HR tip could make a tremendous difference to how your nursery operates.
Break away from the shackles of paperwork and invest in good quality software that will ease your paperwork burden and free up more of your time.
The Nursery HR People software app for example will enable you to create and send employment contracts to your employees all online. You can even get them electronically signed and securely stored within your own cloud based employee filing system.
This by far beats the paper based system and keeps everything in better order, meaning you instantly have a win win situation when Ofsted come to inspect your setting.
- Appoint an Expert in Law and Regulations
One of the biggest HR tips to make sure you never ignore is don’t fall foul of the law. There are plenty of activities you have to manage within your nursery but the laws and regulations you must abide by must always be a priority. Keep a track of these whether you do this yourself or appoint an expert.
With regards to HR it is always advisable to have someone who is qualified to advise you on employment law matters and to make sure you are fully compliant and up to speed on any new legislation changes.
- Don’t Go It Alone
It is easy to forget that there is help and support available out there for you. You are so focussed on what you are doing that you may not realise what resources are available to make your life easier. Always seek better ways of doing things and make changes that will help your nursery.
Technology for example is a game changer and will soon become a big feature in how you do things in your setting. Don’t be afraid to explore other options and seek advice from people in your industry who have the solutions available to support you.
- Check Your Employees are Legally Eligible to Work in the UK
Always make sure that your employees are eligible to work in the UK. I appreciate this is a legal requirement for your nursery to comply with but it doesn’t hurt to remind you of this responsibility.
The 3 key words to remember when checking a person’s eligibility to work in the UK are, Obtain, Check and Copy. Always obtain the correct documentation, check it is valid and take a copy to keep on file.
Failure to comply with this law could result in a fine of up to £20,000. Ouch!
- Embrace Change
I realise that our World never stays still and this is so true of us, our lives and our nurseries. Change is inevitable and will always be a constant. Rather than fight the tide of change develop an understanding of what change could benefit your nursery and don’t be afraid to make changes to improve its performance.
You should always be striving to improve how your nursery operates and if this means bringing in some new software for example to help support you and your employees’ then do it.
Remember you don’t have to do things the way you have always done them. In many situations keeping things the same won’t give you the best results either. Making changes in the right places can make a huge difference to improving how you run your nursery.
For example The Nursery HR People software app can support you in accessing a library of HR policies and procedures that are kept up to date and in compliance with employment law 365 days per year. You will never have to worry about legal updates regarding your HR processes again! Just imagine how such changes can free up so much more of your time and take the pain out of the process for you.
I hope you have found this article useful and the HR Tips I have shared with you help you and your nursery improve in this area.
As always if you have any feedback or comments regarding this blog then I would be delighted to hear from you.
Less HR More Learning!
Donna Fairbrother
Director
The Nursery HR People
donna@thenurseryhrpeople.co.uk
01509 833121