Cut HR some slack, it’s April

April is one of the busiest times of the year in a HR professional’s calendar. However, many others within a workplace may not know why this is and could well be giving HR a hard time for not replying as quickly as they would like. So Honeydew are here to say, Cut HR some slack, it’s April! But let’s explain why…

As many may know, April is the beginning (and end) of the new financial year. But what many might not know, is that this new financial year brings all sorts of Human Resource capabilities into play and require a lot of hard work! For a start, wages, bonuses, holiday allowances and taxes will need to be arranged, negotiated and paid this month. This mean appraisals and salary discussions must take place. Further to this, there will also be a natural influx in employee requests for information and a fast answer to these requests.

To be more specific, according to research profiled by HR Review, the top 3 reasons for the fluctuation in workload every April were cited as;

-52% said bonuses were the top reason for the increase in workload

-48% said Salary Increases

-46% said Performance Reviews

Lastly, there are the dreaded Bank Holidays. The many bank holidays in April are something that most workers look forward to. But for HR, these multiple bank holidays are simply seen as a days off work that could actually be used productively!

But there is some relief for HR teams that are feeling the strain. Honeydew previously wrote a blog entitled ‘Improving relations between HR and Line Managers’ that gives advice and tips on how HR can reduce the notoriously large amount of time (1/3 of their time) they spend answering ‘day to day queries from line managers’, by making information easily available to all staff. These tips could not only save you time in April, but all through the year and ensure that the relationship between HR and line managers becomes more fluid and positive.

So if you’re waiting for a request from HR that has taken slightly longer than usual, or if you’re feeling dissatisfied with how long your bonus negotiations are taking. Just take a moment to understand the sheer workload your HR team are undertaking at the moment and perhaps even pass on the message to cut HR some slack, it’s April.

To see the full article from HR Review, click here

To read ‘Improving relations between HR and Line Managers’, click here