Did you know that 81% of knowledge workers use at least six apps for their job, and 42% agree that information is too scattered? The result? Overwhelmed employees not being able to reach their full potential.
So, how can you make your business processes run more smoothly? Creating an HR SOP might be the answer.
By using best practices for process documentation, you will improve engagement and productivity rates, allowing the employees to maximize their potential. And our tool, MagicHow, will be of essential assistance in creating a valuable and comprehensive SOP.
In this post, we'll provide an in-depth guide that will make things easy to understand: what standard operating procedures are in human resources, how to take advantage of them with MagicHow and what benefits you will reap. Read on for answers.
What is an HR SOP?
Standard operating procedures are documented step-by-step instructions or guidelines that show how specific tasks or procedures should be performed within an organization. An HR SOP aids in process standardization and, as we've mentioned, is instrumental in improving employee performance.
HR SOP: Use cases
Now that we've determined what an HR SOP is, let's look at all the key ways HR departments can use it.
We'll also include relevant software tools that will enhance the work of human resources in the following aspects. And that is where MagicHow, our process documentation tool, comes into play.
By using MagicHow, without needing any prior experience, you can easily create a handy guide demonstrating how to use any of the tools we'll mention in a way that's specific to your company. MagicHow will automate the process of creating this guide by splitting it into logical steps and creating step-by-step instructions with screenshots.
So, no matter the segment of HR operations we're talking about, your staff will be well-prepared to tackle it, from recruitment and onboarding to employee training, performance management and handling benefits and compensation.
Recruitment
According to data analyzed by Bullhorn, staffing firms that have embraced automation have achieved a 64% higher job fill rate. If you want to hop on this trend, you should employ the relevant tools and use MagicHow to create how-to guides for them.
When it comes to the recruitment process, such relevant tools include those aimed at:
- Candidate sourcing, such as LinkedIn Recruiter, SeekOut and hireEZ
- Candidate outreach, such as Fetcher, Waalaxy and Expandi
- Resume screening, such as Lever, Greenhouse and SmartRecruiters
- Interviewing, such as VireUp, Hirevue and MyInterview
- Background checking, such as Checkr, HireRight and Accurate
- Candidate assessment, such as Mercer Mettl Assessments, TestGorilla and HackerRank
- Job posting, such as Indeed, Monster and AngelList
Onboarding
81% of knowledge workers feel overwhelmed with information throughout the onboarding process. That’s why the HR department will also need to have a knowledge base at its disposal to help with the onboarding process tools, such as those for:
- Electronic signatures like PandaDoc
- Email signature generation like HubSpot
- Project management like Notion
- Communication like Slack
Employee training
Apart from finding and onboarding new talents, HR teams need to know the processes for taking care of existing employees. The training programs and tools you use will depend on your industry, but here are some ideas of tools you can create SOP manuals for:
- Sales tools like Salesforce
- Spreadsheet software like Excel
- Uploading platforms like WordPress
- SEO tools like Surfer SEO
- Design tools like Canva
Performance management
Human resources must have a good grasp of how to gauge employee performance and use different employee management tools. So, give the HR team instructions on performance-related procedures, such as:
- Goal setting and tracking
- Performance review
- Performance analytics and reporting
- Employee recognition
- Career planning
Benefits and compensation
The part of HR's procedures that employees are usually most fond of! Teach your employees how to:
- Handle health insurance and retirement plans
- Request sick leave or time off
- Manage payments and benefits
How to create an HR SOP with MagicHow
We've named plenty of quite helpful HR tools, but an important part of human resources SOP is the documentation related to the use of these tools that's unique to your business. As mentioned earlier, MagicHow is just the SOP software you need to easily create such documentation.
Whether you're implementing new tools or answering FAQs about the ones your team has already used, our AI-powered software will allow you to automate the creation of guides through an interface that is completely effortless to use.
And by the way, you don't need to limit its use to HR only. MagicHow is used in various industries, and you can create all kinds of training materials with it, including:
Without further ado, then, here is how to get a helpful employee training manual for your HR tools:
Install the software
MagicHow comes in a PC desktop version, as well in the form of an extension for the most popular browsers:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Apple Safari
Regardless of the version you choose, the basic suite of features is completely free of charge.
After you've chosen and started the installation, the setup process will be over in no time — just follow the intuitive on-screen instructions, and you're good to go.
Record the process you want to teach
Aaand, the process of actually building a handy guide is about to begin. Start MagicHow, hit record and simply perform the process you want to demonstrate within a chosen tool. Keep in mind, there's no need to concern yourself with the structure of the guide. Just leave it all to MagicHow to handle.
After you're done, MagicHow will split the process you want to teach into logical steps, including providing the corresponding screenshots, and present you with a guide you can now customize or immediately share. Easy-peasy.
Customize your HR SOP
Some additional modifications might be in order to get an even better guide, and they're easy to make. Here is what you can do to improve its content and style:
- Adding steps’ titles and descriptions: Different titles might make the guide easier to follow, and the same goes for descriptions you may wish to include.
- Blurring sensitive data: Quite a convenient option when you need to protect sensitive or confidential data, for instance, personal data, passwords or proprietary content.
- Cropping a picture: Is there an irrelevant part of the screenshot, or do you wish to focus the user's attention on a particular detail? No problem, just crop the image!
- Adding logos to your screenshots: Consistent visual branding is key to maintaining a professional image and strengthening your brand, and adding logos is a good way to do it.
- Changing the visual style, including colors and fonts: Change the style according to your liking and ensure the mentioned branding consistency!
- Replacing or merging the slides: If you've decided you need a more concise guide, you may eliminate any perceived redundancies.
Share your HR SOP
Thanks to the four convenient ways to share your MagicHow SOP guide, we've ensured you can send it to anyone conveniently and hassle-free. Here is how to do it:
- Send a direct link or an email invitation. You can modify access settings so the receiver can only view or edit the guide. If you've used Google Docs, you know how this works!
- Export the manual in PDF. It's as simple as it sounds!
- Get a copy of the guide in HTML or Markdown, then post it on third-party websites.
- Embed the guide in a knowledge repository created with Notion, Confluence, Zendesk, Webflow or some other tool. Just copy & paste a piece of code, and voilà, you've shared your guide!
Why do you need an HR SOP?
SOP is extremely useful in the human resources department for several vital reasons. Namely, by creating training manuals in the form of an SOP, your HR processes become much more:
- Efficient: Employees waste two hours daily looking for information. Documented procedures allow the staff to easily find what they’re looking for and save time.
- Quality-driven: Quality control is essential for maintaining a professional and efficient HR department.
- Risk-averse: With an HR SOP, you minimize the risk of errors and omissions.
- Consistent: When all HR processes are handled consistently, you maintain fairness in the workplace. And this is key for employee morale and trust.
- Compliant: Labor laws, anti-discrimination statutes and privacy regulations are just some of the legal requirements that HR is subject to. Documenting procedures for HR thus greatly reduces the risk of legal issues.
Conclusion
As you can see, standard operating procedures in HR (or other industries) are vital to a thriving work environment that enables team members to give their best while enjoying streamlined operations. In turn, this allows for a more efficient organization working under high-quality standards.
From recruitment to performance management, excellent HR SOP makes for a happy and engaged worker, boosting productivity all around. But to have such business documentation, you must use the right software tools, and that's where MagicHow comes in. So, sign up now and get the outstanding SOP you need!
