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HR Secrets – 7 Secrets About HR That They Won’t Tell You

HR Secrets – 7 Secrets About HR That They Won’t Tell You

Every business that has more than a few employees has Human Resources (HR) department. Positioned uniquely to interact with all the employees of the company, their primary role is to ensure peak efficiency and workplace satisfaction of employees. However, the folks at the HR department are only human after all, and here are 7 HR secrets that they won’t tell you about, from a HR insider.

1. HR Secrets #1 – Company policies bind the HR department too

While HR staff receive training and education to help resolve employee problems, they must follow company policies in doing so. Therefore, bureaucracy may suppress employee concerns, leaving them unresolved.

It’s likely not the fault of your HR if your workplace concerns remain unaddressed. And do remember that the bureaucracy is equally frustrating to the HR staff as well.

HR Professionals are bound by the company policy too
HR Professionals are bound by the company policy too

2. HR Secrets #2 – Why do people see HR as risk-averse

Many companies around the world often see HR departments as risk-averse, often prioritizing the company’s interests over individual employees.. Therefore, they may not always advocate strongly for employee rights. This perception is also backed by the belief that HR roles are often filled by individuals who have struggled in other departments (or) who are not considered among the most ambitious or innovative employees. As a result, HR may not be the best choice for those seeking a dynamic and challenging career.

As an employee or a business owner, the best way to counter this and avoid hiring yes-men as your HR staff is to crosscheck their credentials and expertise.

3. HR Secrets #3 – There can be biases in Appraisals

HR staff closely tie performance appraisals to manager satisfaction, which can create an implicit bias. As an employee, if you raise concerns or issues about management, this bias may interfere with how those concerns are addressed. Therefore, HR often hesitates to challenge managers on the issues brought forward by employees as their individual appraisals are also at stake.

While this can be a major issue in in-house HR teams, such issues do not take place in an outsourced HR setting.

4. HR Secrets #4 – HRs may not treat all employees equally

Corporate management requires HR professionals to retain the best talent in their organization. This can lead to the said top talents receiving preferential treatment by the HR. This is because the HR might focus specifically to cultivate employees who add an X-factor to the organization. For most employees, it is pointless to fight against such preferential treatment. However, this unfairness can be leveraged in your favor in case YOU are the top talent that the organization wants to retain.

5. HR Secrets #5 – Budget Cuts and Recession

The ongoing budget cuts, funding winter, hiring freezes have forced companies to also trim down their HR departments. The HR department in your company are employees after all, and hence are an overhead expenses to the organization. Therefore, the budget cuts and job losses hurt HR departments just as much as the other departments.

If you find yourself being resentful of your HR department for leading layoffs within your team, do spare a thought for HR staff themselves. They are under a tremendous struggle to reinvent themselves as well. Their role requires them to improve the efficiency of your team under a shrinking workplace.

6. HR Secrets #6 – HR’s opinion of you does matter!

In most organizations, the HR team is responsible for annual performance appraisals, as well as employee welfare and management. Therefore, as an employee, your career is at least partially dependent on the impression your HR has on you. Having a positive relationship with your HR can provide a massive boost for your career at the firm. Positive interactions with HR can ensure that they notice your work as well. This can result in having career hikes and promotions as well.

HR opinion of you does matter - ensure to be on the good books of the HR

7. HR Secrets #7 – The HR is not your counselor

While we did recommend having positive interactions with the HR, be careful to prevent oversharing of information. Remember that the organization employs the HR department, not the other way around. Therefore, they are under no obligation to keep your information confidential.

On the contrary, if any HR professional finds your activities against the interest of their organization, they will be forced to report it to their superiors. This will give them brownie points in the organisation, which can be a higher incentive than addressing your workplace concerns. Do be careful of what you share in these places.

This article covers the HR Secrets that an HR professional keeps away from an employee. However, these secrets can also be unexpectedly new for founders and entrepreneurs of new businesses. If you’re a founder of a small business reading this post, we recommend you to consider outsourcing your HR. This can ensure that you can avoid the pitfalls that come with hiring an internal HR.

Learn more about collaborating with an outsourced HRBP – HR Business Partner such as Kranium HR Services.

Alternatively, fill in the form below to reach out to an HR professional who can solve all your HR-related concerns.

Internal HR DepartmentOutsourced HR Business Partner (Kranium)
❌ Requires time to start being productive✅ Starts being productive from Day 1
❌ Expertise in Silos✅ All-round Expertise
❌ Not Exposed To Relevant HR Tools.Tech Tools are an integral part of HR delivery
❌ Adds to the employee head count.✅Does not add to the employee headcount
❌ Cannot scale easily as per requirements✅Easily Scalable as per requirements
❌ May have vested interests & partake in office politics✅Transparent, no vested interests, above-office politics
❌ Departure of an HR employee causes gaps✅Kranium ensures process / knowledge continuity
❌ Low Return on Investment (ROI)✅High Return on Investment (ROI)
An internal HR vs outsourced HR Business Partner
Why An Outsourced HR is Better For You

Why An Outsourced HR is Better For You

As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you’ll spend most of your time on the business itself. This includes planning for the future, focusing on strategy, increasing sales, acquiring new clients, and potentially raising funds. In all of this rush, it’s not uncommon for business owners to ignore the requirements of their workforce. As a business owner, if you have employees then not only do you have a duty to ensure your team gets a workable environment, but also an understanding that your business will not survive without top talents staying in your company.

Most small business owners are unable to identify the cause(s) for their high turnover. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to manage your employees effectively. This will definitely only save you time and money in the long run. Additionally, and crucially, it will allow your business to grow faster than you can pull off alone.

If this sounds like a problem you might be going through, have a look at some of the benefits of outsourcing your HR:

Benefits of Outsourced HR

Reduced Costs

Avoid the overhead expenses of maintaining your in-house HR department. A monthly retainership fee that you will pay an outsourced HR firm or agency will be far more economical. Therefore, this also results in a high Return on Investment (ROI) for your business.

Attract and retain top talent

Scouting, hiring and retaining the top talent in the industry is not an easy task. It can be difficult to attract top talent to your organisation. Additionally, retaining them for a long period and maintaining low attrition rates can make or break the future of a company. Let your outsourced HR Consultant handle a task as daunting as this, so that you can focus on growing the business itself.

Scale your HR functionality with ease

Ensure that you can easily adjust the requirement of your services depending on the ups-and-downs of your business. Not having to deal with the burden of additional headcount is an important benefit of outsourced HR.

All-round expertise to HR issues

An HR Business Partner from an outsourced HR firm will have experience working with a variety of companies from various industries. Therefore, they have an exposure to a wider range of HR issues, and thus capable of delivering the best cost-effective & time-effective solution.

Comparatively, an in-house HR will only have the experience of working in certain company-specific issues. This experience may not be suitable to tackle the challenges of your industry in particular.

Additional Support & Reassurance

An outsourced HR consultant can provide you with an unbiased perspective of the steps to be taken for your business. Since they are not bound by internal vested interests, they can work with integrity and in the best interests of your business.

Why An Outsourced HR Partner is Better For You

If you’re looking for the best service of outsourced HR Consultants, look no further than Kranium HR Services. Having Kranium as your HR Business Partner brings you the following benefits:-

  • 19 Years of Experience: Our deep understanding of the HR landscape enables us to provide effective solutions.
  • Unparalleled Expertise: Our team of HR professionals possesses the knowledge and skills to address complex HR challenges.
  • Cutting-Edge Technology: We leverage advanced HR technology from our partners like GreytHR, sumHR, Credily, etc. Hence, this helps in streamlining processes and deliver efficient services.
  • Scalability: Our solutions can adapt to your business’s growth and changing needs.
  • Modularity: Choose only those services that are best suited to your business requirements from our comprehensive portfolio. You can always add or discontinue certain services based on the circumstances of your business.

Here’s a comparison of Outsourced HR vs. your internal HR:

Internal HROutsourced HR (Kranium)
❌ Requires time to start being productive✅ Starts being productive from Day 1
❌ Expertise in Silos✅ All-round Expertise
❌ Not Exposed To Relevant HR Tools. Tech Tools are an integral part of HR delivery
❌ Adds to the employee head count.✅Does not add to the employee headcount
❌ Cannot scale easily as per requirements✅Easily Scalable as per requirements
❌ May have vested interests & partake in office politics✅Transparent, no vested interests, above-office politics
❌ Departure of an HR employee causes gaps✅Kranium ensures process / knowledge continuity
❌ Low Return on Investment (ROI)✅High Return on Investment (ROI)
Internal HR vs Kranium’s TotalHR

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your HR goals.

Why is Kranium’s TotalHR better than your internal HR

Why is Kranium’s TotalHR better than your internal HR

Small business owners are often preoccupied with growth and revenue targets. They may overlook the importance of a robust HR environment. While this is understandable, neglecting HR can have detrimental long-term consequences for a company’s success. Human Resources (HR) is the backbone of any organization, managing everything from recruitment to employee relations. For small businesses, the absence of a dedicated HR department can lead to inefficiencies, legal risks, and difficulty attracting top talent.

Kranium HR Services presents the TotalHR solution, offering a comprehensive solution to these challenges. As a specialized HR firm, we provide expert guidance and support to small businesses, ensuring a smooth and compliant work environment. The scope of our services under TotalHR include setting up modern performance appraisal systems, drafting company-specific HR policies, employee engagement, leave and attendance, etc.

By partnering with Kranium’s TotalHR, you can:

  • Save time and resources: Let us handle your HR tasks, and free you to focus on your core business.
  • Ensure compliance: Avoid costly legal issues by adhering to labor laws and regulations.
  • Attract and retain top talent: Create a positive work environment that attracts and retains talented employees.
  • Improve employee satisfaction: Foster a supportive and inclusive workplace culture.
  • Access expert advice: Benefit from our team of HR professionals with years of experience.
  • Scale your HR function: Easily adjust our services to meet your changing needs.
  • Reduce costs: Avoid the overhead expenses associated with maintaining an internal HR department.

Here’s a comparison of Kranium’s TotalHR vs. your internal HR:

Internal HRKranium’s TotalHR
❌ Requires time to start being productive✅ Starts being productive from Day 1
❌ Expertise in Silos✅ All-round Expertise
❌ Not Exposed To Relevant HR Tools. Tech Tools are an integral part of HR delivery
❌ Adds to the employee head count.✅Does not add to the employee headcount
❌ Cannot scale easily as per requirements✅Easily Scalable as per requirements
❌ May have vested interests & partake in office politics✅Transparent, no vested interests, above-office politics
❌ Departure of an HR employee causes gaps✅Kranium ensures process / knowledge continuity
❌ Low Return on Investment (ROI)✅High Return on Investment (ROI)
Internal HR vs Kranium’s TotalHR

By choosing Kranium’s TotalHR, you’re investing in the success of your business and the well-being of your employees. Our team of experienced HR professionals is committed to providing exceptional service and delivering results. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your HR goals.

Additional benefits of partnering with Kranium for TotalHR:

  • Improved employee morale and productivity: A well-managed HR department can boost employee morale and productivity. As a result, a positive work environment is created and employees will enjoy creating value with your firm.
  • Enhanced company culture: Our HR experts can help you develop a strong company culture that aligns with your values and goals.
  • Reduced employee turnover: Providing a positive and supportive work environment keeps employees happy. As a result, you can reduce employee turnover and minimize costs associated with recruitment and training.
  • Improved company reputation: While not all businesses with a HR department run legitimate operations, a strong HR department can help you build a positive reputation as an employer of choice.

Don’t let HR become a burden on your small business. Partner with Kranium and experience the benefits of having a dedicated HR team at your disposal.

4 Ways to Evaluate Employee Performance (Step-by-Step Guide)

4 Ways to Evaluate Employee Performance (Step-by-Step Guide)

Employers who routinely evaluate employee performance and conduct regular employee evaluations reap tremendous benefits:

  • Your employees will know what you expect of them. They will receive feedback, praise, and criticism of their work, and will have notice of any shortfalls in their performance or conduct.
  • You can recognize and reward good employees and identify and coach workers who are having trouble.
  • The communication required to make the evaluation process effective ensures that you will stay in tune with the needs and concerns of your workforce.

The evaluation process also nips a lot of employment problems in the bud. Performance evaluations can keep you out of legal trouble by helping you track and document your employees’ problems. If you ever need to fire or discipline a worker, you will have written proof that you gave the employee notice and a chance to correct the problem, which will go a long way towards convincing a jury or judge that you acted fairly.

This article provides an overview of the evaluation process; for step-by-step instructions and forms for conducting performance evaluations, including tips on creating performance objectives, observing and documenting employee performance, writing appraisals, holding evaluation meetings, and more.

Evaluate Employee Performance Appraisal Kranium Man Happy

Evaluate Employee Performance

Before you can accurately evaluate employee performance, you need to establish a system to measure that performance. For each employee, you need to come up with performance standards and goals.

Performance standards. Performance standards describe what you want workers in a particular job to accomplish and how you want the job done. These standards apply across the board, to every employee who holds the same position. For example, a standard for a salesperson might be to make $50,000 in sales per quarter. Make sure your standards are achievable and directly related to the employee’s job.

Goals. Unlike performance standards, goals should be tailored to each employee; they will depend on the individual worker’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, a goal for a graphic artist might be learning a new software program that will make his or her work more efficient; for an accounting professional, a goal might be to take the exam to become a certified public accountant. Your workers can help you figure out what reasonable goals should be.

Once you have defined the standards and goals for each position and worker, write them down and hand them out to your employees. This will let your employees know what you expect and what they will have to achieve during the year to receive a positive evaluation.

Throughout the year, track the performance of each employee. Keep a log for each worker, either on your computer or on paper. Note memorable incidents or projects involving that worker, whether good or bad. For example, you might note that a worker was absent without calling in, worked overtime to complete an important project, or participated in a community outreach program on behalf of the company.

If an employee does an especially wonderful job on a project or really fouls something up, consider giving immediate feedback. Orally or in writing, let the employee know that you noticed and appreciate the extra effort — or that you are concerned about the employee’s performance. If you choose to give this kind of feedback orally, make a written note of the conversation for the employee’s personnel file. It is also a good idea to have a policy on progressive discipline.

At least once a year, formally evaluate each employee by writing a performance appraisal and holding a meeting with the employee. To prepare, gather and review all of the documents and records relating to the employee’s performance, productivity, and behavior. Review your log and the employee’s personnel file. You might also want to take a look at other company records relating to the worker, including sales records, call reports, productivity records, time cards, or budget reports.

Once you have reviewed these documents and gathered your thoughts about the employee’s work, write the appraisal (or, if you will solicit input from other managers, ask each of them to complete an evaluation, and then compile them). Although an appraisal can take many forms, it should include:

  • each standard or goal you set for that worker and that job
  • your conclusion as to whether the employee met the standard or goal, and
  • the reasons that support your conclusion.

When you have finished writing the appraisal, set up a meeting to discuss it with the employee. Remember, this is likely to be one of the most important meetings you have with each employee all year, so schedule enough time to discuss each issue thoroughly. At the meeting, let your worker know what you think he or she did well and which areas could use some improvement. Using your evaluation as a guide, explain your conclusions about each standard and goal. Listen carefully to your worker’s comments — and ask the worker to write them down on the evaluation form. Take notes on the meeting and include those notes on the form.

It can be difficult to evaluate employee performance. Some workers react to criticism defensively. And, sometimes, no one understands what merits a positive evaluation. If your workers feel that you take it easy on some of them while coming down hard on others, resentment is inevitable. Avoid these problems by following these rules:


a) What they can do

  • Be specific. When you set goals and standards for your workers, spell out exactly what they will have to do to achieve them. For example, don’t say “work harder” or “improve quality.” Instead, say “increase sales by 20% over last year” or “make no more than three errors per day in data input.” Similarly, when you evaluate a worker, give specific examples of what the employee did to achieve — or fall short of — the goal.
  • Give deadlines. If you want to see improvement, give the worker a timeline to turn things around. If you expect something to be done by a certain date, say so.

b) What you can do

  • Be realistic. If you set unrealistic or impossible goals and standards, everyone will be disheartened — and will have little incentive to do their best if they know they will still fall short. Don’t make your standards too easy to achieve, but do take into account the realities of your workplace.
  • Be honest. If you avoid telling a worker about performance problems, the worker won’t know that he or she needs to improve. Be sure to give the bad news, even if it is uncomfortable.
  • Be complete. Write your evaluation so that an outsider reading it would be able to understand exactly what happened and why. Remember, that evaluation just might become evidence in a lawsuit. If it does, you will want the judge and jury to see why you rated the employee as you did.
  • Evaluate performance, not personality. Focus on how well (or poorly) the worker does the job — not on the worker’s personal characteristics or traits. For instance, don’t say the employee is “angry and emotional.” Instead, focus on the workplace conduct that is the problem — for example, you can say the employee “has been insubordinate line managers twice in the past six months. This behavior is unacceptable and must stop.”
  • Listen to your employees. The evaluation process will seem fairer to your workers if they have an opportunity to express their concerns, too. Ask employees what they enjoy about their jobs and about working at the company. Also ask about any concerns or problems they might have. You’ll gain valuable information, and your employees will feel like real participants in the process. In some cases, you might even learn something that could change your evaluation.

by: Amy DelPo, Attorney

Story of a Layoff that didn’t happen

Story of a Layoff that didn’t happen

Some days back a client called me.

It was towards the end of the third phase of the lockdown. It was likely that he would be able to resume his business but he was a worried man. With reduced revenues for some months now, he felt his first move should be to slash costs. Employee salaries were his largest expense head and naturally, he concluded that he had no other alternative but to let go many of his staff.

Like all of us, my client is basically a decent human being. He doesn’t want anyone to lose their jobs. He knows they need the money. He is aware that it will be impossible for them to get another job in these tough times. Yet, he felt he had no choice. He thought he couldn’t afford to keep them any longer. But, here’s the thing, he was so troubled in his mind that he decided to call me to talk it out before making any announcement. Just to see if there was any way out.

I hear him out fully. Then I asked him just two questions.

How much cash does your company have at this time?
How long will the cash last if there is zero sales?
After checking with his accountant he told me that they had cash for 2 months with zero revenue; But, and here’s the good news, they were doing around 30% of their normal revenue already. I then asked him how long it would take them to double that number. He said that he needed time to figure that out.

So a couple of days later, he called me again. He said that he had gone into a huddle with some his senior staff and they discovered that the changed environment had thrown up new opportunities. Nothing earth shattering, but enough to get the cash flow going again.

Now, here’s the thing, He said that by tweaking their strategies a little, they could get back to 70% of their pre Covid revenue in just 3 months! He could see a light at the end of the tunnel.I now sat with him and together we examined the impact that employees would have on his business given this ‘new normal’. We realised that instead of retrenching people in bulk, we could work out a ‘win win’ solution by implementing graded pay cuts.

People would still have their jobs.

Revenues would return.

And expenses would be manageable.

His firm has 50 employees – 30 of them in Accounts/admin/operations and 20 in sales or other client facing activities.

We first segregated the employees into the following buckets

Bucket 1

Employees who are absolutely critical for the business

4 in Accounts,

6 in Operations

10 in Telesales

Bucket 2

Employees who cannot do any work because of the Covid 19 situation

4 in Sales

5 in Logistics

3 in Operations

Bucket 3

Employees who can do at least 40-50% of their work

3 in Accounts

4 n Admin

5 in Sales

8 in Operations

We went into each role and employee deeply, especially in Bucket 1 – what is expected of them, what constraints they will face and their competence/ability.

The next step was to segregate employees salary wise

Group A

CTC less than 25000 per month

Group B

CTC of 25000 to 50000 per month

Group C

CTC of 50,000+ per month.

Note: This grouping was based on the average payroll of this particular company. It may vary from company to company.

Now we had a clear idea about where we stood with respect to the employees.

With this in hand, we laid out the following grid with percentage cuts in salary based on both criticality of work and salaries.

No alt text provided for this image
We realised that we would need to let go of only 3 employees because of lack of performance or because their roles were not relevant for the new plan.

The next step was to communicate this decision to the employees, which was the most critical aspect of the whole exercise. My friend held a townhall with all the employees though video conferencing and discussed the situation frankly and transparently:

In brief, he spoke about

1. The current business scenario

2. The need to make changes

3. The method he had adopted

4. The timelines for its implementation

5. Expectations from employees and what can be expected of the management.

6. And finally, this is the most important point

He also stressed that this was a temporary measure. That things would revert to the previous levels once revenues normalized in a sustained manner. He also put a timeline for this. He patiently listened to all queries and addressed them. He was in full control of the conversation.

Net result: Most of the employees were relieved that their jobs are still intact and were enthused with new business plan. They went to work with a will.

There were three key reasons for my client’s success

1. Thinking solution and not problem

2. Realising that your people are your partners – that you share a symbiotic relationship with them; both need each other.

3. And, finally, recognizing that you have a problem and getting help to solve it

5 Steps to make sure your job is safe

5 Steps to make sure your job is safe

Many working people are beset with a very real fear today. No, it is not the fear of getting Covid-19. They are afraid of losing their jobs.

The Coronavirus pandemic has hit the whole world very hard. Across industries, companies have been affected. Revenues have plummeted and the future looks uncertain at best. No one knows when things will return to normal, and if they ever will.

These are tough times, and as an employee, you know what employers do when times get tough. They downsize. So, if you are worried that your job may be on the line…you are not alone. Every employee in the private sector shares this fear with you. Especially those who work in SME businesses.

The question is, what can you do about it? Is there a way to make sure that your job is safe?

Well, while there is no magic bullet to secure, there are a few things that you can do to make yourself indispensable. Before I get into explaining them, there are a few things you must realise:

1. Your employer is also grappling with similar problems – both at home and work.
2. They have never faced such a situation before.
3. They are worried about how they will meet their expenses, which includes your salary.
4. They don’t have all the answers
And, for that very reason, they don’t want to take any drastic steps lest it affects their ability to grow the business when the situation improves.

That said, let’s get back to what you can do.

Take that extra effort and understand your company’s financial situation. It is a large, listed company, you will find this information on its website. If it isn’t listed on the stock exchange, try and find out by discussing it with colleagues and your manager.

For small and medium companies you can get an idea by using the following trick:
Take an educated guess as to the average salary of an employee in your company.
Multiply that with the number of employees.
You will get the cost of employees.
Double this to add costs like rent etc.
Now do a bit of research and find out if the company’s sales figures (or gross margins) match this expense.

How does this knowledge help you?

If your company’s financial health is strong, you have less reason to worry. If it is not doing too well, then you have to plan your future moves more carefully.

This is a basic necessity but I am reiterating it nevertheless.

It is important to understand that every employee’s role contributes to the larger goal of the organisation. You are an important cog in the wheel and you must know clearly how your role supports the company.

Talk to your supervisors and get clarity on what they are expecting you to do. Give proactive feedback and set the expectations jointly.

Take the effort to upgrade your skills and knowledge. Not just in your role but also in the overall business environment.

Tough times call for tough measures. So you must be ready to get out of your comfort zone. Show your employer that you are ready to take on new responsibilities. Demonstrate that you are eager to help in every way.

This is especially important if your company is not doing well financially, the quantum of your work has reduced and expectations from you have come down. In this case, you need to show your employer that they can count on you to support them when they are faced with a crisis.

If necessary, you must even volunteer to take a pay cut. But be sure to set common milestones to revert to your original salary when the situation improves

If you follow and action these five suggestions, you will make yourself valuable to your employer. This means they will find it difficult to let you go, so your job becomes more secure.

Let me leave you with four simple principles to make a great career:

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