As a key member of the team and being in-charge of the most crucial department in an organisation, responsible for recruiting and training workforce, the managers should have a priority list for HR department.

It is easy to execute tasks once you have set up a systematic process in place. This process will help boost RoI (Returns on Investment) and enhance productivity among the workforce, without proving out of budget. The prioritising of tasks in an HR department and likewise throughout the organisation is important, because only when HR managers know to set priorities right, can they manage all the tasks carefully with complete responsibility for their actions.

The duties and responsibilities of a HR should be executed, bearing in mind employee satisfaction and engagement as the primary goals to accomplish. Besides which, it will also be key parameters that define standards of management and set benchmarks of operational excellence. Some of the guidelines enlisted below will help HRs to align their priorities right before setting off on path of organisational growth:

• Eliminate, Cut back and Delegate Responsibilities

HR departmental heads should find ways to cut back on extra expenditure and reduce overheads, eliminate staffers who do not bring in value or contribute towards increased revenue growth, while delegating responsibilities to the ones committed to perform and seeking long term career opportunity with the organisation.

• Keep a tab on ongoing projects

Managers should keep a tab on ongoing projects and track status every few weeks to answer some key questions such as:

1. Do these tasks impact the organisation bottom line or productivity?
2. Are these tasks truly crucial in nature or are they simple organisational habits turning out to be a time consuming exercise?
3. How do these tasks help support organisational goals and does it help HRs to serve employees better?

See: 5 Tools to Improve HR Departments

• Rank every project based on their levels of importance and urgency requirements. Set timelines for every project execution and strictly adhere to the same. The tasks which are most urgent should be prioritised on top of the list. Also rate projects based on the competencies required to accomplish particular tasks and number of staffers required to achieve results within timeline set.

• Maintain a checklist of all that needs to be done and tick those which have already been executed. Reward your team on successful completion of projects. Divide the tasks into urgent and not urgent.

• When recruiting candidates, indicate the top position that needs to be immediately filled. Always give precedence to jobs that impact revenue, hard-to-find skill jobs and those positions that are difficult to fill. Spread your efforts to prioritise too thin by spreading 35 percent of the tasks on high priority, this will allow some room to innovate and recreate.

Not every HR project has a defined success rate, brace yourself for the resistance you hold to certain projects, when prioritising tasks. Every project is unique in itself, so do ensure that they do not impact the bottom line of the company. Focus on areas such as training, hiring, leadership development and recruitment to maintain a competitive winning edge.

Also read: What HR Should Be Doing at the Moment