Spend less time hiring and more time as a C-suite partner
With Human Resources being part of the C-suite, it will be even more important for HR executives to manage their time wisely. This involves planning and balancing responsibilities and required duties, helping individuals prioritize assignments, and ensuring that the most important tasks are accomplished on deadline.
Below you’ll find ten time management tips to help the HR team handle its day-to-day tasks so that they can concentrate on the extremely important aspects of the C-suite.
One: Make a to-do list and stick to it
Mark down in print your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks in order to minimize distractions and define goals. Allot appropriate time for each item on your list and set a deadline for each task.
Two: Prioritize tasks
It’s important to develop a system of prioritization for work duties. To do so, consider the type of task, the person who delegated it, the required deadline, and how badly it is needed.
Many executives follow the “Urgency Model” for prioritizing work assignments. The system helps to categorize tasks and determine level of importance. You will place each item in one of the following categories:
- Urgent, important tasks
- Important, but not urgent tasks
- Urgent, but not important tasks
- Tasks which are neither important nor urgent.
Three: It’s okay to disconnect
If you are preparing for an important task and need 100 percent focus, it’s okay to disconnect. Route your calls to voicemail, shut off your mobile phone, shut down your email, and close any distracting tabs you may have open.
Four: Work on the hardest tasks first
Scheduling the most non-glamourous tasks early in the day ensures that you are more apt to successfully complete them. Productivity is higher in the morning than in the afternoon. Therefore, beginning with the hardest or most urgent tasks will allow you a greater chance of successful completion at an efficient rate.
Five: Cluster similar tasks together
Instead of bouncing from one type of task to another, try working on similar tasks at the same time. This will allow you to get in the mindset of scheduling interviews or responding to emails or whatever else that you happen to be working on at the moment. Track patterns in your tasks to ensure that you can schedule like tasks in together.
Six: Just say “no”
Many HR professionals have trouble saying “no,” as they work their hardest to achieve a seat at the C-suite table. However, in order to maintain high quality results, sometimes it’s necessary to turn down projects and/or say “no” to other professional obligations. If the work is outside of your responsibilities or not a priority, it’s okay to decline the additional project in order to ensure that other, important tasks are effectively completed in a timely manner.
Seven: Delegate responsibilities
If you have direct reports, or even indirectly manage others, take advantage of your ability to delegate tasks. Do not pass on urgent or important tasks unless you are certain that they will be done correctly and efficiently by others. The general rule is if another can do the task at least 80 percent as well as you can, then you should delegate. Delegation can be an effective way to reduce stress and ensure that your workload is completed on time.
Conclusion
As a member of the HR department, your goal is to complete tasks that are aimed towards the strategic planning of the company. Working on talent pipelines and succession planning and similar high-level procedures takes time. Using these seven time-saving steps can help you free up the time you need to do the important work expected of C-suite members.