As the UK’s modern economy transitions into a post-pandemic state, recovering from a significant financial downturn, businesses are seeking to secure their operations and minimise risk to secure their survival. Certain sectors have been affected more greatly than others, such as retail, hospitality, and travel, the results of which places an even greater pressure on similar businesses to ensure that costly events are minimised or altogether avoided.
While business security has always been a pursuit of successful enterprises, it is now a primary focus across the board. Both digital and traditional resources are being scrutinised to guarantee their short and long-term viability. Even relatively secure departments are under review. There are a number of high-risk areas of business, however, that deserve the most attention, those that, more than others, are most likely to encounter issues.
Often, the first port of call for security concerns is digital data. Software, especially cloud-based programs, are evaluated and updated for their potential vulnerabilities. It is, however, far more likely that employee and management error lead to various risks. Beyond data security compromises, human error also leads to financial and operational costs too.
To minimise human error requires a multifaceted approach. Reviewing training and more closely overseeing practices with checks and balances is, alone, not enough. Employee satisfaction should be a key focus too. This is because disgruntled employees are prone to less productivity, increased turnover, and a greater likelihood of error. Ensuring employee satisfaction has also been made a more essential consideration due to the international health crisis, placing greater pressure on individuals, as well as ongoing physical and mental health concerns.
Managing your employees’ wellbeing and satisfaction can be orchestrated through many departments. Payroll services, for example, ensure that employee salaries are paid on time and without error, relieving staff of potential stress. Workplace counselling services have been demonstrated to create a more accepting environment, one with fewer days of illness since staff with mental health issues are likely to request time off (often disguising their ailments as physical to avoid stigma).
Cultivating workplace culture is one of the most important employee retention strategies. By creating a satisfactory and enjoyable professional environment, employees are more likely to enjoy their work and remain loyal to the company, instead of seeking a novel or more appealing position elsewhere. Progression is also a significant factor in such a successful environment, allowing employees the knowledge that they are more likely to be considered for training and promotion, which, in turn, encourages their loyalty and job satisfaction.
While the importance of human resource management is hard to overstate, there are, indeed, digital considerations to take into account too. Software, while reliable, is often left to stagnate. To ensure ongoing security, it must be regularly reviewed and updated, not only to eliminate potential breaches but also to support its own efficiency. As programs and hardware are updated, they also provide an appropriate opportunity to retrain and reengage employees with their operation to develop familiarity.