Does your company need to recruit more employees? Do you want to ensure your organization is following all the ever-changing employment laws? Have you decided that employee morale has become too low, and you want to improve this? If you’ve decided to take action on any of these issues, you’ve made the decision to create a human business objective.
In business, there are four main types of business objectives: economic, social, organic, and human.
As you think about where you want your business to be in the next six months, the next year, or the next five years, it’s important to not just think broadly but to get specific.
And this is where objectives come into play.
What Are Human Objectives?
Even the smallest of companies have needs when it comes to their people.
Human resource objectives, or HR objectives, are the specific desired targets and plans of action when it comes to the people of the workforce. These objectives can strive to be proactive and prevent problems before they start. Or, objectives can be reactive in response to a problem.
These objectives aren’t one-size-fits-all. The objective that the large company down the street has set won’t be the objective that a new business will set. Rather, each company sets objectives tailored to their own specific needs.
Human objectives aren’t created out of thin air. They must be created in alignment with a matching broader goal or a need to solve a current problem.
Here are a few examples of how a goal should line up with an objective:
- Goal: Recruit talent. Human objective: Develop a competitive salary.
- Goal: Recruit talent. Human objective: Develop an internal promotion program.
- Goal: Improve workforce well-being. Human objective: Spread awareness of the Employee Assistance Program.
The way that human objectives are created and executed doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It requires brainstorming and talking through these ideas with parties outside the HR department. Operational objectives such as cutting costs can have an impact on your people.
These types of objectives can require input from multiple stakeholders throughout your organization. Sometimes, creating and implementing a human business objective requires a great deal of ingenuity and creativity, especially in a tough business environment.
Examples of Human Business Objectives
As you determine what your broader goals are, you will then be able to determine the objective that best matches that goal. Here are a few human-focused objectives that may help you reach your broader goals:
- Build relationships with employees
- Create a comfortable work environment
- Create a safe work environment
- Enhance the new hire onboarding experience
- Implement merit bonuses for high performers
- Improve the company culture
- Improve the benefits package
- Provide employee discounts to local merchants
- Recruit new talent
- Retain existing talent
- Start an Employee Recognition Program
How to Create Human Business Objectives?
It isn’t enough to just hope for success. It’s important to plan for it. If you’ve identified a problem spot in your business, or if you’ve identified a need, it’s important to not just name what you want but to create a plan for how to make progress towards your desired goal.
The SMART framework is commonly referenced in business not because it’s cliche, but because it makes sense. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s basically an easy guide for checking that your goals or objectives make sense. It’s an acronym you can use. Use this easy-to-remember guide to make sure your objectives are:
- S – Specific – Be specific about your objective.
- M – Measurable – Determine how you’ll measure success as you work towards the objective.
- A – Attainable – Make sure your objective is realistic. It has to be something your team can realistically achieve. Don’t make it too difficult or impossible to achieve. Make it possible, not out of reach.
- R – Relevant – The objective must be relevant to the company or the line of business.
- T – Time-bound – The objective must have a deadline. You can’t wait forever.
Read: SMART Business Goals: Definition, Examples, Benefits, and Drawbacks
How to Implement a Human Business Objective
Be Focused
Implementing a human business objective starts with a clear focus. Prioritize your goals and concentrate on a few key objectives that align with your human-centered approach. This prevents the dilution of efforts and ensures that each goal receives the attention it deserves. Whether it’s improving employee well-being, enhancing customer satisfaction, or contributing to community development, a focused approach ensures more effective and measurable outcomes.
Become Aware
Awareness is pivotal in aligning your business objectives with human-centric values. Understand both the needs of your people and the requirements of your business. This dual awareness ensures that your strategies are not just idealistic but also practical and sustainable.
Conduct regular assessments to understand employee sentiments. Also, keep an eye on customer feedback and market trends. This comprehensive awareness helps in crafting strategies that are both humane and business-savvy, ensuring a balance between empathy and profitability.
Communicate
Effective communication is the cornerstone of implementing a human business objective. Keep everyone informed about your policies, initiatives, and progress toward these goals. Transparency in communication fosters trust and commitment among employees and builds credibility with customers and the community. Regular updates, open forums, and feedback systems can help maintain this communication flow.
Promote Teamwork
Teamwork is essential in fostering a collaborative environment. Because of this, try to encourage your teams to work together towards common goals. While doing that, emphasize the importance of each individual’s contribution to the larger objective.
Promote a culture where diverse ideas and perspectives are valued, leading to innovative solutions and a stronger sense of community within the organization. Team-building activities, collaborative projects, and cross-departmental initiatives can help reinforce this sense of teamwork.
Assess Your Progress
Regular assessment of your progress towards human business objectives is crucial. Set up metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the effectiveness of your strategies. This could include employee satisfaction scores, customer feedback metrics, community impact assessments, and other relevant indicators.
Regular assessments not only help in tracking progress but also provide insights for continuous improvement. Be prepared to adapt and refine your strategies based on these evaluations to ensure that your business stays true to its human-centric goals.
Conclusion
People are the key to success, regardless of what you do. Human objectives in business acknowledge the reality that without people, there is no business. The best of human objectives will strive to bring out the best in people, equipping them to do their best work. Although it may require progress and a great deal of work, creating human objectives could be the most important work your business does.
Also read:
Economic Objectives: What They Are, Types and Why They’re Important
Understanding Organic Business Objectives
Social Objectives of a Business: What They Are and Why They’re Important
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