It’s true to say that the role of HR in the modern business landscape is shifting, as modern workplace culture continues to be re-defined.

Millennials have challenged the status quo of the conventional workplace, and HR has responded by implementing a ‘customer-centric’ approach, aiming to consistently provide a great employee experience.

This has led to a more relaxed approach, and traditional HR functions being combined such as recruitment, retention and development with the creation of a unique office culture and communications, marketing, branding and social responsibility.

But while it’s down to HR professionals to help drive this ethos, it cannot be at the cost of legal HR obligations. The common pitfalls, particularly for start-ups or SME’s with little knowledge or experience of HR is actually the most basic administration. Such as providing a water tight, comprehensive employee contract and statement of particulars, which at their most basic should include details of salary, hours of work, holiday entitlement and notice periods. If you are dealing with your HR in-house, it is best practice to have a professional over-see these legal documents as a preventative approach to disputes.

Thanks to a political and media spotlight on a global level, migrants and working rights has come under scrutiny. This is an area that businesses need to make a priority because ultimately, they take the full brunt of consequences for employing individuals that didn’t have a right to work, their leave had expired, they were employed for work they were not allowed to carry out or if their documents were false.

The result is hefty fines and damage to your brand – and the latter can prove to be just as costly. In 2015 the fines issued by the Home Office equated to £21.6 million, and it wasn’t just small companies that have been found guilty of employing illegal workers; Tesco’s has previously been fined for employing foreign students who were breaking the conditions of their visas.

Millennial’s and modern culture has also seen a shift in the way that many businesses recruit, and the entire recruitment process. Out are the questions with a very specific ‘right or wrong’ style of answer; while experience and qualifications are not completely dismissed, progressive employers want to find a culture fit and an alignment of values and vision to ensure the arrangement is mutually beneficial. Aspects such as technology and social media are driving the change (while also throwing up some tricky situations of their own!) ,but recruiters need to remain vigilant in their processes in order to guarantee that they are not acting in a discriminatory manner – whether they are aware of it or not.

To shed some light on the most common areas that businesses fail, we have created an interactive quiz that aims to shed some light on where your business could be falling short in its HR practices.

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