A New HR Manager's First Decision: The Audit

A recently promoted HR professional in a mid-sized production company (about 150 employees and two people in the HR department: an administrative and payroll specialist, and the new manager) faces the following challenge: high staff turnover among workers and an unwelcoming atmosphere rife with dissatisfaction throughout the rest of the company.

We planned the first three months in the new role together, focusing on the following aspects:

• Get to know and understand your direct manager, who in this case is also the CEO. Find out what's important to your boss, what their priorities and expectations are. Why were you hired? To fix things, contribute to development and transition to a future stage? Whatever the answer, it's crucial to know the direction so you can set your priorities.

• Learn the expectations of the people you work with. Discuss in detail with the specialist in the department and allocate time to get to know and communicate with other colleagues in the company, especially those in key roles.

• Understand the company and the industry. New managers, regardless of their field, must grasp the basic principles of how the business they operate in functions.

• Resist the temptation to make changes the moment you sit in the new chair. While you're building your reputation and credibility in the new role, the best thing you can do is gather information and analyze.

• Conduct an HR audit or hire a company specialized in HR audits: check personnel files, the organizational chart, ROI, and job descriptions; verify if procedures exist and, if so, their content; check payroll statements, internal salary levels compared to the market, payroll calculation methods, understand the application of bonuses or premiums; verify all available information and sources regarding staff retention, motivation, and training; and last but not least, find out the reasons for employee departures.

The first months—the formative months of a new manager—are also the critical ones that will often determine whether the new manager earns a seat at the leadership table and the weight of their opinions.

Even when you're brought into the organization to make changes, you must understand the organization and discover the levers to reach the best conclusions and solutions. Auditing the function you've been put in charge of is the safest and fastest way to shorten the onboarding time, form fact- and data-based opinions, and build an action plan with clear priorities oriented toward business objectives.