Baseball HR and Staffing – Common Traits
We at Flexicrew Staffing were talking about how baseball, HR and staffing have many traits in common. We got into this conversation because Major League Baseball’s 2017 World Series kicks off October 24. If needed, game 7 would slide into November (Brrrr!).
So here’s our take on a list of 6 ways managing HR and staffing for your company is like baseball’s World Series:
1. Choosing your team
From baseball spring training right up to selecting the best players who will be on your playoff team, the #1 priority is firming up the roster. Contracts were taken care of over the winter, so teams already know what stars will be playing. But the utility players and the rookies…like temporary workers in a company. Those players, just like temporary workers, continuously need to show managers or baseball coaches what they can do. And the coaches have got to look closely at the talent in front of them so they can figure out who’s going to help the team win the Series and who’s going back to the minors.
Sound familiar? One of the hardest parts of running an HR department is hiring and administering the company’s staff. And working with line supervisors to evaluate the performance of temp workers who could hit a home run for your business and for themselves by getting hired permanently.
2. Position your players
Coaches don’t just figure out who’s on the team. They must decide who plays what positions, come up with batting orders and pitching rotations and bench players. HR managers and hiring managers need a lot of planning to judge your staff and how best to use it. In baseball, you put your power hitter in the 4th batting position or “cleanup,” because that’s where he can drive in the most runs. Business, projects go to the best person for the job. Have a big rush order? Who’s your cleanup hitter?
3. Getting in shape
Baseball spring training provides a time for players to work out together, getting them in shape for the season.
An HR department in a company makes sure employees are “in shape” by giving them the tools they need to do their jobs. Whether this means recommending training so your crew can keep up with changes in the field, or providing benefits that help you maintain a healthy workplace. Staying on top of these HR issues and making sure everyone’s ‘in shape’ will pay dividends in the long run and make for a happier workplace.
4. Changing the plan
As you might expect, baseball, HR and staffing have many things that don’t work out as planned – so you must be flexible. There are business peaks and valleys, so you often need a flexible workforce to match a production workload. If something isn’t working, you don’t stick with it just because it’s written in your plan on your baseball lineup card. Players, like workers, get hurt or have slumps or sometimes just don’t perform to expectations. Adjusting your plan to the current situation is the only way to stay on top, whether you’re trying to win baseball games or run an HR department.
5. The power of the pitch
In baseball, the old saying is “Pitching wins games.” But, do you know how important it is to have a great ‘pitch’ about your business and for any current job opening? Every HR and staffing person should be able to describe their business rapidly and concisely, and be able to pitch benefits of an available job with attractive slant to top-flight candidates.
6. Each day is a brand new game
A pitcher can give up 5 runs one day but throw a no-hitter in his next game. Each day is a new start, a new chance to win. The best ballplayers watch video of their performances, looking for ways to improve what they did yesterday.
The most successful HR and staffing managers do something like that, though they don’t need video to look back at what they did. You need to spend time at the end of each year and decidewhat went wrong and right. Ask your internal ‘customers’ what could have been done better to support them. Ask employees what support they look for from HR going forward.
Use all this to plan your next year and include those improvements to win the next World Series.
Common threads between baseball, HR and staffing
If you learn anything about HR and staffing from baseball and the World Series, it should be that preparation, staffing and adjusting are the keys to success.
And don’t forget the hot dog.
How about you? Do you see any common threads between baseball, HR and staffing? Let us know your thoughts.
For more information on how Flexicrew can deliver proven solutions to your business, visit https://www.flexicrew.com