Getting buy in from all departments within an organisation maximises reuse of surplus assets.  Ensuring Warp It is introduced right from the get go will mean Warp It becomes policy within your organisation and therefore maximising reuse and saving money!

We have talked about getting specific roles within your organisation excited about reuse before- see here- but I bet you never thought HR could be an allie!

Why Should HR Get Involved In Reuse?

The movement of assets around an organisation can happen for a number for reasons. Perhaps an office is being decorated and refurbished, and its residents are displaced for a while. Perhaps a team is being relocated to a different building or estate. Quite often however, assets change hands because of people coming, and people going.

How to integrate the hiring, firing and quitting of your staff with reuse

The Human Resources department have their opportunity to shine with reuse when any of these activities take place. The change of personnel often frees up equipment and assets that can be used elsewhere. HR getting involved at an early stage encourages a zero waste policy within your organisation. Here are some ways that you can approach hiring, firing and quitting.

The manager who approaches HR for advice about hiring should also be told how to get assets for their new staff, or redistribute assets from leaving staff.

Hiring a new member of staff

When somebody new is joining the team, the manager has quite a lot of notice. First, the need for a new member of staff is realised, the job advert then goes out, then it is the interview stage, the hiring decision is next, and often it is 2-4 weeks on top of that while the person works their notice period. In total, HR might have as much as three months to prepare for a new member of staff arriving.

So, what does this have to do with reuse? Well, as a basic, that person is likely to get a desk, a chair, a computer and a phone. But, for someone to really feel at home, they’re going to need more than that. This is why we recommend building a New Staff Reuse Checklist.

This checklist can be applied in two ways.

1. HR can use the 3 months preparation period to search for items on Warp It that might make the new member of staff feel more comfortable. The most efficient way to do this is to use the wishlist feature to show all of the things that may be needed. This could be items like a waste-paper basket, stationery, a mouse mat, folders, a hole punch, a stapler, paper, highlighters, a printer, tape, rubber bands, paper clips, envelopes, in tray and out tray, calculator, company branded mug, memory sticks, wall calendar or a whiteboard. There could be other luxuries to make them feel welcome, like biscuits, a desk lamp or a clock.
2. Upon arrival, the new member of staff can be trained on Warp It and given the checklist, allowing them to decide what items they need for themself, and going ahead and claiming them on Warp It. This will give the new member of staff the opportunity to learn the reuse system, to meet new colleagues, to explore more parts of the offices and premises and will show that the company culture is waste not, want not.

Firing someone or redundancy

Nobody enjoys having to let someone go, but sadly it’s part and parcel of business. One positive that may come from parting ways is that their equipment, desk and assets are now freed up. Under the assumption that the desk will be kept vacant until the position is filled, some items can stay there. Anything that isn’t a necessity can be listed straight on to Warp It for the benefit of the organisation’s employees.

What to do when someone leaves

Assuming that they’re leaving on good terms and working their notice, one thing that can be done is to ask the leaving staff member to list their items on Warp It. You can give them a checklist of everything that needs to be redistributed. When listing the items, the staff member can put a singular claim date for their final day, meaning that when people come to collect their claimed items, they can also say goodbye in the process, killing two birds with one stone.

So don't forget to speak to your HR department and let them how how important they are in making asset resuse a priority within your organisation. As part of their processes in developing Job Descriptions and giving advice to the hiring manager they should also be telling them about the wishlist option.