HR Solutions Weblog

What Can An Outside Human Resources Company Do For My Organization?

We receive so many calls and emails from small business owners tentatively questioning what we can do for them.  HR Solutions LLC is a full-level service resource.  Here are just a few examples of how we can assist your business with employee issues:

• We like to start with a Human Resource Audit.   We do a complete review of your compliancy for proper HR law posters, handbooks/policies, job descriptions for FLSA, EEO, FMLA, ADD Compliancy, Employee Training and how you keep your employee files.
• We can help you develop a handbook that is specific to your organization’s needs.
• HR Solutions, LLC can assist you with properly handling employee performance issues to ensure you are proceeding in a non-litigative manner.
• Benefits Administration – to take the administrative aspect off owner’s desk.
• Recruiting and Retention – How to ensure you are hiring the right fit from the beginning.
• Employee and Management Coaching/Training.

The above is a small sampling of what we can perform for your organization.   We can perform any of these a full outsourcing or can be a simple phone call resource – you decide on the level of assistance you need.  There is no level of assistance too small or too large for us to help.

Are you questioning your compliancy for Federal Laws?  Are you hesitant to call for fear of what you don’t know?  Don’t be!  We make this process easy, friendly and on a personal level to benefit you and your organization.

Give us a call and stop wondering!

There is not a day that goes by where we are not answering the age-old question:  Is this employee Exempt or Non-Exempt?  and why?  There is no exact science or matrix you can follow to answer this question.  There are some critical points:

• First and foremost, you must make the decision based on the responsibilities for the position and NOT the person in the job.

• Decision for Exempt or Non-Exempt must be based on level of responsibility and the impact those decisions have on the company.

• Regularly supervises two or more other employees may be Exempt
• Has management as the primary duty of the position.
• Has some genuine input into the job status of other employees (such as hiring, firing, promotions, or assignments).

These are just a few of the critieria to consider. 

It is illegal to classify a position to avoid paying overtime!

It is that time of year where we really start to notice all the gambling going on in the workplace….think it isn’t happening in your workplace…think again!  Gambling is illegal without a gambling license…period!  However, we see everything from football pools, to March Madness basketball brackets, lottery pools, Texas Hold’em games at lunch or breaks, the list goes on.

Take note of the statement above, gambling of any kind, without a gambling license, is illegal.  It is critical that you not only have a policy but that you are keeping your eyes and ears open to ensure it is being enforced.  Here is why:

We just discovered a group of employees who for the past 5 years have been doing a daily Lottery Pool.  Every day, yes, I said everyday, one employee was collecting $5.00 from 22 other employees during the day, going out at lunch and buying the tickets, coming back and all during the rest of the working day, making 22 copies – on company equipment – and passing out these copies to all the participating employees.  Once he was monitored, it was calculated that his time alone, was costing the company 1.5 hours of time per day. Can your company afford this behavior?

We are coming up on that time of year again where clients are questioning what to do about the holidays. 

• Should we have a party?
• Can we have a party?
• Can we call it a Christmas Party?
• Can we serve alcohol?
• How do we show our appreciation without spending a lot of money?
• Will we offend some of our employees if we do or do not have a party?

I would love to say there is one perfect answer but obviously there is not.  The best way to handle this is to ensure whatever you do you are being all inclusive.  “How do I make that happen when I don’t know all of my employee’s beliefs” you ask?  Great question!  There are a number of ways to handle this and I can list a few here.  There are way too many variables to be able to address all and we encourage you to call us for some assistance if you have specific ideas not addressed here.

• To ensure you do not exclude any particular group – You certainly can call your party whatever you want.  However, if you are not absolutely positive of employee’s beliefs (and no, you cannot ask) we suggest you find another name to ensure you are being as all inclusive as possible.  We suggest things like, Year End Thank You, Winter Festival.
• How about an opportunity to allow for your employee’s families to see where they work and have a potluck?  It is a great way for people to get to know each other.
• You will always have some employees who really have no interest in attending these events….you can’t change that and no employee should feel this is a required event.
• If you can afford a party, you can afford to save money by giving gift cards for a Grocery Store or a Visa/MC gift card they can use anywhere.
• As for alcohol…have a plan.  If your employees are drinking, how are they getting home?  Who is monitoring this?  How/who will handle the “ugly” drunk?  You really must consider the liability issue of serving any kind of alcohol at a company event.

As we moved through 2010 Facebook has been a major subject of contention in the workplace for a number of reasons:

• Employees addicted to posting and reading even during working hours – Average number of hours people spend on Facebook during working hours is 2.5.
• Workers “friending” each other and then using Facebook information against each other at work.
• Company owners “friending” their employees (always a bad idea) and then discovering discriminatory remarks and beliefs that have the potential to be abrasive in the work place.

These days, bad employee behavior is no longer confined to cubicle walls.  Some workers are now sharing disparaging opinions and even proprietary information about their employers on social media – Web forums that in many cases can accessed by anyone, including a company's clients, investors and competitors.

Business owners may be able to protect themselves by instituting a written policy outlining what kind of content is and isn't acceptable to post on social media.

Since we get so many questions about how to make employees happy, I thought I would pull data from an employee survey conducted at a company voted “one of the best places to work”.  If you take a good look at these comments you will see a theme - all of the items that made employees happy at this particular company cost the owners nothing but a little time.

Credibility

• Your boss is not above doing any job. She will work any job level, thereby gaining respect and loyalty of other team players."
• "The door to management is always open. They listen."

Respect

• "I am not afraid to make mistakes, which allows me to be a risk taker. I am able to explore my ideas at this company."
• "Management truly encourages and expects individuals to care for themselves before work. They understand personal lives are more important than jobs."
• "This company is mainly concerned about the people within this company. We are obviously in business to make money, but the people come before the profits. The company takes care of the people first, and the people in turn take care of the profits."
• "Personal and professional opportunities here are endless. The company is always striving to improve itself and at the same time giving individuals the motivation and encouragement to achieve their desires. I have never worked anywhere else that I felt so comfortable and confident that I can achieve anything."

Fairness

• "I know that when I have a concern or difference of opinion with my supervisor, I can count on him to give me unbiased feedback and a different perspective. Whether he supports me or not, I know that he will give honest opinions and offer as many solutions as possible."
• "My boss is a great leader. She can make hard but fair decisions, and she always seems to do the right thing. She values differences in people, which is a great asset."

Pride

• "I feel as though I make a difference. My job allows me latitude to make decisions and implement them in order to get the job done. At the end of the day I can look back and see what I have been able to accomplish with a great feeling of satisfaction."
• "Every morning I wake up I am more than excited to get to work and do the best I can for a company that really appreciates it."
• "I spent most of my career in a company which focused on efficiency and profits - employees were a "means to the end." However, I have had the fortunate opportunity to join this company late in my career. This is truly a place that puts people first, manages from the heart, cares for the community."

Camaraderie

• "This is a great place to work because people care about each other. It doesn't seem so much like work when you are surrounded by people that care for you as an individual."
• "Because this company's managers try to make its workplace and its work activities fun, the whole company gains a very positive attitude leading to good performance."

The topic of conversation this week seems to be “Employee Smoke Breaks”.  We are consistently hearing any of the following:

• My employees walk in the front door, sign in and immediately go out the back door for a smoke break.
• Employees are taking 6 and 7 smoke breaks a day.
• Employees who don’t take smoke breaks are questioning why the smokers get so many breaks.
• How many breaks do I have to give employees?

On all of the above, you have to ask yourself the questions, “What is the message I am sending to the rest of the employees?”  In the state of Maryland, employers do not have to provide any breaks.  Yes, I will say that again, “in the state of Maryland, employers do not have to provide any breaks.”  On the other hand, we think it is important to productivity to allow your employees a few minutes away from their work area to refresh. 

If your employees are coming in the front door, signing in, getting their coffee and/or heating up their breakfast and then walking out the door again to have a smoke, you need to bring this to a screeching halt.  You either need to re-enforce your attendance and punctuality policy or you need to establish one.  This is also considering that you have a meal and break policy and are re-enforcing that one too.

We get this question often.  There are too many reasons to list here, but a few of the critical ones:

• Job Descriptions are the perfect way to ensure you are managing,  hiring, promoting and terminating your employees.  They describe the duties, responsibilities, required qualifications, physical requirement and working conditions of a particular job.
• Job descriptions also ensure you are hiring employees fairly and consistently based on experience and key competencies/skills needed.  This is critical not only for ensuring compliance, but also for when you are conducting performance reviews or promoting employees into new positions.
• Finally, they are important because they send the message to your employees that you want to be fair and consistent about their employment with your organization.

Having the conversation with a Gossiping Employee.  First and foremost, it is important to note:  If you don’t address these workers, your best people will leave. Gossipers are poison to an environment and will scare other employees with their falsehoods.

Manager hate having these conversation the  most, I’m not sure why, as these are the employees most likely have the worst impact on morale and productivity. 

• Gossipers – Be sure to have a policy that states this behavior will not be tolerated and treat it as a disciplinary issue.
• Be sure to reinforce this policy in groups, so everyone hears the same message – give examples of how disruptive and hurtful gossip can be to co-workers.
• Ensure you're giving solid, clear communications about the work place.  Gossip starts because employees are not given enough information to make clear decisions.  If your organization is going through a rough financial patch, have open group conversations; ask the employees what ideas they have to cut costs.

Today I thought we would talk about the Conversation of Performance Reviews!  They come around every year and if you have a plan for the discussion, it should be a positive interaction.  Here are some key points:

• Make this conversation useful – it is an opportunity for your employee to grow
• Be honest, but kind – remember, if you are not being honest with the employee you are not helping anyone. Remind them that the honesty is to help them grow.
• Be specific!
  • Example:  Don’t say “you are not meeting production goals”, instead say “our production goals are 130 units per day, you are doing 98 – What do you think you could do to improve that number?”
  • Make sure you discuss how you will help the employee improve and specifically how often you will meet to discuss progress.
• Be sure to have the above specific conversations about the whole year, not just what they need to improve from the past few weeks or months.
• Focus on behavior and results.
• Give the employee time to absorb your comments and then to comment.
• Don’t allow the employee to bring other employee’s into the conversation, remind them you are there to discuss their specific performance.
• Be sure to end the conversation with positive re-enforcement on the things they are doing well.
• Set up a specific time and date within 30 days to review the progress.

Things to avoid:

• Hostile Questions “Why did you do that?” Ask behavioral type questions.
• Doing all the talking.  Allow the employee time to talk about specific points.
• Don’t interrupt the employee