10 Days of Christmas - Day No. 3 - Have You Reviewed Your Benefits

Day No. 4 - Areas of Your Training Program You Should Review

Day No. 5 - Areas of Performance Reviews You Should Review!

Day 6 - 6 Areas of Your Progressive Discipline Policy You Should Review

Day 7 - 7 Areas you May NOT Inquire on an Employment Application

Day No. 8 - 8 Things You Should Know About Recruiting

Day No. 9 - 9 Questions You Should Ask Yourself About Your Company's Recordkeeping Policy

10 Days of Christmas with All-4-HR & Business Solutions - Day No. 10

How Well is that New Progressive Discipline Program Doing?

 

Now that the year is well underway and passing by, we are contemplating a lot of HR things/issues within the Company.  We are thinking about how the new policies, procedures or programs are panning out.  It is important when implementing new policies, procedures, etc., to monitor the results. One way to do so is to survey staff.  You can also appoint one person in each department, if it is a firm-wide implementation, to monitor the results in their own department and report to  you.  Monitoring results will let you know if you need to improve or scale back changes in new policies or programs. When implementing a new program or policy, it can have a detrimental effect on staff if it is not yielding positive results and management does not see the negative effects and thus does not react or rectify the negative results.  It is even more important to take note of the positive impact a new policy or program is yielding within the organization.  

For instance -- how is that new progressive discipline program going?  I know, I know, I know the year-end is quickly approaching but how is that program working out?  Did the program yield the results you were expecting? Have you been consistently monitoring the new progressive discipline policies and results?  We all know one of the most difficult things that HR professionals face is dealing with difficult situations such as bullying in the workplace; bad attitudes, lack of engaged employees, etc. While contemplating in the back of your mind what the current year has been like so far AND what new year is going to bring, let's get a handle on it NOW!  It’s not too late!

REMEMBER:

• Do not shy away from the new changes you are implementing in your progressive discipline process or any new program or policy you have put in place.
• Be consistent -- Stay Consistent!
• Remember to note ALL disciplinary actions. Even verbal warnings should be noted in employee files.
• Be sure to note the reason for each and every disciplinary purpose, i.e., tardy, insubordination, etc.
• Note the disciplinary action: warning, suspension (with or without pay), referral to employee assistance program, transfer or reassignment or termination.

Some other tips to keep in mind if you are implementing new progressive discipline changes: 

•  Check state laws to see if employees are “at will” employees. If they are, terminations may be less subject to challenge
•  Ensure discipline is in-line with any collective bargaining agreements
•  Don’t discipline a legally-protected “whistleblower.”  
•  Keep in mind that your policies, employee handbook, etc., may well be implied contracts. Stick to them.
• Document performance issues.
• Document feedback, counseling, and training
• Use progressive discipline for most offenses.

Email us to receive a free Progressive Discipline Evaluation kit! all4hrbiz@gmail.com

Thank you from All-4-HR & Business Solutions !  Have a Great HR Day!

April D. Halliburton, MBA, BS

Founder/CEO/HR Problem Solver/Visionary

Seven HR Ways to Engage Your Start-up Company for SUCCESS!

When starting an organization, the most important aspect of your company, other than your product or service, is your team… The team that you will be building a company foundation! There are some very simple steps you can take that will save you a ton of trouble later on down the line.

1. Clear and Concise Job Descriptions  It is important to develop clear and

position. concise job descriptions that correctly define each and every position. Remember, job descriptions are not etched in stone however, they are position guidelines to follow as your company grows in size and customer base for alleviating things and customers falling through the cracks. Job descriptions protect the employer and the employee, making sure the potential employee is able to perform the exact duties that are required for the position. Job descriptions also assure that new employees (by reviewing the job description) exactly what the employer expects from the employee.

2.  Hiring the Right Staff.  We know how hectic and busy life can be for a new business owner, especially in the startup phase.  Do not be too haste in hiring new employees. Recruiting can be darn right aggravating, especially in the midst of everything else. Employees have to be the right fit for your organization otherwise they can end up sabotaging your plans for a successful company. 

3.   Not understanding basic Employment Laws. This area right here can literally break a small company. Laws that are critical to a company and its employees:

·        Discrimination

·        Overtime and wage requirements 

·         Leave Laws: FMLA, military, pregnancy, sick, etc.

·        Age and gender discrimination

·        FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act)

·        ADA (Americans with Disability Act)

·        Sexual Harassment

As a company owner you must know how to protect your company and your employees, to alleviate violating any employment or other laws.

4. Not Establishing Progressive Discipline Policy. When starting a company, an employer must establish the

organizational culture and environment from the beginning. Company culture shows your start-up staff and future employees the organization's values, integrity and  fairness. Ruth Mayhew, Demand Media discuss some important advantages to having progressive discipline policies in place. The Advantages of a Progressive Discipline System http://bit.ly/1HaXV6n. Progressive Discipline policies build organizational structure; alleviate managers and supervisors from the guesswork of correctly handling disciplinary issues; and establishing the groundwork for employee performance and behavior in the workplace. 

5. Showing Employee Appreciation. I cannot express how important it is to REMEMBER to appreciate those employees who have been dedicated to the

building of your organization.  When recruiting remember to keep a keen eye for those employees who are going to go above and beyond with you on your journey. 25 Low-Cost Ways to Reward Employees http://onforb.es/1HKNb3vA  A simple thank you to let your employees know the struggle is real and you appreciate all of their hard work and dedication goes a very long way.

6. Mis-classifying Employees. Stop cringing…!  Its true. This can indeed be a very, very, very, did I mention very, costly mistake. Especially in lieu of the recent Overtime and wage law changes, it is imperative that you are aware of the changes and be assured that you are not in violation of the laws Employee Misclassification  http://bit.ly/1S61AIV. Remember when classifying workers as independent contractors, be sure they are follow the criteria of an independent contractor and not an employee. If an employee is under your control, they are an employee, not an independent contractor. Also, employers do not generally withhold taxes from independent contractors.

7. Proper Onboarding Policies.  Employment laws are always changing. An onboarding policy ensures when new employees come on board, hiring practices are critical to retaining employees long-term.  Employers have to be sure they are conducting hiring practices correctly regarding background checks. Violation of background checks laws is costly. Onboarding practices assure paperwork and forms are consistently completed by the employer and employee; that new hires have the right tools to conduct tasks and duties; and new hires feel welcome and appreciated with starting their new journey with your company.

Until Next Time!!!!

April D. Halliburton, Founder/CEO

All-4-HR & Business Solutions

Virtual HR Management At Its Best!

Happy JULY 5TH is Coming!

Believe it or not there is a holiday that signifies Workaholics. July 5^th is National Workaholics Day!  While some employers may believe workaholics are good for the company, researchers disagree.  We all know someone who is the first IN and last one OUT.  While co-workers, families and yes bosses are unplugged and enjoying the holiday(s) or much deserved time off, there is always that one or two at the office, at home sitting at the dining room table, locked in their home office, working!

There was a time when working long hours/ more hours was encouraged well – because it emphasized bigger paychecks along with big promotions. Think about it though!  It’s Talk-About-It Thursday at All-4-HR & Business Solutions! Are Workaholics truly happier because of higher paychecks and promotions?  I’d like to hear from some workaholics “anonymously” of course!

Signs You are a Workaholic are below?

The Workaholics Anonymous website http://bit.ly/1KskG9m has a 20-question self-assessment that includes these queries:

·         Do you take work with you to bed, on weekends or on vacation?

·         Is work the activity you do best and talk about the most?

·         Do you think it’s OK to work long hours if you love what you do?

·         Do you get impatient with people who have priorities outside of work?

·         Do you do things energetically and competitively, including play?

·         Have long hours hurt your relationships?

·         Do you work or read during meals?

·         Do you think about work while driving or falling asleep or when others are talking?

It is my personal belief that longer hours and lack of down time with family, friends and alone yield less than desirous results.  Wikipedia defines Workaholic as a person who works compulsively. While the term generally implies that the person enjoys their work, it can also imply that they simply feel compelled to do it. There is no generally accepted medical definition of such a condition, although some forms of stress, impulse control disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder can be work-related. 

Workaholism is often confused with working hard, but it is not the same!

Researchers found that people work hard for four reasons:

1.    Because they want the financial rewards of hard work. Douglas and Morris call these people "material goal seekers."

2.  Because they find little enjoyment from leisure activities. They can be called "low leisure" hard workers.

3.    Because they love the perks they get at work, such as friendships, an easy commute, great working conditions, a good health plan, etc. They are "perkaholics" rather than workaholics.

4. Because they want to work just for work’s sake. These people are the true workaholics. The Truth About Workaholics http://bit.ly/1FQ3meM.

Employers should not encourage workaholism! There has to be work/life balance encouraged throughout the organization at all times. Workaholism must be discouraged as it negatively impacts the workaholic, along with the morale of other employees.  Researchers further say employers send mixed messages as workaholics are rewarded with bigger paychecks and promotions.  On the other hand employers are pushing work/life balance by saying employees must take their vacation time and staying home to recuperate, by NO MEANS coming to work and getting other co-workers sick. But wait again, workaholics are rewarded with fatter paychecks and big promotions. Mixed messages indeed!

Workaholics can and will have a negative impact on co-workers making them feel guilty and compelled to work longer hours and underachieving or causing competition.  These attitudes can cause workplace fatigue and stress.

It is important that managers keep an eye for these situations as they can cause health problems for workaholics resulting in burnouts, workplace accidents and injuries.  Workaholism can also cause strife and animosity among co-workers. Managers should be aware of such situations where employees may be overworked or stressed. 

Not to make light of July 5^th, let me say workaholism is a very serious matter. Workaholisn can very easily take on a serious connotation as we have all known of and/or heard of workplace violence, which can be a result of being overworked. Workaholism not only affects the workplace, it has a lasting impact on family and home life for a lot of families.

As employers and employees, on this July 5^th, let’s remember the importance of work/life balance and the importance of happy and healthy employees! 

Until next time.

April D. Halliburton, BSBA, MBA

HR Strategist/Problemsolver/Visionary

  

April D. Halliburton Founder/CEO, All-4-HR & Business Solutions p:313-355-3061 | e:all4hrbiz@gmail.com | w:http://www.all4hr.net | a:26310 Norfolk Street, Inkster, MI 48141

DID YOU KNOW: Paid time off can be substituted for unpaid FMLA leave?

Kyle was looking forward to his summer trip to the Galapagos Islands. He had saved up three weeks' worth of paid time off for the trip. His plans were finally coming together. What he hadn't planned for was contracting pneumonia. As Murphy's Law would have it, the pneumonia sidelined his trip. Instead of the tropical beauty of an exotic island, Kyle was looking at the walls of his apartment and FMLA forms. He learned that the FMLA provided for unpaid leave, but he still had bills to pay, so he wondered how he could go about continuing his pay during the leave.

As the weather warms up, employees are undoubtedly thinking about taking some time off. If one of those employees with accrued paid time off were to need FMLA leave, he might want some income during his leave. When it comes to FMLA leave and accrued paid time off, employers have some considerations, including the "substitution" provisions.

Generally, an employee is entitled to "substitute" accrued paid time off for unpaid FMLA leave. Accrued paid time off could include vacation, sick leave, or simple paid time off (PTO). For simplification, we'll use the term PTO for all of these types of paid time off. Of course, if an employee has no accrued PTO, he would not be entitled to such a substitution.

The term "substitute" can be a bit confusing. The employee does not use PTO in lieu of FMLA leave; they actually run concurrently. While an employee is "burning" FMLA leave, he or she is also burning PTO. Often, employers will require employees to use any PTO before applying the FMLA protections. If, however, the employee is eligible and the reason for the leave qualifies, all of it would be FMLA leave, regardless of whether the PTO is being used or not. Failing to provide the FMLA's protections during a qualifying leave period could risk an interference claim.

If an employee exhausts his or her PTO during a leave, the remainder of the leave would be unpaid, but still protected by the FMLA.

If an employee does not wish to use PTO during FMLA leave, you may require him or her to do so. Such a requirement, however, should be included in a related policy to avoid inconsistent application.

Your policies regarding the use of the PTO would also apply. When an employee chooses to use PTO (or your require it), you must inform the employee that he must satisfy any procedural requirements of the paid leave policy only in connection with the receipt of such payment. If an employee fails to satisfy the requirements for paid leave, he is still entitled to unpaid FMLA leave.

If the employee does not use PTO during FMLA leave, he would have it available at the end of the FMLA leave.

Until Tomorrow! 

April D. Halliburton, BSBA, MBA

Founder, CEO, HR Strategist, Problem Solver/Visionary

April D. Halliburton Founder/CEO, All-4-HR & Business Solutions p:313-355-3061 | e:all4hrbiz@gmail.com | w:http://www.all4hr.net |a:26310 Norfolk Street, Inkster, MI 48141

Assess Where Your Employee Morale Stand?

         

The worst  you want to do is wait until your employees’ morale is in the toilet!  You want to catch employees’ morale and bring it to a HALT before it is too late.  Trust me on this!  It is relatively easy to tell when employee morale is high or low.  When reviewing employee morale over time, however, you have to measure it. Although it’s not an easy task, it is task worth completing.

What’s some signs employee  morale is low?

• Unmotivated employees are a sure sign of low employee morale. Employees sometimes go through the motions, taking an inactive role  within the organization.  It is important to foster an environment wherein employee are challenged, creative and being problem solvers.

• Signs of unhappy employees will show.  Be cognizant of red flags such as increased negativity, excessive absenteeism and reduced cooperation or commitment.

• Decreased performance resulting in missed deadlines and increased mistakes and service level declines. If you workforce seem overworked, considering taking on temporary employees to ease the workload.

What are some signs of high employee morale?

• Better production.  Face it when employees feel positive and work environment, their production is higher normally.

• Reduced absenteeism.  Motivated employees miss less work and far more engaged.

• High/positive morale yields increased collaboration among workers.

• Motivated employees fix problems without being asked.

Of course the latter is what all employers strive!

Some ways to discover exactly WHERE your employee morale is?

• Record the number of improvement suggesting given by employees. According to the BSC Designer, the number of suggestions per employee reflects engagement and morale.

• When implementing new company initiatives, pay close attention to feedback from employees, rather negative or positive. In other actually survey employees and their response to initiative(s). 

• Conduct a personal assessment of individual employee morale during performance reviews.

Once you have surveyed employees -- where do you go?  and what do you do?

Click here if you would like us to email you an Assessing Morale Survey, you can use TODAY.  Put Assessing Morale Survey in the subject line

Until tomorrow. 

April D. Halliburton, BSBA, MBA

Founder/CEO, HR Strategist, Problem Solver/Visionary

April D. Halliburton Founder/CEO, All-4-HR & Business Solutions p:313-355-3061 | e:all4hrbiz@gmail.com | w:http://www.all4hr.net | a:26310 Norfolk Street, Inkster, MI 48141

How’s Your Employee Morale Doing!

Employee morale will make the difference between the success and/or failure of your organization. We’ve talked about employee engagement that goes hand-in-hand with the level of your employees’ morale and organizational culture.

Sometimes, there are decisions made in an organization that may be intended for good; but may have the opposite effect on employee morale. For example: An employer may implement or have in place a rule that prohibit personal items in the workplace to maintain a professional workplace.  Such a rule, however limits employees’ ability to create a workplace where they feel comfortable. Even worse, such a rule can create a sterile, institutional environment.

Improving employee morale involves motivating employees by creating an encouraging work environment, providing support and feedback, and implementing effective management and leadership techniques. Providing support and feedback lets employees know that the company values their efforts and are glad to have their contributions to the team(s).  Keep in mind not all motivation techniques apply to all employees. Unfortunately, there are no one-size-fits-all techniques that apply to all employees.  While some employees prefer to work and keep to themselves -- focusing on work; others require interpersonal support and positive reinforcement and feedback.  Consider what motivates each type of employee and strive to provide that motivation.  Motivating employees means both managing and leading.

As an employer who is focused on employee morale, you want to be sure that you are not allowing toxic employees or environments to surface and/or spread.  We’ve had that discussion on the damage toxic employees can cause, including toxic managers.  That is another discussion right?

Some Things to keep in mind for motivating your employees are:

·         Show employees that they are trusted to handle responsibility;

·         Give trusted employees flexibility in completing tasks.

·  Empower rather than manage employees. Empowering employees grants them freedom. Be sure there are managers or supervisor available if employees need assistance.  Giving employees freedom does not mean isolating them.  You were make sure assistance is available if needed.

Motivation Do’s and Don’ts

Situations or actions that can damage employee morale and motivation include:

·         Poorly communicating expectations,

·         Excessive rules and restrictions,

·         Activities that are “removed” from production (excessive meetings),

·         Internal competition that leads to “in-fighting,” and

·         Giving criticism without positive feedback or suggestions for corrections.

Situations or actions that can enhance and increase/maintain motivation include:

·         Providing variety and rotation to break up “routine” work,

·         Defining and clearly communicating goals,

·         Showing support and giving constructive criticism for mistakes,

·         Allowing flexibility in how the work is done, and

·         Trusting employees to handle responsibilities.

You get from your employees what you put into your employees! 

Until Tomorrow!

April D. Halliburton Founder/CEO, All-4-HR & Business Solutions p:313-355-3061 | e:all4hrbiz@gmail.com | w:http://www.all4hr.net | a:26310 Norfolk Street, Inkster, MI 48141

April D. Halliburton

Founder/CEO/HR Strategist/Visionary