Articles
Recent HRM Articles
- All
- Compensation and Benefits
- Compliance
- Employee Relations
- Leadership and Culture
- Policies and Procedures
- Recruiting and Retention
- All
- Compensation and Benefits
- Compliance
- Employee Relations
- Leadership and Culture
- Policies and Procedures
- Recruiting and Retention
Do I really need an Employee Handbook?
QUESTION: I have a small business with only three employees. With such a small company, why do I need an employee handbook and what are the minimum policies I can get away with? ANSWER: If you have one employee or 20 employees, you need an employee handbook. This is the best tool to communicate your rules/expectations with your team ...
Read More → Attracting Qualified Candidates
QUESTION: Like many employers in this job market, we are struggling to recruit new staff. We have many positions unfilled at all levels of the company. What are some new strategies we might try to stand out from our competitors and attract qualified candidates? ANSWER: You are right. It is a tight labor market right now. The “great resignation” ...
Read More → Resolving Conflict Between Employees
QUESTION: We have an employee that supports several of our staff and her communication style and approach can sometimes be abrasive. As a result, her co-workers either avoid interaction all together or they disagree, sometimes by arguing in the office. Neither of these responses are productive and are negatively impacting employees, and more concerning, are starting to be visible to ...
Read More → Access to Confidential Employee Data
QUESTION: We have an employee who gained access to confidential employee information. How should we respond to the employee and prevent this from happening again? ANSWER: When thinking about data security, we often think about protecting customer or patient data, including adhering to HIPAA or FERPA regulations, depending on the industry. Businesses sometimes don’t put enough emphasis on also ...
Read More → The Power of Stay Interviews
QUESTION: I am trying to fill a position and am not having a lot of luck. When I talk to my colleagues, it seems I am not alone in my recruiting struggle. While I’m trying to work every angle, the clock is ticking. My team is doing more with less and I can see the signs of burnout all around ...
Read More → Holiday Celebrations When Employees are Remote
QUESTION: I am at a loss for how to celebrate the holidays with my remote staff. I used to invite the team over to my house for dinner, drinks, and some holiday cheer. It’s something we all looked forward to, but now we have several remote staff who live far away. Do you have any suggestions for how I could ...
Read More → Navigating a Crisis with your Humanity, Sanity, and Team Still Intact
QUESTION: In addition to the COVID 19 pandemic, there seems to be many crises that have impacted our business. We are unsure how to respond to these and balance the employee needs as well as our business requirements. Can you help guide us? ANSWER: No one is “ready” for a crisis, and we all dread them. The crisis may ...
Read More → Personal Phone Use at Work – A Blessing or a Curse?
QUESTION: Smart phones are everywhere, and I must admit they are helpful in the operation of my company. The problem I am facing is the wasted time employees spend on their phones on non-job-related activities. I know that members of my staff spend work time on social media, playing games, and texting because I’ve caught them doing it. I have ...
Read More → Constructive Criticism Isn’t ‘Constructive’ at All
QUESTION: When I interview a potential candidate, I ask them how well they take criticism. I have never had anyone say that they do not take it well. Yet in reality, I find that when I criticize a staff member, they often get upset and some actually cry. They make the changes I suggest, but they often seem resentful. This ...
Read More → Employee Rights Under the Whistleblower’s Protection Act
QUESTION: I recently implemented a 401(k) plan for my staff. I used an inexperienced agent and found out later that the plan was missing some important components required by law. Before I could have it corrected, one of my staff contacted the Department of Labor and filed a complaint. I was extremely angry at her. She essentially ruined it for ...
Read More → Extending Paid Leave Without Setting an Unsustainable Precedent
QUESTION: We are a large company with multiple locations and over 50 employees total. We comply with the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and have had a staff member who has recently experienced a significant loss. Her husband passed away suddenly last week – he was only 40. She was off last year on FMLA for the birth of their first child and ...
Read More → Dealing with a PTO Spender (Abuser)
QUESTION: I have a long-time staff member who is really good at her job…when she’s here. It doesn’t matter how much paid time off (PTO) she’s granted each year; she burns through it by the 3rd quarter of the year and then has no cushion left for unplanned absences (which she ends up taking without pay). We’ve had several talks with ...
Read More → Ready to get started?
It normally takes years of training to build a great HR department. With our help, you can have a reliable source for all your HR needs, and concentrate instead on what your business does best.
