Top HR Issues
Business owners and leaders wear many hats, sometimes letting HR management and people-programs fall by the wayside, and honestly, sometimes rightfully so. Most small business managers and owners experience the same pitfalls … and together we will avoid them! Leave the HR problem solving to an experienced expert. Here are a few things that may have been missed while you were juggling everything else:
The Mistake: Employees are not paid in compliance with new federal and state wage & hour laws.
Whether navigating minimum wage or new overtime regulations, or contemplating proper classification of exempt (“salaried”) workers, business leaders are faced with a confusing maze of federal and state regulations and standards.
What to do about it: We will conduct an analysis of your employees’ classifications and their pay rate and method. A summary report of application laws and regulations, along with a recommendations of what to do to rectify any potential issues will be provided. Updated policies and procedures, job descriptions and other supporting tools can be provided as well.
The Mistake: Employees are misclassified as “contractors”.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) well-known initiatives that target small businesses with the goal of identifying those that misclassify employees as “contractors.” Brining on a contractor is much more complicated than just calling them such!
What to do about it: Let us step in and conduct job analysis, review and update existing job descriptions as needed and weigh the rules together. We can partner to put together staffing plans. Lastly, let’s work to design true independent-contractor relationships where it is logical.
Click here and let’s talk employee / contractor classifications!
The Mistake: Rushing the hiring process.
Most “bad hires” cost, at a minimum, the annual salary associated with the position (hiring a new administrative assistant who will make $40,000 annually? That’s at least how much it’ll cost you in down time, missed opportunities and errors if you don’t hire the right person from the get-go!). From not having a job description in place before hiring a new team member, to flubbing up in the interview, or not checking references, lots of mistakes can happen if the process isn’t closely managed.
What to do about it: Let’s design a recruitment process that conveys important aspects of company culture; one that works for your organization and stick with it. Find the right places to source candidates that will meet your needs. And then: be consistent. Finding the right person to join your growing or changing organization is key to long-term success.
Click here and let’s organize and analyze and enhance your hiring process for excellent results!
The Mistake: Non-existent (or outdated) employee handbook.
When employees aren’t sure what a policy is, they’ll often take matters into their own hands and make a decision that runs against what their manager would advise. This can create strife and tension on small teams. Disagreements and irritation can get in the way of getting work done!
What to do about it: Even employees at the smallest companies benefit from clear and concise communication regarding employment policies. Using a methodical but manageable review of your organization, we’ll create a handbook that will set the tone for various areas of employment by communicating to your team what you need them to know to keep things moving forward. We’ll introduce the new handbook to employees in an inviting and productive way; setting the tone for successful implementation of new policies.
Click here and let’s get started designing on your practical, easy to use handbook!
The Mistake: Lack of Employee Training.
When asked, employees often tell us that they feel invigorated by training opportunities. Training can be approached in so many ways: micro training (such as quick but effective 1-topic, 1-idea training sessions, no more than 10 minutes in length), seminars (in person or via the web), part- or whole-day workshops or one-on-one coaching. Employees might also be allowed to attend conferences and seminars that will allow them to bring new ideas and skills back to your organization to continue driving your success rates UP!
Also, not to be overlooked or forgotten, new employee orientation is a critical piece of success. Every employee needs a warm welcome and to be provided with key bits and pieces of information that’ll make working with your organization easier. Great new employee orientation helps people fit in, breaks the ice, and ensures that employees know where to go for different resources.
Click here to talk training programs!
The Mistake: Not collecting employee and stakeholder feedback.
In order for employees to be 100% invested in their work, and for them to give each day their all, they need to feel like they have a voice in how your organization operates. Knowing what to ask, and what to do with the information gathered can be daunting and time consuming.
What to do about it: Let us take the entire process off of your plate. We’ll create and distribute custom surveys, gather and analyze results, facilitate focus groups and employee feedback sessions/interviews, and help craft a plan to address issues that are uncovered during this valuable process. The results of collecting employee satisfaction, engagement and enjoyment data can be incredibly powerful.
The Mistake: Employee performance is not documented.
Managing the day-to-day issues that come up related to employee’s poor performance or bad behavior can be overwhelming. It can be a difficult and messy part of any manager’s job, but is one that cannot be overlooked. Taking time to discuss performance and behavior issues early on can help alleviate some issues… but sometimes terminations are unavoidable.
What to do about it: Well, lets consider two things…
1 – Let’s get a easy-to-use, consistent (there’s that word again!) employee discipline process in place. We will provide everyone with the simple tools and training that they need to succeed and go from there. Really, getting started is the toughest part. We will work together to define the goals of performance management programs. We’ll develop an easy method to document employee performance issues; which can turn into valuable evidence if a difficult termination does occur.
Read this related article for some practical ideas: Poor Employee Attendance – What can I do?
2 – Let’s talk about the best method for your organization when it comes to “annual reviews” — there are so many options out there, lots of effective, innovative and new ways to look at the employee review process. We certainly don’t have to be stuck in a rut with an “old fashioned annual employee performance appraisal” and employees deserve some regular performance feedback!
Click here to talk employee performance management and optimization today!
Finding the right HR business partner to work with can really get things growing in the right direction so – Let’s get to work!
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Pick up the phone and give me a call: 480-717-8882 or send an email to: nramirez@hranswers.org