Selling Safety: A Path to Driving Profit
Management has the most control over safety. Posters do not sell safety. It requires a steady commitment from management, so that is the first place to start. Just ask a worker where they think safety ranks in the company. Encourage open-minded dialogue. Various studies have shown that for every $1 invested in safety, the return […]
Worker’s Compensation: Risk Management for Independent Contractors
Significant exposure arises when an Independent Contractor is uninsured and their injured workers become the responsibility of the hiring employer. This high risk exposure can be mitigated with these practices: The hiring employer can require all ICs to sign a contract that includes insurance requirements. The hiring employer should have a dedicated employee responsible for […]
How to Hire a Minor
by Laura Pokrzywa If you are an employer planning to hire a teenager, you need to be careful to comply with federal and state child labor laws. These laws set forth specific guidelines for the hiring process, the working conditions, and the hours an underage employee may work. It is more than just putting up […]
Who are Generations X, Y, and Z and Why Should Employers Care?
by Nancy Owen, PHR Most dictionaries define a generation as “a group of people born and living around the same time as each other”. Not surprisingly, people of the same generation often have similar characteristics and values. Interestingly enough, one generation can be very different from another. Of the six generations currently living, three are […]
Reference Checks: A Key Component of Your Hiring Process
by Nancy Owen, PHR There is no doubt that the interview is the most valuable piece in a hiring process, but reference checks can be a close second for many reasons. Isn’t the main goal of an interview process to confirm the person’s skills, knowledge and abilities? And what about internal reference checks? Do you […]
Opioids: How Are They Affecting Your Workplace?
Opioids: How Are They Affecting Your Workplace? We hear a lot about the opioid epidemic in our country, that is, the use and abuse of pain medications including oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine and fentanyl. These medications were nearly unheard of just a few years ago, but now they appear in the news almost daily. Unfortunately, when […]
Are Unemployment Claims
(by Nancy Owen, PHR) Every unemployment claim that gets paid out to your former employees has the potential to raise your unemployment insurance tax rate over the course of several years following that claim. The better you understand the process, the better your chances of minimizing the inevitable costs that follow any separation from employment, […]
What Constitutes Gross Misconduct When it Comes to COBRA?
(by Nancy Owen, PHR) First, let’s first look at what COBRA is and which employers must provide it. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, also known as COBRA is a law that was passed in 1985 by the United States Congress and signed by President Ronald Reagan. This law makes it mandatory for covered employers […]
Dating in the Workplace: Fiancé or Fired?
(by Derek Ross) It’s no secret that dating in the workplace has been a topic of much controversy and debate for years, leaving employees and their respective employers unsure of how to define this gray area in the workplace. According to CareerBuilder’s 2018 Valentine’s Day survey, 36% of employees have dated a coworker with a […]
Why Every Employer Should Have an Employee Handbook
As most employers know all too well, the number and cost of employment-related law suits continue to rise each year. In 2016, more than 10 percent of small to mid-size businesses faced an employment charge of discrimination of some kind, most of which involved more than one claim (i.e., discrimination based on race, sex, disability, […]