Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, the winter solstice looms, and Christmas and the start of Kwanzaa are just a few days away. ‘Tis the season. Human resources professionals still may be busy wrapping up year end tasks, perhaps still breathlessly; but there’s an optimistic sense that the whirlwind of activity is easing, if just a bit. Even the number of employee problems or questions wanes as plants shut for the holidays or staff take vacation to celebrate their holidays. Whew! With no fires to put out, it’s time for HR to get some work done at a reasonable pace.
So, HR professionals, take time to breathe. And then take some time to brush up on best practices, educate yourself on compliance with employment laws, and anticipate and prepare for some of the problems that inevitably arise in your workplace. Toward these aims, it’s a great idea to thoroughly peruse and familiarize yourself with the HRSentry website, precisely the help you’ll need at your fingertips to save time and legwork in the coming year.
From the HRSentry home page, click on Custom Profile and update your information to be presented with valuable resources that are tailored to your needs. Click on HR Solutions to find the information kits we’ve put together for you on myriad HR topics by clicking: HR Daily Tasks, HR Education and HR Modules. It’s also a great idea to peruse the Best Practices library (on the lower left of the home page) to ensure your organization is on top of the most pressing issues.
Taking these steps now will save you lots of time when the flurry of activity resumes. So give the gift to yourself of using HRSentry to its fullest. You’ll breathe easier.
Last chance to sign up for a course on “HR Skill Building: Tools for Understanding and Preventing Discrimination”. HRSentry has teamed up with Champlain College’s Workforce Development Center to offer a series of online workshops in human resource management. Now more than ever, it is important to handle your HR challenges professionally and with minimal risk. This HR series is designed to help small to medium size organizations gain the expertise they need to manage risk and at the same time, provide excellent service and a welcoming workplace environment to employees.
These workshops are facilitated by human resource experts and SHRM accredited, yet are completely asynchronous so you may attend the sessions at whatever time of day is convenient for you.
Best Value! Save 25% by enrolling in all 4 workshops
Join us on Thursday February 17th, 2011 for a webinar titled Back to the Basics of HR! In the world of HR we get caught up in so many different situations, law changes, and the day to day administration that it is easy to lose sight of why the HR Dept even exists! This webinar will take us back to those basics and help us get on the right track for all the functions and responsibilities of HR.
The webinar will take place on Thursday, February 17th from 2:00-3:00 p.m. and it will be presented by Brenda JM Sabin, CBP HRSentry’s Director of Operations and Site Administration.
The following is the second of a three part series provided by Erik Thompson via the Journal of Accountancy:
Skill 2: Building Connections
Great mentors have a person-to-person connection with those they are helping to develop. They let people inside their heads, sharing their visions and passions but also their strategic concerns and dilemmas. Those around them feel “in touch” with the person behind the suit. They tell stories about their own professional development, making it clear that growth is expected.
When Corcoran’s organization started delivering more vigorous mentoring/ coaching to the next level of staff members, he allowed himself to be coached by one of his direct reports in front of his entire finance team. It was not rehearsed. The direct report “went down a path of asking some pointed questions about a position that I had taken. I put myself out there in front of a lot of people who work for me. It was a very powerful teaching and learning experience. It would be very difficult for me to subscribe to mentoring if I’m not willing to do it myself,” Corcoran said. “After that experience, mentoring became an important part of our team’s operating culture.”
Effective mentors are on a mission to know more about their people. They make the most of time spent traveling or lunching together by asking questions like “What are your most challenging business relationships?” and “What projects are you most excited about?” They foster innovation by asking “What skills do you have to offer our firm that we aren’t currently tapping?” Thinking out loud with a mentor allows strategic thinking to emerge.
A mentor’s job is not to “fix” frustrations and concerns, but it is absolutely his or her job to find out about them. “From a coaching view, you are more curiosity-driven; you’re going to encourage the coachee to think for themselves instead of follow. The conversation should be about the person who is being mentored and encouraging them to think imaginatively and creatively about other possibilities or about their role in a situation or problem,” Corcoran said.
Strong mentors are free of the illusion that they must have all the answers. They know that self-confidence grows when people overcome obstacles themselves, not from extra support. Mentors expect discipline, but foster an atmosphere of adventure and creativity.
The Internal Revenue Service has released instructions to help employers implement the 2011 cut in payroll taxes, along with new income-tax withholding tables that employers will use during 2011. The IRS has recognized that the late enactment of these changes makes it difficult for many employers to quickly update their withholding systems. For that reason, the agency asks employers to adjust their payroll systems as soon as possible, but not later than Jan. 31, 2011.
According to the IRS millions of workers will see their take-home pay rise during 2011 because the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 provides a two percentage point payroll tax cut for employees, reducing their Social Security tax withholding rate from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent of wages paid. This reduced Social Security withholding will have no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits.For full details of the announcement, click here.
Affordable Care Tax Provisions
The Affordable Care Act was enacted on March 23, 2010 and contains some tax provisions that take effect this year and more that will be implemented during the next several years. The IRS has provided a list of provisions now in effect and will provide additional details as they become available. For information on the Affordable Care Tax Provisions click here.
Break Time for Nursing Mothers
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as the Affordable Care Act, amended section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require employers to provide reasonable break time to nursing mothers. The U.S. Department of Labor has now published the following resources to further clarify this new law:
