The turn of the year is a great time for making resolutions in our personal lives and in our professional lives as well. Legal compliance and other areas of HR, as you no doubt realize, can be complicated. But don’t feel daunted! As with any complex issue in life, break it down into manageable parts. Pick just an area or two on which to focus. Get started now and you’ll be surprised by how much you’ve accomplished by year end. And, as with the success of any resolution, if you get sidetracked, simply get back to it as soon as you can. Here are some ideas for areas to start improving upon in the new year:
HR Audit—assess your weaknesses before someone else does and work to reduce your risk exposure in the most important areas first;
Classification – make sure your workers are properly classified as employees or independent contractors;
Policy and Handbook Review and Update – update policies as needed and make sure your handbook reflects all changes; communicate any changes to staff.
Training — set up training for your managers (and employees as appropriate); important areas include your policies and procedures, documentation, recruiting practices, nondiscrimination, retaliation and harassment.
Fair Labor Standards Act – evaluate the exempt vs. nonexempt status of all positions to make sure you’re in compliance.
Performance Management – create a complete system, beginning with the job description and tying into your goals and mission, that occurs year round with continual feedback and no surprises;
Job Descriptions – have employees and managers review and update all job descriptions; if you don’t have job descriptions, it’s a great time to create them.
Wellness Program – institute one or improve the one you have to create a healthy workplace culture; conduct an employee survey to find out what’s working well and what could be better;
New Employee Onboarding – enhance and improve your program for new employees so they acclimate and become productive team members sooner.
HRSentry is the best place to learn about what you can do with all of these topics and all of the issues you face daily as an HR professional. There’s even a mobile app for conducting an HR audit. So begin the new year on the right foot with HRSentry resources at your fingertips!
Colchester, VT – HRSentry, has announced the release of their new mobile app, “HR Audit”. This mobile HR Audit is available for free on both Apple and Android devices. “This new app provides an essential assessment tool for managers to determine if their organizations are in compliance with federal employment laws and best practices,” says Dean Haller, HRSentry’s CEO, noting that “this 60-question process quickly helps identify those areas that may pose a significant risk of fines or lawsuits.”
To download HRSentry’s “HR Audit” visit the Apple App Store or Android Market and search for “HR Audit”. In addition to the HR Audit, HRSentry’s first app “HR At Your Fingertips” for the iPhone and iPad, continues to rank as one of the top business apps in the Apple store.
About HRSentry:
Since being founded in 2003, HRSentry’s mission has been to create, deliver, and support services and training that empower the organization to be self-sufficient in administration of its Human Resource policies, practices, and procedures. HRSentry’s services enable the user to access Human Resource forms, policies, and procedures; link to federal and state laws, regulations, and resources and expand their knowledge of HR through state-of-the-art training mediums. For more information visit www.hrsentry.com.
Article contributed by Kyle Lagunas, the HR Market Analyst at Sofware Advice:
HR is shifting its focus away from its traditional administrative functions and towards strategically growing and developing talent in the workforce. This trend—what analysts are calling strategic HR—is due largely in part to advancements in HR technology. The adoption of cloud-based software solutions has made this transition possible for organizations large and small. For leaders interested in developing a more valuable workforce, it is important to understand what, exactly, strategic HR is.
In broadening the scope beyond their traditional functions, HR professionals are taking on new roles as organizational advocates, talent coaches and workforce consultants. This hybrid of HR functionality oversees three core strategic HR functions:
Talent Management focuses on acquiring, on-boarding, and developing talent through employees’ entire life-cycles within organizations.
Learning Management focuses on managing the process of developing hard and soft skills, monitoring certifications, and rolling out training courses.
Workforce Management focuses on processes managers rely on to manage daily staffing tasks such as time tracking and shift scheduling so they can focus on big picture operational needs.
The adoption of web-based HR software has been a key driver in the development of strategic HR. Solutions focused on best practices involve both managers and employees in important processes like on-boarding and performance reviews. By automating administrative HR functions, organizations can take a strategic perspective on big-picture practices such as hiring better people and improving talent effectiveness.
Richard Vosburgh, VP of Talent & Organizational Effectiveness and Chief Talent Development Officer at KEMET Electronics, advocates the value of both the “essential and the transformational” functions of HR. Organizations that have mastered both the essential and transformational have seen a major impact on their organizational effectiveness. In 2007, a study conducted by The Hackett Group, HR Best Practices, found that organizations with “World Class HR” lowered labor costs, increased HR efficiency and drastically reduced turnover.
Impact of Strategic HR Graph
When taking the first steps towards implementing strategic HR, Vosburgh suggests leveraging people resources in your organization with what he calls “dual-hatting projects.” For example:
Assign your HR manager to develop an internal branding and company culture campaign.
Work closely with the controller to develop realistic and informed hiring and growth strategies.
Ask your hiring managers create a section in the application process specifically suited to their division.
Organizations that are serious about transitioning into strategic HR should be prepared for some growing pains. Safeguard yourself and your organization, and take time to put in your due diligence now. If you do your homework, research best practices and compare software to find what best fits your unique organization, you can ease this transition. Establishing an effective, strategic HR framework that can grow with your organization over time is no small task, but it’s undoubtedly worthwhile.
Join us on Thursday July 21, 2011 from 2:00 – 3:00p.m. for a webinar titled The Fair Labor Standards Act. The FLSA affects and needs to be understood by every employer. This webinar will visit the most important facets including exemptions, overtime calculations and some recent additions to the law. Avoid hassles and fines by making sure you are in compliance!
Colchester, VT – HRSentry, a leading provider of online services for human resource regulatory compliance, has partnered with LegalZoom, the nation’s leading online legal document service, to form a strategic partnership. This partnership will give LegalZoom users access to HR Made Simple, HRSentry’s online human resource center, as part of the LegalZoom Business Resource Network. The partnership provides LegalZoom customers with access to federal and state employment laws, and human resources forms, policies, procedures, posters and training.
LegalZoom provides a simple, cost-effective way for people to establish a new legal business entity. HRSentry’s services are offered as part of The Business Resource Network, a group of carefully selected business service partners that LegalZoom has chosen to recommend to its customers.
“We couldn’t be more excited about offering HRSentry to our new and existing business owners,” says Steven Chic, Director of Business Development for LegalZoom. “HRSentry’s one-stop shop for HR compliance let’s our customers focus on their business – leaving human resource compliance issues to the pros.
“Being selected as a partner on LegalZoom Business Resource Network has been an incredible experience,” said Dean Haller, founder and President of HRSentry. “This partnership is a natural fit and will give thousands of small businesses the support they need to save time and avoid costly lawsuits.”
About HRSentry
Since being founded in 2003, HRSentry’s mission has been to create, deliver, and support services and training that empower the organization to be self-sufficient in administration of its Human Resource policies, practices, and procedures. HRSentry’s services enable the user to access Human Resource forms, policies, and procedures; link to federal and state laws, regulations, and resources and expand their knowledge of HR through state-of-the-art training mediums. For more information visit www.hrsentry.com.
About LegalZoom
LegalZoom.com is the nation’s leading provider of legal documents that help people protect their families and launch their business dreams. Since its founding in 2001, more than 1 million customers have used the service to make a will or living trust, form a corporation or LLC, and apply for a copyright or trademark. LegalZoom is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Headquartered in Glendale, California, with offices in Austin, Texas, the company has over 400 employees. For more information, visit www.legalzoom.com.
For more information contact:
Topher Liddle, HRSentry, 1-800-523-2564, topher@hrsentry.com
