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!
If you were getting ready to download and post the employee rights poster next month, you can wait a while longer. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has agreed to postpone the effective date until April 30, 2012 at the request of a federal court in Washington, DC which is hearing a related case. This latest ruling from the NLRB states that it has determined that the postponement will facilitate the resolution of the legal challenges that have been filed with respect to the rule.
Unless legal challenges dictate otherwise, most private sector employers will be required to post the 11-by-17-inch employee rights notice by the new April 30th deadline. The notice may be downloaded for free from the NLRB through its website which provides additional information on posting requirements as well as on NLRB jurisdiction.
Specifically excluded from NLRB jurisdiction are:
federal, state and local governments, including public schools, libraries, and parks, Federal Reserve banks, and wholly-owned government corporations;
Employers who employ only agricultural laborers, those engaged in farming operations that cultivate or harvest agricultural commodities or prepare commodities for delivery;
Employers subject to the Railway Labor Act, such as interstate railroads and airlines.
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.
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.
Are there some human resources topics that you find particularly complex and confusing? Are you new to human resources and struggling with getting started? Are there legal areas you suspect your organization is getting wrong and you’d like some help to get it right?
We’re preparing the HRSentry® monthly webinar schedule for 2012 to give subscribers timely online trainings they can really use. If you can’t attend at a webinar’s scheduled time, we always upload the slides and a recording of the presentation into HRSentry®’s training libraries so you may view them at your convenience. Our aim is to focus on topics that are the most helpful to as many of our subscribers as possible.
Here are some topics being considered for 2012, based on the resources subscribers seem most drawn to and on attendance at our 2011 webinar trainings:
The Basics of Human Resources
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
The Fair Labor Standards Act (Overtime Regs)
How to Avoid Unlawful Termination Lawsuits,
The Whys and How-tos of Job Descriptions,
Understanding COBRA Administration
Ask the Pro (HR Legal Questions Answered in Real Time)
Creating An Employee Handbook
Organizing Personnel and Other HR Files—What to keep, how long and where?
Social Media in the Workplace
Sexual Harassment Awareness
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts on these or feel free to suggest other HR topics. We’d love to give you the online training programs that help you the most. Please contact us at: support@hrsentry.com.
