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Did You Know – When Love Blooms at the Office!

Did you know you CAN say something when a romance starts off at the workplace? Even if you do not have a fraternization policy, you can still (and should) hold an adult conversation with the new love birds. The conversation can go something like this:

Really happy you kids have started a relationship, but I want to review some key points for you. We really don’t care what you do outside of work, but I do need to remind you about your interactions at work. It’s important that you always treat each other like co-workers – no hidden kisses or hugs – just cordial, polite co-workers. Remember, unlawful harassment can happen when someone ELSE is offended by your interactions at work and I’m sure you wouldn’t want that to happen. Also, I hope it doesn’t happen but IF the day comes when you two just aren’t a “thing” anymore, please DO remember that must stay out of the office as well. While it may be difficult to do, it’s important that you both remember, if that day comes, to be respectful to each other at the workplace.

Easy peasey – right?

Still not sure about this conversation? Shoot us an email and we’ll help you figure it all out and avoid unnecessary drama!

All the best ~ Karen

Did You Know – OSHA Logs Take 2

Did you know there are important statistics you can gather from your OSHA log? Remember, if you have 10 or more employees, you should be maintaining this log throughout the year AND posting the summary report from February 1 to April 28. (Short Cut to Logs)

Once you’ve determined the number of 1) overall incidents, 2) restricted duty incidents and 3) lost-time incidents, you can then calculate some statistics to see how you compare against your industry numbers. The calculations are quite simple – all you need are the 3 numbers above, the total hours worked during the year and the number 200,000. (The 200,000 is used to compare apples to apples – 100 employees working 2,000 hours per year = 200,000!)

Your incident rate is the category you are looking at (incidents, restricted, lost) times 200,000 divided by the number of hours worked during the year! It’s that simple!

Still not sure how to look at your numbers? Shoot us an email and we’ll help you figure it all out to keep you OSHA Recordkeeping Compliant!

All the best ~ Karen

Happy Anniversary HRR and Welcome Back “Did You Know!”

Fourteen years – hard to believe. Where were you in January of 2005? I’d love for you to comment on below, on Facebook or on our LinkedIn page. In honor of our anniversary, I’m bringing back the original concept of the “Did You Know” series. This short e-blast or mini-blog or however you want to refer to it was just a free tip or reminder to help you promote a #DramaFreeHR work environment in your organization.

We got fancy for a few years with more in-depth blogs; we got even fancier in 2018 with a full-fledged newsletter. Well, that just wasn’t me or HR Resolutions. Our entire premise is to provide YOU with the tools you need to work well with your employees. We never went away but I’m proud to return to our roots and the basics of the “Did You Know” series.

In January, we’ll focus on the OSHA log. Did you know? If you have more than 10 employees, you need to be ready to post your Summary Report from February 1 to April 30. It can be found on-line at osha.gov (but you should have been maintaining it through the entire year in 2018 so that “presto” or “poof” – your summary report is ready to go. You just need to add average number of employees worked AND total hours worked during the year.

Our next DYK will focus on the statistics you should gather from your OSHA log so that you can determine if you are safer than your peers – good stuff to know.

Not sure what an OSHA log is or how to use one? Shoot us an email and we’ll help you figure it all out to keep you OSHA Recordkeeping Compliant!

And, it’s great to be back!

All the best ~ Karen

Employee Relations in a Hashtag World

#metoo – #timesup – #enough

You may think you are free and clear of the Hollywood hashtag invasion but… If you have 15 or more employees, you fall under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended) and several other employment regulations which are overseen by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC.”) Your State most likely has specific regulations as well. For example, as soon as you have four (4) employees in Pennsylvania, you fall under the PA Human Relations Act (“PHRA.”)

This does NOT mean that you need to run screaming out the back door every time an employee says, “I need to talk to you!” In my over 30 years of personnel and HR experience, I have honestly never seen an employer intentionally permit unlawful harassment but “intention” does not count as a defense – it’s the impact of the behavior and/or statement. So, let’s talk about the basics.

You need to recognize there is a difference between inappropriate behavior and potentially unlawful behavior. If an employee is a jerk to EVERYONE, that does not mean he or she is unlawfully harassing coworkers – it just means they are a jerk. Should you do something about it? Of course – jerks make for low moral work places.

Continue reading →

Time for a Reboot?

The theme of the 2018 Sandler Client Summit was Breakthrough 2018. The morning speakers kept asking – “What’s holding you back ?” Well, mine was ME!. I’m doing the same old thing, day after day after day. That may sound funny coming from a Human Resource Director who never has the same day twice in a row, right?! However, I’m also a business owner and executive as many of you are as well.

Now, according to Time, “Being Bored at Work Is Actually a Good Thing…” everyone needs time to think and reflect. Is your workplace SO busy that employees don’t have a second to think/consider new ways to approach old processes? I appreciate that the article talks about working from home or a café but also indicates that’s not practical for every business. Their recommendation? Create something along the lines of a quiet room – brilliant (in my opinion!)

Continue reading →

Accidental HR (SM) – Size Does Matter!

I know, I know, you all want to believe that size doesn’t matter. But when it comes to the number of people you employ, it really does matter! There are certain regulations that you need to abide by as your employee count grows. There can be serious consequences if you don’t follow the rules, so be sure you know them! Oh and remember that handy dandy Acronym Chart that we had? That will help you when reading this chart! Continue reading →

I miss it EVERY year!

While I no longer have school age children, I DO have grandchildren. And, one of them has already expressed interest in taking over the business “after his professional baseball career because all Gammy does is sit on her butt all day.” Carson Leib – age 11 (12 by the time you read this!)

Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day

The official event is April 26, 2018 this year. The event actually started in 1993 (where were YOU when it started?! I was working for International Paper Company and still remember us planning a 1/2 day event.) Take our Daughters to Work was the brain child of Gloria Steinem and the Ms. Foundation. The title was changed in 2003 to be more inclusive. I honestly don’t remember employers limiting it to just girls even in the way back. Continue reading →

Sex, sex, sex

Now that I have your attention, let’s focus in on the real gist of this blog – sexual orientation and gender identity.

So, there is an entire language that employers should be acquainted with on this topic. And, while there is no true case law (as of this writing,) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) considers each of these as falling under the protected class of “gender.” Which means, we need to ensure that our employees understand our position on the topic. (REGARDLESS of your personal belief on this topic, as an employer you have a DUTY to be respectful of any/all protected classes.) Continue reading →

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ahh, love is in the air – ain’t it great! Not so much when it comes to work.

We are frequently called upon to address the question of workplace relationships. I mean, come on, we spend at least 8 hours a day with these people – where else are you going to meet people that have similar likes and dislikes? I LOVE this adage: “Don’t get your honey where you get your money!” NSFW reference (I met mine in graduate school, so he calls us college sweethearts!)

While I don’t go to the extent of recommending a “no fraternization” policy (because then I’d have to practice that, and I LIKE the people I work with,) I do HIGHLY recommend employers discourage workplace romances. Continue reading →

OSHA Recordkeeping

Let’s talk more about OSHA log. This is relevant even if you have fewer than 10 employees – you still need to understand some OSHA language since almost all employers fall under the “General Duty Clause” of the regulations. Continue reading →