Some of you may think that’s a good thing and others probably wish the year would continue. Regardless, everyone thinks the year is over. But, is it? Continue reading
Happy 2017! What We’ve Learned and Where We’re Going
What a year it’s been! 2017 is almost at an end, and over its shoulder is 2018. Are you ready for it? Is your COMPANY ready for it? We’ve covered as many hot-button issues and burning questions about processes and HR best practices over this past year as we could, including solicitation (not THAT kind), identity theft, bullying, and even actual disasters. It makes sense to have covered such a variety of topics, especially after the year it’s been. It was our first full year under a new president, and a year that had many people asking, “How can we do a better job with our business’s human resources?” Continue reading
Harassment in the Office
For most of us, our workplace is our community. We see our coworkers more than we see friends and family because we’re they’re every day. That means it’s important to treat each other with respect and kindness, to establish a collaborative and productive work environment. When someone experiences harassment at work, it not only hurts the victim but also damages the environment that’s been built by others. One bad seed can easily sour the mood at work; productivity can take a nosedive, and your place of employment can turn into a hostile work environment.
There are actually multiple forms of harassment someone could be subjected to. Knowing how harassment happens can make us better at spotting similar behaviors around us so that we can speak up for the victims and maintain our workplace experience. Continue reading
Taxable Fringe Benefits: What Are They and Why Should I Care?
Rewarding employees with gift cards and other “fringe benefits” can be a reward in and of itself but did you know that the free holiday turkeys you just handed out may be considered taxable income?
Yep.
Unfortunately, it’s not as easy to dole out cool benefits as many of us originally thought without getting taxes involved. That doesn’t mean you should eschew the fringe benefits—it just means you have to be smart about them! Continue reading
Thanksgiving: More Than Just Turkey Talk
Saying thanks. Giving thanks. We talk a lot about gratitude around the holidays, especially on Thanksgiving; but how far does the season spirit reach? Does it go beyond your dinner table and family? As an employer, it definitely benefits company morale to show your thanks for the people you work with every day. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to shower them with physical gifts—it could be an extra kind word or two in passing, or even telling them how appreciative you are of the work they do.
The point is that it pays to consider how you might be thankful for your employees and then communicate that to them. Continue reading
Bullying: It’s Not Just in Schools
While it’s likely been years since most of us were in high school, there’s one thing that even adult employees face today that harkens back to their school-age days: bullying. No one is getting into fistfights in the parking lot (hopefully) or pulling hair, but that’s because workplace bullying is subtler in nature. It’s psychological and verbal bullying that today’s workforce must contend with.
It may not be outright illegal, but it’s counterproductive and an extremely poor way to treat people you work with. Continue reading
Helping Employees Deal with Identity Theft
By now, many of us have heard about the Equifax breach. It came as a shock when the company responsible for credit monitoring and identity theft protection was the victim of a data breach. It’s been reported that at least 143 million people have had their personally identifiable information stolen, but the real number, experts say, can’t truly been known. Continue reading
Back to School and Solicitation Policies: Who Knew the Two Could Be Connected
The workplace is often full of parents, new and seasoned, so when the school year starts, it’s not uncommon to see flyers or emails asking others to support a sports team, school trip, or club with the purchase of some food or snack item. Fundraisers and the like are simple part and parcel with having kids, and even if you don’t have any, you’ve probably been asked if you want to buy stuff from the parents you work with.
It’s kind of unavoidable. Continue reading
When Disaster Strikes—Around the Workplace Water Cooler
This country has seen its share of hardships over the past year, with two of the most recent ones being Hurricane Harvey and the Charlottesville Riots. We can’t avoid talking about them or hearing about them. Even if you aren’t in Houston or weren’t in Charlottesville, VA, maybe the cause affected you in other ways; or you know someone who was personally and immediately affected by the events. Either way, these are topics of conversation that are dramatically influencing how we as citizens—as human beings—act in the face of adversity, and how we come to the aid of those who need it most. Continue reading
The Future of Human Resources
At the June ‘17 Society for Human Resource Management Conference, VP of Government Affairs Michael Aitken, presented “The Trump Administration and the 115th Congress: The Washington Outlook for HR Public Policy.” How could anyone in good conscience not attend that session? Mr. Aitken raised some excellent, non-bashing points, that we should all consider, whether we work in HR or not. Continue reading
