Whether you’re the VP of HR for a Fortune 500 company or the CFO in a small manufacturing facility, you need a way to stay informed and current on trends and laws that affect employees and how they are managed. This includes:
- Compliance
- Job descriptions
- Wage, Benefit, Metrics and Trend Data
- Policies & Forms
- Employee Engagement & Culture
- Management Training
Smart HR Pros Know Compliance
Court cases, new executive orders, newly rewritten Department of Labor rules, etc., have required employers to make changes to their policies and practices in recent years. How has your company kept up with these changes? Even more importantly, are you keeping an eye on what legal changes may be coming down the road? It’s imperative for employers to understand what their obligations are under federal, state, and local laws.
EAF provides numerous resources to its members to keep them up-to-date on current laws. This includes an unlimited hotline that is available to members during the normal course of the workweek, newsletters, legal alerts, manuals & guides, and training programs on key employment laws.
>> Jump to our contact form to receive more info on EAF membership
Smart HR Pros Know Wages, Benefits, Metrics & Trend Data
Your company is competing with every other employer in the area for skilled workers. In order to maintain your competitive edge, you have to provide wages and benefits that are in line with the market. That requires the use of wage data, benefits data, and other trend information to ensure your pay and benefits match the norm for your area. Where are you obtaining that information and is the data current and reliable?
EAF provides members with access to numerous wage and benefits surveys including:
- Florida Wage & Salary Survey;
- National & Florida Policies & Benefits Surveys;
- Turnover Statistics;
- Trend Surveys; and
- Much more
>> Jump to our contact form to receive more info on EAF membership
Smart HR Pros Know the Importance of Job Descriptions
In order to hire the right people for the job and pay them competitively, you have to understand exactly what the scope of the job entails. This requires comprehensive job descriptions that detail the essential functions of each job, the skills and knowledge required to perform the job and the physical requirements necessary to perform the job. Job descriptions also allow us to identify which key duties to evaluate performance once an individual is employed.
EAF provides access to robust job description writer software that is included in the HR Compliance Library subscription that is provided at no additional charge to all of its members.
>> Jump to our contact form to receive more info on EAF membership
Smart HR Pros Have Updated Policies & Forms
At a recent conference, an employment law attorney with the national law firm of FordHarrison advocated for employers to maintain up-to-date policies and a stockpile of “go to” forms that make administering the HR components of your job easier and more efficient.
The policies should reflect the corporate culture and be written in an easy-to-understand manner. While there are certain policies that need to be written with an eye to legal compliance (Equal Opportunity/Harassment, Family & Medical Leave Act, Fair Labor Standards Act “Safe Harbor”, Employment At Will, etc.), the company should ensure the overall tone of the handbook is positive.
A sample handbook plus hundreds of customizable policies and forms that are available for download from the members-only section of EAF’s website.
>> Jump to our contact form to receive more info on EAF membership
Smart HR Pros Know Good Employee Engagement & Corporate Culture
In the past couple of years “Employee engagement” has been a popular buzzword. But what does it really mean? To put it simply, it refers to the level of commitment an employee has to your organization’s vision and goals. The more committed an employee is, the higher level of productivity they’ll provide to you. Your corporate culture (the way your management team and employees think, feel, act and interact) can drive or stop employee engagement. A positive corporate culture where there is consistent and open communication up and down the chain of command will spark engagement from employees. Regardless of which generation you come from…Boomer, Gen X, Millennial or Gen Z…all want to be appreciated, recognized for their contributions, and feel as if they have made a difference to the organization and/or community.
Employee engagement surveys, research on generational differences and corporate culture, and programs on developing an engaged culture are all available to EAF members.
>> Jump to our contact form to receive more info on EAF membership
Smart HR Pros Know the Value of Management Training
A key to fostering employee engagement and developing a positive culture starts with teaching managers how to manage. While promoting from within has its advantages, frequently those individuals promoted into supervisor or management roles don’t possess or don’t understand the importance of utilizing those “soft” skills that make good managers successful. Additionally, new supervisors/managers may not be familiar with laws (Fair Labor Standards Act, Family & Medical Leave Act, Non-Discrimination, etc.) that they are responsible to comply with and enforce.
In a previous article we stated that training supervisors and managers is a key component to preventing employment lawsuits. Training should be conducted on a regular basis and include:
- Overview of labor and employment laws
- Summary of what constitutes unlawful harassment in the workplace
- Concept of individual liability and vicarious liability (they are considered the employer)
- Common workplace issues that result in legal liability
- Communication & leadership skills
- Discipline, documentation and termination
When conducting training, keep in mind that management needs to know “why”:
- We want them to know all policies & procedures;
- We tell them to document, document, document;
- We use progressive discipline (“fairness”);
- We require policies to be applied consistently;
- We expect all employees to be treated equally;
- We want them to manage by walking around;
- We tell them to follow-up after complaints;
- We do performance evaluations honestly & timely;
- We preach that “all employees want to be loved!”
EAF provides training on-site, online and in our Longwood, FL training facility. More information about our training programs and our calendar of events can be accessed on our website.
EAF is ready to assist your company in each of these areas. We make updated handbook policies available in the members-only section of our website, answer hotline questions on HR related topics such as managing FMLA leaves and paying employees in compliance with the FLSA, and provide a variety of training options for employers – online, onsite and classroom. If you would like to learn more about EAF, please complete the form below and/or view our “Get Acquainted with EAF” webcast.
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