How to Avoid “Communication Bombs” Between Employees

February 14, 2021

Communication in the workplace can make or break your organization. If your employees are communicating effectively at work, your company is going to be much more successful. When your employees are communicating effectively at work, it: Strengthens the company culture Increases productivity and quality Avoids confusion and duplication of work Keeps everyone accountable and on-track with their tasks However, if your people are snapping at one another out of stress…

What the Paid Sick Leave Extension Means for You

January 15, 2021

A new $900 billion coronavirus relief bill is now law. The question of whether or not the federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) and Emergency Family and Medical Leave (EFMLA) will be extended has been answered: yes. However, as part of the new $900 billion coronavirus relief bill that recently became law, an employee will no longer be entitled by law to take EPSL or EFMLA—even if they have a…

Why SOPs Will Make or Break Your 2021

January 6, 2021

It’s just three letters, but they’re critical ones. If you haven’t heard the acronym SOP (often referred to as SOPs), it stands for standard operating procedures. SOPs are the documented processes that help employees effectively and safely perform their jobs. Every single employee in your organization needs to understand, complete and follow these step-by-step desk procedures—especially right now. I like to use the example of the fast-food chain McDonald’s: Regardless…

The Employee COVID-19 Risk You Could Be Missing

December 15, 2020

When business owners think about employee health and safety, their thoughts are generally focused on the physical. Things like avoiding hazards that could cause a staff member or customer to slip and fall. Understanding the laws around testing for COVID-19 in the workplace. However, keeping your workforce safe and healthy includes prioritizing employee mental health. As your workers are coping with the pandemic, they’re under a great deal of stress—even…

How to Keep Your Top Employees from Quitting in 2021

November 13, 2020

It’s nearly the end of 2020, and what a year it’s been. The entire world has changed the way we interact with friends and family, work, play, shop…and so on. For many business owners, this global shift has made 2020 a year of reactivity rather than productivity. It’s been hard for many employers to look beyond maintaining their cash flow, dealing with fewer staff and customers. Plus, they have to…

Don’t Get Burned By A COVID-19 Employment Lawsuit or Fine

October 15, 2020

You may have noticed I’ve been very focused on this topic in the past few months. It’s because I’m really concerned for small and medium-sized business owners. Each day I’m seeing articles like “A ‘tidal wave’ of Covid-related workplace lawsuits could be on the way” and noticing the numbers going up on Littler’s COVID-19 Labor & Employment Litigation Tracker. According to Littler, an international employment law firm, since March 12…

Effective & Empowering Performance Management of Remote Workers

September 15, 2020

Thinking back to pre-COVID-19 times, how did you manage your employees’ performance? I’m sure it was much easier when you were in the same room as your staff, providing feedback or answering questions when you could make “real” eye contact and read their body language. But when your workforce is at home, things get trickier. Managing and evaluating performance isn’t so straightforward anymore. Here are a few reasons why it’s…

4 Tips on Choosing Employee Benefits for 2021

August 11, 2020

2020 has presented HR professionals (not to mention everyone!) with some unique challenges. Many organizations have had to make changes to employee benefits because of COVID-19. Despite the unknowns around the pandemic as many organizations forge ahead, it’s time to think about coverage decisions for the coming year. Generally, insurers provide health plan costs for the following year in October, which is approaching quickly. Employers continue to protect the health…

How to Create a Great Remote Workplace Culture

July 7, 2020

Many employees have grown accustomed to working 100% remotely because of COVID-19. And according to lots of news lately, that could be here to stay. These estimates predict that 25-30% of the workforce will be working from home regularly by the end of 2021. Why? Lots of leaders have realized that their employees can be engaged and productive while working from home. And it makes good financial sense to many…

Create a Return to Work Plan That Protects Everyone

June 2, 2020

Many people are still working remotely with no set date to return to the office or production site. But companies everywhere are working hard to plan for the return of employees to the workplace. To do so, businesses create risk models to envision certain scenarios, get input from HR teams and management, and rely on employee feedback, in order to create a return to work plan. As we see some…