Embracing Workplace Appreciation: Empowering Organizations by Recognizing Employees

March 28, 2020

Is your business suffering from communication breakdowns? My name is Katherine Hartvickson of Quantum Ascendance, an HR Consulting & Leadership Development company. We help you develop your People and create sustainable Processes so that you enjoy a Profitable and Winning Culture. Today’s business world is filled with an overwhelming amount of social media, texts and emails, yet I’ve found there is still a lack of clear and compelling communicating happening.…

How to Maintain Employee Engagement & Productivity During COVID-19

March 26, 2020

As we collectively navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, how you manage your small business and maintain your employees’ engagement and productivity during this crisis is changing daily. Unfortunately, many companies are laying off employees in numbers most of us haven’t seen in our lifetime. Unemployment offices are inundated with new claims each week. Organizations have had to quickly create coronavirus crisis management plans. This has left employment during…

How Diversity & Inclusion Strengthens Your Business

March 6, 2020

A strong diversity and inclusion strategy isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s also an important strategic business move. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that organizations that are more diverse and inclusive drive innovative results and attract top talent. First of all, let’s define what these terms mean. Diversity is comprised of the things that differentiate us. It encompasses the characteristics that make one person or group different from others. Things…

3 Important U.S. Employment Law Changes in 2020

February 3, 2020

It wouldn’t be a new year without several U.S. employment law changes! In 2020, employers are going to need to stay on top of more than a dozen federal and state laws that came into effect on January 1, 2020. While we can’t cover all dozen-plus new labor laws and regulations in one article, let’s look at three that could have a big impact on your business. 1. A new…

Looking Ahead at 5 HR Trends for 2020

January 8, 2020

At the end of each year, I like to look back at what I’ve accomplished: what went well and what didn’t. There are valuable lessons in understanding this before you start planning the next year. It’s also important to look forward—no matter what field you’re in—at what you’d like to focus on in the upcoming year. For me, it’s to launch my new HR training program for small business owners…

How to Throw an HR-Friendly Employee Holiday Party

December 3, 2019

As the end of 2019 quickly approaches, many employers are planning employee holiday parties to celebrate the season and show their appreciation. According to an OfficeTeam survey of more than 2,800 senior managers, 93% said their companies would be having holiday festivities this year. As fun as employee holiday parties can be, they can also strike fear in the heart of HR professionals, who must limit employer liability and staff…

Should You Set Up an HR Department or is an HR Consultant Better Right Now?

November 6, 2019

Growth is great, but along with it comes challenges. Many organizations find themselves having to decide when to outsource human resources functions to a consultant, or how to create a dedicated department for organizational support. As a small business owner you most likely had to handle all HR functions to manage costs, and then later realized that you were spending a lot of your time navigating uncharted waters when the…

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late to Hire an HR Professional

October 8, 2019

When it comes to reasons why a company didn’t hire a human resources consultant, I’ve heard them all: a small business didn’t think they were big enough to warrant it, or the CFO didn’t want to spend the money, or Jane from accounting was taking care of the paperwork. That “worked” until they were suddenly facing a crisis and needed help. Rather than having a dedicated team or person in…

4 Mistakes Organizations Make with Employee Training

September 4, 2019

Workplace training isn’t a nice-to-have; if you want skilled, engaged employees who stick around, it’s a necessity. Also, your company can be on the hook if you don’t educate your staff on issues such as sexual harassment and diversity. American companies spend enormous amounts of money on employee training and education every year—an estimated $160 billion. But too often, these efforts are wasted for a number of different reasons. Here…

The Importance of Conducting an Exit Interview

August 6, 2019

Whatever the size of your organization, over time people are going to come and go. And, it doesn’t matter if an employee has been at your organization for 10 months or 10 years; conducting an exit interview is an invaluable way to get honest feedback before he or she leaves. Here are a few stats from Gallup: Ninety-one percent of Fortune 500 companies conduct exit interviews Seventy-one percent of employees…