HR Shield

Month

January 2012

5 posts

Push Factors VS Pull Factors

A few months ago, through the HR Shield blog, we addressed the top reasons Why Good Employees Leave, and just recently, we came across an article in the Post and Courier by Diane Stafford, further supporting the pull factors, but also emphasizing the push factors, which play a much bigger role in employee turnover.  

It’s not a hard kept secret that employers need to worry about why their best employees are leaving. After all, how do you prevent future employees from leaving if you don’t know what’s upsetting them? While money remains one of the top determining factors in selecting a new job, it’s the push factors that outnumber the pull factors by 2-1, according to business consultant Leigh Branham. 

Two-thirds of the time there’s a turning point, one final straw that pushes people right out the door. As an employer, you may wrongfully assume that direct internal conflict or poor management may be the source of the push, but surveys show that the pushes aren’t always personal- sometimes behaviors alone, even indirect,  serve as the pushes. For example, some workers decide to leave their company because others simply aren’t working as hard as they are, or they believe there is a lack of ethics within the organization.

As a business owner, executive, or manager, you have to be aware of your actions at all times and how they effect your organization. Turnover costs organizations a lot of money, and while best practices include conducting an Exit Interview upon departure, it’s typically too late to save them. The Exit Interview will let you know why the employee has left, if they choose to be honest. This information can prevent others from leaving. But, there’s always an opportunity to start turning things around today—before you encounter an employee’s costly departure.

HR Shield gives you full time access to an employee performance management system that really works, including employee handbook templates, employee reviews and all the HR advice you need. Through HR Shield’s services, we have found that employees tend to be more honest regarding their workplace opinions (positive or negative), simply because we are a neutral party and not the employee’s immediate boss.  A handful of HR management best practices can go a long way in bettering your working environment. HR Shield helps recognize and resolve any employee unhappiness before it is too late.

For questions or concerns about current employee situations, contact HR Shield.

Jan 15, 2012
#hr shield #human resources
Employee Handbooks 101

Does your company have an employee handbook? Is it up to date with the necessary policies and procedures to ensure your employees are following the rules? Is your company compliant within the labor and employment guidelines set by federal, state and local requirements?

Employee handbooks, while sometimes tedious and demanding from an administrative standpoint, should never be put away on the shelf, or only distributed when hiring a new employee. The objective of an employee handbook is to provide all employees, not just new employees, with any and all pertinent information they may need to efficiently and effectively understand and perform their job.

Your employee handbook should be updated periodically and include the following and most up to date information pertaining to:

  1. Introduction to the Company/Company Background
  2. Start-up Information for New Employees (How to set up email, use phone system, who to report to, etc) 
  3. Contract of Employment
  4. Pay and Promotions
  5. Benefits
  6. Company Policies (Such as family medical leave, equal employment, paid time off, non-discrimination, workers compensation and more)  
  7. Disciplinary Codes
  8. Grievance Codes  
  9. Employee acknowledgement page

Worried about continuous updates and printing? Information can be provided in a loose leaf binder for easy and cost-effective updates to certain sections, rather than reprinting the entire book each time an edit is made. With electronic copies of employee handbooks, you often cannot predict whether or not the employee will review it on their own—it is best to hand them a hard copy and include an employee acknowledgement page for their signature.

Because our team is well aware that creating, updating and administering an employee handbook is time consuming and takes time away from your important everyday responsibilities and tasks, we have created a customized solution for our clients. Through HR Shield, our members gain immediate access to a licensed HR professional for employee handbook creation or review. In addition, HR forms and templates are readily available to maintain a compliant HR department. For more information, contact a licensed HR professional at HR Shield today. Toll Free: (877) 636-9525.

Original Article posted at HR-Shield.com

Jan 14, 201217 notes
#employee handbooks #human resources #hr #hr shield #business #small business
New Year’s Business Resolutions That You Can Achieve!

We’ve all got them—New Year’s Resolutions. Every December we set goals for the New Year, whether they are fitness goals, finance goals, relationship goals or even business goals. As a business owner, executive, or HR Professional, you may have many of the following resolutions for your working environment and employees. With the support of HR Shield, your long list of goals for the New Year doesn’t need to be intimidating, and it CAN be achieved!

We understand that managing HR requires every ounce of energy you have in order to stay ahead of the competition and grow your bottom line. Even with an HR Manager on staff, human resources administration can be overwhelming. The expert team at HR Shield provides the perfect alternative to outsourced HR services – a simple, yet often necessary, helping hand!

Stay Organized: By utilizing HR Shield’s Forms Library, you can readily have access to reliable human resources forms for hiring, firing, workers comp, harassment, overtime, tax forms, unemployment claims, federal and state documentations and more.

Avoid Hiring the “Wrong People” this Year: We provide hiring support including interviewing tips, background checks, employee compensation help, drug testing, documentation support and more. We have all of the talent and knowledge necessary to attract and retain the right employees for your company this year—and can even help terminate the bad ones if necessary, through exit interview assistance, compliance consulting and more.

Create a Safer Working Environment:  You never want to see an employee hurt on the job. Perhaps your working environment has experienced an injury on the job in 2011? If so, you know firsthand that accidents DO happen, and employees who aren’t trained properly leave you exposed to costly consequences. The importance of safety in the workplace can’t be underestimated. Let HR Shield help you out this year, with office safety training, HR compliance services and more—everything you need to keep your employees safe!

Boost Employee Performance This Year: Need help motivating your work force? HR Shield provides an employee performance management system that really works, including employee handbook templates, employee reviews and all the expert HR advice you need. We can help your business create custom compensation packages and rewards systems that truly improve employee morale!

Whatever your business and HR goals may be, HR Shield can lend a helping hand. Best business wishes to all for the New Year, and do not hesitate to call usthis year– we’re turning resolutions into realities!

View Original Article at HR-Shield.com

Jan 14, 201211 notes
#HR Shield #Human Resources #employee performance management #business #employee performance
What are KSAs?

Many of us have heard of KSAs, especially when it comes to job performance. KSAs (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)are demonstrated through qualifying experience, education, or training. As an employer, paying attention to a potential employee’s KSA’s are extremely important—they are often used to distinguish the “qualified candidates” from the “unqualified candidates” for a position.

When handed or sent a completed application from a potential candidate, the application must fully address the KSAs specified in the vacancy position. Assuming you, as the human resources professional or hiring manager, have identified specific prerequisites for the job, your candidate’s skills and background should match as best as possible. If a candidate’s information shows the relevant education or years of experience that satisfy the requirements and has great knowledge, skills and abilities, you can advance further consideration in the evaluation process.

KSAs are defined as:

  • Knowledge – An organized body of factual information about the candidate’s knowledge. The “Knowledge” section of KSA should indicate what rules, regulations, policies, practices, and more the candidate is familiar with.  How will this knowledge apply to your work environment and the vacant position? Did the candidate give you examples of significant situations where this knowledge has been applied?
  • Skills – The proficient manual, verbal, or mental ability of operating data, technology or other items. For example: computer skills, software experience, presentation development, machinery experience. How will having skill(s) with these various types of mediums apply to the job? How much experience does the potential candidate have using each item?
  • Ability – The power or ability to perform a task. For example, having the talent or capacity to multitask and operate numerous instruments at once. Will the candidate’s experience and ability to utilize numerous tools have a positive impact on your working environment? 

While KSAs are only part of the resume and application process, they can truly make one candidate standing out amongst the rest. Look for examples that demonstrate initiative, innovation, leadership, complexity and most importantly, team work!

Hiring employees involves a long list of important details that, if not handled properly, can lead to poor performance. For more advice on hiring and scanning resumes, contact the HR professionals at HR Shield.

Jan 10, 20122 notes
#human resources #hr #hr management #hr shield #tampa hr #ksa
The Win-Win of Internships → hr-shield.com
Jan 3, 20129 notes
#interns #internships #business interns #business #small business #human resources #hr

December 2011

5 posts

Dec 12, 2011
#contest #office contest #holiday contest #win $100 #best buy gift card #hr shield
Deck Your Office | Holiday Contest



Contest begins on Friday 12/9/11
Do you deck your office, cubicle or desk for the holidays? 
We want to give you the chance to win a $100 Best Buy gift card

This could buy a lot of new pencils (LOL)

How To Enter

  • Simply take a picture of your office holiday decorations
  • Enter the contest by visiting our Facebook fanpage and clicking “Submit Entry”
  • Upload your entry

Bonus points for wearing an ugly holiday sweater! (see below)

How To Win

  • Encourage your friends, co-workers, family and friends to vote for your submission.
  • Voters can vote once per day during the contest period.

1st Place  is the entrant with the highest number of votes by 12/22/11. These votes are chosen by public voting. Winner will receive a $100.00 gift card to Best Buy.

HR Shield’s Pick -This winner will be chosen by all of us at HR Shield from the pictured entered on the contest tab. The HR Shield Pick winner MUST have someone in the picture of the office decorations wearing the ugliest Christmas/ holiday sweater they could find. Winner will receive a $100 Best Buy gift card

Winners will be announced on our Facebook page, Twitter (@HR_Shield) and our blog (hr-shield.com/blog) on Friday 12/23/11.

Remember:

This image MUST be of your office, cubicle, desk or work space

To enter an individual MUST upload an image of their office holiday decorations to the HR Shield contest application tab.

Visit your submission daily to vote.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Dec 9, 20114 notes
#contest #holiday contest #hr shield #human resources #office holiday contest #decorate your office #business
HR funnies thanks to HC Mag → hcamag.com

purpleshoeturtle:

Friend of mine forwarded this little story. Those of you in Human Resources like me ……. Enjoy! I actually laughed out loud :)

HR funnies - Happy Monday, folks!

Dec 5, 20117 notes
#human resources #hr #recruiting #hr shield
Dec 3, 2011
#human resources #occupy wall street #wall street #occupy #99%
[PODCAST] What Motivates Tomorrow's Leaders → blogs.hbr.org
Dec 2, 20118 notes
#leadership #motivation #hr

November 2011

6 posts

Ideas for Corporate Giving This Holiday Season

Many companies focus on community engagement and corporate service programs for specific societal issues, whether that be education, health, culture, environment or poverty. Utilizing your own company’s resources and talent can be a great way to give back to the society that you live, work and play in. Giving back as a company requires direct action and collaboration and can be great for team building and instilling value, pride, social responsibility, leadership and empowerment in your employees.

HR Professionals and HR Departments are often responsible for organizing such efforts, especially if a company is not large enough to have its own designated community outreach coordinator. The fastest way to decide which organizations or causes you want to support, is to ask your employees. Find out what they’re passionate about, what they participate in outside of work, or what they’ve been personally touched by. Whether you have one or several groups in mind, there are many ways to give back this holiday season that are cost-effective for your organization and can get every employee involved. See the following for ideas!

Gifts for Families or Organizations in Need: Host an internal company gift drive for those in need. If each employee brings in something small, and you have multiple employees involved, you can touch a number of lives this holiday season. Team building activities can involve organizing, wrapping, and even hand delivering the gifts. Designate certain employees for leadership roles and if you have a lot of employees, consider making teams with different responsibilities.

Holiday Packages for Soldiers: Many soldiers are away from their homes and families this holiday season.Giving back can extend far beyond your immediate surroundings. Host a holiday-package making party for soldiers in your place of employment. This can be easily accomplished by putting different employees in charge of different things such as supplies, donations, card making, and more.

Stomp out Hunger: Many companies host internal food drives, which is a great way to collect a lot of food for those in need. If your company has the resources, or enough time, consider hosting an actual lunch or dinner for the hungry. Designate certain employees for leadership roles such as collecting the food and donations, organizing the event day, inviting people in need, and even cooking. It’s a great way for everyone to work together towards one rewarding day, and interact directly with your community.

Speaking Engagements: Does your company have valuable information and expertise you could be sharing with the community? Perhaps speaking to high school students about the importance of college? What about speaking to the unemployed about resume building? Sharing your best financial practices? Sometimes help doesn’t need to be an actual item or monetary gift, it can be as simple as delivering knowledge that helps people in your community move forward with their lives.

Fundraising: Have a cause you’d like to support, but not enough time or employees to directly engage with the organization? Monetary gifts are ALWAYS greatly appreciated and allow organizations or people in need to purchase the things they need most. Instead of asking each employee to directly contribute, create a fundraising plan, in which employees can collect donations and raise funds. Making teams creates fun internal competition and can increase the amount of funds your company is able to collect. If you have multiple locations or offices, consider having them compete against one another.

Service Hours: Many organizations within your community are in need of service hours and volunteers. Taking a day off from work to volunteer as a company is a great experience, and allows your employees to work on Team Building activities, interact outside of the office, get to know one another, and have fun.

For more corporate holiday giving ideas, contact HR Shield. Our team will gladly provide feedback for those looking to make a difference in their community this holiday season!


Article originally posted on the HR Shield blog

Nov 28, 20111 note
#corporate giving #hr shield #human resources #hr #shrm
8 Tips for Writing Great Online Recruitment Ads

Need some tips for writing a great online job board advertisement? Before you begin writing your company’s recruitment advertisement, first consider how much money is available for recruitment and the timeframe in which the position needs to be filled. Based on this information, you then can determine the most appropriate media and availability with regards to cost and deadlines. Online job board advertisements allow more room for copy, contrary to print advertising which typically charges advertisers for each and every line of copy.

If you plan on placing more than one ad, or will have several openings, developing a brand and consistency in the ads will deliver a good impression to the candidates. Logos, pictures and colors generate greater interest. You want to draw people to your ad and sometimes by simply bolding the position title, more people will be attracted.

Here is a recommended outline with tips for online recruitment advertising:

  1. Title of position:  Be sure the title is clear and concise. If your job title differs than the norm, perhaps consider using an alternate job title that clearly explains the role. Often online recruitment ads will only list the job title; make sure yours stands out amongst the other listings.
  2. Job Summary:  Online job boards will show a brief job summary, generally the title and one or two sentences, from which interested applicants can click through to see the full posting . This job summary is the most important part of your ad. If it doesn’t grab attention and compel the reader to click through to your full ad, then you could be missing out on some great candidates. Your job title should be clear, and the first couple sentences of your posting should grab the reader’s attention.
  3. Company:  What does your company do, where it is located, what industry are you in? Make the overview compelling.
  4. The Job Description:  Include main functions of the role, key skills, previous experience desired, relevant qualifications, and bullet point the position’s key tasks.
  5. Core Competencies:  Which personal attributes are required to be effective in the role i.e. innovation, motivation, organization.  Describe what the successful candidate will be like. Talk about team fit and the culture of your organization.
  6. Prospects & Job Benefits:  What does your company have to offer? Is there career progression, privileges, benefits, vacation time, etc?
  7. Contact:  Recruiter’s name, phone number and email address – Make sure they know what times you’re available too!
  8. Specific Requirements :  If you have specific requirements such as salary restraints, minimum education or experience, be sure and list these clearly in your ad copy.

For specific questions or concerns about hiring (or terminating), contact HR Shield.

Story originally posted at HR Shield

Nov 28, 201111 notes
#human resources #hr #recruitment #hiring
Nov 28, 201115 notes
#hr #work #employee #human resources
Join HR Shield's Circle On Google+ → plus.google.com
Nov 11, 20111 note
#human resources #hr #google+ #workplace compliance #hiring and firing #hr shield
Strategic Recruitment Practices or Discrimination?

According to an article in the New York Times and other recent media coverage, reviews of job vacancy postings on popular sites like Monster.com,CareerBuilder.com and Craigslist.com have revealed hundreds of instances where employers would only consider (or at least “strongly prefer”) applicants who are employed or just recently laid off.

Does your company reject the unemployed simply because they are unemployed? If you do, be careful. You’re walking a thin line between what’s considered a fair recruitment practice and what’s considered discrimination, and your job posting could result in a complaint from the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

READ MORE HERE

Nov 10, 20119 notes
#human resources #hr #discrimination #recruiting
Signs of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Sexual harassment includes a vast range of behavior from mild annoyances to actual sexual abuse or violence. As an employer, sexual harassment in the workplace is not as obvious as you may think. You may not even realize it’s happening, especially if the victim does not bring it to your attention or report it.

READ MORE

Nov 9, 2011
#human resources #hr #sexual hatassment #workplace harassment

October 2011

3 posts

Social Media Strategies for Recruitment

Last year, survey results from Jobvite’s recruiting survey found that 83% of respondents used or planned to use social networking this year as a recruitment tool.  Over 600 human resources professionals completed Jobvite’s online survey, and not to much surprise, the big sites referenced were LinkedIn,Facebook, and Twitter.

READ MORE

Oct 26, 201111 notes
#human resources #social media #social #online media #hr #human resources recruitment #recruitment #recruiting #social media for recruiting
Oct 18, 2011
#halloween #hunman resources #hr #halloween office
Why Good Employees Leave

They’re professional, they’re proactive, they’re profitable… and then, they leave! Why is it that good employees seek out more? As an HR professional, or a manager, you need to ensure your best employees stay within your organization. Knowledge is the key to success, and knowing why good employees leave can prevent costly departures in the future.

Read more at HR Shield

Oct 17, 201113 notes
#human resources #hr #human resources solutions #hr management #business

September 2011

3 posts

Sep 13, 20115,558 notes
#art #contemporary art #installation
How to Prepare for Your Skype (or Video) Interview  → enterpriseefficiency.com

comerecommended:

The new business reality and current economy require recruiters and HR departments to conduct many more interviews than before. Bringing people from out of town for a face-to-face interview is costly and time consuming. Easy access to the Internet and Webcams makes it possible to conduct initial interviews by videoconferencing. How you perform in this initial online meeting can affect your chances of getting the job. Here is how a bit of preparation can help.

Sep 8, 20115 notes
#skype #video #interview #hr #video interview
Reduce Your Risk

Keep workers comp claims in check with safety tips and training plus avoid costly fines and lawsuits with expert advice on

I-9, FMLA, discrimination and more.

Visit HR Shield

Sep 8, 20117 notes
#human resources #hr #workers comp #workplace #hr shield
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