HR Shield

Action Plan for Domestic Abuse Victims in the Workplace

Last week we discussed the common warning signs of domestic abuse victims. If you suspect an employee of being abused, below is a recommended course of action.

DO:

• Express concern and ask if something is wrong
• Listen
• Offer help through contacting your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or a local shelter/counseling center.
• Notify the police if threatening messages are received at the office, or the  employee’s spouse poses a threat to your workplace

DO NOT:

• Wait for the employee to come to you
• Judge
• Pressure the employee for an explanation or answer
• Threaten the employee’s position
• Give advice

If your employee does not want to share information with you, you are still obligated as their employer to minimize risks in the workplace under OSHA.  In some states, employers are allowed to obtain restraining orders against employee’s spouses, to keep them away from the workplace. However, by doing this you could be doing more harm than good for the victim.

We recommend that you immediately contact an HR Advisor or your local domestic violence hotline/help center before taking action on your own.  As an employer, you are not in a position to provide direct help, or offer advice on their specific situation. You should always do the best you can in getting them the help they need, and ensuring that your workplace remains safe for ALL employees, not just the victim.

New E-Verify Laws for January 2013

Calling all business owners in Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee:

New E-Verify laws will go into effect in the upcoming year, some in just 6 weeks on January 1, 2013.

• Georgia: Companies employing more than 10 persons must register for E-Verify by July 1, 2012.
• North Carolina: Companies employing more than 100 persons must be registered for and using the E-Verify system on January 1, 2013.
• Pennsylvania: State contractors and sub-contractors must register for E-Verify beginning January 1, 2013 – but only if the project is greater than $25,000.
• Tennessee: Companies employing more than 5 persons must register and begin using E-Verify by January 1st.

E-Verify is an internet-based system that compares information from Form I-9 to government records to confirm that a potential employee or current employee is authorized to work in the United States.

Form I-9 has always been mandatory, whereas E-Verify has traditionally been voluntary for most businesses. With recent I-9 law updates, businesses within the abovementioned 4 states will need to collect an employee’s Social Security number and E-Verify all candidates before employing.

As a reminder, with HR Shield, you get instant access to all the information, training, forms and expert advice you need to keep employees safe, stay compliant and protect your bottom line. We’ll help you identify exactly which regulations you need to satisfy and what you need to do to stay compliant across the board including:

• Workers Comp
• Discrimination
• Sexual Harassment
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• I-9 compliance (and now E-Verify!)
• Overtime Exemption (Job Classification)
• Record Keeping Laws
• Unemployment claims
• Privacy
• Family Medical Leave Act
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEO) Reporting

Sign up now online, call (877) 636-9525 or contact us for more information regarding hiring and E-Verify.

Gambling in the Workplace

Stop Employees from Wasting Time at Work

Whether you’re an employee or an employer, take a look at just one hour of your day. How many times are you distracted from the task at hand? What distracts you? Is it Facebook? Pinterest? Personal emails, game scores, the phone ringing or a text message coming through?  It may even be conversation amongst fellow employees.

We live in a very digital world, and it’s often too easy to get distracted by the many means of communication surrounding us. Sometimes the urge to check the status of something irrelevant to work is just unbearable.

This past year Salary.com surveyed 3200 professionals about their distractions at work and 64 percent said they visit non-work related websites every day during their working hours. As an employer, where do you draw the line? 21 percent of the professionals surveyed said they spend 2-5 hours per week on these sites.

Many of us don’t want to play “bad cop” and police every move our employee is making on the clock. Larger companies often monitor employee internet use through their IT department, and internet policies should be specifically outlined within each employee handbook, but for the smaller business without an official IT department or an internal HR team to review policies, cracking down can be difficult.

HR Shield recommends a two-step quick and easy approach:

First, schedule a meeting to address all employees without singling out any one department or employee. Review your current employee handbook and all policies surrounding internet use. (If you do not currently have an employee handbook, contact HR Shield today, our memberships include free employee handbook creation). Let this meeting serve as a “free warning” and a reminder of why it’s important to the Company to work more effectively and efficiently.

Offer Tips For Focusing (some suggestions below):

• Work in time blocks. If you find yourself being pulled in a dozen directions, it is better to segment your work into small manageable pieces. Select time frames and deadlines to accomplish certain tasks.
• Reward yourself for accomplishing the task at hand. It may not be against the company policy to visit Facebook or check your personal email account – but don’t do so until your work is complete.
• Write out a daily task list for the day. Believe it or not, there’s a small sense of reward in crossing off each item for the day.
• Go incognito. Too many distractions? Sign off messenger, close down your email, and put your phone on silent for an hour or two.
• Do not check personal email or messages in the morning – saving them for the afternoon will allow you to focus on work for the morning and not get distracted by replies or ongoing threads.

Gauge the effectiveness over several weeks. If the workplace still appears to be suffering from workplace distractions, employee performance reviews and documentation of incidents may be necessary.

Questions about employee handbooks, workplace distractions, performance reviews or the monitoring of internet use? Contact an HR Shield Advisor today for more information!  Call (877) 636-9525.

Calling All Business Owners! Form I-9 Expires This Week.

You may have recently noticed on the top right corner of Form I-9 that its expiration is near! All U.S. employers must complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and noncitizens, and is mandated by the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or USCIS.

What do you do?! Where do you find the new form?!

At this time, and until further notice, business owners are instructed to continue using the Form I-9 currently available on the forms section of http://www.uscis.gov. This form should continue to be used even after the expiration date of August 31, 2012 has passed.

USCIS will provide updated information about the new version of the Form I-9 as it becomes available, and business owners can subscribe to I-9 Central to receive Form I-9 updates. Once the form is available, it is the employer’s responsibility to file the new form with each new employee.

HR Shield will also be updating its members when this new form is made available. HR Shield makes hiring employees easier with job interview tips, employee compensation advice, and HR compliance management including I-9 employment eligibility verification.

Get on board andsign up now online, or call (877) 636-9525  for more information.

Religion and the Workplace

For US Employers and HR Professionals, religion in the workplace is often one the most difficult areas of HR to navigate. Paying attention toyour actions (or lack thereof) surrounding an employee’s religious beliefs is important, not only to promote a diverse and cultural workplace, but to abide by EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) standards.

Even in a workplace that promotes acceptance, diversity, and community, conflict can still occur. Did you know that as an employer you are expected to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of each employee under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of l964 (“Title VII”)? Title VII prohibits employers  from discriminating against employees (or candidates) when hiring, firing, and providing other terms and conditions of employment.

Here are some more details surrounding Title VII:

• Employers may not treat employees more or less favorably because of their religious background.
• Employers cannot require employees to participate in a religious activity as a condition of employment.
• Employers must reasonably accommodate each employee’s religious practices or holidays unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employer.
• Employers must take steps to prevent religious harassment in the workplace.

Employers who violate Title VII, or other standards outlined by the EEOC, risk costly lawsuits. Are you aware of all employee rights under the laws of the EEOC? Employers are required to post notices to all employees advising them of their rights under the EEOC as well as their right to be free from retaliation.

If you have questions about religion in the workplace, Title VII, or the EEOC, please feel free to contact us today. HR Shield Advisors stay up-to-date on changing regulations, and while it’s not a ‘Get Out of Jail Free Card,’ it’s the fastest, surest way to keep your employees safe and avoid getting hit with unexpected lawsuits or penalties. We’re just a phone call away at (877) 636-9525.

In Wake of Colorado Tragedy, Concern Over Public and Workplace Safety Arises

Originally posted on our Human Resources blog

The mass shooting that occurred overnight at a Colorado movie theatre presents numerous questions, many of which will go unanswered until further investigation. Could this have been prevented? Were there any warning signs? Could people have exited the building more quickly, leading them to safety?

When tragedy strikes, there is little to no time to think.  This presents a challenge to both employers and employees when trying to gain control of utter chaos. Not only are you responsible for yourself, but there is an obligation to protect your employees and patrons as well.

We remind all business owners and managers that while there is truly no way to prepare for an event so devastating, being aware of your surroundings and best safety practices is crucial if an emergency should strike.

If an emergency strikes while you are at the worksite:

• Immediately dial 911. Even if you are unsure of the extent of the emergency, call for help and let emergency responders know of the situation.  A few minutes will make a big difference in how quickly help can arrive.
• Know ALL possible exits in the building. This should be reviewed with ALL employees and repeated each time a new person is hired. If you are a retail operation, exits should be clearly marked and illuminated for patrons.
• Do not waste time. Do not waste time gathering your belongings or trying to determine the severity of the situation. Exit the building as quickly as possible.
• If exits are blocked, return to your workplace. If exits are blocked, return to your workplace and hang an article of clothing or something similar out of the nearest window. If there is a fire, shut your door, and seal it off as best as possible to avoid smoke inhalation.  The article of clothing will inform emergency personnel you are inside.
• Shelter-in-Place for Workplace Violence/Shooting.  If your place of employment is under attack and an exit is not near, HIDE in the safest area. Shelter-in-place refers to finding the smallest area and taking refuge there. If there is a window nearby, you can also hang an article of clothing out the window, to let outsiders know you are trapped inside. Avoid overcrowding by selecting numerous hiding areas for each employee/person. DO NOT confront the perpetrator.
• Know who to report to. Once you are outside of the building, and have reached safety, check in. Let your supervisor know you are okay. Every workplace should have a “check-in” protocol with certain employees or managers designated to take headcounts. This will help emergency personnel determine if there is anyone left in the building, and who.
• DO NOT pull fire alarm, if the threat is outside of the workplace.  If your office or place of employment receives a threat via phone, letter, or email, do not pull the fire alarm. The fire alarm will disable all elevators, which may be crucial to exiting the building more quickly. Calmly inform everyone that they need to exit the building immediately.

Proactively creating an emergency plan specific to your place of employment will let all employees know of the aforementioned best safety practices. More importantly, delegating responsibilities amongst employees, outlining the chain of command, and determining the safety check-in points outside of your building (all found within a company’s emergency plan) will prove itself valuable in the event of an emergency.

The responsibility of creating a formal emergency plan often falls within the HR department. For companies without HR staff, it is the business owner’s responsibility. For additional questions or concerns surrounding workplace safety and your company’s emergency plan, please contact us.  HR Shield is skilled at aiding companies in creating custom emergency plans and can help promote overall workplace safety within your organization.

HR Shield sends its greatest condolences to victims and their families affected by last night’s Colorado shooting, and we are hoping for the quick recovery of all those injured.

Emotional Contagion Can Take Down Your Whole Team

by Tony Schwartz  |   8:01 AM July 11, 2012