HR Shield

Employee Spotlight: Meet Jenni Stone (Part Two)

Welcome back to Part Two of our Employee Spotlight!  With an HR Shield membership, you gain instant access to employment forms, training, and an HR Advisor to offer expert HR advice on everything from unemployment compensation to personnel management!

Just last week, we spoke to Jenni about her professional role as an HR Advisor at HR Shield – But aren’t you curious about the person behind the professional? At HR Shield, we want you to meet our team – on and off the HR field!

Name: Jenni Stone, HR Advisor at HR Shield.

What do you do outside of HR Shield for fun?  I am a full time Mom and I enjoy spending time with my teenage daughter. We often enjoy giving back to our community, and volunteering together.  Just recently, I was able to bring her to work and show her what I do each day – Our office celebrated Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day and it was a great opportunity to combine my work and family life.

Also, I have recently discovered Bon Appétit magazine, and I am having a lot of fun creating new meals for my family.

Yum! What’s your favorite dish so far? Every month we get a new Bon Appétit magazine in the mail and like to make at least one recipe from it. In the past few months I have tried my hand at southern fried chicken and homemade mac-n-cheese, braised brisket, and more. Most recently we learned to make a sweet dough that can be used to make all kinds of great things like soft pretzels and cinnamon rolls. It’s a lot of fun to try new things, and my daughter and fiancé enjoy being involved in the process. We have started having dinner parties on Sundays where we invite 10 of our closest friends over to test our success! It’s been a great!

You mentioned volunteering as well; what types of volunteering do you do?  My daughter and I enjoy working with Candi’s Crusaders, which is a group of ladies who support causes like the American Cancer Society and Suncoast Hospice. We also are involved in “Keep Pinellas Beautiful,” which promotes litter removal and prevention education, recycling, and beatification. You will usually find us picking up litter from area beaches after events like Memorial Day or July 4^th!

Jenni, it’s been so exciting learning about your life outside of HR Shield! Thank you for your time!

HR Shield offers a variety of affordable membership levels, so you’re sure to find the perfect fit for your company’s specific needs and budget. To meet other HR Shield Advisors, simply follow our blog, or call us at (877) 636-9525!

How to Minimize the Cost of March Madness

Did your company survive March Madness? It may seem silly, but March Madness actually hurt the productivity of quite a few organizations last month with employees glued to their computers, iPads, laptops and phones, all on company time to trace the NCAA Men’s Division Basketball Championship.

Even though March may have been an exciting time for college basketball fans, with many employees bonding over brackets, according to a study byChallenger, Gray & Christmas, it is estimated that employers lost roughly $175 million in just the first two days of the NCAA Tournament!

With employees utilizing their technology for everything basketball-related within this short time frame, IT professionals took quite the hit as well. In most cases, it’s the IT professional’s job to maintain company network functionality, and 42% surveyed by Braun Research said that March Madness has historically impacted their network, with networks slowing down or even completely shutting down for periods of time surrounding March Madness!

Whether its technology meltdowns, a lack of focus from your sales team, or internal battles over brackets, March Madness can hurt your organization. As an employer or HR manager, you want your employees to have fun, but most of them may need to find better ways to balance their time and get their work done!

Here are 3 easy tips for March 2013, so your company can be in better shape for next year!

1. Set Standards: If your company is hosting a tournament bracket to encourage employee bonding and friendships, this can be a mixed message to send. Tournament brackets or not, policies need to be set early on prior to March Madness. Sales goals remain the same, work computers are for work, and job titles/responsibilities remain the same. Designating a specific time when employees are able to access sports-related content, or “check in” on their teams, may be an easier way to spread fun through the office, but ensure work remains a priority.
2. Technology/Compliance Prep: You may not need to ban employees from accessing sports-related content, but you may want to block company computers from accessing streaming videos or radio (which slow down the network, and are much more distracting than your quick “check-in” to a Web site for a game update). Talk with your IT team and management to decide which option is best for network functionality, and employee productivity.
3. Wages & Hours:  Perhaps your Company has a policy that no one is permitted to work overtime unless they get prior approval from their supervisor. But, what is the real reason the employee needs to work overtime in March? Is it because work-related goals were not met due to NCAA distractions!? Again, setting standards early on and knowing when an employee is eligible for overtime will put your organization in a much better position, before it becomes a question and/or conflict!

HR Shield assists companies with “Everything-HR” – Even basketball, if it becomes an HR issue!   Your HR Advisor can help you address all concerns related to employees and more! To get immediate answers, call (877) 636-9525 for more information.

Why HR Shield is the Perfect Fit for Growing Companies

We often hear advertisements promoting night classes or schooling options for business professionals needing or wanting to learn more. It is not uncommon for small companies to hire a “jack of all trades” in its early beginnings or maybe YOU are that “jack of all trades.”  When budgets are controlled and there are not enough reserves to hire a specialist within each area of HR and office administration, small business owners and their employees are often required to “wear many hats.”

You may currently have someone at your office that has literally been a lifesaver—handling everything from answering phones and sorting the mail to interviewing new employees and managing HR…maybe even managing payroll and shopping benefits!  But, what happens as your company grows and the number of employees increases? The administration increases, as do the compliances issues and HR responsibilities associated with each new employee.

Chances are that you certainly do not want to replace one of the key players in your organization for a more experienced, licensed professional, but perhaps you can’t necessarily afford (or allocate time) to send them back to school or hire full-time support for them.

Many growing companies turn to HR Shield to support their existing HR professional or office manager.  As an employer who values your employee, but recognizes the need for additional resources, HR Shield is the perfect answer.

How do we help growing companies?

• We do not replace your HR employee; we simply serve as a valued resource for them to rely on.
• HR Shield is cost-effective, as low as $49 per month.
• We provide immediate access to a licensed HR professional.
• No hassle unemployment claim processing with HR Shield.
• Member discounts on labor attorney services.
• We provide HR forms and templates to maintain a compliant HR department.
• Employee benefit plan support.
• Updated information on state and local labor market conditions and issues.
• Discounted background and drug screening for your employees.
• Free discount RX Card providing up to 80% savings on prescriptions.
• Live video chats for training, seminars, performance reviews and exit interviews.
• And, most importantly, employers rest assured knowing Human Resources Administration is taken care of. They can finally go back to concentrating on what they do best: growing their business!!

For more information on how HR Shield assists growing companies, contact us today.