August Newsletter

I sadly said goodbye to July this week. For me, the month of July usually turns out to be one of the better months of the year. There are a lot of opportunities to celebrate with family and friends observing birthdays (including mine), 4th of July fireworks, extended weekends at the beach and generally just a feeling that most of the world around you is on vacation. During one of those lazy moments when I was daydreaming, I found myself reflecting on the first half of the year and doing a "post mortem" on the things that worked well and those that didn't work. I couldn't help asking myself questions that began with "What if..." As you look back on the first half of 2008, perhaps there were some people issues in your business that should have been handled differently and ultimately turned out to be problematic. Did you end up losing an unemployment claim you should have won? Did the problematic employee end up "polluting " your work place and his or her fellow employees or did you end up paying out wages and overtime you shouldn't have had to pay? Maybe the reason was related to your policies or procedures, lack of knowledge on the part of your managers on how to handle difficult personalities or simply a bad hiring decision. "What if" someone had been there to consult with prior to taking the action you took or "What if " you had outsourced that function to a human resource professional who knew how to keep you out of trouble. If you, your clients or fellow business owners you know have people problems that have you asking "What if ", give us a call. We can help you avoid those problematic situations by providing sound advice, guidance and human resource expertise that protects your business.

Enjoy the rest of the summer season


Maintaining Your "Positivity" in Troubled Times

Over the past few months I have found myself avoiding the local and world news. The snippets of positive news are far outweighed by the "crumbling economic conditions", "spiraling housing market decline" and "financial market collapse". Sometime ago I read Marcus Buckingham's First Break All the Rules followed by his sequel Now Discover Your Strengths. I took the Strengthsfinder assessment and found that one of my signature strengths was my positivity. I had taken several similar assessments over the years so the findings were not overly surprising but I did realize that maintaining my positivity was an important component for me in staying motivated, focused and keeping an overall sense of well-being.

Companies, like individuals, also need to maintain a sense of positivity in the face of business downturns, lagging sales and eroding profit margins to maintain their well-being and health. The leaders of the company often are so emotionally connected with the business conditions that they tend to "wear it on their sleeve" even during events like company picnics, pizza parties, birthday celebrations and the like. Employees are intuitive and keenly aware of a leader"s demeanor and tend to emulate what they see and observe from those they respect and admire. Soon, this non-positivity trickles down through the organization, feeds the rumor mill and can ultimately lead to reduced productivity, turnover and low morale.

It's a difficult task for those in leadership positions to separate themselves from news of declining revenue and put on a happy face for their employees. Unfortunately, it's part of the responsibility assumed when they became a leader or accepted a leadership position. So as the British say, "Buck Up." You and those around you will feel better and oh yea, take a night off from the evening news!

If your organization is looking for ways to increase positivity we can help you develop team building workshops and related events to help raise morale and educate your employees at the same time. To learn more give us a call at 610-287-1162 or email me at phil@hrsolutionsonline.com.

EEOC Charges Up 9% Over Last Year

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported a 9% increase in charges in 2007, the highest increase year over year since 1993. Last year, for the first time, retaliation was the second highest charge category (behind race), surpassing sex-based charges in total filings with EEOC offices nationwide. Historically, race has been the most frequently filed charge since the EEOC became operational in 1965. In addition to the statutory bases of discrimination, charges filed with the EEOC and state and local Fair Employment Practices Agencies (combined) also trended upward for the high visibility issues of pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment. During FY 2007, pregnancy charges surged to a record high level of 5,587, up 14% from the prior fiscal year's record of 4,901. Sexual harassment filings increased for the first time since FY 2000, numbering 12,510 - up 4% from the prior fiscal year's total of 12,025. Additionally, a record 16% of sexual harassment charges were filed by men, up from 9% in the early 1990s.
Other year-end statistics released in March show that the EEOC recovered approximately $345 million in total monetary relief for charging parties, up 26% from the prior year's total of $274 million. Nearly $55 million was obtained through EEOC litigation and more than $290 million through administrative enforcement, including mediation. Additionally, the agency obtained substantial non-monetary relief, such as employer training, policy implementation, reasonable accommodations, and other measures to promote discrimination-free workplaces.

An EEOC or Human Relations Commission lawsuit can devistate a small business. Studies show that those businesses that have policies and procedures in place to insure consistent fair employment practices in the workplace dramatically reduce their exposure to these types of charges by as much as 90%. Many small business owners believe that this can't happen to them but unfortunately we live in a highly litigious world where some people and employees are looking to make a fast buck. Do you really want to take the chance ?

PUT US ON YOUR "TO DON'T" LIST
Since 1995 HR Solutions has been helping business owners do what they do best....focus on running their business. We can be your human resource department providing services and solutions that protect your company and your employees at a cost you can afford. You have plenty of things on your "to do" list so make a list of things to put on your "to don't" list and give us a call. Let us worry about the laws that may affect you, help you with discipline problems, create programs that let you recruit and retain top talent and most importantly, be there for you when you need our expertise.