November News

Reading or watching the news on any given day can be frightening. With the recent shootings at Ft. Hood and the manufacturing facility in Orlando, Florida the concern of depression and employee reaction remains a primary topic of Human Resources people and business owners. The question is how to balance the need of employees to address safety topics versus the company’s reluctance to further cause concern or create an additional liability concern.

Employees want to know what is being done to protect them. The majority understand that it’s not possible to assure a totally safe work environment. But we need to provide enough measures and understanding to address more than the basics.

Employers should develop safety programs, policies and plans for their specific work environments. These plans and policies will be best received if they address specific workplace safety issues of concern raised by employees. Our observations in companies of employee concerns include building or office access and open reception areas. Solutions can include having all employees wear an identification card, requiring all visitors to wear badges or preventing access to work areas behind a controlled reception area. Additionally insurance companies and other business advisors provide training and recommendations for improving safety in the workplace and limiting employer’s risk. And don’t forget use internal communications such as newsletters and sites to communicate and/or remind employees of pertinent safety information. Let your employee’s know you care about their safety!

Remind supervisors and managers to be aware for signs of depression in employees. Of course these are delicate subjects with the necessity to tread lightly and not overreact. Assistance can be as simple as providing information on available help such as an Employee Assistance Program or hotline. In the absence of such resources, an inquiry to the employee as to “how things are going” is usually well received and perceived as non-intrusive. Information on depression can be found at www.depression.com. According to the experts there are some signs that may signal clinical depression in the workplace which include:

• Decreased ability to make decisions or concentrate
• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or guilt
• Discussions of suicide or death
• Decreased interest in activities that used to be pleasurable
• Loss of energy or fatigue
• Restlessness or feeling bogged down

September News

On Aug. 19, 2009, the federal government recommended that businesses plan for a swine flu pandemic by making attendance and sick leave policies more flexible. We know from our clients that many were already doing just that, and many more were thinking about it.
“There has been a change from typical business as usual,” said Tim Newman of Watson Wyatt, “in that many companies are advising employees, ‘If you’re sick you should stay home,’ as opposed to ‘If you’re sick, tough it out.’”
As we approach the Fall season, it is likely flu cases will swell in coming month. The Obama administration officials have urged corporate managers to prepare. Among their suggestions:
• Tell employees showing flu symptoms to stay home until 24 hours after their fevers pass.
• Develop plans for operating with reduced staffing.
• Allow more work from home.
• Consider placing workstations farther apart.
• Liberalize sick, personal and family leave, at least temporarily.
Don’t wait; give us a call. We can assist you with suggestions and ideas for policies and/or contingency planning to keep your business operating efficiently.

HR EXPERIENCE DOES MATTER!

Having years of experience is a great benefit! How many sayings validate that fact- “been there done that, not my first rodeo, turnip trucks and the like.” So what does this have to do with your business? Everything!

As a small to midsized employer, you don’t have the luxury of wasting time or making unnecessary mistakes with people- whether they are employees or customers. That where we can help! We have long term relationships with our customers and work to know their business and help assess needs for growth and change.

Experience counts more than education when it comes to HR practitioners advancing into the upper echelons of the profession, according to a new study.
This and other findings were reported in the Career Factbook for HR and Learning Professionals, published by Bersin & Associates, a research and advisory firm focusing on enterprise learning and talent management and acquisition. The report, which offers analysis of the demographics and characteristics of today's HR and learning professionals, identifies experience, rather than education, as the biggest differentiator between executives and practitioners in the HR and learning professions. Bersin's study found that most executives have line-of-business experience and emphasize skills such as planning, communication, and budgeting.
We don’t waste time with buzzwords and popular program titles; our focus is on improvements which can be measured. After all, you won’t know if you are successful if you don’t set a mark or goal of improvement.
We have over 100 years of experience in managing Human Talent- Give us a call today to learn how we can help you grow your business!

Hiring expectations are down…

Everyone is watching expenses….

What has happened in your world? Are your employees now paying for the office coffee or perhaps it’s no longer available at all? Have you eliminated lunches and food brought in for staff meetings? Looking to cancel holiday and/or summer parties and functions? We see and hear of these examples of cost reduction on a daily basis as well as many more. Although these steps are necessary and understood by your employees, this can lead to affecting the atmosphere and morale of the workplace.


So what are the alternatives?

We suggest during this “down or slow” time, you join other progressive companies and use this interlude to evaluate your core business and the people to assure that when business resumes or picks up, you are ready to turn on the after burners! Focus on improvements to process, offering training of new skills for employees, cross-training and working with your existing teams to increase their performance and efficiency.
The results will certainly be a factor in your company’s growth and expansion in the business up turn as well as signaling and encouraging employees to see the bigger picture of the business cycles.

Call us today!

Summer Hours

Have you heard a version of this recently from your employees - Can we have summer hours? What about flexible workdays? Let’s close the office on Friday afternoons.

I’m certain these are familiar words to many of us- supervisors, managers and Human Resources people alike. So what’s your answer?

It’s an understatement to say owners are operating in a different manner in these economic times. Of course they are. With that in mind, think about creating a change in your work environment with multiple benefits. Summer Hours might be a benefit to the bottom line; work hours and schedules could be reduced on a reasonable basis to provide the off time employees want with significant cost savings benefits. There are other advantages in such a seasonal change including stress reduction, improved productivity and improvements in overall morale.

First and foremost investigate the possibility from the perspective of running the business and not from an employee’s point of view. Is your business people/labor intensive? Can the hours be altered or adjusted to permit flexibility? Second, is this really a perceived benefit that the majority of your workforce wants or is this just “seasonal talk”? If you have read this far and decided it could be a likely win-win proposition for all, there’s still additional factors for your consideration.

The possibility of adjusting hours and creating a new environment will prompt further discussions and require other decisions before moving forward. These include defining the actual program, policies as well as helping supervisors learn to manage the workplace flexibility.

Give us a call - we have experienced Human Resource professionals who understand these issues and can be a tremendous asset in design and successful implementation of programs addressing summer or other forms of reduced hours for your employees.

http://www.wolinassociates.com/

Keep Your Employees Challenged and Energized in their Jobs!!!

First- this is your job. It’s the reason you are a manager and as a manager it is the most important task on your “to do” list. Sounds so simple but once we climb that ladder and become the Manager, we seem to lose the people focus while the paper or bureaucracy side of the business becomes our priority. We like the privileges that come with the Manager position but forget there is the price to pay of our time, energy and attention to the details.

Before you hit the delete button, keeping employees energized does not mean being soft, entertaining them or assuring their happiness on the job. We all have a personal responsibility to bring our best game to employers which includes a positive attitude. Your job is to create an energized workplace allowing employees to do their best.

Make a list today of the “bad” and “good” bosses of your career. Now take a look at the good boss list- did they possess superior skills and abilities? What about exceptional intelligence or knowledge? It’s unlikely that you will remember anything superior or exceptional. It’s likely you will remember that the “good bosses or managers” were fair, consistent, good listeners and watched out for employees in all situations. Generally we have seen the good managers are also the enthusiastic and optimistic people who keep us wanting to be involved in making the department, unit and/or business more successful.

Next make a list of the “bad” bosses and the traits which led you to list them as a bad boss. Be specific as you walk through the memories. The culmination of the list making is, of course, leading to the final step. Look at both lists and find out where you are on the lists. Good or bad-- be honest and see if you measure up to the traits on the good list. It’s never too late to learn new skills, apply techniques and become a better manager.


Wolin Associates provides supervisory skills training, including Motivating Employees to Succeed as well as a myriad of other topics. These programs can be customized to your business and time parameters. Give us a call to create the energy in your workplace and see results in the bottom line.

http://www.wolinassociates.com/

Managing People In A Turbulent Market

For a small to mid-sized employer these are particularly tough times as you struggle to keep your business on an even keel balanced with addressing the needs of your employees consumed with worry about keeping their jobs. We can help. We manage the people side of your business while you focus on business health and growth.

Although the economic troubles of the country are very real, we know from experience how to manage your workforce through these troubling times. In fact we believe this can be an opportunity to take a hard look at your workforce and create a process and plan to take you through the hard times with a streamlined business model that will ensure a quicker recovery and improved process as the economy improves.

Wolin Associates consultants have over 100+ years of experience as well as hundreds of creative approaches to help you with your people issues. Give us a call today and let’s talk!

http://www.wolinassociates.com