In partnership with SHRM ATL, FlexHR offers a one-day HR Boot Camp and interactive panel discussion. Our HR expert consultant panelists will provide expert advice focusing on present and forthcoming HR demands, strategies, and best practices designed to help you become more knowledgeable and stay ahead of current HR trends.
Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot today.
After our Bootcamp, attendees will obtain QR codes to receive the 4 SHRM PDC/HRCI CEU credits. You will also receive a QR code that takes you to the content discussed throughout the day provided by Flex HR.
You may have noticed #QuietQuitting all over social media, or heard about a TikTok video by Zaid Khan, an engineer in his twenties, who discusses the trend of those who feel that life is more than the hustle of working long hours and going the extra mile. Instead, he expresses the view that it’s okay to show up and simply fulfill the requirements in your job description and then leave, as we aren’t defined by our work.
This philosophy isn’t just being adopted by twenty-year-olds and TikTokers, however. Over 50% of American workers could be called quiet quitters, according to Gallup, and though many are under 35, as many as 18% of workers of all ages are disengaged.
The quiet quitting trend started in 2021, after the pandemic and at the beginning of the great resignation. At the same time, quiet firing and hiring have risen.
What Are Quiet Quitting, Firing, and Hiring?
Quiet quitting is also sometimes called soft quitting. Though someone isn’t quitting, they begin putting in the minimum effort to be considered doing their job. They only attend mandatory meetings, don’t work late or on the weekends, and don’t reply to phone calls or emails in their off time. In other words, they aren’t putting in extra effort to be a team player and are unwilling to make personal sacrifices for their job.
Quiet firing is what happens on the other end, and maybe a response to quiet quitting at times. A manager or company may create an environment or conditions that are unreasonable or overly taxing to try to get someone to quit, instead of just firing them outright. This can save them money or legal hassle, and be a more passive-aggressive tactic so that the employer still has leeway to deny their part.
Quiet hiring, on the other hand, is when a company tacks on responsibilities that go beyond employees’ job descriptions. They could be given new types of projects, a new position, or be required to perform certain tasks that require them to learn a new set of skills. This saves the company, time, money, and resources that would otherwise be needed to hire someone to fulfill these responsibilities.
Why Are These Trending?
But why have these trends arisen? Like the TikTokers who advocate for quiet quitting, many are striving for a work-life balance, while others are dissatisfied with their job and work environment.
any of these quiet quitters have similar motivations to those who have been actually quitting since 2021: low compensation, little growth or opportunities, and feeling undervalued or unappreciated.
These employees usually don’t set out to underachieve. Instead, they feel they are being expected to go beyond their job description and work outside their normal hours to an unhealthy extent, which detracts from their rest time and personal life. In return, these employees don’t feel supported, respected, or rewarded for their efforts. It’s no wonder they feel the need to create firm boundaries.
Quiet hiring has arisen as organizational needs change. As a healthy company grows, new tasks or projects will naturally arise, and it can feel natural (and more efficient) to assign these to current employees instead of creating new jobs. This can be a smart business practice, but keep in mind the worker needs to see some kind of fruit of their labor: an increase in pay, a new title, more paid time off, or some other reward to feel that their extra work is being valued. Additionally, they need support to learn new skills or to have the resources required to fulfill their new responsibilities with confidence and not get burnt out.
Quiet hiring can help an employee grow and learn, but be careful that their job isn’t straying too much from what they signed up for or feel comfortable and skilled to do.
How They Intersect
If organizations aren’t careful and they overly burden their employees with quiet hiring, it could lead to ‘quiet quitting.’ And quiet quitting, as previously alluded to, can lead to quiet firing if leaders begin to feel their employees are underperforming.
How HR Can Help
HR can help to regulate job creep to prevent employees from getting burnt out.
Jim Cichanski, Founder & CHRO of Flex HR, a top HR outsourcing firm, shares some of the signs that HR can look for that signal an employee might be quiet quitting: taking time off, coming in late and or leaving early, underperforming, not going the extra mile like they used to do, cutting conversations short or avoiding conversation.
Phil Davis, Senior Vice President of Flex HR shares that senior leaders can help to prevent quiet quitting by holding monthly luncheons with a cross-section of employees to stay connected with employee needs.
Instead of quiet firing, Phil Davis advises that leaders “develop and institute a “discipline without punishment” program and stay positive and respectful in communications to employees. Frequent, frank, and constructive communications with employees with issues are always appropriate.”
Jim Cichanski similarly suggests a gentle “check-in with the disengaged employee by asking them what is going on. Try to get to the employee’s main concern and see if you can put them on a route back to working and being engaged: Perhaps a change in schedule or not working with a specific employee.”
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Employers cringe this time of year because it can be confusing to comprehend the unfamiliar concepts of benefit offerings and then identify which benefits are a suitable match for their employees.
Open enrollment is an opportunity for employers to adjust the benefit options they previously offered their employees or elect new plans. This period for most companies falls in November, to which all forms must be returned and processed for the new benefit plans to take over on January 1 of the new year.
It takes weeks or even months for HR professionals to investigate and negotiate with various insurance carriers to align the right fit for their organization.
This is what HR professionals are for, so don’t fret! Flex HR is your dedicated Human Resources backbone for all things HR. We’re an HR outsourcing and consulting firm that delivers all the HR support you need – including help with those confusing and complicated benefits.
Flex HR Is Your Benefits Solution Management Provider
Consider Flex HR as your benefits solution and management provider. We manage the complex benefits and insurance process for you. We work with your broker to deliver the census data for the broker to analyze market comparison costs, all the while the current vendor provides renewal information.
Founder & CHRO of Flex HR, Jim Cichanski, explains “we act as the client’s HR department, working with the broker to achieve the best plans possible for the cost the company is willing to pay.” Employees may be offered quality health, vision, dental, disability, and even pet insurance plans that are consistent with the company’s culture. “We do what it takes to offer employers and their employees the best plans achievable. Sometimes that takes getting creative by adding higher deductibles and a GAP plan to strategically project for the future years of not seeing large increases,” Jim outlines. We work with all industries and companies of all sizes.
After the benefit and insurance selections are made, our Flex HR team communicates and conducts the open enrollment process for you. It’s imperative to personalize these messages to employees, so they understand the guidance they are receiving in choosing their perfect plan.
Our dedicated and dependable experts reduce your leadership roles from consuming the burden of completing these tasks. We seamlessly systematize your company’s benefits to increase effective record keeping and ensure all reconciliations are up to date, protecting critical employee files. Our support keeps your organization in compliance with employment laws.
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There is so much buzz about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, but what about disabled persons and their accessibility (or DEIA)? The goal of putting DEIA initiatives into place is to value all individuals in a company, giving them the opportunity to show their strengths, but also ensuring they are given the tools they need to succeed.
Human Resource experts know all too well that few organizations put in the proper plan of action for hiring people with disabilities. Employers should verify their company handbook is updated to include policies and best practices for employees with disabilities to be given the capabilities needed to fully participate at work. And with the increase of employees working remotely, companies should focus on disability inclusivity to drive motivation and retention.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) safeguards the rights of employees with a disability by enforcing businesses to comply and offer reasonable accommodations to allow employees to work for a job they are qualified to do. But what exactly are considered reasonable accommodations and how can businesses welcome, and best practice these parameters?
Flex HR’s own Lytana Kids, HR Consultant, was interviewed by Authority Magazine to share her expertise on how businesses make accommodations for customers and employees who have a disability.
“In practice, the ADA requires companies to consider accommodating an applicant or an employee who has a need that may be out of the norm from others,” Lytana clarifies. She explains some reasonable accommodations “for example, maybe you have an employee who has a back problem and an ergonomic chair may provide the support they need, or a hearing impaired applicant who may need an interpreter to assist with their interview, or technology added to their computer that allows them to receive information differently rather than audio.”
These alterations are nominal in costs, not causing a business undue financial hardship. Choosing which modifications are practical for each employer is crucial, as this is a key approach to creating a long-lasting culture of acceptance. Developing an inclusive workforce is critical to represent the customers a company serves. Furthermore, it allows for more creative and innovative thinking for career growth.
Lytana shares that “as an HR leader I believe setting the right tone and culture is instrumental in the creation of the company being acceptive of differences, once this happens it’s not a special program that people have to follow, it’s a culture.” A key piece to this is training both for managers and HR professionals. “Both groups must know and understand the law, be realistic in their approach to accommodations and be willing to think outside the box. Another very important best practice is an “accessibility” employee resource group. This group not only has to be supportive of each other but should have an executive sponsor who learns what they, as employees, may need to then provide that support for the growth of the business. This is a win-win for both the company and the employees.”
As you now understand, Human Resources plays a major role in how workplace disability inclusion is adapting positive changes for organizations. The priority in the workspace should be validating all employees feel welcomed, appreciated, comfortable, and valued for their differences in a supportive work environment.
Flex HR customizes plans for each client, letting you choose as many or as few services as you need, depending on your business. Reach out for more info today! 770-814-4225 or 877-735-3947 (1-877-7-FlexHR)
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A remote working environment is here to stick around for a while. This effect of the Pandemic has truly changed how the workforce is adapting as we have seen companies increasing technology connectivity. It has also brought about the trend for employees to relocate to a state where their employer has not yet established a presence.
Initially, it seems that a remote employee relocation is straightforward, as they can work on a laptop with a cell phone from any location. However, for employers, there are payroll tax implications for their employees in these other states. Employers everywhere are feeling the consequences of payroll taxes.
Employers turn to both their payroll managers and their accountants for help; however, payroll tax work falls outside of the scope of both professionals. Thus, companies are turning to outsourcing payroll tax professionals, like Flex HR that have a payroll tax department set up to manage payroll tax work for companies everywhere.
Payroll vs. Payroll Tax
When Flex HR engages in outsourced payroll management, we assign a Payroll Manager to your company. They are responsible for engaging with employees on all aspects of their paychecks, answering questions about a deduction that was taken, or making a pay change. The Payroll Manager runs the payroll for the frequency that your business requires and submits a pre-process payroll review to the appropriate person to sign off each time. The Payroll Manager also maintains the reports needed for workers’ compensation audits and 401K 5500 reviews.
In addition, Flex HR provides a Payroll Tax Manager to set up the state unemployment insurance (SUI) and state income tax numbers (SIT). This has become much more relevant for companies as employees work remotely and might have moved to a state different than where the company is based. The Payroll Tax Manager will work to make sure that your company is compliant in all areas regarding payroll tax.
Our Payroll Tax Manager at Flex HR, Jessica Stafford admits “having a dedicated payroll tax manager is important because businesses cannot possibly keep up with the rapid changes in payroll tax legislation in all 50 states.”
Payroll Tax Outsourcing Relief
Establishing and managing payroll tax efforts are complicated without the proper HR administration. In addition to the Payroll Tax Manager setting up the SUI and SIT tax numbers, they may also need to create a local income tax (LIT).
Once these proper numbers have been set up for the new state(s), the employer must review human resources compliance tracking items for the affected states. It’s also crucial to update the employee handbook accordingly and monitor any customary operating procedures, including:
Posting jobs with the salary disclosed
Paying unused PTO upon the termination date
Following rules for salary requirements for hourly or exempt employees
Ensuring proper documentation required at termination for an exiting employee
Dedicated Payroll Tax Department
Once Flex HR is engaged for payroll tax work with your company, a comprehensive approach is taken by an information gathering session to fully understand your payroll tax needs. We get a current employee count and determine where specific employees are located.
Then, we put together a plan for setting up current state tax-related payroll numbers and identifying the priority for each state. This involves communicating with different state and local agencies.
Working with your organization’s HR manager, we confirm all state human resources compliance items are properly documented as well as all state payroll tax numbers are entered correctly in the system for any affected employees.
Jessica explains a common situation we see all too often. “We’ve had new clients come in with hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in liabilities to states where they weren’t aware of mandated programs that don’t exist is their home states. Managing your payroll taxes may mean the difference in bankruptcy or going public, so it’s important to work with someone you can trust to register for the proper statewide programs, notify you of any legislative updates, and guide you through this new world of remote employment.”
Employment and State-Related Taxes
Flex HR is experienced in investigating previous payroll tax issues and any retroactive fees or penalties. We support ongoing payroll tax issues at your company.
There are general employment taxes that must be paid for by the employer, regardless of the state such as:
Federal income tax withholding
FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act)
FUTA (Federal Unemployment Tax Act)
State-related tax implications
State-related tax implications are varied and sometimes involve local municipalities. For example, some states require employers to withhold state income tax, while other states don’t have a state income tax. Some cities have their own set of income taxes, which is an additional wage withholding. Other withholdings that may be required are paid family leave, short-term disability, and/or unemployment benefits.
Our Payroll Tax Managers also notify you if having an employee in a state may trigger additional taxes, such as sales or corporate income tax, so that your accountant can be ready to file the proper returns.
Across the country, employers trust Flex HR with their Human Resources and payroll issues. The payroll tax department and tax professionals within Flex HR can help employers immeasurably with recouping items owed, eliminating legal exposure, and minimizing risk. Contact us now to get started!
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Since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, cyber-attacks have become more of a threat than ever before. Any countries that had ties to Ukraine were made vulnerable to Russian cyber-attacks. To keep ahead of these, HR departments stay apprised of the latest cyber threats from Russia and can advise companies about how to best protect themselves.
Some of the most harmful attacks are those on payroll, where funds are rerouted to untraceable debit cards. These cyber-threats can be costly and must be prevented.
Yet, those aren’t the only cyber threats companies should be worried about. We need to look no further than the LinkedIn data breach in 2021 to see that cyber security threats come in all shapes and sizes.
The LinkedIn data breach exposed 700 of the 756 million LinkedIn users to being hacked, as their personal information was scraped. Armed with email addresses, phone numbers, usernames, and other personal information, the hackers had the potential to target millions more easily.
How Employers Can Prepare
Many employers are aware of the devastating effects of cyber-attacks, but not all of them know how to prevent and plan for them.
As Jim Cichanski, the CHRO and Founder of Flex HR, states, ” Many companies have put extensive policies and procedures in place to protect cyberattacks,” but “stop short on the employee preparation on how to get critical tasks done. If they lose internet or power, what would they do?”
So, what should employers do to protect their employee’s data? How do you prevent and prepare for a cyber-attack?
First, every company should have policies and procedures that safeguard information, just in case. Companies need to prevent important information from being stolen and create plans to keep the business operating if there is a cyber-attack.
One of the most important pieces of information that needs protecting is payroll. One of the latest cyber threats is someone hacking into the system and rerouting the money. To protect against cyber-attacks, always check that the information for direct deposit is correct before pressing payroll.
Similarly, if you receive an email request to change or set up a new direct deposit, never do so automatically. Always call the person who sent it and verify the request. Additionally, you may want to send a new email instead of replying to the thread so that you can check the source of the email you received.
Cyber-attacks usually happen in grids, and therefore each company should have a backup grid if one is shut down. At Flex HR, our payroll partners have a 3-loop backup. If up to two of the grids get hacked and shut down, there is still a third available.
IT supports should also have backup internet and files. If a grid is shut down, all the important files should be backed up so they can be accessed elsewhere.
How HR Helps to Prevent and Plan
HR can help companies create plans to prevent and deal with cyber threats. If the power grid has to be shut down, HR can devise a strategy to communicate to employees what they need to do.
Employees will need to be prepared to move to a different grid if necessary, which would require them to have enough gas, emergency food and water, and internet backup such as a cell phone.
Employees would need to be able to continue operating as normal, which means that they should have phone internet cards and be able to use their office, home, or a family member’s home as backups. Similarly, employees can prepare to operate when the power is down by having solar-powered devices and chargers.
Additionally, the company will need to have their clients’ numbers on hand to let them know what is happening.
HR can help companies create a tiered protocol plan in the case of a cyber-attack. Using payroll management as an example, the first backup plan would be to do payroll in the office, then in the employee’s home, and thirdly in a family member’s home. If none were possible, employees could use an air card with internet access that does not require a cable to be hooked up.
It Could Happen to You
We all want to believe cyber-attacks won’t happen to us, but they are increasingly common. Human Resources can be a great asset in preventing and planning for cyber-attacks. Contact Flex HR to increase your cyber security and peace of mind.
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If we learned anything from the last two years, it is that we need to adapt to how and where we work. We learned that the world is becoming increasingly more home-centered as work becomes a virtual instead of a physical environment.
As Dr. John Cascone, Sr Vice President at Flex HR notes, “The devastating effects of the pandemic have reawakened the interest in monitoring environmental influences,” and reminds leaders to plan “to adapt quickly to moderate the impact of the crisis on the organization and its employees.”
So, with this new adaptability, here are our Flex HR top HR trends predictions for 2022:
1. An Increase in ‘Employee Wellbeing’ Benefits
As we saw in 2021, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of employee well-being, including their physical and emotional health. This now includes employees’ families, and issues like health insurance and time off for employees to care for sick family members are highly valued.
One study found that 62% of employees value benefits related to well-being and are more likely to take jobs that offer those.
As Jessica Stafford, Payroll Tax & Compliance Consultant at Flex HR notes, “Competitive businesses will continue to adopt unlimited paid time off policies in 2022,” which increases “productivity and morale” and presents “stronger financial statements and less work for HR and payroll departments.”
Therefore, it is vital to have these hybrid and work-from-home policies in writing and in the employee handbook.
Dianne Hartness, HR Client Success Manager at Flex HR shares, “As more companies become distributed and do away with office space it is important to define culture and create connection by using digital tools.”
Some examples of collaborative tools include Slack, a communication tool that promises more productivity and a more in-sync team. Another tool is QuizBreaker, a game your team can play virtually.
3. More Use of Technology and Artificial Intelligence
The use of technology has become a top priority for companies as they seek to unify their workforces. Technologies including artificial intelligence, digital transactions, and e-commerce have changed business operations and will continue to do so.
Going forward, it is likely that AI will help HR teams make better decisions and will automate and streamline administrative tasks.
With the move to more cyber time, businesses must now increase cyber security to prevent phishing and malware.
4. Focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Other Values Matter to Employees
Another trend that is here to stay is DEI issues, which continue to matter to employees and companies alike. As many as 45% of HR professionals are planning to focus more on issues of diversity and inclusion in the coming year, as one study indicated.
Deirdre Huff, HR Client Success Manager at Flex HR, predicts that in the coming year “more employees and job seekers” will base “their decisions to accept employment offers off how well the company handles diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
In fact, Flex HR’s clients have been requesting DEI boot camps to help train their organizations in how to be more equitable and diversity-minded. Our consultants have already begun leading boot camps and informational seminars in the DEI space.
Dr. John Cascone predicts, “The trend toward promoting cultural diversity in all sectors of the organization will continue but coupled with the emphasis on diversity of ideas, values, work styles and ethics operating under clearly defined standards of accountability and outcome performance.”
One study revealed that 80% of employees choose their job based on aligned values, proving that employees want to work at companies that have similar values to their own.
Other values of importance to employees include childcare solutions and work-life balance. In fact, companies that value work-life balance will recruit and retain more employees as the millennial generation takes over the workforce.
Dr. John Cascone maintains that “Work-life balance will shape management practice to support worker accountability and productivity.”
5. Demand for Value and Development of New Skills
In 2022, there will continue to be a huge need for Human Resources expertise because HR is evolving into a much more expansive role.
One Harvard Business Review article predicted that there will be a need to train HR professionals in 21 new types of jobs in the near future. Because of these changes, HR professionals will need to acquire a wide range of skills for which companies are often not able to train them proficiently.
6. Shifts in Recruiting Strategies, Especially to Internal
With a push to develop new skills for HR and other employees, upskilling employees and shifting recruiting strategies have become essential.
Senior Vice President of Flex HR, Phil Davis, predicts “employers will continue to see higher than normal employee turnover and rapidly escalating wages” and emphasizes the “need for effective recruitment and retention programs.”
Similarly, Heather Summers, HR Client Success Manager at Flex HR, sees the need for companies to “up their game” in the recruitment department, by re-evaluating “their benefits to employees, insurance, offer sign-on bonuses or employee referral bonuses to attract talent.”
Companies that are “winning” at recruiting have realized the importance of training and hiring from within their organization.
As Dr. John Cascone predicts, “There will be a shift away from investing dollars in recruiting new employees to invest dollars in retaining and developing employees.”
Recruiters will need to be more strategic in their approach, finding creative methods for attracting quality candidates.
Different recruiting strategies will include looking for non-traditional talent from within the company, using social media and texting, making company websites look more personable and friendlier, offering higher wages and more time off, and many other strategies we noted in last year’s article on 10 Ideas for Better Recruiting to Attract More Candidates.
Upskilling and training have become essential alternatives to recruiting.
Flex HR’s Laura Ladd, HR Client Success Manager, reminds us, “Studies show that “future-oriented” organizations are making leadership psychology training and development programs mainstream. Such programs include learning about the human brain, how we think, how we analyze data, and how we make decisions.”
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As technological innovations are applied in the workplace, they bring changes and challenges. One area of technology that will have greater future applications in the workplace is Artificial Intelligence (AI). As AI technology is integrated into government and business organizations, HR needs to be aware of its potential impact.
AI could potentially shift HR’s role. In the past, HR reactively tries to figure out what to do with workplace changes, leading to burnout and frustration.
Instead, HR needs to take a more proactive posture, strategically engaging with workplace applications of AI. HR needs to anticipate problems by engaging in discussions about integrating AI technology in the workplace, and solve them before they arise.
HR needs to understand the possibilities and challenges of AI for the future workplace and help mitigate the unfavorable effects of AI on worker safety, health, and well-being.
AI Opportunities for the Workplace and HR
There are many potential applications for HR in the workplace, including hiring and orienting new employees, screening applicants, collaboration, planning, training, problem-solving, modeling, forecasting, and much more.
For example, AI could be used to recruit, onboard, pre-screen, and assess candidates and reduce unconscious biases during recruitment.
It could also be used to increase productivity and efficiency, one of the main concerns of businesses. AI could do this by managing repetitive tasks through chatbots. Soon, as much as 47% of organizations may use chatbots, and 40% will adopt virtual assistants to better support their customers.
AI can also help with employee learning and training. Some organizations, such as Honeywell, also use AI, AR [Augmented Reality], and VR [Virtual Reality] to record transferable skills and teach them to the next generation of employees.
Increasingly, businesses want to use robots to perform functions previously done by employees. Gartner Research shows that 77% of retailers use AI technology, the top users being warehouses and health care organizations.
Remote conversational technology could be applied to planning and could be especially helpful in data processing, allowing employees to debrief on a project and identify assets and problems. What they learn could then be transferred to new employees who might face those types of scenarios in the future.
There are other endless applications for AI technology, such as working from home and building virtual simulations.
HR can help organizations learn to use these technologies to train employees and transfer skills. They can help organizations outsource to AI for recruiting. They can also help find ways organizations can use the technology for customer service.
AI Workplace Application Limitations and Potential Risks
As exciting as it is to think about the potential benefits of using AI in the workplace, we need to also note its potential risks.
As with any kind of change, organizations will inevitably face employee fear and resistance. There may be additional issues with integrating AI technology, such as morale erosion as employees feel replaced or cut off from other human beings.
There are also dangers of breaches in confidentiality. For example, many AI technologies have facial recognition software. Companies will have facial and possibly health data on their employees when they use this technology, and companies will need to protect against hackers.
HR also needs to help set some guardrails so that companies don’t violate employee rights in their implementation of AI technology. One of the lines that we need to draw is to encourage companies to stop pushing efficiency over effectiveness and to start supporting the need of employees to have personal lives.
To stay ahead of technology’s impact in the workplace, here at Flex HR we are considering taking the following next steps:
Learning more about CIAP HR Applications [HR DSSs, HRIS]
Researching IEA [Intelligent Employee Assistant] applications and employee responses
Exploring collaborations with CIAP vendors like Kore.ai
Planning focus groups with long-term clients
Our consultants use what we learn to help companies use AI technology effectively and safely. We help businesses implement this technology for performance management systems, for career planning, as well as to help them grow an employee and keep them on board, increasing value for the person and for the company.
Contact us now to get the solutions to maximize your HR needs today!
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Human Resources (HR) is constantly stereotyped as the bad guy reporting to the company, and not in support of the workers. Dissimilar management teams view the role of HR very differently. The typical role carved out for HR ranges from administrative only to overseeing the employee lifecycle, outlining company policies, talent acquisition, payroll, and on up to strategic partner. This said employee interface is inherent in HR’s role.
As a strategic partner, HR provides input on what actions are taken that will impact employees, and how those actions are implemented. Both roles are important. The “what” needs to be a business decision. The “how” needs to be heavily weighted by HR best practices and in the best interests of all employees.
When HR plays an administrative only role, the only way for HR to ingratiate itself to employees is to emphasize empathy and caring in all that they do. The what and sometimes the how are given to HR to execute, so the only variable is the demeanor of the HR representative while performing their assigned duties.
Where the HR role has strategic content, the opportunity to impact employee perceptions of HR increases from just empathy and caring in the following ways:
Ensuring that short- and long-term people factors are considered during the decision-making process. The solution must ultimately be driven by business factors; therefore, HR must be able to make its case for the “how” in full consideration of the “why” and “what”.
Once the decision is made, HR’s role shifts to the “how”. Precedent from prior similar actions needs to be considered. If this review differs, HR needs to ensure that those differences are clearly articulated and communicated to employees effectively. No matter what the action, effective communications include written communications, team meetings, and most important of all, interactions with direct supervisors. Special consideration needs to be placed on ensuring that all supervisors are fully briefed on the “why” behind the actions being taken. The supervisor is the most important link in the communications chain, so their understanding and support are vital.
HR works with leadership to establish the “people goals” of the action being taken. These goals need to be verbalized and reinforced as important outcomes of the actions being taken. These goals need to be measurable so at the end of the day, you can determine if the goal was achieved or not.
HR oversees the operational decisions being made as it impacts employees. All legal considerations need to be factored into the actions taken, and all steps must be legally compliant.
HR ensures that each individual employee affected is treated fairly with dignity and respect. To accomplish this task, HR needs to have relationships with employees throughout the organization, particularly with the influencers among the employee population. The influencers will know and can communicate to HR (directly or through their supervisors) any activities or individual behaviors that are not consistent with the employee relations goals established by management with the advice of HR.
And finally, HR leads a post-mortem on the change actions to document lessons learned to ensure that future actions are informed by lessons learned from earlier actions.
Actions that negatively impact employees are never easy. But a strong HR team, grounded in strategy, can lessen the impact on the business and its employees. Where this is the case, the view of leadership and employees of HR can be dramatically improved.
Philip A. Davis
Senior Vice President
Flex HR
About FlexHR
Flex HR is an Administrative Services Organization (ASO) that provides leadership to deliver customized, scalable, and cost-effective HR outsourcing solutions. Flex HR offers a highly collaborative approach to consulting and outsourcing by aligning core human resources competencies needed to achieve the value expected from your company’s most important assets: your people.
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It’s happened to nearly every business. A difficult employee creates problems for the workplace. At Flex HR, our HR professionals are witnessing more and more problematic behavioral types that are leading to major workplace issues. Some blame the rise of the #MeToo movement for these fluctuating attitudes of their staff. Organizations have definitely shifted their focus to inclusivity; however, this could absolutely be indicative of employee conflicts, harassment, and other workplace violent acts in the future.
Behavior that creates, or has the potential to create risk to the business or health and safety concerns of employees is simply inappropriate and unacceptable at any business and should be clearly outlined in the Company’s Handbook. These intolerable behaviors tend to spread like wildfire and lead to a plethora of issues such as decreases in performance, productivity, communication, employee commitment, and even a toxic work environment. Thus, causing an increase in turnover costs and even legal expenses. The various behavior concerns that business owners and managers need to be aware of, create written policies for and take preventive measures on are outlined below.
Conflicts
In the workplace conflict is inevitable. When you have a group of people that all have different personalities, work motivation, process, goals, and beliefs, a clashing of opinions is going to happen. Some typical conflicts tend to be gossip, communication problems, interpersonal, leadership-driven, task-based, unclear job expectations, or resistance to change.
Unresolved conflict issues continue to snowball into more serious problems. Developing effective conflict resolution solutions are an important component for building, trust, good company culture morale, and overall, employee retention. Conflicts can often lead to positive changes when resolved properly.
Harassment
Flex HR defines harassment as unwelcome or unreasonable behavior that demeans, intimidates, or humiliates people either as individuals or as a group.
Bullying
Workplace bullying is a form of harassment that is targeted, health-harming behavior toward one or more employees that is spiteful, offensive, hurtful, mocking, or intimidating. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, more than 76 million workers in the United States are affected by bullying. There are 4 main types of bullying:
Verbal – slandering, ridiculing, or maligning a person or his or her family with persistent name-calling that is hurtful and humiliating.
Physical – pushing, shoving, kicking, poking, tripping, assault or threat of physical assault, damage to a person’s work area or property.
Gesture – nonverbal gestures that can convey threatening messages.
Exclusion – socially or physically excluding or disregarding a person in work-related activities.
Sexual Harassment – unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. There are actually different types of sexual harassment:
Quid Pro Quo, or something for something that typically those with supervisory authority hold over an employee.
Hostile Work Environment where there is intimidation or abuse that is unreasonable, usually repetitive (verbal or non-verbal), and can even be physical.
Sexual Favoritism, a form of hostile work environment by which favored treatment for submission and even unwelcomed sexual favors occurs.
A Third-Party is any person who observes someone being harassed or observes sexual conduct and is adversely affected may claim this sexual harassment.
Every manager, supervisor, or employee has an opportunity, or an obligation to report harassment. Any type of harassment must be reported immediately to management, who then reports the act to their HR professional. Jim Cichanski, Founder & CHRO for Flex HR says “the largest problem built into company cultures is the fear of employees going to HR or management to report a complaint. Many times, situations have gone untouched for 2 or 3 years before an employee lodges a concern”. We encourage companies to establish an Ethics Hotline where employees can state their concerns anonymously.
Discrimination
Now more than ever, discrimination in the workplace has become one of the most talked-about HR-related issues. Laws are in place to protect the workforce of a company, but sadly not all organizations are free of hurtful behavior. Any discrimination issues, such as race, age, gender, disability, religion, and citizenship, should be reported and stopped immediately to minimize the damaging effects to the workplace.
Clearly written policies on not allowing discrimination should be included in the handbook that each employee receives upon getting hired and then signs an acknowledgment of receipt.
Violence
1 out of 7 people don’t feel safe at work, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has recently reported. Sadly, isn’t too surprising given the increasing number of violent work incidents over the past couple of years. It’s critical for companies to make their employees feel safe on the job. This starts with the responsibilities of HR to identify their staff starting with the proper candidate screenings, including background checks, and getting to know workers on a more personal level to see the warning signs.
Establishing a zero-tolerance policy is the first step in outlining a workplace violence protection program. The Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014 — more popularly called the “Guns Everywhere Bill” — clarified the rights of employers to ban guns on their property. Under the law, employers can prohibit the possession of firearms in company buildings and company-owned parking lots “as long as the employer is the property owner or has legal control of the property.” If owners want protection inside their facilities it’s highly recommended that a written policy authorizing an employee to carry a weapon be added upon the advanced written approval of the CEO or Owner.
Whether these rules are composed as a part of the company handbook or as its own separate policy, creating a prevention plan, identifying and defining workplace violence, recognizing warning signs, establishing an emergency response plan, and implementing a response team must be documented. For more information check out our previous article Preventing and Dealing With Violence In the Workplace.
HR’s Precautionary Role
Guidance and training managers are an integral role that HR professionals play to minimize the effects of difficult, and or disruptive employee behavior in the workplace. These challenging situations must be identified and acknowledged right away so that HR and upper management can strategize to formulate the best possible solution. Managers and supervisors must take all complaints of alleged behavioral concerns seriously no matter how minor or who is involved. Repeatedly, managers are very reluctant to ascertain the issues at hand and are unprepared to address the individuals involved. Organizations often decide to outsource these HR trepidations to a firm like Flex HR, which will provide superior HR representation to minimize the risk factors and carry out the proper protocol actions.
Communication and education must start from the top down, where management provides hands-on training and safety instruction to ensure all employees know the proper protocol given a harmful or dangerous emergency situation.
Preventative Measures:
Behavioral policies – ensure your HR expert has clearly outlined and written all these behavior concerns down and identified policies and procedures in the Employee Handbook.
Consistent training – ongoing, preventative training sessions will lay the foundation for company behavioral policies and expectations to be followed on a regular basis.
Check-in /Listen – to your staff and be aware of any unusual behavior that could lead to red flags of caution with an individual.
Encourage team & culture-building – activities between co-workers provide an opportunity to interact and recognize the various personalities and work styles of others.
Employee Appreciation – make employees feel important by recognizing their good behavior and hardworking efforts.
Keep a “paper trail” – document any, and all disciplinary actions and conversations so that there is evidence in an event of a legal investigation.
Employee hotline – establish a hotline for your staff to safely, and even anonymously, get the help they need.
Did you know that Flex HR can host a webinar, seminar, or Bootcamp on employee behavior issues? Send us an email at Info@FlexHR.com and mention you saw this article for more information. Flex HR provides Ethics Hotline Outsourcing. This makes employees comfortable that they are not talking to a workmate inside the office and perhaps feeling very uncomfortable doing so, but they can report a situation anonymously to seek the help they need.
About FlexHR
Jim Cichanski – CEO FlexHR
Flex HR is an Administrative Services Organization (ASO) that provides leadership to deliver customized, scalable, and cost-effective HR outsourcing solutions. Flex HR offers a highly collaborative approach to consulting and outsourcing by aligning core human resources competencies needed to achieve the value expected from your company’s most important assets: your people.
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Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
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