Here’s Looking at You, Kid!

Crushing That Next Video-Streamed Job Interview Means Job Seekers Should Follow A Common-Sense Formula Employers, looking to save time (and time is money), are taking advantage of today’s much-improved video streaming technology in search of top talent. Video-streamed recruiting interviews have arrived. Several surveys report, in fact, that about 60 percent of HR professionals take advantage of video interviews.   Gone are the days of shaky, unreliable video streaming. Broadband internet has changed the video interview landscape. Today’s video interviews are so close to the real thing. Job applicants need to give them the same rapt attention that they place on in-person interviews.   For instance, while in the past I might have hired people in 19 out of 20 telephone interviews, just 1 of my 5 recent video interviews with candidates resulted in an offer. My clients want the best candidates to rise to the next hiring level. Yet,…read more...

ACA and IRS Letter 5699

We recently received a call from a company that had received a Letter 5699 from the IRS.   They were wondering what it meant, what they needed to do, and if they should panic. While you should not panic, you do need to pay attention to this important letter. What is a Letter 5699?  A Letter 5699 is sent by the IRS to employers who have not complied with ACA reporting requirements.  It is an inquiry asking why the employer has not filed the Forms 1094-C and 1095-C to the IRS in previous calendar years.  This letter must be responded to within 30 days of receiving the letter.  A Letter 5699 informs an employer that the IRS believes they may have been an Applicable Large Employer (ALE) for the tax year(s) in question and, as a result, certain reporting requirements were due, but have yet to be received by the IRS.  The letter…read more...

Tis the Season To Be Jolly… and to Plan the Company Holiday Party!

While the season is certainly jolly, the holidays can also cause employer liability as you begin to plan your company holiday celebrations.  We have some great ideas for you to celebrate the holidays season and to keep you and employees safe, fun, respectful, and inclusive.   Outside the Box Holiday Festivities Consider distributing toys to underprivileged children followed by a nice lunch.  Or head to an escape room.  People can come together and build their teams while having fun and creating lasting memories! Celebrate During Work Hours Consider a catered holiday lunch at the office or at a nice restaurant during the workday.  Close the office at 12 PM and invite all employees out to enjoy their work colleagues during the holiday season. Schedule a holiday potluck lunch at the office! Have a Secret Snowman exchange with a set dollar limit. These are a lot of fun! Re-consider the Alcohol If you…read more...

Project Management: The Prescription for Successful Hiring

Most business leaders today are keenly aware of the downsides of a bad hire. On the flip side, they understand how landing the right talent can energize a company’s success and potentially boost positive feelings within a company culture and workforce.   How costly is a bad hire on purely financial terms? Estimates vary, but the broad answer is very. Traveling back in time to 2003, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated that the average cost of a bad hiring decision can equal 30% of the individual’s first-year potential earnings. It’s probably higher today. Tony Hsieh, the founder and CEO at Zappos, told Business Insider in 2010 that bad hires had cost his company $100 million. The recruitment wars are littered with anecdotes and statistics about the horror bad hires can bring.   Apart from the financial risks, there are other unwanted intangibles resulting from a bad hire. Mainly, there…read more...

THE STAY INTERVIEW

In these tumultuous talent retention times, employees who stick are your company’s strategic advantage. After all, talented people who stay indicate you are doing something very right.   With that, winning companies conduct “Stay Interviews” – where you ask current employees why they continue to work for you and how things can improve – to keep turnover at bay through trust building. Stay Interviews also offer a key plank in any smart talent retention strategy. Stay Interviews, done right, give you a detailed picture of how to focus more on the good things you are doing while shedding the things that cause people to leave.   At a minimum, Stay Interviews should be done with high potential, critical employees and those who might present a flight risk. Having said that, don’t overlook your "steady Eddie's"— engaging average employees in these types of chats just might help transform them into high…read more...

Alert: Disclosing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Act of 2018

Effective October 1, 2018, all Maryland employers must comply with a new law -- the Disclosing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Act of 2018. The law restricts an employer from establishing any policy that requires employees to arbitrate harassment claims, or to waive the right to a jury trial in harassment cases. In addition, the act also requires Maryland employers with 50 or more employees to collect and electronically report data on harassment claims to the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. Check your Employment Policies To prepare for October 1, employers should review employment agreements and relevant employment policies to ensure they do not require their employees to submit to mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment or retaliation claims. This is a similar provision to the New York legislation that we told you about in our blog last month. An employer may not take adverse action (i.e. discharge, suspension, demotion) against employees who refuse to…read more...

Medical Cannabis and Your Drug Free Workplace

At our Legislative Update in June, issues around Medical Cannabis proved to be a hot topic in the discussion because employers are struggling with how to create and apply “Drug Free Workplace Policies” consistently, fairly and legally.  We want to share some insights and summarize the issues for you.   What's Legal? In Maryland, there are “more than 50 dispensaries operating … as of April 2018, about ½ of the number that have been approved by the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission.” (Baltimore Sun). Maryland is a “medical cannabis only” state.  Interestingly though, DC has legalized both medical and recreational use.   Here’s the catch:  Marijuana is still illegal under federal law and is classified as a schedule 1 drug by the DEA – meaning, at least in part, that the DEA believes cannabis has no medical value.   Making the Right Decision for Your Business How do these conflicting  cannabis…read more...

Generational Engagement in the Workforce

I have recently returned from Phoenix, AZ where I presented at the WyNACK Disability Trust Conference about generational engagement in our workforce.  It was a fun and lively workshop, where participants learned about the 6(!) generations in our workplaces and how the diverse strengths of each generation can be used to enhance the growth of our organizations. The Six Generations The presence of 6 generations in our workforce today presents opportunities for managers and teams. Each generation brings their unique perspective and skill set to the workplace. The Silent Generation brings us the grit and determination to make the best of any situation, while the Boomers competitive and idealistic spirit helps our companies to attain our best goals. The Gen Xers healthy distrust of authority is balanced by their flexibility and adaptability - these folks entered college with a typewriter and graduated with a computer. Tech savvy Generation Y employees…read more...

ALERT: New York Workplace Sexual Harassment Legislation

There's no doubt about it - The #MeToo movement has turned the way we look at workplace sexual harassment on its head. Businesses all over the country have taken a hard look at how they can prevent harassment within their organizations, but for the state of New York, they're taking it to the state law level. This past April, New York passed legislation to help prevent workplace sexual harassment and give additional protections to employees taking legal action against their employers.   For many of you running your businesses outside of New York, these rules may not apply, but don't ignore them - these regulations are guide posts to new best practices in preventing workplace sexual harassment, and it may only be a matter of time before similar legislation is put in place in your state. We've summed up the most important policies now effecting New York businesses.   Mandatory Annual…read more...

The Stay Interview

In keeping with our mission - to keep you informed about trends in HR and provide business insights that will keep you ahead of the competition -- we invite you to consider a developing retention strategy called The Stay Interview.   In her May 7, 2018 article How HR Can Master the Art and Science of Stay Interviews, HR Dive author Pamela DeLoatch and I discussed the emerging corporate strategy of Stay Interviews. The Stay Interview is designed to retain high quality employees by engaging them in conversation about what is going well in their jobs, what struggles they are facing and how the job is helping them to remain fulfilled and motivated. By having the Stay Interview conversation, companies are hoping to avoid having Exit Interviews with their best employees, keeping them engaged with the company mission. Companies know that there is little chance of altering the path of an…read more...

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