Human Resource Consulting

Encouraging discussions about DEI can often help organizations change corporate culture. Companies that actively promote a diverse environment may even attract more talented candidates. Here's a list of potential actions an organization can perform to ensure inclusion and equity throughout the workforce: Creating a zero-tolerance approach to bullying Ensuring that diversity remains an important part of work culture by observing leaders modeling the behavior the organization wants to see Addressing bias in diversity training Incorporating bias assessments into performance reviews Applying DEI metrics to a company's key performance indicators (KPIs)

Human resources (HR) trends are practices and techniques that companies often use to understand and meet employee needs, add value to the business and align specific functions with commercial demands.

Conducting an HR audit is a good way of making sure that the business complies with all regulations and labor standards. It also checks if the humans resources are being used efficiently.

Benefits of Work Life balance practices in an organization; 1. Seeks to reduce stress; Help employees manage not only their professional lives, but their personal lives as well 2. Reduce disruptions and distractions; provide services such as adult and child backup care to reduce absenteeism and distractions 3. Provide flexible work options; With respect to both work schedule and work location, as long as work gets done, put less of an emphasis on where or when it was accomplished. 4. Encourage breaks; Creating mandatory fun sounds like a contradiction, but celebrating birthdays, allowing budget for team lunches, holding quarterly group challenges or even having a beer or snack cart for random holidays can boost team spirit and culture 5. Create a culture of permission; Employees should not fear peer or career retribution for taking personal leave 6. Know your employees; Stay in touch with your employees and know what life phase they are in Maintain uniform benefits for men and women; Care programs that assist both men and women are essential

Attraction The first stage of the employee life cycle is the employee attraction stage. Regardless of how innovative and strong your product or service is, without the attraction and retention of great talent, your company will fail. This makes the attraction stage one of the most crucial aspects to any organization’s growth strategy. The attraction stage is the only stage that occurs before you have an open position in the company. Also referred to as the employer brand, it is the projection of the image of your organization as a great place to work, both in the minds of current employees as well as key stakeholders in the external market. This means that active and passive talent candidates, clients, customers, and potential stakeholders have a positive perspective of how it is to work within your company. In order to build a great employer brand and succeed in the employee attraction stage, there are several key tips you can follow: 1. Raise Brand awareness. Have your managers attend seminars and conferences regularly, seek out speaking opportunities, and be a regular contributor or sponsor of popular industry magazines, websites, and blogs. This will help build up your profile within the industry as a great place to work. 2. Be known to have a great culture. Regardless of external marketing tactics, the employee remains the most valuable and convincing promoter for any company. By having a fantastic company culture, you only increase the chances that your existing employees will regularly tell others about how great it is to work within your organization. You can also amplify these efforts by sharing insights into your culture publicly using company social media accounts. 3. Offer attractive benefits and compensation. Being competitive with compensation is one of the most obvious efforts your company can make to appeal to the top talent in your industry. This does not mean you need to pay the most to attract the best, but you should never pay the least. Seek out opportunities to provide softer benefits in addition to your existing ones, such as team lunches, birthdays off, and so on.

We’re often extroverts, and we’ve often got a lot of things to say that we believe others need to hear (it’s not always about the sound of our own voice). The thing is, when we’re doing the talking, we’re typically not doing a whole lot of listening, and often not a lot of learning either. So, there are a few reasons why you might want to talk less, listen more, and become a better conversationalist; 1. You might just learn something 2. You’ll gain the respect and trust of whoever you’re talking to 3. You’ll command attention when you do speak 4. You can keep your cards close to your chest 5. You’re less likely to say anything dumb or that you might regret 6. You can keep the conversation going

The Bottom Line: If Layoffs Are Necessary If you've considered all these alternatives and tried some (and documented it), but still find that a workforce reduction is necessary, then you'll have to plan carefully for how to implement the layoffs. These decisions are never easy, and they're even harder to communicate to your employes. But at least you can show them that you considered every possible alternative.

By Susan M. Heathfield.... Alternative Cost-Cutting Strategies to a Workforce Reduction Your sales and profitability are not in line with your projections and goals. You’ve tried company-wide cost-cutting and streamlined work processes. Departments have participated in continuous improvement discussions and plans. But your expenses are growing increasingly out of line with the current needs of your business. You may need to consider taking action about your largest expense, although it's also your most important asset: the people you employ. There are no easy answers, and layoffs may be inevitable. But you'll want to consider every possible option before choosing to reduce your workforce. Before You Consider a Workforce Reduction If you have employees with whom you have a contract, you can only implement any cost reduction measures that impact them by renegotiating the contract. This is also true when employees are represented by a union. You'll also want to be sure to keep a record of everything. The business justification for a workforce reduction, should one become necessary, should be documented. This means that an employer can provide evidence that alternatives to layoffs were considered or tried. If litigation results from a workforce reduction, this documentation is beneficial to show a jury that business reasons were the only consideration in the decisions about workforce reduction. It also documents your goodwill toward your employees. So consider the following alternatives to a workforce reduction. 1. Institute a Hiring Freeze One of the quickest steps to implement is to freeze hiring for all non-essential positions. This allows you to consolidate the employees you have to complete the work that is essential for serving the customers of your business. You can strategically continue to hire in areas where skills are difficult to find and in positions that will immediately generate revenue for the business. However, areas such as research and development may need to be placed on hold for the short term. You can also hold off on filling nonessential positions that are vacated during the hiring freeze. 2. Freeze Salary and Benefit Increases Another strategy for avoiding employee layoffs is to freeze salary and benefit increases. Workers won't be thrilled, but this will be viewed as less stringent by your critical employees than some of the next options. When business conditions are turbulent and unpredictable, it makes no sense to add additional costs to the permanent bottom line. Pledge to review this decision periodically and provide a time frame in which employees can expect an update. Be sure to follow through with this communication, or attitudes toward the freeze will quickly sour. 3. Let Contract and Temporary Employees Go. Contract workers and temporary employees expect to be let go when the business needs change. While this causes some turmoil in the lives of temporary employees, the employer does not have the same commitment to these workers as to regular employees. Temps provide a cushion of safety for the ongoing employment of regular employees. To avoid employee layoffs, let all contract and temporary staff go. 4. Incentivize Employees to Leave. Ask employees to take voluntary layoffs, offer a buyout to end the employment relationship, or offer early retirement to eligible employees. All three of these actions give employees options and are viewed less negatively by the remaining staff. These options, while effective in cutting costs in the long term, are expensive in the short term. A substantial sum of money is necessary to encourage employees to walk away from their jobs. In a voluntary layoff, no employee will volunteer without a substantial severance package or guaranteed return-to-work rights, usually within a specified time frame. 5. Take Advantage of Normal Employee Attrition. In every organization, employees leave. If the situation isn't yet critical, you can patiently plan to save some costs as employees resign. Reasons range from a significant other's job change to family matters and new career opportunities. A voluntary quit may allow you to restructure your workflow. You may be able to transfer employees to different jobs. Only critical, essential positions should be filled. Keep in mind, though, that in tough economic times, your attrition rate will likely slow. 6. Reduce Pay Rates, Fringe Benefits, or Work Hours. If you need to reduce employee pay, benefits, or hours, think through the ramifications of this decision. Your best employees—the one you most want to retain going forward, who are critical to your company’s future—will be negatively impacted by the decision. And these are often the employees who have options. Before considering this business decision, recognize that these actions may cause your best employees to leave, and could damage trust levels across the organization. 7. Schedule Unpaid Employee Furloughs. A furlough is an alternative to layoffs. In a mandatory furlough, employees take unpaid or partially paid time off of work for periods of time ranging from weeks to a year. The employees generally have either scheduled time off or call-back rights and expectations. Examples of furloughs include closing a business for two weeks, reducing employee time on the job to three weeks a month instead of four, and asking employees to take two days a month off without pay. Other employees have been put on furloughs indefinitely. In a furlough, benefits usually continue, which is one of the differentiating factors from a layoff. Even so, the negative impact on your workforce can be great, and many valuable employees will likely move on.

The work environment can become toxic when employees do not feel safe to speak up. A safe environment for employee voices to be shared anonymously starts with employee surveys. In most cases, however, the information is collected, but no action is taken or follow-up is conducted. In turn, this leads to mistrust and employee frustration. The importance of employees feeling heard and acknowledged cannot be overstated. It will then be necessary for organizations to develop a plan to create environments for deeper discussions and trainings to address key opportunities uncovered in the survey. For HR consultancy and Staff management services, call us 0710971741 /

Although many people associate forced labour and slavery with physical violence, in fact the ways used to force people to work are more insidious and ingrained in some cultures. Forced labour happens in the context of poverty, lack of sustainable jobs and education, as well as a weak rule of law, corruption and an economy dependent on cheap labour. Section 4 of the Employment act 2007(1); (1) No person shall use or assist any other person in recruiting, trafficking or using forced labour. For Compliancy matters, HR Auditing, HR Consultancy, Staff Management.... call us 0710971741 /

The law defines exploitation as keeping a person in a state of slavery and forced labour with or without their consent. Section 4 of the Employment act 2007; A person who contravenes the provisions of this section, " Prohibition against forced labour " commits an offence and shall, on conviction be liable to a fine.... For Compliancy matters, HR Auditing, HR Consultancy.... call us 0710971741 /

Employment applications—almost every employer in the country uses them. They can seem innocuous, but they contain a number of minefields of which employers should be aware. A general theme of federal and state laws, regulations, and guidance is that employers should avoid asking an applicant questions that elicit information that cannot be considered in making a hiring decision. Below is a list of the top 10 mistakes to avoid in application materials: 1. Including any disability-related or medical questions. Employers should steer clear of questions related to whether an employee is disabled or has a medical condition. Any such inquiry would violate guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and possibly the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar state laws. If an employer asks an applicant such a question, the EEOC or a court may presume prohibited information was a factor in hiring. 2. Not including an at-will disclaimer. Employers may want to inform applicants that the application is not intended to and does not create a contract or offer of employment and state that, if hired, employment with the company would be on an at-will basis and could be terminated at the will of either party. This disclaimer is helpful to avoid any claim that the application is an offer of guaranteed employment or to defend a claim of breach of contract if the employee is not hired or is later discharged. 3. Not including a non-discrimination statement. Employers may want to inform applicants that the company is an equal opportunity employer (i.e., through an EEO statement) and does not discriminate in hiring based on federally-protected classifications (i.e., race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, disability, veteran status, age (40 or over), or genetic information). Employers may want to add any additional protected classifications under state or local law (e.g., sexual orientations or marital status). 4. Requesting graduation dates in the education section. Asking applicants for graduation dates (usually in the education section of the employment application where it inquires about degrees obtained) may lead to a finding of discriminatory intent on the basis of age under the Age 5. Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) or state law—particularly if the employee’s graduation date has no bearing on the qualifications for the position—as it enables the hiring manager to guess the age of the applicant. It is appropriate to ask questions regarding the experience of the applicant if it is relevant to a job qualification. 6. Asking about arrests and convictions, without appropriate disclaimers. A number of states and local jurisdictions expressly prohibit employers from asking about applicants’ criminal histories on employment applications (these are called “ban the box” laws). EEOC Guidance further recommends that employers not ask about convictions on job applications, but, if they do, to limit their inquiries to convictions for which exclusion would be “job related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity.” The EEOC discourages employers from asking about arrests on applications at all, because it reasons that the fact that an individual was arrested is not proof that he or she engaged in criminal conduct. The EEOC also has taken the position that an arrest record, standing alone, may not be used to screen out an applicant, but an employer may make an employment decision based on the conduct underlying the arrest if the underlying “conduct makes the individual unfit for the position in question.” Employers may want to use caution in this area. 7. Putting a background check acknowledgement on the employment application. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the disclosure of an employer’s intent to obtain a background check and section must be in a “stand-alone” document separate from the application. 8. Not including language telling applicants how to request a reasonable accommodation to apply or participate in the interview process. The ADA imposes a duty on employers to provide reasonable accommodations to applicants during the application process to ensure equal access to available positions. In light of this obligation, employers may consider instructing applicants on how to initiate that process independent of the employer’s online application system and hiring manager. 9. Asking for a photograph. Guidance from the EEOC prohibits employers from asking applicants for photographs. If needed for identification purposes, an employer may obtain a photograph of an applicant after the applicant accepts an offer of employment. 10. Asking about marital or familial status. Asking questions about an applicant’s marital status, the number of kids he or she has, the ages of his or her children or dependents, or provisions for childcare could be construed as discrimination on the basis of sex. Furthermore, in many states, marital or familial status is a protected classification about which employers may not inquire during the application process—similar to the federally-protected classifications listed above. Asking about citizenship. The anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act prohibits employers from discriminating against an applicant because he or she is not a U.S. citizen. The Form I-9, rather than an employment application, is the appropriate forum to determine an applicant’s citizenship status. Rather than asking about citizenship, employers may want to ask if an applicant is legally qualified to work in the United States.