HR Happens

With the recent Stay-At-Home orders issued across the United States, many companies have sent workers home to perform their job functions remotely. While this a great option to keep up production, it is essential that extra care is taken to keep employees motivated and engaged while teleworking. It is important to keep in mind that many employees have never teleworked- or teleworked successfully- in their career. It is uncharted territory for not only them, but you as a business owner as well. Be sure to give them extra support, the contact for IT, and check in often if they are missing deadlines, meetings or have slow e-mail response times. They could be overwhelmed with having to change the way their day-to-day job tasks work, and will need a little extra grace and guidance during this time. Another thing to take into consideration, is even the most tech-savvy workers may be struggling. A lot of employees thrive in a co-working space where they can communicate throughout the d...

All three of these terms describe actions that are intended to achieve cost savings by reducing a company's payroll costs. Even though the words have been used interchangeably, their true meanings are quite different. Furlough A furlough is considered to be an alternative to layoff. When an employer furloughs its employees, it requires them to work fewer hours or to take a certain amount of unpaid time off. For example, an employer may furlough its nonexempt employees one day a week for the remainder of the year and pay them for only 32 hours instead of their normal 40 hours each week. Another method of furlough is to require all employees to take a week or two of unpaid leave sometime during the year. Employers must be careful when furloughing exempt employees so that they continue to pay them on a salary basis and do not jeopardize their exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). A furlough that encompasses a full workweek is one way to accomplish this, sin...

While some companies are facing furlough, lay-offs and reduction in workforce, other industries have seen a spike in demand and are scrambling to find workers to keep up. Some essential businesses are looking to add up to 10,000 workers to their company to help ease the load. Though these positions are temporary, the proper vetting and onboarding of candidates must be adhered to. Candidate Vetting and Interviewing Many companies are hiring on the spot. This is a great way to get bodies immediately, but watch out for those workers who may end up being more of a burden than an asset. Times like these call for desperate measures, but that doesn't mean you should sacrifice your culture in order to keep up production. Be sure you are asking the same questions you would during any other interview, and weigh the pros and cons of each candidate. Also, be sure to look into past work history. This can be done quickly, even in a few hours, but do not make a split second decision ...