The Human Resource: Mitigating FLSA risks

Employers need to be cognizant of the activities of their workforce, especially the FLSA Non-Exempt employees. Why? Because the Department of Labor has a little phrase they like to use when holding an employer liable for back wages and penalties, which is “suffer or permit” to work. With the continuous evolution of flexible schedule arrangements, telecommuting, and mobile technology for accessing company systems such as…

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The Human Resource: Human factor in cyber security

Data security is on the mind of most business leaders, and may even keep them up at night worrying about how to properly protect their business from attack and secure company and client data. Insurance products are ever evolving to address these risks and offer insurance protection to mitigate a data breach. Unfortunately, this is reactive to an event we all wish didn't happen to…

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The Human Resource: When to investigation

An employee arrives at your office and asks to speak with you. You agree and they tell you a story of alleged harassment, inappropriate behavior by their supervisor, and finish by indicating they don’t want you to do anything, but they needed to get the information of their chest, they do not want to get anyone in trouble. Sound familiar? This is all too common…

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The Human Resource: Obstacles to accountability

Did you know that in many organizations the lack of accountability is something that grows and festers because of pleasantries and cordial interactions with members of your workforce? Another contributing factor is the allocation of tasks, responsibilities, and expectations on an employee that is well beyond their capabilities. Over time, the employee is not provided the support, tools, or resources from the organization to be successful,…

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The Human Resource: The irreplaceable employee

Over the years of working with various management teams, I have heard time and time again about how this employee or that employee is irreplaceable. Each leader identifies with one key employee above all others they believe is a keystone to the success of the business, or a functional area, or a department, or a team. Employees often strive to become this irreplaceable employee and…

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The Human Resource: Recruitment guidance

Inclusive or Exclusive – That is the Question Over the years and during many presentations, workshops, and trainings, I have been surprised to hear business owners speak about the recruitment process in a way that contradicts the core purpose of the activity. The comments often indicate that the goal of the interview process is to find the best candidate and hire them. I completely disagree…

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The Human Resource: Earn your employees trust

You are struggling with some issue with a member of your staff. The issue itself is irrelevant, the fact remains that you either side step the real issue when you interact with the employee, or you sugar coat everything you present to them. In contrast, when something goes wrong, you may tell them to get better, fix their problem, or perform the task right next time.…

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The Human Resource: Why EPLI is not enough

Do you know anyone who ever complained about their employer? Sounds like a stupid question because complaining to friends and family about your job is a very common event throughout most of our lives. Did you know that a significant number of individuals do a great deal more than just complain about how they are being treated at work, or situations at work that are…

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The Human Resource: The impact of drug testing

Small businesses rarely establish extensive pre-employment or random drug testing practices in the earliest stages of growth Starting with the very first hire, whether strategically planned or reactive to a surge in demand of your business products or services, the hiring process is perceived as a necessary evil to obtain the human capital to perform the work necessary to meet customer demand. What happens when…

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The Human Resource: Infrastructure and risk management

Entrepreneurs are driven by their ability to leverage the plethora of skills and expertise they possess into revenue generating activities that evolve into functional business organizations over time. The focus, to achieve success in the entrepreneur’s mind, must be placed on the development and delivery of products and services effectively and efficiently to identified and established clients. This reality is so true that a large…

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The Human Resource: Intent versus impact

There is an adage: “Say what you mean, don’t mean what you say.” Like the challenge of communication in our personal lives, workplace interaction between supervisor and manager, or peer to peer, requires practice and reflection to ensure that your message is received and understood. Even more complicated than effective messaging is the clarity in a message’s intent for the audience or recipient of the…

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