H1N1 Help

Take Care of Employees

•Encourage workers to practice good cough etiquette and hand hygiene and to clean shared work areas—computer terminals, phones, conference rooms, etc.
•Take particular care of employees with known serious health conditions, as they are more susceptible to the H1N1 virus. Consider allowing them to work separately from others or from home during an outbreak to minimize exposure.
•Keep an eye on employees. If someone shows flu symptoms (see below), ask them to go home. Don’t pressure them to return to work before their fever has broken.
•Know who to contact if one of your employees is ill. The company may choose to inform others in your work area that they may have been exposed to the H1N1 virus.
•Be a good role model. If you are sick, stay home.
•Stay in periodic contact with ill workers who are at home.
•Don’t discriminate against people who might have H1N1 flu or have been exposed to the virus.
•Know your company’s leave policies so that you can explain them to your employees. Apply them consistently to all of your employees.

Keep Business Moving

•Identify critical functions and the skills needed to complete them.
•Inventory your employees’ skills. Who has the skills to complete critical functions?
•Cross-train workers so more employees can complete more critical functions.
•Identify which workers can serve as substitutes for others.
•Keep an eye on absentee rates. If they appear to be rising, get ready to move your employees into their cross-trained roles. If any of those roles require certification or other preparation, make sure the cross-trained employees are up-to-date before moving into their new roles.
•Consider virtual meetings instead of face-to-face gatherings. Try to limit contact among employees to halt the spread of the virus.
•If possible, allow employees to work staggered shifts to reduce the number of people in the workplace. Allowing workers to commute outside of rush hour can also help reduce contact with potentially ill people on mass transit.
•Find out if you are authorized to make decisions about activating emergency plans.

Keep Your Best!

Byam, who is managing partner at the employee recognition firm The Terryberry Company, offers eight keys to successful retention:

1. Start Retaining on Day One
The first week of a new job is an extremely impressionable time, and it represents an important opportunity to build a productive and fulfilling relationship between the new employee and the business. (At Founders Bank & Trust, President Laurie Beard personally meets with every new employee and presents him or her with a Welcome Aboard award.)

2. Exhibit Continuing Confidence
Remember, says Byam, that one of the best and most motivating forms of recognition you can provide is your continuing confidence in your employees' ability to meet new challenges. Dare to believe in them fully and keep raising the bar by coming up with new assignments that test their skills and their creativity.

3. Try to Include Significant Others
Whenever possible, involve co-workers' significant others in recognition events and other important career moments. Byam says that you'll be sending a powerful message: "We value you and your family, and we want to keep you with us."

4. Keep Asking About Goals and Aspirations
How can you know what will motivate and inspire employees if you don't ask? From time to time, take a valued employee to lunch and use the time to pose several key questions. What do you like most about your job? What is your most exciting and thrilling challenge? If you could go anywhere you wanted in this organization, where would it be?

5. Encourage and Reward Career Growth
Support your employees' desires to acquire new skill sets and don't miss the opportunity to acknowledge those achievements, suggests Byam. A more highly trained workforce stands a better chance of succeeding in the global marketplace.

6. Blow the Trumpet for Your People
Get the word out about successful workers and their accomplishments. Imagine how proud your employees will feel when a neighbor or buddy comments about seeing their accomplishments highlighted in the newspaper, Byam says.

7. Find Interesting and Entertaining New Ways of Saying Thanks
Make sure everybody in your organization gets to participate in the recognition experience, Byam says. In North Andover, Massachusetts, a large retirement community recently came up with a fun bingo-based recognition game. When one of their employee teams reaches a production or service goal, they reward the entire staff by launching a day-long bingo game.

8. You Get What You Reward
Want your employees to stay with your organization? Show them that their service is valued and appreciated by recognizing it, says Byam. Successful organizations build employee relationships that are fulfilling for their people and for the business.

Give

Maybe its the fact that the holidays are coming, or perhaps it is prompted by the fact that money is tight. But I'm thinking a lot about how I can give without buying anything.

Today, I join my business networking group at Feed My Starving Children to pack meals for children who would otherwise go hungry. Last week, I collected and donated over 20 coats to People Serving People. I don't say this to congratulate myself, instead I am recognizing that, while each of these things might be important - they are small acts and make me hungry to serve more. I find myself continuing to search out opportunities to give.

I hope the beginning of a chilly season stirs a warm feeling of giving in you. And whether you give monetarily, of your time, or by being a friend to someone - it is all important.

Ericka Heid
HR Now
www.h-r-now.com

Wake Up Your Luck

This morning, I heard an old Persian Proverb, "Go and wake up your luck". For some reason, this really stuck with me and I have found myself thinking about it at various times today and how it might apply to me, and my business.

I am a fairly motivated person, and spend little time waiting for things to happen. I'd like to think that I am pretty action-oriented. But the proverb doesn't talk about finding "action", it's about finding luck.

Last night my husband and I went out to dinner with some good friends. At the bistro, it was BINGO night, so of course, we played. Wouldn't you know that we had no luck? Not one BINGO was called at our table, despite our concerted efforts to wake up that luck.

This afternoon, I met with a potential client. They are a small company who has experienced the sting of downsizing, financial hardships, and overall lack of business. Throughout our conversation, I realized that, despite thier "bad luck", they remain extremely optimistic, and actually want to invest in the people processes that will help them rebound quickly when the economic opportunity arises. A perfect example of a group of dedicated individuals "waking up thier luck."

I am standing at Luck's door, ready to help the sleeping giant awake. I know that my ability to remain optimistic, seek out and sieze opportunities, and ready myself for the ensuing upswing will result in success.

Best of luck to you.

Ericka Heid
www.h-r-now.com

Bliss

Today, I was involved in a discussion with other business owners about following our bliss. Our path to bliss was described as a highway - a fairly straight path with little resistance - that will end in a place of complete happiness, passion, paradise, haven, calmness, etc. Along this highway, though, there are off-ramps, backroads, detours, rest-stops, and the like which distract us from actually getting to bliss.

How often have we taken those off-ramps, thinking that they would end up in bliss - only to find they were a dead end? Perhaps too often. Now, rather than think that each off-ramp is a bad and bliss-less place, I'd like to think of it as an opportunity to learn something. It is a way for us to decide that that place is not bliss at all and, in fact, this place helps us better understand where bliss is or define how to get there more efficiently.

All we have to do now is get back on the highway. Thank goodness for on-ramps.

Today, I will study my map for the location of bliss - but I will be open to what those off-ramps might have in store for me.

HR Pitfalls...

In today's workforce, business owners really struggle to keep their heads above water. They are asked to be more productive with less resources, and often times take on the responsibilities of too many areas of their business.

Our external environment affects business owners as well. A new congress and administration in Washington, Supreme Court rulings, and now - healthcare reform. What does it all mean to business owners?

There are several HR pitfalls to avoid. Read on.

Sloppy I-9 procedures - 2007 marked a new record in arrests made by the Department of Homeland Security. Almost 5,000 people were arrested during worksite enforcement activities, and the message was loud and clear - Employers who knowingly employ illegal aliens will pay for it. To stay compliant, make sure that you: 1. Stay within established timelines. 2. Accept only documents that are genuine. 3. Know which documents are acceptable, and reject expired documents. 4. Let the employee decide which documents to give you.

Inconsistent classification of positions under the FLSA - Remember that, in order for you to classify an employee as exempt, the employee's position must meet every criteria under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Connect with the Department of Labor

Tripping over service members' rights - Most employers are not aware of USERRA and how that act might impact their business. There are notification, reinstatement, promotion, and benefit rights that employers should know and understand. Link here for more information.

And of course, contact HR Now for any assistance you might need.

Ericka Heid
HR Now
www.h-r-now.com

Business Opportunity!

I am working with Matt Courts, of Carpet Direct. Matt is looking for experienced sales agents to join his growing team.

A supreme opportunity to join a growing and profitable organization. Start a career in sales, build a business to last a lifetime.

Carpet Direct Corp. is a national organization that places customer orders directly to the nation's leading flooring manufacturers on behalf of homeowners, builders, and realtors; people just like you. We are expanding, adding professional sales agents to represent Carpet Direct across the Twin Cities.

If you are an experienced sales person with enthusiam and tenacity, we'd like to meet you. Motivated agents earn $80K-$150 per year, without any start up costs - and lots of support.

Requirements:
-Clean white van or SUV
-Experience as floor sales person, or in retail sales
-Database experience
-A desire to deliver excellent customer service,
-and success!

For more information, please contact Ericka at 763.634.8600

www.h-r-now.com