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What is the Cost of a Bad Hire?

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The data surrounding the cost of a “bad hire” range from 30% to upwards of three to four times the employee’s annual salary. Whatever the actual dollar amount, hiring the wrong person for the job can lead to substantial losses for an organization. The true cost of a bad hire will depend upon the position, your industry, and frankly your culture.
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Hiring Tips: How to Prevent a Bad Hire

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HR Question: I know the cost of a bad hiring decision can be very expensive. What can I do to prevent a bad hire and make sure I select the best candidate into my organization?
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Why Overcoming Unconscious Bias Is Key to Your Organization’s Success

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Question: One of the focus areas in my organization is promoting diversity and inclusion, and we would like to expand our current program to include more issues that have a real impact to our team and our community.  I have heard about “Unconscious Bias” but don’t know much about it.  Should this be a topic […]
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Employee Engagement Ideas To Fit Any Budget

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HR Question: What are some fun and interesting ways to encourage employee engagement with my team that do not take tons of time or money? HR Answer: We spend so much of our time with our co-workers every week, and it is important to keep things exciting and to maintain open communication among the teams. […]
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What Should I Use To Measure Recruitment Performance?

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HR Question: I need to measure our recruitment performance and develop a metric to do so. How do I set that up and what would I measure? HR Answer: Since there isn’t a universal formula for calculating recruitment performance and costs, you will need to determine what costs you want to track and attribute to […]
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Federal Employment Poster Requirements for On-Site and Remote Workers

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HR Question: I keep receiving notices that I need to order new posters to meet federal employment poster requirements. Many of my employees aren’t in the office regularly and those that are don’t look at the posters or any of the compliance documents we are required to distribute. What’s the risk if we don’t post these posters or distribute the annual notifications to employees?
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Are Social Media Background Checks Legal?

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Question: Should my company conduct social media background checks as part of our recruitment process? Answer: When a hiring team considers using social media background checks on potential candidates, they should first assess the risk of performing these checks and proceed with caution. Social media profiles often include information such as: Age, Race, Gender, National […]
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What To Do If a Background Check Results in a Rejection of Hire

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HR Question: What steps need to be taken after I reject an applicant based on the results of a background check? What are pre-adverse and adverse action notices?  When do I need to send them? HR Answer: When considering the addition of a new employee to your team, background checks are an essential final screening […]
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What are the Advantages of Financial Wellness Programs?

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Question: I’ve been hearing a lot about employers offering financial wellness programs as a benefit for employees in 2017.  What is a financial wellness program and what are the advantages of offering this benefit to my employees? Answer: Financial wellness programs are becoming increasingly popular as an employee benefit.  A 2016 Aon Hewitt report found that […]
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Managing Frequent ADA Accommodations

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Question: I have an employee with a disability and I have made frequent ADA accommodations for them but lately their attendance is horrible.  Frequent call-ins for one thing or another or doctors’ visits have become the norm.  I can’t keep my production line running and I can’t plan for it.  Does the ADA require that I […]
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Understanding The Options Like a PEO, ASO, or HRO to Grow Your Human Resources Function

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Question: As a growing employer, we are getting to the point that we need someone to take over the human resources function.  As the Controller, I have been handling payroll and benefits but as we get bigger, it is becoming more difficult to handle.  I have had a few colleagues recommend using an outsourced HR […]
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Employee Training: Online Vs. In-Person

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Question: We are looking at conducting some employee training.  What are the merits of online training or live in-person training? Answer: We’ve been hearing this question a lot as companies struggle with managing their budgets to get the most value for their employee training.  Online learning, also called e-learning, is often seen as being more […]
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What Are the Benefits of Total Compensation Statements?

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Question: What are total compensation statements and why should I consider them for my employees? Answer: Most of the time, an employee’s pay and benefits spread far beyond the base pay.  A total compensation statement can be anything from a simple, computer-generated spreadsheet to an elaborate, in-depth analysis with charts or graphs.  Providing total compensation […]
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Do you know if you need to pay an intern or not?

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Question: I read a notice that there are new requirements that must be met to consider someone an unpaid intern. What are the requirements and how do I make sure our company needs to pay an intern or not? Answer: This month, the Department of Labor (DOL) adopted a new test for determining if a […]
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Are Wellness Program Incentives Taxable?

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With wellness programs on the rise, there is plenty of opportunity for employees to receive various incentives – from t-shirts and event tickets to gift cards and cash.  As employers consider wellness program design and how to incentivize employees (if at all), they should keep in mind that many wellness program incentives are not excluded from income tax.
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What Does In Loco Parentis Mean In Regards to an FMLA Claim?

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HR Question: I thought if an employee wants to take FMLA leave to care for a child they have to show proof of guardianship, but now I’m hearing that’s not necessarily the case because of “in loco parentis.” What does this mean? HR Answer: When an employee requests FMLA leave to care for a family […]
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Emergency Response Plans: Preparing for Emergencies & Natural Disasters

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HR Question: Do we need an emergency response plan? HR Answer: Would your team members know how to react if there was a tornado? What about a fire or an active shooter? These questions matter because emergency response plans are becoming more critical than ever. Emergency response plans should include the actions that need to […]
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Clark Schaefer Strategic HR's wheel of HR Services, including HR Strategy, Recruitment, Training & Development, Benefits & Compensation, Communications, Employee Relations, Recordkeeping, and Health, Safety & Security

Why Should We Provide Civility Training at Our Company?

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Question: What is Civility Training and should I be offering it at my work-site?  I have done the typical harassment, communication, and customer service training – is Civility Training different? Answer: Civility Training is a new approach for training.  It is workplace training that includes: Harassment, Bullying, Cultural sensitivity, Diversity, and Professional Etiquette – all […]
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What Does It Mean To Be a Partially Exempt Industry Under OSHA?

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Question: According to our company’s NAICS code it says we’re a Partially Exempt Industry. Do we have to complete the OSHA Form 300A each year? Answer: If your North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code classifies you as a Partially Exempt Industry, it is not necessary to complete OSHA injury and illness records (including the OSHA Form 300A). Unless you […]
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Avoid Penalties: Maintain a Legal Hiring Process

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Question: We are continuously chasing paperwork for employees that a manager may have hired but didn’t include HR in the hiring process.  What problems does this present that we can share with the hiring managers? Answer: ​It is important to make sure HR is included in the hiring process to assure all items are completed […]
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What Is the Business World Doing to Support the Sandwich Generation?

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Question: With so much focus lately on Millennial’s, I’m curious what employers are doing to support another group of employees — the Sandwich Generation? Answer: For employees in the Sandwich Generation who are caring not only for their own children, but also for their aging parents, they often will trudge along to care for the […]
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Clark Schaefer Strategic HR's wheel of HR Services, including HR Strategy, Recruitment, Training & Development, Benefits & Compensation, Communications, Employee Relations, Recordkeeping, and Health, Safety & Security

How Can HR Impact the Bottom Line?

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Question: What are some tactics I can use to show the Executive Suite how HR impacts and contributes to the bottom line? Answer: Getting the respect from the C-suite that HR is a value added partner won’t happen overnight; it takes time, patience, and lots of work. There are some key competencies that you need […]
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Developing Successful Training Programs

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Question: Why does training sometimes not succeed or produce the expected results?  How do I ensure our training programs will be beneficial and successful? Answer: Successful training programs are an essential tool that organizations must have in place to help employees continue to grow and develop.  The type of training (in-house, on the job, out […]
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English-Only Policies in the Workplace

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Question: My manager is upset because his employees are speaking another language in front of him and he is unable to understand what they are saying.  He wants me to write a English-only policy for the department and I am not comfortable with that.  Is there a legal basis to help back me up to […]
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Writing a Winning Employee Newsletter

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Question: I’m trying to improve our old traditional employee newsletter.  What information will help create a communication piece that is effective and meets the needs of all of our employees (onsite, remote, etc.)?  I really want it to be worthwhile. Answer: The days of the old employee newsletter have really changed.  With today’s technology, we […]
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Attendance Point System Policy

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Question: We have an attendance point system policy for our nonexempt employees that gives points for each occurrence of absence.  It feels like people have learned to “play” the system, either by missing multiple days in a row (which count as one occurrence) or always missing Mondays or Fridays.  Do you have a suggestion on […]
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