If you own a business or are a HR manager, maintaining unified employee relations is integral to your company’s success. Though you may constantly try to have a finger on the pulse of your company, you know that a plethora of unexpected problems can pop up on a dime. While this is inevitable, the key to dealing with common employee relations issues is having a plan and multiple supports in place so that when issues do arise, they can be addressed swiftly and effectively.
Pay Equality Lawsuits Proving Expensive for Companies
Recent headlines out of Hollywood have shed light on an ongoing struggle in the workplace. When it was made known that Michelle Williams was paid less than 1% of her costar, Mark Wahlberg’s, whopping $1.5 million salary for the reshoot of scenes, outcry from industry peers and the general public put employers under a microscope for double-standard practices and pay inequality.
Just how secure is your data?
The last few years can easily be defined as the start of a new era – the era of the data breach. And unfortunately we’ve only just entered this tumultuous period.
Sophisticated technology is regularly introduced into an arena driven by artificial intelligence, complex algorithms, and a matrix of shrouded code. However, you can be sure of one thing – hackers will up their own game to break or bypass this code.
Remember those black-tie holiday parties where Joe Junior from Accounting chatted up the VP of Operations over cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres? Though not too long ago, the office holiday party’s transformation to a scaled down version of its former glory has been a long time coming – a telling tale of the changing times and the changing workforce.
HR ISSUES: Workplace Bullying
Bullying has graduated from the schoolyard to the workplace, where aggressive behavior has managed to infiltrate the payroll roster. While Hollywood continues to publicly denounce members of its enclave that toss decency and propriety to the wind, workplace bullying isn’t limited to sexual harassment. In fact, its broad definition has led to a study revealing an estimated 50+ million Americans have experienced some form of bullying during their career.
Sexual harassment in the workplace has been a hot topic for the last few weeks. While not a new focus area, the recent claims in Hollywood have shed new light on the different forms harassment by coworkers, employers, and associates can take. The sensitivity surrounding these complaints can be a challenge for HR departments, but companies must be diligent in their approach to ensure harassment investigations are handled properly to minimize legal ramifications.
HR cases are on the rise. Accompanied by costly legal fees, settlements, and irreparable damage to a company’s reputation, now more than ever, businesses are reevaluating their grievance processes.
Employee discipline processes vary from business to business – and in some cases, from manager to manager. While there may be state and federal regulations in place, as well as recommendations for mitigating the risk of legal woes, there are several do’s and don’ts that companies should consider commonplace.
Between the DOL and the DOJ, the changes coming out of Washington and state-level chairs are on the rise. With this, a host of new compliance ramifications are just some of the headaches businesses need to prepare for.
Mid to large-sized companies are caught in the crosshairs of legislation and legal, making it difficult to keep up. Internal HR processes, including manual entry spreadsheet records for HR case management, are being retired for their lack of efficacy. More businesses are configuring cloud-based HR technology to pick up the slack, and protect companies from costly legal fees.
Nine out of ten times, prospective clients call us after losing a case. HR grievances cost companies tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket each year. The loss of revenue and diminished reputation causes businesses to seek better ways to handle HR related issues.