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Sneaky HR Tasks Eating Your Time (and How to Fix Them)

It’s time to tackle those sneaky HR time thieves and take back your calendar. Here’s how.

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

These tasks shouldn’t take up your workweek. But when systems fall short, they do. If you’re a small or mid-size business owner or HR leader, you probably didn’t get into this role because you love tracking down time-off requests, chasing signatures, or answering the same benefits question 14 times.

And yet… here we are.

Studies show that small business owners spend about 16 hours (or two full days) per week on HR-related administrative work.

Most businesses lose valuable time to the slow drip of small, repetitive “this will only take a minute,” tasks that quietly eat up the workweek. Add them up, and suddenly your strategic HR goals, like recruitment, retention, and leadership development, get pushed aside.

Here are some of the most common areas that may be draining your time.

Time-Consuming HR-Related Tasks

They seem small. But over time, these tasks drain your attention, your energy, and your progress.

1. Repetitive Tasks and Rework

Every time you hunt down a missing signature or resend login details, you lose time you could be using elsewhere. The common offenders? Answering the same employee questions over and over:

“How do I add my baby to insurance?”
“When do benefits start?”
“How many PTO days do I have left?”

Sound familiar?

Individually, these are quick answers. Collectively? They’re a constant interruption machine. When you stop to respond, you lose focus, break momentum, and push higher-value work further down your list.

🛠️ How To Fix It: Uncover the pain points. Which areas are bogging down the process due to repetition? Where can you create a self-service culture? This can mean establishing a simple internal HR hub (in your intranet, shared drive, or HR platform), short FAQs on benefits, PTO, payroll timing, and onboarding, or short videos that walk through routine processes.

Then, train employees to go there first. When someone asks a repeated question, send the link along with your answer. Over time, behavior shifts. HR becomes a source, not a help desk.

2. Correcting Payroll Errors

The latest software makes running payroll seem easy, but if something goes wrong, the liability is still yours. Miscalculating pay, outdated tax information, and manually tracking time off are time-consuming to fix, hard to catch, and expensive if you don’t, not just in terms of costs but also in lost time and eroded trust among your workers.

🛠️ How To Fix It: Automate what you can. Look for tools that let employees request time off directly, route approvals to managers, automatically update balances, and sync with payroll.

When automation handles the basics, HR shifts away from data entry to policy guidance. You’ll still handle exceptions, but you won’t be stuck crunching numbers late at night.

Or leave it to the experts by outsourcing payroll to an IRS-certified PEO. A PEO can simplify the payroll process with a cloud-based payroll portal for employers, online employee access to pay stubs, W-2s, benefits info, employee handbooks, and secure, paperless direct deposits. They can also take care of onboarding, payroll taxes, IRS deposits, benefits administration, compliance guidance, and provide HR support.

3. DIY Compliance Monitoring

Labor laws change constantly. Posting requirements update. Salary thresholds shift. Leave laws multiply. Keeping up with shifting deadlines, state-level compliance requirements, and studying the IRS’s recently updated guidance under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Trying to monitor all of this yourself is not only time-consuming – it’s also stressful.

One misstep can be costly. In 2025, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $259 million in back wages for nearly 177,000 employees. That’s an average of $1,465 per worker (the most since 2019).

🛠️ How To Fix It: Don’t carry compliance alone. Get expert help by partnering with a professional. Whether it’s through a PEO, outside counsel, or a compliance partner, get support that keeps you updated on requirements that apply to your business.

You’ll need advice on tricky employee situations, alerts on multi-state regulatory changes, new pay transparency rules, evolving paid leave requirements, changing wage-and-hour laws, new employment-related laws on AI, and much more.

🚀 Pro Tip: Stay compliant with our HR Checklist covering the latest updates and deadlines related to compliance, benefits, payroll, and general HR that you need to take care of each quarter. Download your free HR Checklist ➡️ HERE

4. Updating Employee Data in Multiple Places

Name changes. Address changes. Promotions. New pay rates. If you’re entering the same update into payroll, benefits, retirement platforms, and internal trackers, you’re doing triple-plus work and increasing the chance of errors.

🛠️ How To Fix It: Integrate your systems, invest in HR technology, or work with a PEO. A unified HR platform can help connect payroll, benefits, time tracking, and employee records, among other things.

With better integration, changes flow through automatically. That means fewer entries, fewer errors, and more free time.

5. Handling Every Employee Issue Personally

When you’re the only go-to for every conflict, complaint, or issue, your day gets hijacked fast. Some things absolutely belong with HR. But many could be resolved earlier and better by trained managers.

🛠️ How To Fix It: Upskill your managers by teaching them to give feedback, handle minor conflicts, and document specific issues. This doesn’t remove HR from the process; rather, it elevates the role, moving them from firefighter to advisor.

Stop the HR Busy Work, Amplify Your Impact

Normalizing HR busy work has real consequences, including burnout. Your top performers may feel overwhelmed by constant overtime or pressure to meet demands. It also creates dependence on key team members, making it difficult to delegate when only a few people hold essential knowledge or responsibilities.

Maintaining inefficient processes limits growth, slows project delivery, and prevents your team from focusing on strategic initiatives. 🛠️ How To Fix It: Partnering with an IRS-certified PEO can help. By taking on time-consuming tasks, PEOs help small businesses get back more time to focus on productivity and growth. In addition to saving time, a PEO can also save your business money by identifying inefficiencies, streamlining HR processes, and helping you make critical cost-cutting decisions.

Studies show that businesses working with a PEO:

☑️Grow twice as fast and are 50% less likely to go out of business

☑️Have a 12% lower employee turnover rate

☑️Have an ROI of 27.2 % per year, based on cost savings alone

☑️Experience double the a nnual median revenue growth, with an added 16% increase in profitability

If you constantly feel behind, the fix isn’t more hustle. It’s better tools, clearer processes, and the right support. A PEO can help you stop the small stuff from piling up, so you can invest your time where it matters most. And if you need help, just give us a call at📱 800-446-6567

Find Out What a PEO Can Do for You

If you’re a small to mid-sized business, a PEO can lighten your workload and strengthen your operations. Imagine focusing on growth while experts handle your payroll, taxes, benefits, HR, and compliance.

⬇️Read more about the advantages of working with a PEO in our series:

🔷 HELP WANTED: HR Team or PEO Partner

Investing in an HR team versus partnering with a PEO, which path is best for your small business? As your business grows, managing HR gets complicated – fast.

Should you build your own HR team or explore the benefits of partnering with a PEO? Here’s how to decide which choice best fits your business. ➡️Link #1Link #1Read More

🔷 NEW RESEARCH: More Small Businesses Are Turning to PEOs

Compelling research from the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) shows that PEOs are helping small businesses scale – a game-changer in 2026.

Working with a PEO isn’t about outsourcing; it’s about upgrading how you manage HR. It’s about investing in smarter growth, happier employees, and peace of mind. In a business world that’s only getting more complex, that’s a benefit worth having on your side. Thousands of successful businesses are already doing it – and the data proves it works. ➡️Link #2Link #2Read More

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

About Propel HR. Propel HR is an IRS-certified PEO and a leading provider of human resources and payroll solutions for 30 years. Propel partners with small to mid-sized businesses to manage payroll, employee benefits, compliance and risks, and other HR functions in a way that maximizes efficiency and reduces costs. For more information, visit propelhr.com

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The Productivity Playbook: How to Turn Outsourcing into a Strategic Win

Here’s your game plan for turning outsourcing into a winning streak.

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

Productivity is the secret sauce that separates teams stuck on the sidelines from those with winning streaks. Chances are you’re juggling hiring, compliance, benefits, culture, and about a dozen other priorities . . . all while the clock keeps ticking.

➡️➡️Link #1Link #1Link #1Read More: HR Forecast: What’s Changing & How To Get Ready

Your power play? Outsourcing. When used strategically, it boosts productivity, streamlines operations, and frees you up to focus on what actually moves the scoreboard – your bottom line.

First Quarter: What Productivity Really Means

In HR, productivity isn’t about sprinting faster – it’s about running the right plays at the right time.

True HR productivity means delivering meaningful outcomes with minimal wasted effort. Speed matters, sure, but impact matters more.

Fast hiring doesn’t matter if turnover remains high. Smooth payroll is great . . . unless errors keep forcing replays.

At its core, productivity is about consistent, high-quality execution that supports your business year-round.

Here’s the basic stat line. The fundamental formula HR teams use looks like this: Productivity = Total Output / Total Input.

📤Output: Projects completed, revenue generated, goals achieved

📥Input: Labor hours, number of employees, or financial costs

It’s simple math but powerful when you track the right metrics.

Why HR Productivity Is For Champions

When HR productivity is dialed in, your entire team plays better.

Here’s what that looks like on the field:

🎯Better Employee Experience. Faster responses, smoother onboarding, clearer policies – all retention fuel.

🎯Stronger Compliance Defense. Mistakes lead to fines, audits, and penalties – that’s expensive. Productive HR keeps risk off the scoreboard.

🎯Scoring Efficiency. In the Red Zone, the stakes are high, and scoring opportunities significantly increase. When your HR team isn’t buried in paperwork, they can make a more strategic impact by focusing on culture, performance, and growth.

🎯Leadership Trust. HR shifts from order-taker to trusted partner.

The results? A productive HR function is the engine that keeps your people – and your business – moving forward.

The Stats Don’t Lie: Proof from the League

The data backs it up:

➡️Flexibility & Remote Work. A Gartner report finds that 43% of employees working flexible hours say they are more productive. Gallup found that fully remote workers report the highest engagement levels.

➡️Engagement Matters. Highly engaged teams are 17% – 21% more productive than disengaged ones.

➡️The Productivity Gap. Top-tier companies grew more productive, while others saw declines due to inefficient collaboration and low engagement.

🎯Winning teams don’t guess; they measure, adjust, optimize, and power up.

The Box Score: Common HR Productivity Metrics

To know how your team is performing, you need the right stats:

📊 Output Metrics. Revenue per employee, output per hour, goals completed vs. assigned

📊 Efficiency Metrics. Time spent per task, employee utilization

📊 Quality Metrics. Accuracy and impact, not just speed

📊 Engagement Indicators. Engagement scores and absenteeism.

📊 Financial Metrics. Total Cost of Workforce (TCOW)

These numbers tell you whether your plays are working and what needs to be redesigned.

Second Half Adjustments

This is where smart teams pull ahead. One of the most effective strategies? Outsourcing to a Professional Employer Organization (PEO).

A PEO helps improve productivity by offloading time-consuming tasks while strengthening the entire employee lifecycle through MVP expertise and next-level HR tech.

🔥Think of it as adding multiple Tom Bradys to your roster.

THE GAME PLAN

Play #1: Reallocate Resources to Core Strengths

The fastest productivity gain comes from freeing your teams from admin overload. By outsourcing, you get:

✅Time Savings. Business owners can spend 20+ hours per month on HR admin-related tasks. Outsourcing frees up time for growth, sales, and strategy.

✅Administrative Relief. Payroll, benefits enrollment, and multi-state compliance tasks move off your plate and into expert hands.

✅A Team of MVPs. Outsourcing gives you access to a team of pros, ready to help when you need it.

Play #2: Build a Deeper Talent Bench that Flexes

An engaged workforce is naturally more productive.

💼 Lower Turnover. Companies using PEOs see 10%–14% lower turnover, reducing disruptions and retraining time.

💼 Big-league Benefits. PEOs provide access to Fortune 500-level benefits, boosting satisfaction and engagement.

💼 Faster Onboarding. Streamlined onboarding helps new hires get in the game.

Play #3: Upgrade Your Tech Stack

PEOs give small and mid-sized businesses access to advanced HR technology without the big-ticket price tag.

📊 Automation. Payroll and tax automation reduce errors and time-consuming fixes.

📊 Employee Self-service. Employees handle PTO, pay stubs, and benefits updates themselves with fewer interruptions for HR.

Play #4: Strengthen Your Compliance Defense

Compliance isn’t optional and managing it internally can drain focus fast. With a PEO on your team, you get:

🛡️Expert Guidance. A team of HR pros helps prevent fumbles and penalties. PEOs stay on top of federal, state, and local regulations, including ACA and FMLA.

🛡️Safety Programs. Proactive safety audits reduce workplace incidents and business disruption.

Play #5: Win on the Scoreboard

All these efficiencies lead to real, measurable stats:

🏆Faster Growth. Businesses using a PEO grow 7% – 9% faster than those that don’t. And are 50% Less Likely to Go Out of Business

🏆High ROI. The average annual return on investment is 27.2% based solely on cost savings.

💥That’s not just a win – it’s a blowout. It’s the stuff championships are made of.

FINAL CALL: Make Productivity Your Winning Play!

How far can you go? Productivity isn’t a one-time drill – it’s a GOAT mindset.

When you measure what matters, optimize repetitive work, and outsource strategically, you’re not just working faster . . . You’re working smarter. That’s for legends.

🔥Outsourcing is no rookie move. It’s a strategic productivity partner that helps HR shift from scrambling to scoring. And keeping that winning streak hot.

Ready to Turn HR into a Powerhouse?

Ready to hear your crowd ROOOAAARRR? 🎉 This power playbook is your first step.

➡️If you need some coaching or a huddle about your productivity game plan, we’ve got you all the way to the Super Bowl winning streak and beyond – just give us a call.

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

About Propel HR. Propel HR is an IRS-certified PEO and a leading provider of human resources and payroll solutions for 30 years. Propel partners with small to mid-sized businesses to manage payroll, employee benefits, compliance, risk, and other HR functions in ways that maximize efficiency and reduce costs. To learn more, visit propelhr.com

Featured

Scaling Smart: How a PEO Prepares Your Business for Growth

Is your business growing? Here’s how a PEO becomes a powerful advantage as you gear up for bigger things.

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

If you run a small or midsize business, you already know growth is exciting, yes — but also unpredictable, and sometimes overwhelming. That’s exactly why more business owners and HR leaders are choosing Professional Employer Organizations, or PEOs, not just to outsource HR tasks, but to grow smarter, faster, and more sustainably.

The Top 10

A PEO helps you scale without letting the behind-the-scenes stuff collapse under the weight of bigger payrolls, more onboarding, greater compliance risk, and higher employee expectations. It’s like adding an entire HR department overnight, minus the overhead and recruitment scramble. A few advantages include:

1. You Get HR Infrastructure Before You Actually Need It (Which Is Exactly When You Need It)

Most small businesses don’t feel the pain of HR complexity until it’s too late. Payroll errors start multiplying, employees want benefits you’re not equipped to provide, and suddenly you’re Googling state labor laws at 11:30 p.m.

A PEO lays the foundation before those cracks show. Payroll scales without drama. Whether you have 10 people or 110, payroll stays smooth, compliant, and on time. Onboarding becomes a real process and not a scramble. Templates, checklists, digital forms, background screening, and automated workflows ensure consistency as you grow. Policies adjust proactively. A PEO helps you build employee handbooks, update them with new laws, and create clear rules that reduce risk as your headcount increases.

2. A PEO Delivers the Big-Company Benefits Employees Want

Here’s the part that often surprises business owners: a PEO can give you access to benefits packages typically reserved for much larger companies.

Because a PEO pools together employees across its client base, you essentially get to “buy in bulk,” accessing high-quality benefits at lower rates. That means you can offer your team robust health plans, retirement savings options, and other top-tier benefits typically reserved for larger companies (and top talent expects).

🎯When employees enjoy comprehensive benefits without compromise, your company is seen as a long-term career option. Retention rises, and as every HR pro knows, that’s a growth strategy.

3. Compliance Stops Being a Guessing Game

Growth = risk. New states. New regulations. New employment laws. New reporting requirements.

This is where many small businesses unintentionally step into danger territory. The rules change constantly and the stakes are high.

A PEO becomes your compliance command center:

✅They track federal, state, and local employment laws.

✅They help maintain the required documentation.

✅They ensure new hires are classified correctly.

✅They reduce risk with structured workplace policies.

✅And because of the co-employment relationship, many PEOs also share certain administrative responsibilities – meaning you’re not alone if something goes sideways.

🎯Growing is risky. Growing without compliance support? That’s gambling.

4. HR Technology You Don’t Have to Build Yourself

Scaling is smoother when everything is connected, such as payroll, onboarding, PTO tracking, benefits enrollment, performance management, and reporting. But building your own HR tech stack or licensing multiple vendors gets expensive fast.

🎯A PEO delivers the all-in-one HR command center designed for your business. Better data, better workflows, better decision-making.

5. A PEO Frees Up Time (A Lot of It)

If you’re a business owner, your job is to grow the business, not troubleshoot payroll deductions. If you’re an HR manager, your job is to support the people strategy, not drown in admin work.

A PEO takes on repetitive, time-consuming tasks, such as processing payroll, managing benefits, handling tax filings, and preparing compliance documentation. The more you grow, the more time you reclaim, instead of watching your workload escalate with each hire.

6. You Gain a Team of HR Experts Without Expanding Your Staff

Growing companies don’t always have the luxury of immediately hiring a full HR team — HR generalists, benefits specialists, payroll administrators, compliance officers, recruiters, risk managers, the whole lineup.

A PEO gives you access to exactly those roles, on-demand expertise, without the full-time salary load.

Need help rolling out a new PTO policy? Preparing for benefits renewal? Handling a sensitive employee relations issue? There’s an expert for that. It’s like having a seasoned HR department already onboard, ready to advise you every step of the way.

7. You Become More Attractive to Investors and Partners

Here’s something entrepreneurs don’t always think about: investors love operational maturity. When a PEO is part of your infrastructure, it signals you’re compliant, manage risks well, your HR processes are stable and that you can scale responsibly.

🎯For investors, lenders, and potential partners, a strong HR foundation = reduced risk. And reduced risk makes you a better bet. For acquisitions and rapid growth phases, a PEO can also make integration smoother.

8. A PEO Helps You Build a Better Employee Experience

Growth doesn’t just require more people; it requires keeping the good people you already have on board.

A PEO helps you:

✅Improve communication and access to information.

✅Build modern HR processes that employees trust.

✅Provide competitive benefits

✅Create fair, consistent workplace policies.

🎯A better employee experience leads to lower turnover and higher morale. And in high-growth companies, stability is gold.

9. You Can Expand Into New States With Confidence

Need to hire employees in another state? That’s great for growth, but it creates compliance challenges due to different tax rules and labor law requirements.

🎯A PEO handles all of it, letting you recruit the best talent in any location without losing sleep or risking penalties.

10. You Scale Strategically

Growth can stress your business when operations lag behind headcount. A PEO aligns both, so you’re expanding strategically.

🎯The result? Smooth transitions. Predictable costs. Cleaner processes. Less risk. Happier employees. And more time to focus on what actually grows the business — not on what slows it down.

Growth Is Easier ➡️When You’re Not Doing Everything Yourself

If you’re preparing to scale — or even thinking about it — the question isn’t whether you can handle growth alone. It’s whether you should.

With a PEO, growth is a plan.

A PEO delivers the infrastructure, expertise, and stability that power growing companies, without requiring a major investment or a staff increase.

Ready to see what a PEO can do? We can lighten your workload and help you drive growth, just give us a call at (800) 446-6567 or visit propelhr.com

🎯PEO Series: The PEO Difference🎯

Learn more about how a PEO can help your business in our series:

🔶HR Help Wanted: In-house Team or PEO Partner. Investing in an HR team versus partnering with a PEO, which path is best for your small business? As your business grows, managing HR gets complicated – fast. Should you build your own HR team or explore the benefits of partnering with a PEO? Here’s how to decide which choice best fits your business. Read More

🔶Navigating Compliance Minefields. Navigating HR compliance can feel like tiptoeing through a minefield — one wrong move can trigger costly consequences. From pay transparency laws to overtime thresholds, new regulations evolve faster than most small HR teams can keep up with. Here’s a look at the top HR compliance challenges and how to avoid turning small missteps into expensive lessons. Read More

🔶New Research Shows Why More Small Businesses Are Turning to PEOs. The data is in! And it shows how partnering with a PEO will be the smartest move for small businesses in 2026. Recently released research from the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) shows that PEO partnerships are helping small businesses scale. It’s smarter, more efficient, and a game-changer. Here’s what the latest data shows. Read More

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

About Propel HR. Propel HR is an IRS-certified PEO that has been a leading provider of human resources and payroll solutions for more than 25 years. Propel partners with small to mid-sized businesses to manage payroll, employee benefits, compliance and risks, and other HR functions in a way that maximizes efficiency and reduces costs. For more information, visit www.propelhr.com

Featured

No Amount of Success at Work Makes Up for Failure at Home

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten, and I make a point to think about daily- “No amount of success at work makes up for failure at home.”

One of my favorite parts about business is the opportunity to meet new people and learn from their experiences. A couple months ago I met with a man who was well into his career and has done exceptionally well. We talked for half an hour or so about a lot of different things, but those words were the ones I remembered most. So much so that I wrote them down immediately and printed them out to hang in my office.

“No amount of success at work makes up for failure at home.”

From the time I started my business classes in school, I was excited about making connections and progressing in my career. I thought about it so much so that it seemed to consume my thoughts every day and sometimes well into the night. All I could think about was learning everything I could to succeed in my career. When I wasn’t doing that, I was trying to network as much as I could. I’m still not 100% sure why I pushed so hard and stressed myself out. Maybe it was the chance to make a lot of money. Maybe success. Maybe approval from others. Whatever it was, one thing was certain; it wasn’t healthy, and it began to take its toll on me. The harder I pushed and tried to make things happen, the worse things got and the more stressed I became. I was unhealthy and unhappy but continued to push myself.

FREE WEBINAR Thursday Feb. 9th at 2PM: The HR Assessment: Limiting Employment Liabilities

As I neared the end of my time in college, I was excited to get into the “real world” of business and start working my way toward the top. I started a job right out of school that included a lot of traveling and a lot of opportunities to meet all types of people around the country. I had what I thought I wanted: a promising career in a fun industry and the opportunity to move up quickly. I was away from home often, and even when I was home, my mind was on work. I was constantly stressed- “How will I make my goals? Where am I flying this week? How can I make more commission?” Notice a similar pattern through all of this… A majority of my thoughts revolved around myself.

Right as things were looking like they were going to turn out exactly as I had planned, my wife and I got some challenging news about my health (I’ll talk more about that in a future post). The fast paced lifestyle, lack of sleep, and ultimately the stress I was putting on myself stopped me in my tracks. I wish that I could say I made a positive change overnight and took control, but unfortunately, that’s not how it happened. Lasting change rarely happens overnight.

Over the next two years we fought and fought, but not much seemed to change; actually things became much worse. I still focused way too much on my professional career, and although I felt better at times, I was still very sick. During the course of those two years, we exhausted most of my treatment options and ended up at the hospital for another stay that had even my doctors scratching their heads. One thing I find ironic is the thing that I was making most important in my life (work) was nowhere to be found. When I wasn’t there for work, it wasn’t there for me. Four days later I was out. Weak and discouraged, I knew I had to make some changes and take control over the stress that was wrecking my life. If I was going to come out on the other side of this, I was going to have to get my priorities straight.

Over the next few months with the help of my wife, I became much more disciplined than I’ve ever been. I started eating much healthier, stopped abusing my body with stress and long hours, and tried not to bring work home if I could help it. I also started paying more attention to the most important things in life; my faith and my family. If anything in my career affected those things, I didn’t tolerate it. I cut it out. The change wasn’t immediate. I didn’t get sick in one day, and I certainly wouldn’t get better in one day. The first month was actually one of the worst I’ve had as I tried to adjust to my new diet.

It’s now been 9 months since I’ve made these changes. I can’t lie and say it’s all been easy. There’s still always going to be bad days, and doctors say I’ll never be 100% better, but that’s not what’s important anymore. It’s a great place to be in life when you realize how unimportant everything in life is compared to faith and family. It doesn’t mean you don’t work hard; it means you work hard for the right reasons. The funny thing is, I actually enjoy work much more now that my priorities are straight. I’d argue that I’m a much better employee too. The more efficient I am and the better work I produce, the more time I get to spend at home with the ones I love most!

So next time you’re stressed about making the next big sale or focusing on the next big promotion, just remember, it’s really not that important. It could all be gone tomorrow. But when you focus on the right things and work for the right reasons, things just seem to work out.

As of today, I’m doing great and haven’t felt this good since high school! I’d never be able to do any of this without my amazing wife. Not only is she my best friend and support, but she’s also on the diet with me and keeps me motivated to do my best! There will be more tough times ahead of course, but I know if I stay focused on the right things, it’ll all work out.

Help Your Employees Succeed By Giving Them The Right Seat on the Bus

In “Good to Great,” author Jim Collins emphasizes the need to get the “right people on the bus and in the right seat.” This idea of hiring the best people and placing them in the role that best suits their strengths is a common best practice. However, it is a challenging practice which requires strong management leadership.

In the HR field, I often see personnel issues based on the fact that the employee was not in the right seat of the bus. Or maybe on the wrong bus entirely. Once an employee is hired and a manager realizes that the employee is not working out, a decision needs to be made. Is there another job in the company in which this employee would excel? Can the job description be modified to fit this person’s strengths or is this person not the right member for your team?

RELATED READING: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

As humans, we tend to give people extra chances or overlook their weaknesses, rather than deal with a potential confrontation. But as managers, we must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each employee and make a decision on how each person benefits the team. If even one member of your team is not in the right position, it can slowly hurt the whole organization.

When evaluating employees, you should ask yourself, “If I started my own company today, would I want this person to follow me?” If you can’t answer this in the affirmative for all of your employees, then you need to evaluate why. It may be as simple as changing their “seat on the bus, ” or you may have to tell them that they are not on the “right bus” at all. But when you finally have the bus filled with the right people, your company will travel great distances.

If your business needs help with its HR needs, please contact our team. We’re here to help you move your business forward.

Nonprofit Spotlight: New American Pathways

This past week I had the privilege to interview Amy Crownover, marketing and communications director for New American Pathways. Established in 2014, New American Pathways is a non-profit that provides a continuum of services to refugees upon arrival to the U.S. through their journey to citizenship. Every time I learn about the work done by Propel HR’s nonprofit clients, I am blown away by their dedication, passion, and commitment to service.

As soon as I walked through the doors of New American Pathways, a friendly receptionist with a thick accent greeted me warmly. When I hear a foreign accent, my mind races to try to identify where it may be from. I thought to myself, “She’s got to be from Africa! Maybe Kenya? Liberia? Oh, Rwanda? Definitely Rwanda.” Having spent a few weeks in Rwanda last summer on a mission trip, I spent a lot of time interacting with Rwandans. I asked about her heritage. Boom! Rwanda it was! This was my first human interaction with an employee of New American Pathways. She was a professional, vibrant, and welcoming greeter of an institution of which I would soon become enamored. Foreshadowing was at work – I needed to learn more about this fascinating organization.

As I waited for Ms. Crownover in the waiting area, I was intrigued by the diversity of the cultural photographs along the walls. Moreover, I was intrigued by the groupings of what appeared to be Muslim women sitting to the left of me carefully examining paperwork. They spoke in soft, yet emphatic tones. Again, I had to question myself, “Where are they from?” I wanted to know more, but a warm and welcoming salutation caught my ear, and Amy Crownover, my host, welcomed me with a firm handshake. She led me to the elevator, and we engaged in exchanging Happy New Year pleasantries.

The third-floor elevator door opened. Upon exiting, it was obvious this is where the nuts and bolts of the operation occur. Ms. Crownover led me down hallways packed with employees from the finance, programs, marketing, and development departments. We made our way to her corner office, and she shared with me the story of New American Pathways.

According to New American Pathways, a refugee is a person who flees his or her homeland because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, political belief, ethnicity, or belonging to a certain social group.

I questioned Ms. Crownover about the current persecution of Syrians. “No doubt,” she said, “Syrians make up our current caseload of refugees. In fact, a host of newly resettled refugees are being processed downstairs.”

For the next hour, I learned the ins and outs of New American Pathways. After an intricate fourteen step process and an 18-24 month vetting and screening process, refugees are invited to the US, where upon achieving legal status, they become entitled to benefits, employment opportunities, and education while becoming productive and contributing members of their communities. At this time New American Pathways steps in and serves as the conduit for the refugees’ continuum journey and long-term success.

Here is the New American Pathway approach:

Safety and Stability: Consultants secure refugees with safe housing, basic needs, accessible medical care, and education.

Self-Sufficiency: Consultants assist in establishing refugees’ household budgets, obtain employment, ensure children are adjusting and that applications of green cards are being executed in a timely manner.

Setting up for Success: Consultants help refugees enroll in college or employment training programs, reunite with families, grow in careers and ensure children are excelling.

Last year, under the Obama Administration, the U.S. resettled 85,000 refugees. In 2017, the U.S. goal is to resettle 110,000. In 2016, New American Pathways welcomed and served more than 5,000 new Americans. These results are awesome! Also, ninety-three percent of the families are self-sufficient within 180 days of arrival. Of the 5,000 new Americans, 4,979 refugees are registered to vote.

RELATED READING: Nonprofit Spotlight: Homes of Hope

Ms. Crownover shared one Syrian man’s story. He was a pathologist in Syria. Under great duress and persecution, he moved his family across Syrian borders into a dangerous prison camp in Jordan. With limited resources, shelter and food the doctor learned of a U.S. Resettlement Support Center in the local area. This institution provided initial screening, extensive interviewing and finally sent the referral to New American Pathways to move forward with the resettlement of this family. Today, the doctor, a pathologist, is supporting his family by working as a phlebotomist while fulfilling his medical credentials according to U.S. medical compliance laws.

New American Pathways director, Paedia Mixon, states it best, “New American Pathways is a place where we celebrate the remarkable contributions that refugees and other new Americans make in the community every day.” I learned so much from my trip to New American Pathways, and I am proud of the work they are investing to continue the American Dream. Personally, I hope that Americans embrace our diverse culture and community, welcome our new neighbors with inclusion, and invest time recognizing and acknowledging similarities rather than differences.

Client Murphy

Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Have you ever had a Murphy’s Law client? If anything is going to go wrong, then it will most likely happen to that client. Everything is running smoothly and then a bump in the road occurs. Guess who is affected: Client Murphy!

I imagine everyone has had their own Client Murphy at one time or another. The client relationship starts rocky and never seems to get better. At times, it can be so frustrating that you are ready to terminate the relationship as if it were a gangrene arm. Client Murphy can be so difficult that you begin to lose confidence in your team and yourself.

But, there is hope. Don’t let Client Murphy keep you awake at night. And don’t let Client Murphy control your workplace! Learn to steer clear of Murphy’s Law and turn Client Murphy into a happy and profitable client:

Be prepared for mistakes. When beginning a new project, contemplate what can go wrong and prepare for the worst case scenarios. If prepared, the worst is never as bad as it once seemed.
Take time to evaluate your operations. We often get so comfortable with our daily processes that we work on auto-pilot. Audit yourself and have the team self-check regularly.
Cover your bases and document your work. Many times with Client Murphy, mistakes have not been made by your team, but you can’t prove that the work was done correctly if it was not adequately documented.
Be positive. You know your value and the worth of your business; don’t let Client Murphy get you down. Focus on the positive and move forward.

In work and in life, we always must expect the unexpected. Sometimes, the unexpected is bad, but most of the time, it is good. Remember this when Client Murphy is knocking and go ahead and kick Murphy’s Law out the door!

New I-9 Form Effective 1/22/2017

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has revised the Form I-9 which employers will need to begin using 1/22/2017. The Form I-9 is used by employers to document employees’ work authorization status in the US. New employees must complete the Employee Section 1 of the I-9 Form no later than the first date of hire. Employers must then complete the form and certify the employee’s work authorization documents before the third business day following the date of hire. For states that participate in E-Verify, the information from the I-9 form will still need to be entered into the E-Verify website verifying work authorization status. This process has not changed.

A New Look and Use

What has changed is the look and use of the I-9 Form. The new I-9 form is a “smart” form, an editable PDF with prompts to help ensure information is entered correctly. This allows the form to be completed on the computer and with fewer errors. The term “smart” is not to be confused with an electronic form. Although the new form has prompts within each field, the PDF does not upload data as it is being completed. The new I-9 form will still need to be printed and signed as the previous I-9 Form was.

Employers still have the option of printing the form and completing it by hand if they prefer. In addition, employers who are currently using an electronic version or vendor service to complete the form electronically, these methods are still accepted. Just make sure the old form has been replaced with the new version.

New I-9 Form changes include:

The “smart” form is now available as an editable PDF with prompts to help ensure information is entered correctly.
Section 1 (Employee) section now asks for “other last names used” as opposed to “other names used” which may have been confusing.
Additional fields have been added to allow for multiple preparers and translators.
A dedicated area for including additional information has been added rather than having to use the margins
The instructions have been separated from the form and now include specific information for completing each field.

The old form (OMB No. 1615 – 0047) with the expiration date of 3/31/2016 may still be used until January 21, 2017. While employers can begin using the new form now, the changes to the new I-9 form should be communicated to hiring teams to help answer any questions they may have.

For questions about the new I-9 Form and the E-Verify process, please feel free to contact us at Propel HR. Our team of HR professionals has created several tools and guides to help keep you in compliance with I-9 and E-Verify regulations.

Is Technology Really That Important to My Business’s Success?

“Is technology really that important to my business’s success?”

“We’ve always done things manually on paper and have never had any huge problems.”

“Why can’t we just keep doing things the way we’ve been doing them for the past 20 years?”

“It seems like a lot of work just to get everything in ‘the cloud.’ What even is ‘the cloud?’”

Do you find yourself asking similar questions every time you start reading an article on the newest piece of technology? As more and more “tech-talented” workers enter the job market, the speed at which technology is developed will only continue to increase.

The most sought after employees today have been around technology since a very young age, and now they are your prospects, and it is crucial that you tailor your processes to them. Revamping your hiring and onboarding processes to fit tech-savvy employees is a great first step in attracting top talent. How can you stand out from your competition to attract top talent to your workforce? Where would you even start?

What is a Human Resources Information System (HRIS)?

An HRIS system is a software solution for any size business that handles everything in an employee’s lifecycle from hiring to firing, such as:

Recruitment

How do you go about attracting the most talented employees in your industry? A broad reach is crucial when attracting new talent to your company. A Human Resource Information System can help you get in front of the highest number of most qualified candidates.

Onboarding

How can you enhance the employee onboarding experience to get your new hires up to date on company information as quickly as possible? The “ramp-up” stage for employees is a very important step in the lifecycle of any employee, as it sets the ground rules and expectations from the very beginning. Give yourself every opportunity to keep your most talented employees by standardizing your onboarding process with an HRIS system.

Applicant Tracking

Applicant tracking through workflows is an easy way to keep things moving along through the hiring process.

Online Benefits Enrollment

Managing benefits enrollment in a Human Resource Information System is a breeze, especially when everything is in one place! By giving employees access to their most up to date information, you empower them to make necessary changes when needed in the shortest amount of time possible.

Performance Reviews and Talent Management

The yearly performance review is a thing of the past. These days employees expect feedback much more often, so make it easier on yourself by automating some of the processes usinga Human Resource Information System.

Incident Tracking

Accidents and incidents are a part of life. The sooner they are addressed, the sooner they can be worked through. An HRIS system can help you get over those “bumps in the road” more easily by providing workflows and tracking any necessary information, all in one place.

Training and Certifications Management

Continual improvement and professional development of your employees is crucial to their overall success and happiness in your organization. A Human Resource Information System can help track, automate, and simplify your company’s performance review and talent management processes.

Asset Management

Are you getting the most out of your employees and other assets? Asset management is a great way to improve efficiency and effectiveness within your organization.

Consolidated Reporting

It’s hard to manage compliance and reporting activities if you are tracking through multiple systems, especially when they don’t integrate easily. An HRIS system gives you everything you need for powerful reporting and statistics.

With an HRIS system, you or your HR manager can track all aspects of your company’s workforce in one place. This indispensable automation software saves time, money, and headaches!

You may have noticed several names for an HRIS:

Human Resources Information System (HRIS)
Human Capital Management System (HCM)
Human Resource Management System (HRMS)

If you’ve been wondering whether or not an HRIS is the next step for your business, join us on our HRIS webinar on January 12th at 2 pm EST and be sure to come with questions!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

In business, we spend the majority of our time thinking about sales and ways to increase growth. We spend tons of money on marketing and brand development. We work on procedures for onboarding clients and develop strategies to consistently grow the bottom line.

We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what to do when the client leaves.

Recently, we lost a long-term client, and if I am honest with myself, we did not handle the transition out of the contract very well. Whether a client leaves because of cash flow issues, service issues, or they just want to try something different, all businesses have the responsibility to handle this transition well. This year I encourage all business owners to focus not just on the business coming in, but also on ensuring that the proper processes are in place when a client ends the business relationship.

Thank your client for their business. Let your client know how much you have appreciated working with them and inform them of the next steps in the termination process. Give them a firm date of when billing will end. Make the break up as pleasant as possible and whatever you do, don’t burn your bridges and destroy the connection or worse, your reputation.

Review your contract. Both parties should be familiar with the termination clauses and understand their responsibilities. If the company has been a client for a long time, the contract they signed may be different than the contract you are currently using for new sales. Make sure you understand their specific contract and remind the client in writing of some of the important details.

Over-communicate. Business is built on relationships and communication is vital in all relationships. When a client leaves, it is important that you communicate appropriately whether by phone, via email, through the mail, or in person. I suggest a mixture of all of these with written communication about the transition process and contractual obligations. Don’t forget to document all communication.

Perform an exit interview. When you first hear the news that a client is leaving, you may be speechless, emotional and angry. But once you have had time to take a deep breath, it is important to understand why. Ask direct questions about why they are leaving. There is great value to be learned from these conversations. Document the comments and be willing to listen with an open mind. You just may learn something that will stop other clients from leaving.

Apologize for any errors. If you learn that service was an issue, do not get defensive, but instead apologize. Determine together if there is a solution that can be made other than termination. If their decision is final, then learn from the mistakes made and work with your team to eliminate the possibility that similar errors will occur again.

Do take it personally. Take the opportunity and evaluate your service model. Make improvements. Leave your ego behind and take advantage of this chance to learn at both a personal and organizational level.

Ask for referrals. A client may be leaving for reasons beyond your control and may have had a positive experience with your company. They may have benefitted from your services, but do not have a need for them anymore. Use this time as an opportunity to ask for other contacts that might benefit from your services.

Leave the door open. Sometimes losing a client may be a blessing in disguise, but most of the time, it is not advantageous. We have a handful of clients who have briefly left our service thinking the grass is greener elsewhere. With more competition out there, it is natural for people to want to try new things. However, if you handle the termination process with integrity and treat the client with respect and humility, you can ensure that if the grass is not greener, they will come back to you. Believe me; there is no better call than when an old client asks if the door is still open for their business.

Remember the Golden Rule. We have all been on the other side and have had to end relationships for different reasons. I recently had to end a business service because we no longer needed what they were providing. I dreaded making the call and expected them to try to talk me out of it, sell me something different, or inform me that I was contractually obligated to stay on longer. Instead, I was thanked for my business, informed of the next steps, and given a firm date when billing would end. It was a surprisingly pleasant experience, and if I ever need that service again, I know who I will call.

Nobody wants to lose a client, but in the real world, this is an inevitability that all businesses face. Therefore, it is important to have the proper exit procedures in place and be willing to learn from each experience. Act with integrity and never burn your bridges. Consider the experience a growth opportunity and embrace the possibilities to better your organization.

3 Ways to Enhance Your Employee Experience

As the health of the US economy continues to improve, many companies struggle to compete for top industry talent. With some businesses offering everything from free snacks to “bring your dog to work” day, how is it possible to compete and win the best talent in your industry? By implementing some of the following tactics, you’ll be able to attract more qualified, talented employees, and you won’t even have to tap a keg in the breakroom!

When approaching the topic of employee experience, it is important to start with your current employees first; the reason being is that it is much more cost effective to retain current employees than to hire new ones. An excellent way to get a feel for your employee experience is to simply open up a dialogue with some of your most recent hires. By asking them a few simple questions about their hiring and onboarding experience, you’ll arm yourself with the information you need to improve your company’s employee experience.

1. First impressions begin long before their first day.

Attracting key players to your team starts long before their first day, and even long before the first interview. Prospective employees have much more power now to research your organization before accepting an offer, so it is crucial that your company displays a positive online presence. A website, social media pages, and positive online reviews are only the beginning of a positive online image. As more businesses move to nearly paperless operations, it is crucial that your company be quick to adopt useful technology to position yourself as a forward-thinking organization to prospective employees.

By implementing a standardized process for employee hiring and onboarding, you are able to control what each employee experiences and to ensure you’re always putting your best foot forward.

A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is a great way to enhance and even automate your employee hiring experience. By implementing a standardized process for employee hiring and onboarding, you are able to control what each employee experiences and to ensure you’re always putting your best foot forward. An HRIS allows prospective employees to handle the entire application process online and puts your company in front of more qualified candidates, increasing your chances of attracting your next superstar employee.

2. Recognize achievements and reward hard work.

To keep your employees happy and engaged, it is necessary to discover what motivates them. Some employees are motivated by time off, others by bonuses and others simply by recognition. Building relationships with your employees outside the office is a great way to start understanding their motivations. Do they love talking about their family? Think about giving them a few extra vacation days next year as a thank you if they’ve worked exceptionally hard. By recognizing achievements and rewarding hard work, you are showing your employees that you value their contributions to the team. You’re also showing them that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

RELATED READING: 8 Ways To Better Manage Remote Workers

By offering things such as online professional development courses to employees, you can provide value to your employees and also give yourself an opportunity to recognize employees’ educational accomplishments. Using a Human Resources Information System to track employee professional development and certifications is a great way to automate the entire process and save your HR department some time.

3. Don’t forget to have fun!

When you only see them during the week, It’s easy sometimes to forget that employees have lives outside the office. But at the end of the day, everyone looks forward to time outside of work to pursue his or her other passions. Whether it’s spending time with family or mountain biking, it’s healthy to have time away to recharge and refocus.

Staff outings are a great way to get to know employees outside of the office. Whether it’s a company party at Dave & Buster’s or a teambuilding hike in the woods, getting out of the office with your employees is a great way to show them you value more than just work. It is important to be able to have fun with the people in your office because when it comes down to it, we spend most of our time with our co-workers.

Making a few changes in how your business handles its employee experience can go a long way in attracting and retaining a talented workforce. As competition for key employees increases, it’s important to give yourself every opportunity to win!

If you would like more information on managing your workforce using an HRIS system, please contact Propel HR.

8 Human Resource Resolutions to Help Your Business in 2017

January brings a fresh start in business. There is an air of excitement about sales goals and the prospect of increased profitability. The old year is being closed, W-2s are being processed, and plans for 2017 are underway. As your company begins the New Year, don’t forget to consider your most valuable resources and make some HR resolutions as well.

Here are 8 ways to get your 2017 off to a great HR start:

Review your employee handbook. When was the last time it was reviewed? Do the employees understand it? Are the policies reflected in the actual practice?

Be e-savvy. Implement a social media policy, Google job candidates, and monitor your company’s online reputation.

Increase employee training. There are many cost effective options. Training is vital for the growth of your business as a whole and your employees individually.

Recognize performance. Over the past few years, many employees have had to work harder without reward. While budgets may still be tight, get creative and show your employees how valuable they are.

Document! Management must document employee performance. Be truthful and stick to job performance. Even a “verbal” warning needs to be documented in some form to prove that it happened.

Evaluate honestly. Good leaders use annual evaluations as a time for honest and constructive critiques. Reward employees who are performing exceptionally, but if an employee is just doing what is expected, don’t rate him a “10.” Honesty can be difficult, but thoughtful, constructive evaluations pay off. By setting expectations and evaluating the good and bad honestly, you can increase productivity and morale.

Deal with issues when they happen. A small problem will only escalate if not handled in a timely manner. Don’t procrastinate and let a non-issue fester into an HR mess.

Outsource. Outsourcing Human Resources is the answer for HR success. By partnering with experts in the HR field, you can focus more of your time on your own business. Whether you decide to outsource payroll only or a more robust package of HR solutions, you can save time and money and help keep your business compliant during a time of ever-changing HR laws and regulations.

Start your company’s New Year by resolving to take care of your employees. When you do, you help uplift morale, reduce employee turnover, and boost job performance. You protect your company and avoid costly regulatory fines. Most importantly you increase productivity and promote growth. Not a bad way to start the year!

8 Ways To Better Manage Remote Workers

As you look at ways to maximize profits in 2017, keep in mind that one effective method to cut costs while increasing productivity is allowing certain employees to work remotely. According to the Department of Labor, nearly one-quarter of Americans and 38% of people in management, business, and financial operations now work from home at least some of the time. Your business can save an estimated $11,000 per work-at-home employee per year by lowering overhead, increasing retention rates, reducing sick days and increasing productivity. Each telecommuter can personally save $2000–7000 as well.

Half of the U.S. workforce holds a job that can be done at least partially at home. If workers with compatible jobs telecommuted just half the time, the national savings would be $700 Billion a year (that’s greater than our national budget deficit), and according to GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com, “the greenhouse gas reduction would be the equivalent of taking the entire New York state workforce permanently off the road.”

If workers with compatible jobs telecommuted just half the time, the national savings would be $700 Billion a year…

If you decide to allow employees to work at home, you’ll likely need to adjust your management techniques. You’ll need to communicate differently and more effectively since you can’t physically walk into their workspace and see how they are doing. Allowing employees to work remotely requires trust and good faith by both parties. Here are some things to consider when managing remote workers:

1. Create a written company-wide telecommuting policy.

First and foremost, make sure that having the employee work at home does not affect your customers or other employees. You don’t want to ruin your customer experience or create extra work for the rest of the team. Decide the parameters for remote work and define the types of jobs that are compatible with working at home. A clear written policy helps set expectations and alleviates feelings of favoritism from employees whose jobs require them to commute to the office every day. Your HR manager should help write this document, or you can contact a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) or Administrative Services Organization (ASO) like Propel HR to help you define your telecommuting policy.

2. Define hours and expectations.

Let the employee know if she needs to work specified hours or if her hours are flexible. Make sure that the employee understands what she should be working on and exactly how much work is expected in a designated time period. Don’t let ambiguity creep into your expectations. You can’t hold someone accountable if they don’t know what you want them to do.

3. Stay in touch.

Communication is essential to bridging the physical gap. The telephone is still the quickest way to effectively communicate with a remote worker, but texting and email have their places. Weekly conference calls with the whole team, including both in-office and work-at-home employees, can promote unity and help everyone stay on the same page. There are also many communication and project management apps that can help you share ideas and track work progress. I think Slack is great for direct messaging, file sharing and team conversations. Now it also has voice and video calling built in. Trello is an excellent app to organize projects and track workflow in real time using a bulletin board system with checklists and due dates. Document management and storage systems like SharePoint can also be effective tools for teams that collaborate on projects.

4. Set deadlines.

Deadlines are crucial to maximizing productivity and defining expectations, and they are particularly important for remote workers who have flexible hours or work on time-sensitive projects. Try to set realistic deadlines but don’t be afraid to push the stay-at-home employee. Telecommuting often affords flexibility and privacy. Away from the distractions of the office, your employee may be more efficient and may be able to get things done faster than at the office. If you set a short deadline and the employee succeeds at meeting it, be sure to acknowledge her achievement. Be careful not to set difficult deadlines too often though, or you risk burning your employee out.

5. Make sure the telecommuter has what he needs to succeed.

There are no firm rules as to who must provide the office equipment and supplies for the telecommuter, but it’s important that the work-at-home employee has the tools he needs to do his job. Spell out in a document what the job requires (such as computer, printer, Wi-Fi speed, etc.) and specify what the company will supply and what the employee must provide. Electronic devices such as computers and smartphones are often provided by the employee but sometimes the company supplies them or helps pay for them. Any equipment that the company supplies needs to be documented and a policy needs to be in place to handle potential loss or damage. Again, contact your HR Manager, PEO or ASO to help draft this document. Make sure your employee has a designated office at their home where he will be free of distractions and able to communicate by phone without noise or interruptions. Confirm that he has a dedicated workspace with an appropriate desk and chair. In most cases, the employee will provide his own furniture but knowing about their workspace helps you ensure his productivity.

6. Consider children and other distractions at home.

One of the pitfalls of working at home is the multitude of distractions that the home environment provides. While the flexible schedule and freedom of telecommuting can help your employee balance work and life more effectively, distractions, like doing laundry, running errands and cleaning the kitchen, can also be a goldmine for the master procrastinator. Again the key is proper communication of your expectations. If the employee is not meeting your expectations, especially if he was meeting them while working in the office, talk to him about his daily schedule. If the employee has young children, make sure they have adequate childcare during work hours. It is impossible to fully concentrate on work and children at the same time. The flexibility of telecommuting allows the worker to pick up his sick child from school or take care of his kids on a snow day, but he shouldn’t try to work while taking care of the children. It’s not fair to the company or the kids.

7. Use HRIS technology.

One way to track the time of an off-site employee is using a Human Resource Information System (HRIS). Your company may already be using such a time-tracking system in house. The remote worker can enter his hours on his smartphone or computer, and both of you can track his time at work. HRIS systems can also help the employee track each project individually. Both you and the employee can see his pay history, access his benefits and manage his vacation time.

8. Bring the telecommuter into the office from time to time.

As valuable as the flexibility of telecommuting and the savings of money and time are, there is no substitute for the value of meeting in person. If the employee lives far away, consider flying her in occasionally so she can form relationships with her co-workers and bond with the team. Having a quarterly meeting where everyone attends can be inspirational and can lead to greater focus and productivity. If the employee lives closer, ask him to come into the office more regularly, like once a week or twice a month. One of the downsides of telecommuting is the lack of social interaction. The employee can feel lonely and left out if she doesn’t engage with her peers enough.

The Huge Upside of Telework

Telecommuting saves your business and your employees money, increases productivity, reduces turnover and even helps the environment. It allows you to hire talent that lives in a different state or country and gives your employees an opportunity for greater work-life balance. If you have employees that could do some or all of their work at home, consider giving them the freedom to telecommute at least one or two days a week. You’ll notice the difference in their morale and in your bottom line.

Employee Reward Programs: Create a Cycle of Appreciation

A couple of years ago, we introduced a new employee reward program at Propel HR to recognize the hard work of our employees: the “Propeller” award. I ordered some old-fashioned beanie propeller hats and announced the “Propeller” hat rules.

Hats can be given to employees who go over and beyond their job descriptions to help a client or a team member. The hat award can be given by either managers or peers and can be given at any time and in any setting. Spontaneity and instant recognition are encouraged. Once a hat is given, an email goes out to the whole team congratulating the winner and explaining why the honor is deserved.

We have tried other recognition programs in the past which haven’t been as successful. The “Propeller” hat is different because it has all the key elements of strong employee reward programs:

Don’t wait – Recognize hard work when it happens for the greatest effect.
Be specific – Don’t just tell an employee “good job”; explain why and how they did a good job.
No “buts” – Don’t compliment and then offer feedback. Stick to the recognition and save the advice for later.
Be genuine – Employees can tell when you offer generic compliments. A true compliment is valued and worth the wait.
Seek out the good – Managers are trained to find problems to solve. Use the same process to catch employees performing good work!
Know your employees – Some employees will respond better to public recognition, and others prefer a quieter approach. Tailor your approach to achieve the greatest impact.

FURTHER READING: 5 Tips to Attract and Retain Top Millennial Talent

Another benefit of praising hard work is that a cycle of appreciation will be created. When you recognize employees, they want to perform better, giving you more achievements to applaud.

When you recognize employees, they want to perform better, giving you more achievements to applaud. – Lee Yarborough, President PropelHR

As I walk through the office each day, I see employees proudly display their “Propeller” hats. Some employees have one hat, while others have collected several. The hats cost less than $1.00 a piece, but the value they represent to the employees and management is priceless.

Our 3 Most Important HR Articles from 2016

At PropelHR, we believe in moving business forward. During this time of year, we spend time taking three looks. We look back at the past, we look at the present, and we look forward to the future.

As we spent time looking back on 2016 we thought it would be good to share 3 of the most relevant articles from our archives that will set your business up for success in 2017.

It’s our hope that these articles provide great value for you and your business so that you can grow and thrive in the New Year.

The “Human” in Human Resources, by Lee Yarborough

On October 8th, the world lost an amazing human resources professional, and Propel HR lost a dear friend and teammate.

Linda Hundrieser served as Propel HR’s Director of Human Resources for 9 years. She was the best at knowing how to balance employee and company interest. She had a gift for making you feel good and for reading a situation. As a professional, Linda truly put the HUMAN in human resources. Link #1Read More>>

Six Ways HRIS Technology Can Help Your Growing Business, by Nathan Kittrell

Congratulations! You had a record year and growth is exploding!

A period of growth is an exciting time for a company, but unfortunately, it can also come with unwelcome headaches. Growing your business usually involves hiring new talent, and there are many steps during the recruiting and on-boarding processes that an HR Manager must go through. Link #2Read More>>

Hiring The Right Talent, by Jada Jacobs

What separates a “star” employee from just another “warm body” in your company? This seems to be the million-dollar question many managers have as they begin the dreaded task of hiring new employees. Contrary to the seemingly unavoidable uncertainty with new hires, some solid hiring routines can make the task adding to your current staff less daunting. Link #3Read More>>

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