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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

Featured

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

6 HR Hints for the Holidays

Christmas music has been playing since October and the frenzied feeling of December is in full swing. Although this is the happiest time of the year for many, it can also be the busiest in business. For many business owners, December is the month for budgeting, closing out the year, paying bonuses, hosting holiday parties and accommodating employees’ vacation schedules. During this busy time, owners and managers need to be especially conscious of maintaining their HR processes.

Here are a few hints to help you get through the holidays:

Be respectful of all people during this time. While you may celebrate Christmas, you most likely employ someone who celebrates Hanukkah or does not celebrate a holiday at all. Avoid practices that may discriminate or that may appear hostile. Most people enjoy the holiday season, regardless of their faith, but as management, it is important to be the leader and practice tolerance.
Plan your holiday party with some forethought to limit liability. Keep excessive drinking, sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior in check by re-communicating the company policies prior to the event. Have someone monitor consumption and serve plenty of food at the party. Consider arranging transportation. Also, parties should be voluntary but if participation is mandatory, wages may need to be paid.
Manage employee productivity. The holidays are an easy time to get distracted. Between extra food in the breakroom and the lure of online shopping, employees may not be 100% focused on their job. Keep employees on task through communication and appreciation. Also, as a leader, it is important to serve as an example. Don’t hit the mall at noon each day and expect your employees to be fully engaged.
Pre-plan for vacation times and make sure that every job is covered. December is one of the most popular times for employee vacations. With multiple employees off at the same time, stress levels will rise and work can suffer. Time off should be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, but if a decision needs to be made between two employees, consider seniority and job function. Communicate expectations and plan for a decreased job force.
Be on the lookout for any depression and remind employees of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), if available. Although the holidays are a cheerful time, some employees may experience more stress and anxiety.
Consider HR consultation. As you look forward to the New Year and reflect on 2016, think about your HR processes and how they can be improved. Ever-changing regulations make it difficult to stay on top of federal, state and local laws while simultaneously running your business, and non-compliance can be extremely costly. Hiring an HR consultant can ultimately save you money and help create a better work environment for your employees.

Further Reading: How To Avoid These Six Common HR Nightmares

With some considerate pre-planning, the holidays at your business will go off without a hitch. Now, take some time to enjoy the fruits of your labor and spread some holiday cheer!

Even Santa Outsources

My daughters have an Elf on the Shelf named Peppermint Stick. Every night in December, Peppermint Stick flies to the North Pole and reports to Santa about the girls’ behavior. Each morning, he is back at our house in a new location to gather more important information. Many families have Elves on the Shelf, and they are critical to the success of Santa as he compiles his naughty and nice list.

Using Technology As Your Business Elves

Businesses also have a need for elves to gather knowledge about employees. What is your company doing to gather this data?

As businesses grow, the need to gather and document information on employee behavior and performance is critical. Technology is a huge tool in this endeavor, one being HRIS systems. What is an HRIS System? HRIS stands for Human Resources Information Systems. This techonlogy allows your business to organize employee demographics, evaluations, skills, accomplishments, and salaries. The data that these systems can manage are vital for companies in growth mode. A good HRIS is a worthwhile investment and an easy solution for storing pertinent data in one secure location.

FURTHER READING: Six Ways HRIS Technology Can Help Your Growing Business

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms are also another tool to monitor employee performance. While a CRM is meant to manage the interactions with customers, managers can also monitor the CRM to evaluate employees. Is everyone using the system consistently? Are client issues resolved timely? Is client communication stored in the system? CRMs offer great dashboards and reporting features which should be used in employee performance appraisals.

Of course, don’t forget traditional technology. While emails and texts are used casually, we must be careful because any electronically stored information can be used in litigation or investigations. Review with your staff the company guidelines for what is acceptable in company correspondence. Your business may be liable for emails or other data that your employees may post. How are you monitoring these conversations? Do you know your true exposure?

Do You Have Elves In Your Business?

As the population has increased, Santa has outsourced his naughty and nice list to his elves. Like Santa, it is time that you also consider outsourcing some of your employee management tools.

Questions on how you can use HRIS Technology to scale your business?

Nonprofit Spotlight: Homes of Hope

Homes of Hope is a faith-based community development organization based in Greenville, SC that is dedicated to building and providing safe, affordable homes to low-income individuals and families. Homes of Hope also offers a one-year residential program that provides specialized construction job training for men struggling with addiction.

Recently I had the privilege to sit down with David Peebles, Resource Development Director for Homes of Hope, to truly understand the dual operations model of this stellar organization. While talking to David, I was captivated by two Homes of Hope client stories. Both provide real life illustrations of the day-to-day operations of the nonprofit, the empowerment of the job training programs, and the Hope that is born from having a place to call Home.

Micheal’s Story

At 21 Michael had a history of drug abuse and criminal activity. He was the father of a young child and decided he needed to turn his life around, not only for himself but also for his son. Michael entered a rehabilitation facility and completed a seven-month rehab program before transitioning to Homes of Hope. He concentrated on learning how to become an electrician and helped build several LoCAL homes. He completed nearly 200 classroom hours and 180 days of on-the-job training. Today, Michael is gainfully employed as an electrician, is a responsible father, and is an outstanding example to other men who come to Homes of Hope in search of a second chance.

FURTHER READING: So Much to Look Forward to: Michael’s Story

Rebecca’s Story

Ten-year-old Rebecca’s family was homeless before they became involved with Homes of Hope’s Affordable Housing Programs. She was asked: What does her home mean to her? She said, “Home is where you share your feelings. You don’t have to hide your thoughts or shame. Home is where you dream. Home is the safest place on earth, where your heart soars for life; where you can be grateful. Home is the most important thing you will ever need.”

David also showed me the Gideon’s House, a historical house in West Greenville. This two-story house has been completely restored by the Homes of Hope clients who reside there. Nine men, all in long-term recovery, are committed to receiving on-the-job training with various general contracting companies. For a one-year period, these men empower each other to learn and enhance their electrical and construction skills in hopes that their job training will help secure them a well-paying career in the community. In the past 17 years, Homes of Hope has graduated nearly 300 men.

The success of Homes of Hope is vividly apparent. As I drive down major thoroughfares leading into downtown Greenville, I see the vitality of single family homes in new neighborhoods that were once full of run-down houses and crime-stricken streets and sidewalks. Mayor Knox White attributes the success of HoH to the collaboration of community partners. He said, “Homes of Hope is amazing! They are a full partner with the City of Greenville in providing affordable housing. They combine compassion with extraordinary commitment and creativity to get the job done. Homes of Hope is a model for how collaboration makes all the difference.”

To learn more about Homes of Hope and how you can help rebuild communities and rebuild lives, please visit www.homesofhope.org.

Think Outside of the Echo Chamber

An echo chamber is described as a situation in which information and beliefs are reinforced and repeated through an enclosed system, and competing views are underrepresented. Like in an enclosed structure, our ideas “echo” back to us.

The Internet, Social Media and Our Own Echo Chambers

Our experience on the internet shows us how an echo chamber works. Through complex equations and algorithms, our Internet searches produce results that are individualized and reflect how we already think and feel. If I buy a book from Amazon, I will see a list of other items that are similar to the book and they will be pitched to me every time I browse Amazon. My feed on Facebook reflects what I place value on—whether a funny cat video or a political commentary—when I “like” something then more of the same will appear on my screen.

The World Wide Web can expand our knowledge base and expose us to new and different ideas and concepts. However, echo chambers keep this outside exposure from occurring. When we surf the web, we are routed to sites that reflect our historical searches, shopping patterns, and current belief systems. The algorithms have forced us into our own personal echo chambers. While these may be helpful when shopping for a new dress, but when trying to understand another culture we are left viewing that group through a familiar lens rather than seeing it from a different perspective.

This year’s election highlighted the echo chamber effect. Some estimates state that up to 60% of people obtain their news from Facebook. Fake news and conspiracy theories were promoted, and social media users believed the information that “friends” posted. These stories became viral, and in the eyes of the readers, the stories were true. Many people “unfriended” people who were supporting the other candidate, which restricted their echo chambers even more. Many people were surprised by the outcome of the Presidential election, demonstrating that bubbles among different demographics prevented those people from seeing the full picture of the political landscape; they only saw the version that the algorithms were pushing to their feeds.

FURTHER READING: Fake Or Real? How To Self-Check The News And Get The Facts

Echo chambers are not new in the age of the internet; they have always been prevalent. It is human nature to surround yourself with like-minded people. We choose churches, book clubs, and sports teams based on our likes and beliefs. This is a wonderful social dynamic that allows people to form friendships and relationships based on similar interests. However, it can also lead to discrimination and negative feelings about people who are not like them. Consider the Clemson and South Carolina rivalry: both teams have a supportive fan base, which provides a powerful sense of unity, yet when the competitive spirit is taken too far negative actions, and words fly between the opposing fans.

Facebook may have fake news, but offline, people have old-fashioned rumor mills that perpetuate falsehoods on a personal level. When a group of friends gather socially, and someone tells the latest rumor about a mutual acquaintance outside of the group, the friends tend to believe the rumor as truth. Our social groups are our echo chambers.

Don’t Let Your Business Exist in a Vacuum

Even in the workplace, echo chambers exist. The sales team socializes with the sales team while the production staff sticks together. And everyone knows the annoying employee who echoes back the manager’s ideas in hopes of gaining brownie points. While it is more comfortable to exist in these bubbles of similarity, as leaders we need to make sure that we do not allow our businesses to exist in a vacuum.

People work best in social settings with diverse perspectives. Alex “Sandy” Pentland, an MIT professor, wrote about social learning in the workplace based on a research project that he and his colleagues conducted involving eToro, an online trading platform. The eToro platform is transparent and allows day traders to watch other traders’ performances. This helps each individual determine how to invest. Investors can make a “single trade” which is a normal stock purchase that the user makes on his own or a “social trade” which copies another user’s single trade. Like other social media platforms, users can “follow” each other and trade accordingly. If someone copies another trader, that trader is paid a small fee.

During 2011, Pentland and his team looked at 10 million financial transactions and gathered data from 1.6 million eToro users. From this, they determined that there were three types of traders. One group chose to invest in isolation. They did not follow many people and used their own investment strategies. The second group was extremely interconnected. They were essentially in an echo chamber. They followed each other and traded based on the ideas within their group. The third group was somewhere in the middle, exhibiting both independent as well as social trades copied from a wide range of people.

The third group had the most successful returns. But what is surprising from this study is not which group was most successful, but by how much. This group had returns that were 30% higher than both the lone wolves and the herd investors. This study clearly shows us that “the best decisions result from social exploration—the process of gathering, winnowing, and testing out ideas from other people.”

Pentland goes on to say that “Decisions don’t happen in a vacuum: the best ones rarely come from deep pondering in isolation. They happen when people learn from and draw on the experiences of others. In this process, success depends greatly on the quality of social exploration – and on whether your information and sources of ideas are diverse and independent.” (Pentland, “Beyond the Echo Chamber,” Harvard Business Review, November 2013)

Break Down the Walls of Echo Chambers in Your Business

So, how do you break down the walls of the echo chamber in your business?

Build diverse teams. Develop teams that have unique experiences and perspectives.
Encourage brainstorming. Have a facilitator to monitor the session so that all voices are heard.
Walk a mile in another’s shoes. Periodically plan days where employees shadow their co-workers. This builds camaraderie as well as an appreciation for each other’s work and is an important exercise that we often overlook during our busy days. Make it a part of your business culture.
Play the devil’s advocate. By taking the other side in a brainstorming session, it allows the team to look at less obvious solutions. Plus, it might encourage that brown-nosing employee to give his real opinion for once.
Ask people outside of your business for advice. Whether a formal board or an informal group of trusted advisors, it is important to reach out to those outside of your business.
Never say, “But we have always done it this way.” Make this phrase culturally taboo in your workplace. Ask why when reviewing your processes and encourage an environment where people can think outside of the box.
Be willing to listen to dissenting opinions. It is hard to leave our ego at home but to effectively break down our echo chambers, we must be willing to listen to different opinions and even criticism. These opinions might be just what your team and company need to solve a problem or help you increase your bottom line.
Get off social media and TALK. Although echo chambers still exist in the non-virtual world, you at least have the ability to discern body language and tone of voice when you are face to face. Engage in real dialogue with your team. The social media world tends to be a collective monologue where everyone “talks” but not in a coordinated fashion. Dialogue is a real conversation where ideas, thoughts, and musings are exchanged.

There has been a lot in the media lately about echo chambers in social media. After the election, this phenomenon became front page headlines with stories about fake news on Facebook. Many blame social media outlets like Facebook, for the fake news circulation and the algorithms that build the echo chambers, but they may just be an easy scapegoat. We must all be aware as individuals that echo chambers exist all around us. We need to make conscious decisions when looking for information and searching for solutions within our business as well as our daily lives. The more that we are aware of how this enclosed system works, the more we can be deliberate and be the force that can break down those walls.

How to Determine if You’re an Applicable Large Employer (ALE)

One of the most confusing parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the Employer Mandate. The first step in deciding if the employer must comply with the Employer Mandate provisions is the determination of whether an employer is an Applicable Large Employer (ALE).

If an employer has an average of at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, during the prior full calendar year, the employer is considered an ALE for the current calendar year. If an employer does NOT have at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalents, on average during the prior full calendar year, the employer is NOT an ALE for the current calendar year.

In making the ALE determination, related entities or control groups are counted together for the determination. To determine whether any affiliated companies need to be included in the calculation, look at the controlled group rules of the Internal Revenue Code Section 414. There are three different types of controlled groups, and, very generally, the controlled group rules use an 80% ownership test to determine whether common ownership exists. If common ownership is found to exist, then for purposes of the ACA and the determination of whether the employer is an applicable large employer, all controlled groups are considered to be part of a single employer (an “Aggregated ALE Group”).

Determining if You’re an Applicable Large Employer (ALE)

To determine its size for a year:

An employer adds its total number of full-time employees for each month of the prior calendar year to the total number of full-time equivalent employees for each calendar month of the prior calendar year and divides that total number by 12. Specifically, for each month of the prior year, the employee counts all of its full-time employees (its employees working an average of 30 or more hours per week).
Then, it determines its number of full-time equivalents by adding up the hours that are worked by these less-than-full-time employees for the month, but no more than 120 hours per employee, and then dividing that total number by 120. This is the full-time equivalent count for one month.
Repeat the process for each of the 12 months in the previous calendar year.
Once the full-time number and full-time equivalent number are determined for each month, add them together for the total month count.
Then, the resulting totals for each month in the prior year are added together and then divided by 12 to get an average for the prior year. If the number is not a whole number, it is rounded down so 49.8 = 49.
If the result is less than 50, the employer is not subject to the ACA rules for the current year and need not take any other action. Remember, all employers in a single control group are considered together so three small related employers with employee counts of 26, 10 and 15 will be considered an ALE.

When counting employees to determine ALE status, an employer does not have to count employees who have medical care through the military. The Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 provides that an employee will not be counted toward the 50-employee threshold for a month in which the employee has medical care through the military, including Tricare or Veterans’ coverage. This is solely for the purpose of determining whether an employer is an ALE.

So, if the full-time plus full-time equivalent monthly count is 55 but 6 of the full-time employees are covered under Tricare or Veterans’ coverage for that month, then the employee count is 49 for that month.

Whether an employer is (i) a single ALE and not part of an Aggregated ALE Group or (ii) part of an Aggregated ALE Group, then each individual employer (an “ALE Member”) has its own reporting obligations on IRS Form 1094-C and Form 1095-C. On Part IV of Form 1094-C, an ALE Member must list all affiliated entities that are part of the Aggregated ALE Group.

If you need help with the Affordable Care Act, please give our ACA Team a call at (800) 446-6567 and join us for our free training webinar: Big ACA Changes in 2017 New President | Potential Scams | Current Regulations.

5 Tips to Attract and Retain Top Millennial Talent

Every week new studies come out about millennials in the workplace, and with every article comes a differing opinion on the level of value millennials bring to the workplace. Regardless of where you fall on the love/hate spectrum with millennials, there’s one truth you can’t escape: Millennials are becoming your new workforce whether you like it or not, and retaining top millennial talent is crucial to your business’s future success.

Building a high performing workforce begins with hiring the right talent, but to retain that talent, especially in the millennial generation, you have to be in touch with what motivates them to do their best, most innovative and creative work. In 2015 millennials became the largest generation represented in the workforce, and with this change came the realization that millennials expect more from an employer/employee relationship than their parents did. Understanding this difference is vital when hiring millennials. The way they think, act, and perceive is distinctly different from other generations, and you should keep this difference in mind throughout recruitment, onboarding, and employment.

In today’s business world, age and experience are not as important to success as they once were. The Internet allows a majority of the world to access any piece information they need in a matter of seconds, so creative problem solving, early adoption of technology and internal innovation are becoming the best ways to stay ahead of your competition while simultaneously attracting millennials to your company.

Here are 5 ways to attract and retain top millennial talent while also running a more efficient business:

1. Allow Flexible Scheduling

In the millennial generation especially, very few aspire to be a workaholic who is constantly in the office. In the not too distant past, constantly being in the office seemed to be a badge of honor that was worn proudly, but in the present, consistently being in the office after hours is seen as being inefficient. Every day businesses are implementing technology that improves and streamlines processes all while allowing their employees to do their work wherever they can access the Internet. Delaying implementation of useful technology that allows your employees the flexibility needed for work/life integration causes stunted business growth and drives your millennial workforce to pursue other employment opportunities.

By allowing your employees the flexibility to do their job from multiple places if needed, you are almost guaranteed a happier workforce. Implementing technology that allows your workforce to be continuously connected eliminates pointless meetings and chatty office colleagues, all while reducing the stress of your workforce by providing more flexibility. Millennials as a generation value flexible scheduling highly when seeking employment and are drawn to jobs that allow remote work. Not only will your employees be happier with their schedules, but they will also be more productive, and statistics show they will stay longer with your company.

Utilizing tools such as an HRIS platform early in the hiring process is an excellent way to position your company as an early adopter of technology, which is extremely attractive to millennials when seeking employment.

2. Provide Opportunities to Learn New Skills

One of the top reasons millennials search for new employment is the feeling that they have learned everything there is to know about their current position. After performing well in a position for a couple of years, many millennials want to learn new skills and increase their understanding of the company as a whole. This can sometimes be seen as arrogant by managers, but usually, stems from a desire to more fully understand the company and their role within it. Many millennials still haven’t decided what they want to do in their careers, so by allowing them to try different things, you are helping them discover where their passions and talents lie. To millennials, why they are doing something is just as important as what they are doing. By increasing your employees’ understanding of different departments, you help show them why you do things a certain way while also empowering them with information to make informed decisions across different departments.

By offering things such as “lunch & learns,” professional development courses, and certification classes, you are providing value to employees that will keep them at your company longer. When looking at the average cost of replacing a millennial employee ($15,000-$25,000), it is an easy decision to begin offering incentives to keep your employee turnover low and engagement high. To make the program even more attractive to your millennial workers, try making all professional development courses accessible online and automate the entire certification tracking process through an HRIS platform to save hours of data entry.

3. Be Transparent

Most millennials don’t remember a time in their lives where they couldn’t access the Internet to find the information they needed, and with this ability came the desire to have as much information as possible to make informed decisions. By not communicating to employees about company happenings, you convey a lack of trust in your employees and make them feel undervalued. Not only does withholding information harm your employees, but it also harms your company by squashing creative problem solving and collaboration among employees and managers.

The first step to increasing communication within a company is to create a safe space for your employees to share their thoughts and opinions without the fear of being reprimanded or misunderstood. By allowing your employees to talk to you about the positives and negatives of their positions, you are not only helping that employee; you are empowering yourself with information on how to tailor the position to fit their needs and strengths. Because a majority of problems in life tend to be caused by either miscommunication or a lack of communication, it is vital to increase positive communication across departments and levels as your business grows its millennial workforce. “Because I said so” is not a valid answer to most millennials today.

4. Make a Genuine Connection

Millennials are often portrayed as social media addicts, and it is likely true, but I believe this comes from an intense desire to be connected to others. Millennials grew up in a world where they could connect with anyone in a split second no matter where they were, and with this level of connectivity came the ability build relationships with likeminded people all over the world. Not only has this connectivity allowed information sharing and technology to develop much more quickly than in previous generations, but it has also spoiled us with constant connection and attention from our peers, which millennials have come to expect.

Building a meaningful relationship with your employees is necessary to retain your workforce. Where there is no personal relationship, there is no loyalty. By making a conscious effort to build meaningful relationships, you are increasing loyalty and trust between management and employees, all while decreasing turnover. It doesn’t even have to be some grand gesture to win their loyalty. It could be something as simple as having a drink or coffee with them and asking what they like to do in their spare time. Ask a millennial that simple question, and they will open up about what motivates them, their goals, passions, and struggles. By spending time with your millennial workforce outside the office, you are building relationships based on mutual respect and understanding. It is important that you share your goals, passions, and even struggles as well. Millennials are drawn to people they believe are genuine in their motives, and they have a knack for seeing right through you if you don’t practice what you preach.

5. Be Liberal with Feedback and Praise

With the rate that information is exchanged today, millennials have gotten used to immediate feedback, and they have even grown to expect it. Once a year performance reviews are not enough, and even once every six months is pushing it. To ensure your millennial workers are motivated, it is important to let them know on an ongoing basis that they are on the right track with their work performance. If they are excelling in areas, be sure to let them know. If they could use some help in other areas, offer to sit down with them and walk through their thought processes and provide constructive advice. When offering help in areas where they are lacking, be sure to approach it as a learning experience and a chance to grow. By developing a mentor/mentee relationship with your employees, you will be able to discuss positives and negatives with them freely without having to worry about whether or not you have offended them or caused them to question their position in your company.

Attracting and retaining top millennial talent in your organization can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you have never managed a group of millennials before. It seems to be much easier to focus on the negatives of a generation as opposed to the positives, but a few slight changes in your organization and leadership style can be all you need to start attracting more millennial talent. By building meaningful relationships and offering continuous feedback to your millennial employees, you are empowering them to excel in their careers while simultaneously benefitting your company by adding educated, skilled, and innovative employees to your workforce.

FLSA Overtime Rule Blocked, Now What?

Nationwide, employers have been thinking of December 1st with a mixture of dread and resignation. In 2014, President Obama directed the Labor Department to update the Fair Labor Standards Act. The result was a new rule that raised the salary cap, below which all workers must receive overtime pay, from $455 a week ($23,660 annually) to $913 a week ($47,476 annualized). Businesses have been preparing for months on how to implement the changes to the white collar overtime exempt regulations.

This change was expected to affect over 4 million workers in every industry. However, it would have the greatest impact on non-profit organizations, retail, and hospitality. A coalition of 21 states, including South Carolina, and business groups sued the Department of Labor. They argued that the new FLSA rule would hurt many businesses, as well as state and local governments, due to the substantial increase in employment costs and that the DOL did not have the authority to make this change to the salary cap.

What Changed?

On Tuesday, November 22, 2016, a federal court judge in Texas agreed with the 21 states and issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks the implementation and enforcement of this new overtime exempt rule. Federal Judge Amos L. Mazzant III concluded that the Labor Department exceeded its authority by raising the salary cap and his ruling also questioned the right of the DOL to impose a salary cap at all.

The Labor Department strongly disagreed with the decision, and at this point, the Labor Department will most likely appeal to the Fifth Circuit. However, they may drop the appeal after the Trump administration is in office. Legislative action could also surface with a Republican Congress and president in place in January. No magic eight ball can predict what will happen. This injunction does not provide any certainty for the future, and it does not necessarily mean that the new rule will be gone forever, either in its current form or some revised form under the new administration.

So, what are employers to do now?

Some employers may decide to move forward with the changes they have implemented. Employers have been strategizing for months and made changes based on the regulations to increase employee wages or change status to non-exempt. Many of these companies will continue with this strategy since this has already been communicated to employees.

Some companies may decide that it makes business sense to suspend, alter, or reverse those changes pending a final decision. Proper communication is vital, and any such decisions should be made in accordance with any applicable state and/or local notice requirements. Reversing decisions could cause morale issues among employees who would have benefited from the ruling. Getting human resources involved in the communication to workers is important.

There was confusion among employers concerning the initial ruling, and now the injunction adds to that confusion. Therefore, specific communication to employees is important and must be handled appropriately to foster positive employee morale. The rule was going to be a hardship for many small employers, but it was also intended to update a rule that hadn’t been touched in a dozen years. Therefore, this injunction will bring about mixed responses.

Communication is Key

The uncertainty that surrounds this injunction will lead to concern among employees as well as employers. It is imperative that employers communicate effectively to their staff, in particular, those who were going to be affected. Explain the judicial decision, review with the individuals in question, and take this time to evaluate your company’s compensation plans. While the courts are reviewing this decision, take time to plan your path forward and determine how your business will be prepared for what comes next.

Avoid These 6 Social Media Related Small Business HR Problems

Are you “Friends” with your employees?

Social Media is a tremendous asset to most businesses but can be a small business HR nightmare. Many states have implemented laws restricting employer access to employees’ personal accounts. Plus the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued decisions that protect employee rights to converse via social media on workplace conditions as this is viewed as a “protected concerted activity.”

However, you will be just fine if you apply a little common sense and the manners your mother taught you. Here are six pointers:

1. Don’t “friend” your employees.

As a manager, you can’t be a buddy to everyone. It is fine to ask about your employees’ children in the break room, but you don’t need to see their online pictures. Give your employees space and respect their privacy.

2. Don’t accept “friend” requests from your employees.

If an employee asks to be your “friend,” decline the invitation. There are other professional sites to network on such as LinkedIn. Remember, your employees need a manager, not another friend.

3. Have a Social Media Policy and review it often.

RELATED READING: How to Avoid These Six Common HR Nightmares

4. Don’t ask for passwords.

Never ask for the passwords to individual’s personal social media sites. Not only is this rude, but it is also illegal in many states.

5. Be careful when making hiring decisions.

During the hiring process, most employers will look up the candidates online. If their social media sites are open to the public, then you have a right to look. However, be careful with the information you find. For example, if you see a candidate is pregnant, that information can’t be used in the hiring decision. Discrimination laws are still in place, regardless of how you obtain the information.

6. Most importantly, have your HR department involved.

They are aware of the laws and the potential minefields; look to them for guidance. Social Media posts can be used in disciplinary matters, but consult with HR before proceeding.

Social Media is always evolving, and as an employer, you need to evolve with it. By following these best practices, you can reduce the company’s liabilities and hopefully use the online tools to increase your bottom line.

Being Thankful for Diversity

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and most of us are thinking about what we will be cooking or what we will be eating! Some Thanksgiving-goers, however, are just trying to figure out how they are going to survive the holiday without conflict. Family and friends can have different ideas, perceptions, and backgrounds, and the Thanksgiving holiday can be stressful if you are not prepared. When thinking about how to approach this holiday, consider this: What better time to practice embracing diversity than at your family’s dinner table on Thursday!

At the same Thanksgiving table, many families will have multiple generations (from grandchildren to grandparents), cultural and political differences (extended family and friends), various dietary needs/preferences (diabetic, gluten-free, vegan, etc.), and competing priorities (those who want a full meal at the dining room table versus those who want to scarf down their food as quickly as possible so they can watch football). Even if the people at your Thanksgiving table have none of these differences, it’s probably safe to say that every guest is not the same.

The same is true in the workplace. Globalization and technology are bringing diverse groups of people together in all aspects of our lives. Our world is becoming radically smaller. I recently had breakfast at a friend’s house where the family used Skype to include their daughter who was studying abroad in Spain so she could help celebrate her dad’s birthday. We can now be together in the same room while being thousands of miles apart.

With these technological advances and world changes, it is essential for the workplace to embrace this diversity and foster an environment of inclusion. To move forward in today’s global environment, inclusion is not only the smart thing to do; it is an absolute necessity.

RELATED READING: HR Turkey Talk

But don’t overthink it! The methods used to bring everyone around the Thanksgiving table are the same ones used to make sure all employees feel valued and respected in the work environment. Here are 3 things to keep in mind so you can make sure all employees feel valued and respected:

Everyone adds value.

Each member of your Thanksgiving guest list was invited for a reason. Each guest is special to someone and deserves to be treated with respect. Similarly, each employee was hired to contribute in some way to the company. Managers and leaders must learn to leverage employee skills, talents and abilities to contribute to the company’s success positively.

Appreciate differences.

We can all agree that you shouldn’t ask your vegetarian daughter-in-law to try your smoked turkey that you just prepared in your new electric smoker. Acknowledging diversity is the first step, but it doesn’t end there. Think about the impact you would make if you added a new vegetarian dish, such as roasted cauliflower with brown gravy, to your Thanksgiving meal as well. For a few dollars and a little extra prep time, you could make your daughter-in-law feel included and demonstrate that her needs are important to you. If you and your other family members enjoyed the roasted cauliflower as well, you would demonstrate a culture of openness and inclusion.

Creating an inclusive workplace is very similar. It is not only about acknowledging differences but appreciating them as well. Obviously, there is a lot to be gained by approaching goals from different perspectives, ideas, and methods. To truly leverage this, business leaders and managers need to create work environments where being different is not only okay but in some cases is also celebrated.

Remember to focus on the big picture.

Like at your Thanksgiving meal with your family, the most important thing to remember is what’s important. Don’t let differences in opinions, beliefs, and perceptions ruin the time with your family and friends just because someone says or does something that you disagree with. When you focus on the reason you are gathered with family and friends—to celebrate and give thanks—disagreements and arguments do not matter as much.

In the workplace, the same holds true. The team is in place to benefit the company as a whole. When differences become obstacles to progress and growth in a company, it is important to pause and take a look at the big picture. Ask yourself, “What are the organizational goals and objectives?” “Are our current challenges significant or relevant to the company goals?”

There are more things that unite us than separate us. @JadaJTweets

Remember: There are more things that unite us than separate us. For the common good in both our daily lives and in the workplace, we achieve more together when we give everyone the opportunity to have a seat at the table.

Happy Thanksgiving!

HR Turkey Talk

Thanksgiving is just a week away. As you prepare for this holiday and come together for this feast; take a look around and try to glean some practical business advice! Even a turkey can provide inspiration!

Be Prepared

You can’t make a feast or even one dish without preparation. Make your shopping list, get your recipes ready and allow adequate time. In business, proper preparation is also the key to success.

Be Flexible

Thanksgiving to you may not be complete without sweet potatoes, but your spouse’s family prefers wild rice; what do you do? Be willing to try something different. It is fine to make your case on why sweet potatoes are best but hear out the case on wild rice too. You never know when something new can be just what is needed to get you out of a rut.

Stuffing vs. Dressing

The South makes “dressing” and the North cooks “stuffing”. Regardless of the name, it is still the most important side item of a Thanksgiving meal. In the workplace, respect people’s differences and realize that most differences are just based on perspective, not reality.

Family Conflicts

It ‘s hard to get through a big holiday without some tension. The same is true at work. My best advice for both is to take a deep breath, realize that different opinions exist and then get back to work (or eating!).

Find a Mentor and Mentee

This holiday, take some time to sit next to your dear Aunt Sally and learn from her wisdom. Ask her to teach you the family “dressing” recipe. Also, take the time to play with your younger cousins and show them the ropes. In business, we also need the wisdom of our mentors and we need to impart our knowledge to a younger generation. This is imperative to the success of a business community.

Most importantly, count your blessings. Look around your table this month and acknowledge the abundant blessings we have been given. And at work, show thankfulness for your vocation, co-workers, and the ability to contribute to our economy.

The Ultimate Guide to HR Acronyms and Initialisms

Acronyms and initialisms are first letter abbreviations that promise to save time and improve the efficiency of spoken and written language, and it’s true, they do just that when everyone is on the same page. There’s no need to say the North Atlantic Treaty Organization when everyone understands NATO. Why pronounce the Federal Bureau of Investigation when you can just say the FBI? But acronyms can also come across as exclusionary, like a secret language or code that closes a community to outsiders.

Decoding the Secret Language of HR

At Propel HR we want to simplify your life, not confuse you, but in the complex world of Human Resources (HR) quite a few letters get thrown around. So we’ve compiled a list of some of the acronyms and initialisms that you might encounter when talking about Human Resources:

PEO: Professional Employer Organization

In a PEO or co-employment agreement, the Professional Employer Organization becomes the co-employer of your company’s workforce. As the business owner, you still manage your employees day-to-day and maintain control of business operations. The PEO provides human resource services and assumes partial liability for the employees. The PEO arrangement is a comprehensive HR and payroll solution that offers additional protection for your company.

ASO: Administrative Service Outsourcing

In an ASO arrangement, your company can choose which HR and payroll services work best for you. You can choose the full-service ASO or take advantage of individual HR solutions. Also known as HRO (Human Resources Outsourcing).

ACA: The Affordable Care Act

Also known as Obamacare. ACA is a shortened initialism for PPACA (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act).

The ACA put in place comprehensive health insurance reforms and the “Patient’s Bill of Rights,” which gives Americans the stability and flexibility they need to make informed choices about their health. President Barack Obama signed the ACA into law on March 23, 2010. The Supreme Court rendered a final decision to uphold the health care law on June 28, 2012.

ALE: Applicable Large Employer

Employers that had 50 full-time employees or more last year (including full-time equivalent employees) are most likely designated as an ALE for the current year.

ALEs are subject to the Employer Mandate Requirement. Employers must determine their ALE status each calendar year based on the average size of their workforce during the prior year.

COBRA: Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985

COBRA gives workers and their families the right to choose to continue group health benefits for limited periods of time if they lose their benefits because of job loss, reduction in hours worked, transition between jobs, death, divorce, and other life events. President Ronald Reagan signed COBRA into law on April 7, 1986.

DOL: Department of Labor

The Department of Labor administers federal labor laws to guarantee workers’ rights to fair, safe, and healthy working conditions. These laws include minimum wage and overtime pay, unemployment insurance, and protection against employment discrimination.

EEOC: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The EEOC is an independent federal agency. They are responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information.

EIN: Employer Identification Number

An EIN is used by the IRS to identify a business entity. Also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number. Sometimes referred to as FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number).

EPA: The Equal Pay Act of 1963

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is a United States labor law aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on the sex of the employee. The EPA amended the Fair Labor Standards Act and was signed into law on June 10, 1963, by John F. Kennedy.

FLSA: Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938

The FLSA establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, record keeping, and youth employment standards. Covered nonexempt workers are entitled to a minimum wage of not less than $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. After 40 hours of work in one week, the employee is entitled to receive overtime pay at a rate not less than 1.5 times the regular rate of pay. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the FSLA into law on June 25, 1938. Changes to the overtime exemption rules will be effective on December 1, 2016

Our free webinar details a 6-step action plan to help you prepare for the FLSA Final Rule.

FMLA: Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) is a United States federal law requiring covered employers to provide employees job-protected and unpaid leave for qualified medical and family reasons. President Bill Clinton signed the FMLA into law on February 5, 1993.

FTE Count: Full-Time Equivalent Count for the Employer Mandate of the Affordable Care Act

A full-time equivalent employee is a summation of part-time employees that are equal to one full-time employee. Full-time employees are defined as working an average of 30 hours per week or 130 hours per calendar month. The FTE count is calculated by adding up the hours worked by part-time employees during the month and dividing by 120. The total is added to the number of full-time employees to determine if an employer is an Applicable Large Employer (ALE).

HCM: Human Capital Management

HCM is a set of practices related to employee staffing that considers people as human capital—assets whose current value can be measured and whose future value can be enhanced through investment.

The term “HCM system” has become an umbrella term for integrated software designed for employee records and human capital management processes. Also known as an HRIS or an HRMS.

HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

Also known as the Kassebaum–Kennedy Act or the Kennedy–Kassebaum Act.

The HIPAA protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose jobs and requires the establishment of national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers. Bill Clinton signed the HIPAA into law on August 21, 1996.

HRIS: Human Resources Information System

Also known as an HRMS or an HCM system.

An HRIS is an intersection of human resources and information technology. An HRIS allows HR activities and processes, such as accounting, time and labor management, and payroll to occur electronically and helps a company plan and manage its HR costs more effectively.

HRM: Human Resource Management

Strategic HRM is the practice of identifying a company’s current and future HR needs and then attracting, developing, rewarding, and retaining employees for the benefit of both the employees and the business. HR departments that practice strategic HRM interact with other departments within the business to create strategies that align with the other departments’ objectives, as well as those of the entire organization.

HRMS: Human Resource Management System

Also known as an HRIS or an HCM system.

An HRMS is a software program or suite of programs for managing business processes related to human capital management (HCM).

HRO: Human Resources Outsourcing.

HRO is another term for ASO (Administrative Service Outsourcing).

MEP 401(k): Multiple Employer Plan 401(k)

An MEP is a retirement plan adopted by two or more employers who are unrelated for income tax purposes. One type of MEP is sponsored by a PEO and is adopted by the PEO’s clients.

OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration

OSHA is an agency under the U.S. Department of Labor, which was created when President Richard Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 into law on December 29, 1970. OSHA’s mission is “to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.” Learn more at: https://www.osha.gov

PPACA: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the full name of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Also known as Obamacare.

SHRM: The Society for Human Resource Management

“The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 285,000 members in more than 165 countries.” Learn more at: https://www.shrm.org

SHRM-CP:

SHRM Certified Professional

SHRM-SCP:

SHRM Senior Certified Professional

TIN: Tax Identification Number

A TIN is an identification number used by the Internal Revenue Service in the administration of tax laws.

TLM: Time and Labor Management

TLM is the process of tracking, managing and allocating hours worked by employees. TLM can also be a module in a more robust HRIS software package.

Acronyms, which are pronounced like words (i.e. NASA, OSHA, and COBRA) and initialisms, which are pronounced by sounding out the letters (i.e. FBI, PEO, and ACA) can be confusing and frustrating, but with a little practice, you’ll be talking like an HR professional soon.

If you have any questions when navigating the abbreviations and complications of payroll and human resources, please call one of Propel HR’s Human Resource Experts at 800-446-6567 or email us at info@propelhr.com.

What Really Matters

I am writing this five days before the election knowing that by the time you read this, there will be a new President and also that many people will be disappointed by the results. This election has brought out the worst in people, and at times I have felt that the spirit of America has been lost in the hateful rhetoric. Now we must ask ourselves what we need to do to move forward.

“We the People”

The Constitution begins with three powerful words, “We the People,” and I believe these words are where we must place our focus. Whether as part of a classroom, a church, a family, a business, a team, or a public organization, we all must take part in leading for the future.

So, I am asking that we put partisanship aside and stop focusing on the platforms but instead look around at the people and organizations we touch.

As leaders, it is time to think about what really matters.

Local matters. While some may feel that our vote doesn’t count on the national level, our actions do matter locally. Volunteer, get involved and help make a difference right here at home.
Listening matters. This election brought out different and unique voices. Many on both sides shouted loudly because they felt that they were not being heard. As leaders in our businesses, we need to take the time and make an effort to listen to all voices.
Diversity matters. Different perspectives can help bring about new solutions. It is important to surround ourselves with people from different backgrounds and with different thought processes. This melting pot approach is what has always made America great.
Kindness matters. The negativity of this national election has hurt our collective soul. We all need to learn from this election and lead our lives with more humanity and graciousness. As leaders in the workplace, we must set this example.

I honestly have no idea who will be the President when you read this or if by then a winner has even been declared, but I do know that the American spirit will still be alive and well. If we can lead our teams, families, and organizations focused on what really matters, then we have nothing but great days ahead. Because we ARE the people, and we matter.