by Mike Yoder | Culture
Tis the season of the office holiday party. Sounds like, fun right? But there are risks. One act of bad behavior can turn into a legal mess. As the office holiday party season kicks off, here are some tips on how both employers and employees can avoid liability while still enjoying some holiday cheer.
Tip 1: Don’t serve alcohol
Having an alcohol-free event is the best way to minimize risk for employers. Court records are filled with examples of people sexually harassing co-workers or making inappropriate comments at parties where alcohol is involved.
And even if the party goes off without an issue, perhaps the biggest concern is that an employee will drive home under the influence and hurt or even kill someone. As the host, your company may be found liable because alcohol was served at the party.
Tip 2: Managers should lead by example
Emphasize to management that they must lead by example. When it comes to behavior at an office party – people will follow examples – good or bad.
Tip 3: Hold the party at an offsite location
If problems do arise, it is better that they occur away from the business premises. Depending on the state, liability will generally be on the restaurant or event venue rather than the company. However, it is not unusual for an employer to be named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit if an intoxicated employee leaves any company-sponsored event and injures himself or herself or another person as a result. See tip number 1.
Tip 4: Invite spouses, significant others or families
Aside from excessive drinking, the next most common issue is sexual harassment. Employees are still bound by workplace policies, even at after-hours parties. A family-friendly environment will limit this kind of risk.
Tip 5: Arrange alternative transportation
After reading Tip 1 above, if you still decide to serve alcohol, anticipate the need for alternative transportation for all employees and guests. Make special transportation arrangements in advance of the party. Encourage all employees and guests to make use of the alternative transportation if they consume any alcohol.
Bonus Tip: Did we mention, don’t serve alcohol?
by Mike Yoder | Business Resource, Culture
“A man does not live on bread alone. He needs buttering up once in a while” – Robert Henry
Well folks, the season of thanksgiving is upon us once again. The turkeys are gobbling, people are making traveling plans and thanks are being given. This is truly a season of gratitude and love for others and taking time to thank employees is no exception… also, gravy.
So how does the thankfulness of the season crossover into the work place? Can it? Many people view work as a means to an end. They work for the weekend, for a paycheck, and for time off. Of course they engage in holidays and seasons, but not at work. Work is a place for progress, profits, and pay-out. It’s a place of meetings, memos, and managers. Unfortunately, it’s thinking like this that keeps those who manage employees from engaging at all during the holiday seasons.
Don’t get me wrong, there should be a distinct balance between work and home. An employee should not have the expectation that Thanksgiving at home will be the same as Thanksgiving at work. My suggestion? Leave the turkey, keep the thanks.
Giving thanks early and often is appropriate at all times, but especially in November and December. This season gives you a wide open door to thank employees unabashedly, with passion and care. Good employees flourish at work when they know that what they do matters. Letting your employees know that their contributions are important to you, the organization, and to their other co-works, enables them to trend upwardly; both in their quality of work and their value added.
There are 3 steps you can take to ensure that you are thanking others well.
- KNOW – How can you plan on being a good giver of thanks if you don’t know the person you intend to thank? Take time to understand your employees. Small conversations, shared meals, and project collaboration are just a few ways to organically get to know an individual.
- PLAN – Unplanned thanks can come off as cheap and half-hearted. Plan well to thank well. If you don’t do your research, your thanks will miss the mark which could lead to the employee actually feeling less appreciated rather than more appreciated. Investigate unique ways to thank employee (my own list is just below). Poll your office as to what they would appreciate. Finally, don’t be afraid to specifically ask people what they find encouraging or appreciative.
- ACT – Just do it. You have your plan, now it’s time to execute. Below are a few creative ideas to show thanks to your employees.
- Park like the boss– offer up the best parking spot for a week.
- Free lunch– they always say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but who doesn’t like being treated to a restaurant of their choosing?
- Training and Conferences– pay for them to attend events that will grow them personally and professionally. It’s an investment in them and the organization
- Extra PTO– people love time off. Give additional hours to employees as a way of saying thanks.
- Hand written notes– they add a personal touch. Go a step further by having mailed to the employees home address.
- Gift Cards– whether it’s a fuel card,for a restaurant, or for other entertainment purposes, this is a perfect way to enable your employee do enjoy something they love or to fulfill a need they may have.
- A Project Pass off– let your employ pass off one project to you and you complete it instead.
- Off campus outing– plan a whole or half day somewhere that gets people out of their normal routine. Incorporate team building.
- Office Awards– like the Oscars or the Emmys. They can be goofy, light-hearted, and personal to each person.
In this season of Thanksgiving, it’s a great opportunity to thank employees. If you do it well, you and your whole organization will benefit from it. Don’t be a turkey and miss this golden opportunity!
by Mike Yoder | Business Resource, Culture, General, Hiring
Did you know most hiring managers decide whether they are going to hire someone in the first 3 minutes of an interview? And that is not enough time to conduct an effective interview. In fact, ineffective job interviews often lead to bad hires and that is a costly proposition when you factor in training costs, wages, and lost productivity when you have to do it all over again.
In order to improve your odds, you need to be prepared. Conducting a structured interview requires time and forethought. Some studies suggest businesses spend at least one hour preparing for an hour-long interview. It’s well worth the investment.
Here are the Top Ten tips for conducting more effective job interviews – and hiring the right person.
1. Have a current, accurate and enticing job description.
Job descriptions should identify the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that are critical for the candidate to succeed at the job. What critical need does the company have, and how will the candidate fulfill that need? Make sure to also identify the personality traits required for the specific job. Once you’ve performed the job analysis, develop the interview questions based upon the determined criteria.
2. Create a structured interview process.
Structured interviews help ensure all candidates are treated similarly, and research has indicated they are more effective than unstructured job interviews. To create a structured interview:
- Ask every candidate the same interview questions, and plan follow-up questions to likely responses.
- Evaluate candidates using an objective and thorough rating scale.
- Provide training to all interviewers to enable them to conduct interviews using a consistent method and tangible tools to evaluate candidates so they aren’t relying solely on instinct.
3. Ask behavioral questions.
Asking hypothetical or open-ended questions like “how would you deal with an angry coworker?” or “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” encourages candidates to frame their responses according to what they think the interviewer wants to hear. This is not the best method.
Behavioral interview questions are designed so candidates describe things they actually did in a previous situation and the outcome of their actions. Ask questions like “Tell me about a project you helped initiate. What was your role? What were the results?” and ”Tell me about a time you made an unpopular decision. What were the reactions? How did you respond?”
4. Contact references.
References are a valuable tool for attaining a more complete impression of a candidate. References can verify information, provide feedback on the candidates’ past job performance and accomplishments, and give insight into whether they’ll fit with your company’s culture. They can also verify the accuracy of the examples given in responses to the behavioral questions posed during the interview. When considering a candidate, it’s also prudent to examine their resume to find colleagues who are in your business network and contact them as well.
5. Use the interview to describe the job position.
Interviews are opportunities for managers to give candidates a realistic impression of the job position and the company culture. Some managers are tempted to oversell the company in job interviews, which can ultimately lead to employee dissatisfaction in the long run. Answer questions thoughtfully and candidly and let your natural enthusiasm for the company show, and you’ll help the candidate make an informed decision.
6. Hire for attitude.
At least one study found that 89% of the time new hires failed, it was for attitudinal reasons, not lack of skill. Hire for characteristics that align with the company’s values as well as technical skills. Be proactive about recruiting people who will be good for your team. High performers are a good source of referrals.
7. Don’t take chances.
Sometimes employees can hire candidates with obvious deficiencies, in hopes they will change. There will always be some compromises made, but if a candidate has a track record of burning bridges, missing deadlines, or quitting multiple jobs within a few weeks – their past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior.
8.Silence Can Be Golden.
Try pausing and counting to 5 after an answer to a question you want to know more about. Let them fill in the silence and reveal more.
9. One more interview.
If you have doubts, conduct one more interview. A bad hire is too costly to the company to forgo the additional interview. And if you find you’re deciding between a pool of average candidates, continue the process until you find someone who fits.
10. Look on social media.
Is the candidate on social media such as Twitter or Facebook? What do they comment on? What do they do with their free time? Who are they are linked to on LinkedIn? Social media channels can give a good look into whether someone will fit your culture.
By taking the time to sufficiently prepare for an interview and asking the right questions, companies can improve their chances of hiring the candidate who is best for the job. If you need help developing an effective interview process which produces consistently great results, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
![Truth@Work’s ‘Flywheel Effect’ Growth and Christian Focus]()
by Mike Yoder | Culture, General, Outsourcing
Ray Hilbert, CEO, Truth@Work
When Jeff Leffew launched Servant HR in 2003, he knew that as a business leader, he wanted to be held accountable to live out his faith in his professional life as well as his personal one. This part of his mission led him to Truth@Work in 2003. Jeff has been an active member ever since, one of hundreds around the country, and Truth@Work became a client of Servant HR in 2005.
Truth@Work is a nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis cofounded by Ray Hilbert, whose career path tested his ability to run a business on biblical principles versus worldly values. A man of strong conviction and bold vision, Ray and the Truth@Work team serve business leaders by hosting Christian Roundtables to integrate Christian faith into businesses’ daily operations. Products, programs and services help entrepreneurs, CEOs and executives develop and share technologies, achieve personal-spiritual-business “life integration” and balance, and experience a safe place to share issues and challenges.
Ray cofounded Truth@Work with fellow businessman Matt Peelen in 1998. At the time, they weren’t sure exactly how the new organization would function on a daily basis or precisely what this new model would look like. What they did know is they were searching for the next chapter in their lives and that the Lord would direct their steps.
In April 2000, Truth@Work had a roster of nine members. Slowly and organically, the Indianapolis organization grew. When a few people in other cities reached out with an interest in expanding Truth@Work to their cities, Ray said he wasn’t surprised.
“Since our inception, we felt it would happen. We didn’t know how or when. We just wanted to build the best things we could right now so we would be ready if and when it presented itself,” he says.
They ran beta tests in other cities for three years, 2007-2010, to see if the Truth@Work model was repeatable. The answer was yes. In 2010, Ray and his team decided to really scale and grow to other chapters. Since 2010, Truth@Work has moved into to about 30 cities.
“A very realistic plan is that by the end of 2014, we will be up to 100 cities. Five years from there, we will be in 200 markets,” Ray says. He calls it the “proverbial flywheel.” His team is totally focused on the job at hand. All systems are on go. They aren’t distracted by tasks that wouldn’t help them grow or risks they shouldn’t carry, so they are all going in the direction they want to go.
“The big takeaway of our value and relationship with Servant HR is it allows us to focus on what we do, which is grow and serve and build our Roundtable program,” Ray says. “We have peace of mind knowing our HR and payroll and all those pain-in-the-neck issues are off our plate so we can grow and build and sustain our organization.”
Truth@Work has seven full-time employees. To carry out the organization’s functions across the country, Ray and his team certify chapter presidents who are independent of the company payroll. Servant HR helped counsel Ray regarding why that would be a good structure.
From the start, Ray and Matt also made two critical decisions that have influenced the current growth. First, they wanted to be structured as a nonprofit.
“Because business owners and high-level executives are our audience, the nonprofit route has allowed us to stay very focused on what we do and to have very trusting relationships. There is no alternative agenda to make money,” Ray says.
Second, related to scalability, the Anderson University marketing graduate says Truth@Work didn’t make itself visible or findable on the web for its first several years. They didn’t want phone calls and emails without the infrastructure in place to be able to deliver on what they wanted to provide.
“We had the vision, but we intentionally didn’t position ourselves for fast, rapid growth that we couldn’t handle. So in beginning, we sent out a few letters sharing the concept and invited people to come to informational meetings regarding the Roundtable,” Ray says. Truth@Work is now highly visible on the web.
A major advantage of partnering with a PEO is to reduce risk. Asked how Servant HR helps him avoid unnecessary HR risks, Ray answers, “This the most intriguing question. My view and perspective on this is that they are doing their job right, so I don’t even know about the risks I’m avoiding.”
Most recently, Ray says Servant HR is helping Truth@Work navigate the real-world implications and impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, helping them understand how different choices might impact or affect the organization and its employees.
Servant HR has also helped on a number of occasions when Truth@Work has had to terminate employees by putting together solid exit plans to help them maintain friendships and a healthy culture. Handling those situations with honor, dignity and respect was important.
“Servant HR has been a great fit for us because they are also very family and values oriented. Christian faith is their No. 1 priority for them like it is for us. This is all a natural extension,” Ray says.
For more information about Truth@Work, visit the website. Contact Servant HR to find out how we can help your organization stay focused.
by Mike Yoder | Culture
http://youtu.be/7yl1veH1OSo
Does your company have employees who are actively engaged? Does it really make a difference? Watch as Leah Elms, Customer Service Representative at Servant HR, shares research findings on the relationship between profitability and employee engagement. Plus, get tips on how to analyze your culture and boost engagement.
Visit the Servant HR video page to learn more ways to strengthen your HR. If you can’t see the video above, visit http://youtu.be/7yl1veH1OSo.
![Truth@Work’s ‘Flywheel Effect’ Growth and Christian Focus]()
by Mike Yoder | Culture, General
Jayne Blazier is staff accountant at Servant HR, providing accounting and bookkeeping functions for us and our clients. She is also a mother of two grown children and has four grandchildren, ages 2-9. You might not know Jayne because her role typically takes place behind the scenes. One of her major responsibilities is making sure clients’ payroll taxes are paid on time and correctly. In this Q-&-A, we asked Jayne to come out from behind the curtain and tell us a little about herself.
Many people dread tax season. What’s your take on it and how do you approach it with a positive attitude?
Since I work for business clients opposed to individuals, my tax season is technically over by the end of January or beginning of February. But I understand the stress individuals feel around this time. It just happens two months sooner for me. My strategy is to prepare as much as possible ahead of time by double checking things and making sure we have done what we can to stay on task and get everything done on time.
If you could change one thing about tax season for Servant HR, what would it be?
I would have every state report taxes the same way. We file everything electronically, but every state has different ways that they want forms to be filed. To make one simple payment, a new process often presents itself. I would love to have some consistency.
What are your tax-season words to live by for business owners or HR managers?
Make sure you’re prepared and know what you’re doing. If you aren’t prepared and sure, the repercussions can be ugly.
What kinds of challenges do you enjoy at Servant HR?
One somewhat challenging thing is balancing bank statements without incident. This may sound corny, but every time I have a reconciliation issue, it is challenging and rewarding to find the answer. I’m a numbers person. I enjoy figuring out why something is off $10 or $1,000.
What do you enjoy most about working at Servant HR?
Even though I don’t personally interact with our clients as much as other members of our staff do, the closeness of our culture and team allows me to serve our clients. This is uncommon in many corporate settings. Our clients just know that their taxes, insurance invoices and 401k contributions are being taken care of. It’s out of sight, out of mind.
