Not Legally Required, but Highly Recommended!
?I don?t need a reason to fire this employee we are an employment At-Will state.?
As owner of HR Alternative Consulting, Inc., we hear this statement a lot from business owners and CEOs. We must explain to them, that what is ?legally required? and ?highly recommended? is extremely important if they want to protect the organization from a potential employee lawsuit. It only takes one employee to cause havoc and cost you a lot of time and money!
You can terminate, but in the absence of documentation, there is substantial risk. If there is a legitimate non-discriminatory reason for this termination, we suggest doing this in two or three steps. Once management sees there?s a legitimate reason for your concern, they will make a logical decision.
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Article by Starla West ? Founder and President of Starlawest.com
www.starlawest.com
The Customer Experience
If you work in a commodity business, you are probably well aware of how you and your competitors all SEEM THE SAME in the eyes of your customers.
It is extremely difficult for professional service providers to differentiate themselves based on product or service alone.
Here?s what I mean: If you are a dentist, most patients will assume your education and training are similar to the education and training of other dentists. They?re also likely to assume all dentists have access to the same dental equipment and supplies and that you all offer the same dental services and procedures.
If this is true?if you?re all the same?how in the world do you compete? Well?the good news is there is one area where customers WILL see a difference between one service provider and another and it is called the Customer Experience ? the actual experience of purchasing and using the commodity product or service.
One of the most effective ways a business can differentiate itself from its competition is to provide a customer experience that exceeds customer expectations and leaves them feeling welcomed, valued and reassured. When made to feel this way, customers will start to see how you and your business are different (and better) than your competition.
Employee Impact on the Customer Experience
Regardless of what kind of experience customers have when they do business with you, the undeniable reality is they will have an experience. It is impossible for them not to. And each experience they have forms their opinion of you and your business.
Research shows an employee?s interaction with a customer is what impacts this experience the most. Your business may be spending significant sums on branding. However, if the physical presence of your employees doesn?t complement and enhance this brand it can quickly be devalued within minutes of your employee?s interaction with customers. Here?s how?
Businesses all of sizes spend millions of dollars every year on advertising and marketing meant to introduce a corporate brand and make promises regarding the professionalism, knowledge level and trustworthiness of its team.
Once these promises are made, customer expectations are set and there?s no going back. Going forward, all experiences will be measured against these expectations.
Therefore, it is crucial these businesses be 100% confident their employees look and appear professional, knowledgeable and trustworthy. Otherwise, customer expectations will not be met with the end result being dissatisfied customers who are likely to take their business (and money) somewhere else.
However, on the flipside, if customers get what is promised ? a professional, knowledgeable and trustworthy staff ? they are much more likely to return and bring their friends and family members. Who doesn?t want this type of positive word-of-mouth advertising?
Business is built on relationships, and relationships are built by people. Your people are the ones creating relationships with your customers, therefore they need to live, breathe and fully represent the company brand in all three areas of their physical presence:
Appearance
Behavior, and
Communication Skills!
Your employees use their appearance, behavior and communication skills every day to engage customers and immediately build rapport so that they may properly assist them. That being said, the crucial question you must answer is:
?When customers ?experience? our organization, are they immediately engaged by employees who exceed the expectations created in our branding? In other words, is the physical presence of our employees in alignment with our corporate brand??
If your answer is no, then time must be invested in the professional development of your employees? appearance, behavior and communication skills.
First impressions based on what we SEE, HEAR and SENSE are a BIG deal. Does Your Dress Code Speak the Same Language as Your Corporate Brand? Find out in an upcoming issue of HR News Magazine!
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www.brightstarcare.com
Ron May successfully established and operates a medical staffing and home healthcare franchise in Indianapolis. Ron?s company has grown to two offices. He established the new BrightStar Healthcare franchise brand in Indiana. BrightStar is now recognized by hospitals and senior care communities as a high quality provider of home care and medical staffing services. He is extremely proud of their business relationships with customers and community based patient advocacy groups.
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THE INTERVIEW:
HR:: We?re here with Ron May, President of BrightStar Health Care, a whole healthcare and medical staffing company. Good morning, Ron. There are certain things our readers are interested in knowing about our interviewees and first among them are how long you?ve been in business.
RM: We started our business, Ann, in June of 2007.
HR:: And the business is going well?
RM: Business is going well, but not growing as fast as we?d like it to be, but who is at this point?
HR:: What inspired you to start your own business?
RM: I?ve worked for and managed many businesses for others and as a graduate of Purdue decided to start my own business. The franchise, BrightStar Health Care has given me the opportunity to do so.
HR:: As a Purdue graduate myself I can certainly understand that. How many employees do you currently have?
RM: We have 47 employees and range from full time to part time staff. Mostly nurses and CNAs, Certified Nursing Assistants, do the bulk of the work in the home.
HR:: Are these brought on as W-2 employees, contracted or -
RM: These are W-2 employees, so they are employees that we?ve interviewed, done background checks on, and screened to ensure we have top quality employees.
HR:: That sounds pretty thorough. In terms of HR what is the number one thing that all business owners should be aware of?
RM: I think we have to be aware of the need for each employee. What role will they serve the scope of their work and make sure we?re communicating with them, and setting expectations for them after they?re onboard.
HR:: Excellent! Do you find that letting them know all the expectations up front helps decrease the turnover.
RM: I?d like to say yes, but not always. Obviously while hiring, especially in recent years, there are a lot of people who want the jobs desperately so we hear a lot of things in terms of their commitment, but over the course of the 90 to 120 days you kind of get an idea of their true level of commitment. So we base a lot on that first 90 days and obviously during that introductory period.
HR:: Okay, so I guess in HR terms we now call that the introductory period. As a very busy business owner, one perhaps wearing many hats, HR issues do come up. With all the ever changing employment regulations, actually there were just some recent changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act. What methods have you found for staying in compliance with the federal and state employment laws?
Click HERE to read Ron?s answer and the full interview
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Article by Debbie Mahler, CEO ? Internet Tech Specialists
www.InternetTechSpecialists.com
When social networks first hit the scene, it was not uncommon to see people tweeting or posting on Facebook what they ate for breakfast. If you still believe this to be true, you?re in for a big surprise!
A lot has changed since those early days and I?ve highlighted my top 3 reasons why your business needs to have a presence on social media. While there are at least 25 more reasons I could give you, I believe my top 3 should give you enough incentive to consider a social media campaign for your own company. Choose one network ? whether it be Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+ ? just get started.
#1 Your Competition Is Already There ? A smart business owner has seen the benefits that a social media presence generates and is already engaging their customers and yours!
I?ve seen it happen where an unhappy customer complains on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn only to have a competitor engage the person and take away the business! I actually switched to a competing service provider last year under these same conditions. Thinking social media will disappear or is just a fad may be costing you more than you know! (CUT)
#2 You?re Missing Valuable Business Feedback ? As businesses started to realize the value in engaging current customers and courting prospects, two benefits started standing out.
The ability to monitor customer feedback surrounding your company
An inexpensive way to monitor your competitors
The ability to monitor customer feedback has proven invaluable to smaller companies. We all love the word-of-mouth endorsements of our products or services, but a tweet or Facebook post from a dissatisfied customer can be deadly due to the global reach social networks have created.
Catching a customer complaining or talking poorly about your company can help you engage the customer and rectify the situation promptly. All the while, your followers are monitoring how you handle the situation, which publicly demonstrates how much your company cares.
Keeping an eye on your competition gives you many advantages. You can spot changing trends in your industry, monitor sales and promotions that affect how you market your own products or services, and provide you with business insight in stepping up your game or changing the way you approach your prospects.
#3 It?s Not About Selling ? The biggest concept most major corporations fail to grasp is that social networking is about building relationships and engagement with your followers and fans.
Recently, one of my clients considered canceling their social media package because they did not receive any new business from their efforts. A series of incidents in her professional life made her realize that it was about ?awareness? of her company and services that mattered ? not the new business. The awareness alone would eventually turn into new business or opportunities. And that is just what has happened for her.
And if my three reasons aren?t enough to give it a second thought, maybe I should mention that the search engines are now including social engagement in their rankings. Enough said!
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What is your human resource question? Send your questions to info@hrnewsmagazine.com and Ann may answer your question in an upcoming issue of the magazine.
My employer has classified my position as salary ? exempt, and I believe my position should be classified as an hourly ? non-exempt employee. Are there any government regulations a company must comply with when classifying a position?
Suzy P.
Illinois
ABSOLUTELY there are government regulations employers must follow!! It is not based on the job title. Exemptions are narrowly defined under the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and an employer must carefully check the exact terms and conditions for each.
Employers whose jobs are governed by the FLSA are either ?exempt? or ?nonexempt? and must follow specific guidelines. Nonexempt employees are entitled to overtime pay. Exempt employees are not. There are three typical categories of exempt job duties, called ?executive,? ?professional,? and ?administrative.?
With few exceptions to be classified as exempt, most employees must meet all three ?tests,? which include:
Salary level test
Salary basis test
Duties tests
In most cases, if an employee is misclassified as ?salary? and does not meet the three step test, more than likely the employee must be classified as ?hourly?. Steep government penalties and fines for misclassification can cost an organization thousands of dollars. If in doubt contact www.hralternativeconsulting.com
Ann
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Got an HR Problem?
FREE initial consultation! Are you confident you are in compliance with all the state and federal employment regulations? Call for a free Peace of Mind consultation at (317) 852-3590.
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You could be the next 
SUPER STAR INTERVIEW.
How would you like to see your picture and your Company name (it?s great publicity) in an upcoming issue of HR News Magazine? If you are a business owner dealing with all areas of Human Resources, and would like to share your experiences and ideas, please contact us at info@hrnewsmagazine.com
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?HR News Magazine is a product of HR Alternative Consulting, Inc.?
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