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From the
President
During a
recent visit, a client and I discussed employee turnover. The business
owner opined the single reason workers ever left his company was to take
higher paying jobs, but he was concerned that it was happening with greater
frequency. When I researched the matter, I found that over the past three
years, his turnover was higher than it should have been, considering his
pay scales and industry. Before we went ahead with the implementation of
higher pay rates, I suggested we do an employee survey to see if we had
indeed identified the proper source of the turnover. The survey probed the
culture of the company, and the attitude and aptitude of the employees.
With only 43 questions, the survey was clearly cursory, but it gave a
revealing look into the company. There were some surprises. Money wasn't
nearly as important as the business owner thought it was. The overriding
issue was the employees believed they had no voice and their opinions
didn't count. In the subjective portion of the survey, one employee noted
that this was the first time in six years anyone had asked him his ideas
concerning anything. Subsequent research indicated there were no
substantial pay issues, but very significant communication issues.
In this example, two significant things happened.
The survey became a tool to uncover that the problem was communications. It
also contributed to the solution of asking questions and listening better.
Consistent two- way communication meetings and periodic employee surveys
are now part of the regular diet of this client. We will use the original
survey as a benchmark to measure the communication process. The metric to
judge success will be turnover. The other change in policy will be the
implementation of exit interviews to explore the real reasons people are
leaving. Money was the ostensible reason, but a lack of communications was
the core problem.
Employee surveys are available to all our
clients as part of our base fee. We have only recently launched the program
but expect many future success stories. As you can see from this example, a
little communication can go long way.
Visit Our Website...
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Greetings!
Welcome
to the new format of our monthly newsletter, DiRECTIONS! Please provide
feedback and suggestions.
In addition, we are recruiting clients to
participate in a new section of the newsletter called Client to Client.
Each month we plan to feature an interview with one client, so that we
can get to know each other better. If you would like to participate,
please contact Erin Boensch at 443.321.7729 for details. The service is
free, and is a great way to market your products and/or services.
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· Better Communication at Work
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Employees are often concerned with the quality and quantity
of communication with management. Some believe management simply provides
lip service when it comes to communicating information, while others
believe the avenue of communication to be inadequate. Others believe that
they are destined to follow vague instructions that prove difficult to
follow.
In his
letter, Tim discussed how employee surveys can be used as a communication
tool. What are other ways that managers can improve internal
communications? Refer to the link below for the full story...
Read on...
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· HSAs Explained
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Many of us are interested in learning more about Health
Savings Accounts (HSAs). However, there is much confusion concerning
their structure and benefits. How do they differ from traditional
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) or Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs)?
The
Washington Post published an excellent article in its April 25, 2004
edition, addressing these and many other questions. For the full article,
click the link below.
Full Story
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· Meet HRi - David Noren, Payroll
Manager
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We are excited to announce that David Noren joined HRi in
April, bringing 30 years of payroll experience with him! He formerly
worked with Verizon, where he managed payroll for over 85,000 employees.
Please join us as we welcome David to our team.
Please follow
the link below for the full interview.
David Noren interview...
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· New Overtime Regulations for White
Collar Workers
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The Department of Labor has issued new Overtime rules
impacting "White Collar" workers under the Fair Labor Standards
Act. Effective the third week in August 2004, certain "White
Collar" Workers will have simplified overtime rules that are
primarily based on income under the "FairPay" section of the
code.
The
changes are as follows: 1.) All "White Collar" workers earning
less than $455 per week ($23,660 per year) will be non-exempt and
guaranteed overtime. 2.) All "White Collar" workers earning
between $23,660 and $65,000 per year will require the "Standard
Duties Test". 3.) All "White Collar" workers earning
$100,000 or more per year will require the "Highly Compensated
Test". 4.) All "Blue Collar" workers will be non-exempt and
guaranteed overtime regardless of income. 5.) All "First
Responder" workers will be non-exempt and guaranteed overtime
regardless of income. As of this writing, final regulations are being
debated and clarified and further information will be forthcoming as it
becomes available.
For additional information...
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· DELL Computer Discounts Exclusively
for HRi Employees!
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HRi has partnered with DELL to bring our employees discounts
on computers and other DELL products. To take advantage of this offer,
you will need an account on our extranet. If you do not have one, please
see your supervisor or call us at 410.451.4202.
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· Win a Cruise for Two!
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 REFER A NEW
BUSINESS AND EARN A CRUISE FOR TWO! Follow the link below for the full
details.
Full Details...
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