HR consulting is an important part of having a healthy and functional workplace for all. Policies and laws are changing constantly and need to be updated to be fair to all your employees.

HR consulting helps those needing religious accommodations

When being approached by a current employee or interviewing a new team member, understanding how to deal with sincerely held religious beliefs will help keep your work environment healthy. With an interactive dialogue, the employee will be comfortable to inform you of any needs they feel will help them practice and live their chosen lifestyle. They might have a request to follow a certain dress code, have breaks for religious observation or days they can’t be at work to worship. Knowing how to handle this subject with respect for your company and employee can be daunting if you are not prepared.

With HR consulting you understand your employee’s rights for free speech

If you employ someone who attends a rally and they get arrested, you might not have the right to terminate their employment. There are laws that protect employees that express their feelings at rallies, even if that protest ends up putting them in jail. If the action of the employee causes your business to have a hostile work environment or if they were arrested because of violence, that may void the protection of the law. Conduct an unbiased investigation in a timely matter to understand circumstances of the riot and your employees’ actions.

Having HR consulting during your Open Enrollment will benefit employee communication

The benefits that your business offers your employees can be an incentive for future contacts and your current workforce. With successful communication about what all is offered, your team can be more confident that they know what is available to them. Communicate early and often about open enrollment with several different mediums. Provide a benefits guide that all can understand and organized all the information available so that employees can find answers to their questions quickly and successfully. Make sure to highlight ways to save money and offer additional resources if they still have questions.

HR consulting informs employers of current compliance dates

Important compliance dates in December include the Delaware restriction on pay history inquires on the 14th, the increases of minimum wage and an increase in minimum salary requirements for overtime exemptions in New York, and North Carolina employers must post new notice of the EFCA on the 31st.  January 1 includes several states increasing their minimum wage and the increase in minimum salary requirements for overtime. Also included are Oregon amends to sick leave and new rules for seasonal workers in North Carolina. Check for your state so that you are updated with the new compliances.

HR consulting allows you to eliminate employees legally

Because of unlawful termination actions, Verizon was sued and lost $619,000. An employee that had been with the company for 36 years took 2.5 months off for medical reasons. Upon returning to work, she worked half days until she was able to return to full time. Because of her leave, she missed important development skills and received a poor rating on her midyear review. She continued to excel at her job with good reviews but when the company decided to reduce her team, she was picked because of the poor rating she received due to her time off.

HR consulting clears up myths about multigenerational work

• Myth 1 is younger workers perform better. Older workers may be slower to process information but they have a more experience and wisdom which helps that new information stay longer in the brain.
• Myth 2 is that older worker cost more because of experience. Turns out that most just want a less demanding work schedule.
• Myth 3 is that companies make it a priority to higher older workers. They may say that but coded languages that relate with younger employees such as recent grads causes older and mature possibilities to not continue with the hiring process.
• Myth 4 is that an older population in the work force is taking jobs from the youth by not retiring. This doesn’t hold because there is more than enough work in the world for everyone.