Growing Your Business in Turbulent Times Your Business in Turbulent Times ... –Tell them the Good, the Bad and the Ugly (apologies to ... • Some tests in the late 1920’s

www.scorehiltonhead.com

Growing Your Business in

Turbulent Times

Employee Relations


Briefly introduce yourself:

• Peter Veneto

• 40 years as Human Resource

Professional in both Union and

non-Union environments

• Masters degree in Human

Resource Management

• College professor

• Certified Employee Benefits

Specialist Certification from

Wharton Business School

SCORE Introduction


Briefly tell us a bit about you:

• Your name

• Your business

• Your business size and number

of employees

• Employee relations issues your

business is facing

• What you want to get from

today’s session

Nice to Meet You!


What’s of Value to You

• Hiring the Right People

• What are Employee Expectations

• What Motivates Employees to

Perform Better

• Do Environmental Factors Affect

Motivation

• How do we Engage and Retain

Employees

• Monetary and Non-Monetary

Reward Systems

• Rules and Regulations



Hiring the Right Person

• Before you even start this process ask yourself:

– What is your vision for your business?

– Where do you need help?

– Can you manage people?

– Can You Afford It?

• If you can answer these questions then let’s hire someone


Can You Afford It?

It’s not just the wages

• Federal unemployment tax

• State Unemployment Tax

• Worker’s Compensation Tax

• Social Security

• Medicare


Hiring the Right Person

• Define the Duties

– (Job Description)

• And What it takes to Do them

– Experience, skills

• Make it Worth their While

– Wages/salary

• Spread the Word

– advertising

• Interviews and Follow-up

• What will be their status as

an employee


Full-Time Pros:

More committed

Longer hours

Long-term development

Part-Time Pros:

Lower cost

More flexible scheduling

Full-Time Cons:

Cost of benefits

Legal issues

Part-Time Cons:

Less committed

May not fill needs

Full Time vs. Part Time


Pros:

Agency assistance

Simplified payment

Find workers for

specialized needs

Flexibility Cost savings

Cons:

Less reliable

Less committed

No long-term

development

Training may be needed

Temporary Workers


Pros:

Cost savings

Specialized skills

Fast turn-around

Flexibility

Cons:

Communication

challenges

Accountability

Not sole client

Legal issues

(misclassifying)

Outsourcing to Independent

Contractors


• What you can (and can’t) ask

• Be prepared

• Open-ended questions

• Take notes

• Let the candidate ask

questions

Interview Questions:


• Check references

• Background checks

• Maintain records

• What you can get in trouble for

• Employee agreement

• Employee handbook

• SC REQUIRES all employers to

E-Verify

Legal Issues


E- Verify

“South Carolina Illegal Immigration and Reform Act”

Requires all employers to verify the legal status of new

employees

Must enroll in the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security’s E-

Verify program and verify status of new employee within

three business days. Failure to use could cause

suspension/revocation of employer’s business license



• Fair Wages

• Safe Work Environment

• Engagement &

Empowerment

• Training & Development

• Depends on age group

What are Employee Expectations


Fair Wages

• It’s not just about the Money

– Actually it probably is

– Based on job description and job

duties. What is being paid for like

jobs in the market area

• Also may be about the Benefits

• Non-Tangible Rewards

– Working conditions

– Commute

• Your Management Style


Safe Work Environment

• Not merely safe from physical harm, but emotional,

psychological and sexual harm

– OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act)

– Federal and State Laws and Statutes

• Discrimination

• Equal Pay

• Age Discrimination

• Americans with Disabilities Act

• And many more


Engagement

• An "engaged employee" is one who is fully involved

in, and enthusiastic about their work, and thus will

act in a way that furthers their organization's

interests.

• According to Scarlett Surveys, "Employee

Engagement is a measurable degree of an

employee's positive or negative emotional

attachment to their job, colleagues and organization

that profoundly influences their willingness to learn

and perform at work".


Empowerment


Skills Inventory

• What skills do your employees have?

• What skills do they need for their

current jobs?

• What skills and training do they need in order

to grow with your company?

• What are they interested in learning?

Employee Training and Development


Cross-Training Your Staff Benefits:

• No outside assistance needed

• Do more with less

• Enhance employee skills

• Uninterrupted workflow

• Employees share knowledge

Methods:

• Rotation

• Job shadowing

• Group training sessions

Employee Training and Development


Age Factors

• Young workers (18-28):

– Career opportunities, autonomy at work, training and

development, recognition, teamwork

• Middle age workers (29-45):

– Job security, recognition, monetary incentives

• Older workers (45 and above):

– Recognition, job security, positive work environment



What Motivates Employees to

Perform Better

• Motivation is defined as:

• “Internal and external factors

that stimulate desire and energy

in people to be continually

interested and committed to a

job, role or subject, or to make

an effort to attain a goal .”

(Business Dictionary.com)

What is Motivation and

how do I get some?


What Motivates Employees to

Perform Better ?

• Their Job

• Supervisor/Manager

• Communications/Feedback

• Pay/Benefits

• Environment

• Workspace

• Company Culture

• Teamwork


Employee’s Job

• The nature and duties of

the job are important to an

employee.

• It doesn’t need to have a

status title to be important

as long as the work that

they do matters to them

and the company.

• It has a value, not just

monetarily but to the

company goals


Employee’s Supervisor/Manager

• Leadership Ability/Style

– Autocratic, Democratic, Paternalistic, Delegative

• Plans and Delegates

• Expert in his/her field

• Sets Clear Expectations

• Reinforcement/Recognition


Plans and Delegates

• Employees know what is expected of them

• Creates culture of accountability

• Frees business owner’s time

• Employees gain skills/confidence

• Business builds strength


Communications/Feedback

• Regularly communicate with employees, and encourage them

to communicate with you

• Share everything regarding business issues

– Tell them the Good, the Bad and the Ugly (apologies to

Clint)

• Make yourself accessible and available

• Be an active listener

• Encourage employees to try new ideas or assume more

responsibility?

• When there’s a problem,work with employees on

understanding how and why it happened


The Work Environment



• The Bob Cratchit Effect

• Worked in a dismal, drafty

little cell

• Had a very small fire that

looked like it had one coal

• Put on his comforter, and

tried to warm himself at the

candle



• Some tests in the late 1920’s

proved that changes to a

workers environment (lights,

break times, change of work

stations) improved employee

performance because:

• “Employees were getting

attention”


Company Culture

• A culture is the values and practices shared by the

members of the group. Company Culture, therefore,

is the shared values and practices of the company's

employees.

• Company culture is important because it can make

or break your company. Companies with an

adaptive culture that is aligned to their business

goals routinely outperform their competitors.


Company Culture

• Only a company culture that is aligned with your

goals, one that helps you anticipate and adapt to

change, will help you achieve superior performance

over the long run.

• Review your mission, vision and values and make

sure the company culture you are designing

supports them


How Do We Engage Employees


Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement is an Emotional Response

• It is the psychological and emotional attachment

people feel for their workplace.

• Based on the fulfillment of basic human needs in

the workplace

• More people feel those needs are met – the more

engaged they are


Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs


Disengaged and Unmotivated

Employees Can Break You


Disengaged and Unmotivated

Employees Can Break You

• Gallup has tracked the engagement

levels of the U.S. working population for

the past decade.

• Its most recent employee engagement

research shows that 28% of American

workers are engaged, 54% are not

engaged, and 18% are actively

disengaged.

• Throughout the decade, the percentage

of engaged employees ranged from

26% to 30%, while the percentage of

actively disengaged employees ranged

from 15% to 20%.


Engaged Employees Can Make You

• They are more productive

• Can make your business

more profitable

• Create stronger customer

relationships

• They tend to stay longer

with their company

• They think "outside-the-

box“


Engaging Your Employees

• Provide frequent

feedback and recognition

• Encourage development

• Make expectations clear

• Help to connect their

efforts with company

mission and purpose


Engaging Your Employees

• Engaged employees work

together to solve problems

• Get them to understand

how they are part of the

company’s future

• Create a “Culture of

Accountability”

• Delegate whenever you can


Set goals and performance standards

Measurable and objective targets

Allow sufficient time to complete tasks

Responsible for results, not just tasks

Create a Culture of Accountability



Monetary Incentives

• Pay enough to not make it an

issue

• Fulfills the basic and some of the

safety needs in Maslow’s theory

• Pay alone without recognition

may not be enough to keep an

employee

• More effective with middle age

employee group

• More effective with routine

mechanical jobs


Low/No-Cost Benefits:

Flextime

Remote work

Wellness program

Credit union

membership

Casual/fun

Day care

Paid Benefits:

Health insurance

Life insurance

Retirement plans

401(k)

SEP

SIMPLE IRA

Profit sharing

Other Incentives/Benefits


Employee Recognition and Appreciation

• A good way to increase

morale

• Do it in a group setting

• Real accomplishments

and goal achievement

• Often can be done at little

or no cost

• Makes employee feel

they are your most

valuable asset


Required Postings

Federal

• Job Safety and Health Protection (OSHA)

• Equal Employment Opportunity Act

• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights

Act

• Employee Polygraph Protection Act


Required Postings

South Carolina

• E-Verify

• Payment of Wages Act

• Child labor

• Right-to-Work

• Immigrant Worker

• Safety and Health protection on the Job

• Discrimination


Helpful Resources

• First and Foremost:

• SCORE


Helpful Resources

Management

• American Management Association:

(www.amanet.org)

• HRTools.com: (www.hrtools.com)

• National Association of Professional Employer

• Organizations (NAPEO): (www.napeo.org)

• National Employment Law Institute: (www.neli.org)

• Society for Human Resource Management:

(www.shrm.org)

• TalentScan: (http://talentscanapp.com)


Helpful Resources

Benefits

• Benefits Link: (http://benefitslink.com)

• Business.gov: (www.business.gov/business-

law/employment/employee-benefits)

• Healthcare.gov: (www.healthcare.gov)

• HealthInsuranceInfo.net:

(www.healthinsuranceinfo.net)

• Small Business Administration (www.sba.com)


Helpful Resources

Tax/Legal

• Employment Law Information Network: (www.elinfonet.com)

• Findlaw’s Small Business Center:

(http://smallbusiness.findlaw.com)

• Nolo.com: (www.nolo.com)

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):

(www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness)

• IRS: (www.irs.gov/businesses) Small Business

• U.S. Department of Labor eLaws Advisors:

(www.dol.gov/elaws)

• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC):

(www.eeoc.gov)


Helpful Resources

South Carolina

• Business One Stop: (www.scbos.com)

• Dept. of Employment and Workforce:

(www.dew.sc.gov)

• Human Affairs:) (www.state.sc.us/schac)

• Workers’ Compensation Commission:

(www.wcc.sc.gov)

• E-Verify (https://verify.llronline.com/)


Helpful Resources

Job Search/Outsourcing

• Careerbuilder.com

Elance.com

• Freelancer.com

• Guru.com

• Monster.com

• Odesk.com

• SimplyHired.com


Key Takeaways From This

Module

• Hire Smart

• Treat Them Fairly

• Pay Competitively


Assessment of the Workshop

Let’s Talk- How Did We Do ?

• Did the workshop meet the learning

objectives identified at the outset ?

• Was the material presented useful to you as a

small business owner ?

• Did you get an opportunity to participate in

the discussion ?

• Did you get the answers to the questions you

raised ?

• Did this workshop meet your own

expectations?

• How could we improve this workshop ?


We’re Not Finished… Do You Want to

Meet with a SCORE Counselor ?

• Sign-up sheet available

tonight

• Name, phone number, and e-

mail address

• Free, confidential, and on-

going based on your desires

• SCORE will contact you

within 48 hours to schedule

an initial session

Documents

Growing Your Business in Turbulent Times Your Business in Turbulent Times ... –Tell them the Good, the Bad and the Ugly (apologies to ... • Some tests in the late 1920’s