Randi Frank HR Consulting

HR Tips for Employers

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Tips for New Leaders/New Executives Tip 2: Learn as Much as You Can About Your New Environment

Starting a new position as an executive at an Agency with a long-time established staff can have it’s challenges. Here are some tips to help you transition into your new leadership position successfully.

Learn as much as you can about your new environment: ask the hiring authority about the staff, past issues and culture zovirax pills.

  1. Make sure you have asked some questions about staff, past issues and culture during your interview but be sure to go into more details with the hiring authority before your first day. During the interview it’s likely you heard all the positives–now that you have been hired ask if there are any specific concerns that may have not been discussed during the interview process.
  2. If they have an executive search firm, have a long discussion with them to find out the underlying concerns of the agency. Most search firms have had many conversations with staff, stakeholders and board members and can provide useful information that will help you transition with ease during the first months.

Learn as much as you can about the previous leader/executive and how they managed the organization. How long were they in the position? How did their leadership and their departure affect the organization?

Questions? Contact me today!

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Tips for New Leaders/New Executives Tip 3: Research the Organization and Its Accomplishments

Starting a new position as an executive at an Agency with a long-time established staff can have it’s challenges. Here are some tips to help you transition into your new leadership position successfully.

Research the organization and its accomplishments, goals, objectives, mission statement, etc.

  1. Find out who some of the stakeholders are and make sure you arrange to meet with them during your first month along with key staff and board members.
  2. Understand the additional resources that are available to your organization from some of the stakeholders, member organizations, and related non-profits or NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations).
  3. Review the budget and the contracts that are in place so you understand the numbers and expectations for each of the program areas of the agency.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Why Would a Small Business Need Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

With so much on a small business owners mind, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Costs can add up quickly, so it’s easy to put somethings on the back burner. But just like getting insurance on your home or car, you need to think about the variety of insurance needed for your business. You’ll want to insure any physical assets you have; inventory, vehicles and buildings. You want to protect your company in case there is a mishap or accident related to your business and location. Also, if you have 2 or more employees, it’s very important to get employment practices liability insurance.

What is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

Employment Practices Liability Insurance safeguards your small business when a worker sues over employment-related problems.

This type of policy covers your legal costs when an employee or group of employees claim their civil rights were violated or they were unable to perform their work in a fair environment.

Even when you’ve done nothing wrong, a frivolous lawsuit can become extremely costly.

What Sort of Employee Issues Might Be Covered?

The problems below, whether caused by you, one of your employees or even a vendor can be reasons for a lawsuit.

Breach of Contract
Discrimination
Invasion of Privacy
Mental or Emotional Distress
Mismanagement of Benefits
Sexual Harassment
Slander
Wrongful Discipline

But That Won’t Happen to Us…

The dilemma with a small business is that many are just like “family”, but that will NOT keep someone from suing when something goes wrong.

One sexual harassment or discrimination lawsuit could cost you between $300,000 to a million-dollars for the legal settlement plus attorney fees. I don’t have to tell you this could bankrupt any small business.

Steps To Obtain Employment Practices Liability Insurance

  1. Confirm Your Human Resources Practices Are All Documented
  2. Contact a Business Insurance Carrier

Why is That First Step Needed?

In order to obtain the needed coverage, the insurance company will require a copy of your HR materials. If you are not adhering to specific legal standards, you are setting yourself up for multiple problems. Having the correct hiring and management processes reduces the insurance company’s and your risk.

NOTE: If you don’t have a Human Resources department to help you create these documents, then look for a Human Resource Consultant.
(See our blog on the importance of HR in a small business.)

Needed Documents

The first step is to develop an employee manual or personnel policies for your company. The policies should include:

  • Benefits Information
  • Disciplinary Process
  • Employee Work Schedules
  • Methods to Report Problems
  • Non-discrimination Policy
  • Proper Performance Guidelines
  • Safety Rules
  • Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy
  • Workplace Violence Prevention Policy

Final Details Prior to Getting Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Once you have established the appropriate procedures for your firm, you need to set up a recruitment process that is fair and equitable to avoid discrimination. (See our tips on recruiting).

To recruit the right talent for your organization it is important to develop job descriptions to inform employees of their duties, responsibilities, proper qualifications, experience or certifications, etc. (See our tips for job descriptions).

Finally, you need to make sure you have an onboarding process that educates employees about all the policies. (See our onboarding blog).

If your organization needs help with any of these systems call or email Randi Frank Consulting, LLC. We have detailed check-lists for these procedures and have developed appropriate policies for many small businesses. [email protected] 203-213-3722

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Executive Search Tip 2: Why are most Executive Searches conducted by outside firms/consultants?

The main reason most Executive Searches are conducted by outside resources is TIME. Often there is not enough time or staff within the existing agency to provide the thoroughness of meeting with stakeholders and making all the contacts to reach out to potential candidates. In addition, many times the position is difficult to fill which requires more time than staff has available, especially if they tried and did not get enough candidates.

The outside agency provides a professional unbiased opinion about the qualifications of the candidates. This helps when there are inside candidates along with outside ones so all are evaluated with the same professional standards. An outside agency also has access to a greater pool of qualified candidates.

An Executive Search Firm has conducted many of these types of recruitments and can assist the agency with outlining the true needs of the position and the appropriate places to find the right candidates.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Orientation & Onboarding Tip 2: Make sure your new employee has a proper orientation.

The orientation process should be designed to make the new employee comfortable and capable in their new position. In addition to ensuring that training and tools are available for them to be successful in their new position, it’s important for the new hire to feel comfortable with his co-workers and supervisors and with the agency culture.

Here are six things to consider including during the orientation process.

  • Give the new employee basic information about the agency (e.g., history and mission, programs and services, working environment, and recreational and community engagement activities).
    • Provide new employees with the information needed for them to learn the job. Giving new employees proper training can increase the morale of new workers and reduce turnover.
  • It’s okay to use different forms of overview orientation tailored to the different needs of employees, based on their position (administrative vs. engineering, for example). Hold group job-specific orientation sessions if you have more than one person starting in a similar position at the same time.
  • Be there when your new employee is introduced to his or her department head (if that did not happen during the interview process). If possible, designate a “buddy” to help him or her get acquainted with the organization.
  • Along with making the new employee feel comfortable, make sure that current employees are comfortable with the new worker. Before his or her arrival, inform current employees that there will be a new employee, and tell them what department the newcomer will be in and what his or her job will include.
  • Hold a small gathering to introduce new employees or take them out for lunch to make them feel welcome.

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Succession Planning Tip #2: Have a clear view of what skills and experience are needed for the position.

State clear and attainable expectations for what qualities the ideal candidate would need to have. Clearly defined job descriptions with sections for required skills, experience and education should be included. (See my separate blog for extra tips on how to create effective job descriptions).

It is imperative to know the direction the firm/agency is headed because it will help in deciding what new skills and competencies employees will need in the future. For example, will there be a need for different computer skills or social media skills for the next marketing position?

Questions? Contact me today!

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Job Descriptions Tip 1

1. An accurate job description clarifies the expectations of a job, and whether a candidate’s qualifications meet the requirements of the position.

A job description should outline skills, knowledge, abilities and experience needed by a potential employee so applicants can determine whether there is a match between the job’s requirements and their own expertise. For example, if a minimum of three years’ experience is specified, people with less than three years of work experience need not apply. The key components of good job descriptions are job title, statement of purpose and objective, reporting structure, duties and responsibilities. In other words: essential function, qualification, working condition and disclaimer.

Typical disclaimers are:

• The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

• This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee. It is used as a guide for personnel actions and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

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Tips for New Leaders/New Executives Tip 4: Talk With as Many of the Board of Directors

Starting a new position as an executive at an Agency with a long-time established staff can have it’s challenges. Here are some tips to help you transition into your new leadership position successfully.

Talk with as many of the Board of Directors (or Hiring Authority) of the agency before you start.

  1. Ask them to arrange for a special reception and meeting to create a pleasant environment to meet with the staff.
  2. Ask them to have someone available to assist with your access to computers, phones, other technology, etc. Sometimes these issues are overlooked and can create frustration during the transition process.
  3. Ask them to arrange a separate reception and meeting with the stakeholders or member organizations so everyone feels a part of the new transition.
  4. Make sure your calendar is available during initial receptions and meetings to set up follow up meetings within the first 1-3 months.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Executive Search Tip 3: How do you find the right firm to assist with an Executive Search

Unlike a Google search, an Executive Search begins with a Request for Proposal (RFP) Most communities/agencies develop a RFP and invite firms to submit a proposal to conduct the executive search. The RFP will describe the agency and some information about the positions and the steps required to complete the executive search. Once proposals are submitted the top proposals with the most reasonable costs are interviewed.

The critical aspects of choosing the right firm include…

  • The Interview – make sure the firm has
    • experience with similar agencies
    • experience with similar positions
    • a past success rate
  • The Offer – be sure to compare apples to apples
    • how will they help you to further define the position/person you’re looking for?
    • how will they find the best candidates?

As mentioned in the first post in this series, a successful executive search begins with a meeting of all the stakeholders to understand the position and candidate in addition to how much access the firm has to finding the right person. Many times it comes down to the chemistry of the firm and the agency key players. Be sure to check references of the firms just as reference checks are done on candidates.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Executive Search Tip 4: First Steps to the Executive Search

In the first blog post of this series, we briefly touched on this topic but I would like to go into more detail at this point. The first step of an Executive Search is to gather information from all the appropriate stakeholders about the agency and the position. This is done by obtaining budget/finance information, population served, services provided and current staffing of the agency.

To learn more about the agency’s needs, meetings are set up with the key stakeholders such as management staff, working staff, customers/public/clients, associated organizations that work with the agency. For example if we are conducting a Town Manager Search we will speak with all the department heads, union or employee representatives, boards and commissions, appointing authority (Town Council), business groups in the community, colleges in the community, etc. We will also gather information about the community from sources such as the budget, economic development pieces, chamber of commerce sales information, web sites, charters and organizational charts.

This process can be used for any position. Once the information is gathered a color profile is put together with pictures and information about the agency and position which include:

  • Job Description
  • Organizational Chart
  • Staffing and Budget Information
  • Highlights and History of Agency
  • Characteristics of the Ideal Candidate
  • Qualifications and Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Candidate

See samples of profiles developed by Randi Frank Consulting, LLC

Questions? Contact me today!

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Recruit & Retain Talent (Employees)

This powerpoint presentation was provided during a meeting of the Ohio River Valley WIFS (Women in Financial Services). Most of the discussion was about retaining talent since most organizations are concerned about losing their great employees. But before you can retain good talent you must recruit the best people. 

There are a number of slides on what you need to think about when recruiting employees such as developing a profile to make your organization standout by stressing your vision and mission. Also today’s employees don’t just want a good salary (which you need) but benefits and flexibility. Once you have the right people on the bus as they say you need to retain them.  To do that you need to have an excellent onboarding and orientation process. Then you need to conduct Stay Interviews to make sure the employees are still happy with their position and if they have a desire for more opportunities.

See all the slides of the powerpoint presentation to learn more.  You will also see that the powerpoint presentation lists a number of links to more details on all these issues in Randi Frank Consulting Blog Posting in this website https://randifrank.com/blog/  We also provided some names of two coaches that can help you with training your leaders, developing missions and changing the culture of your organizations which will also help in retaining your great talent.

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Tip 1: Performance evaluation process helps clarify standards and set goals

The performance evaluation process helps employees and managers clarify expectations about job responsibilities and performance standards, and set goals for the coming year. 

At the beginning of the fiscal year, the manager and the employee should review the job description to determine the key job responsibilities and clarify work expectations. They should also develop S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-related) goals for the employee based on the employee’s need for professional improvement, the department’s goal, and the strategic plan of the organization. For example, an effective employee goal could be “increase my sales by 20% by the end of the quarter.” Goal setting keeps employees aware of and committed to what they should achieve.

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