A Lesson in Crisis Management

businesswomen-businesswoman-interview-meeting-70292

Businesses should be properly prepared for any eventuality, be it a natural disaster or a pandemic like the one we are experiencing now. But aside from ensuring all capital assets are secured, companies have a legal and moral responsibility to take care of their employees in times of trouble.

Indeed, when things get out of hand, it is your employees who will be feeling the brunt. Their health and welfare will certainly be on the line. That said, you have to do everything you can to support them.

During the rough times ahead, it’s important for the HR Department to keep running in order to address employee concerns in the most efficient way possible.

Here are a few things you will need to keep in mind: Continue reading →

Why Business Insurance is Important

Are you a business owner and wondering why you have to pay for insurance? Even if you own a small business, it’s always a better idea to have insurance than not. It “protects you from the things you couldn’t possibly predict,” state the experts at https://www.brokerlink.ca/insurance/business. 

Insurance is always a valuable investment to provide coverage when times get tough, or there’s an unexpected accident with a customer or employee. We’re going to go over some reasons why having business insurance is essential.  Continue reading →

81: Rethinking Work, Productivity, and Engagement in the Modern Workplace

Leave a reply

“People don’t want flexibility. they want complete control over their time.”

Today, we keep hearing that flexible work is the way to go. People want it. They crave it.

Yet in today’s episode of We’re Only Human, Ben talks with Jody Thompson, creator of the ROWE movement. ROWE stands for “results only work environment,” and it has been around for some time (the first book, Why Work Sucks, was published in 2008).

Today the workplace looks different than it did then, but according to Thompson, employers are still chasing the wrong things. We’re looking at when work gets done and where work gets done, but we’re not focusing enough on the what in terms of results.

That lack of focus on the right things sometimes forces our people to fight for control over their work. How? By looking for workarounds, playing the “I’m busy” game, arriving early or staying late, and more. Instead of looking at managers as controlling figures, we should look at them as performance coaches. Expect to explore all of this and more in today’s conversation. Enjoy!

Learn more about Jody and ROWE at: https://www.gorowe.com/resource-library

heart

What I Should Have Said

4 Replies

I lost a friend recently.

He was a great guy who was always willing to help those around him, regardless of his own needs. Selfless. Kind. Compassionate.

I had a phone conversation with him a few months back. We lived in different states and mostly stayed in touch online, but I gave him a call and we talked for over an hour about work, life, family, and more. In the conversation, he recommended a movie that he loved called Green Book.

When he passed, I realized that I hadn’t made time to watch the movie yet, so this weekend I carved out some time to enjoy it with my wife. It was a great movie, and every time I saw someone on screen standing up to do the right thing, I thought of my friend and the impact he had in his time on the earth.

When people make mistakes in life, you can either choose to vilify them and write them off or you can choose to believe in the goodness of people and that they still have value. He was in the latter camp, and I am so thankful that I had a chance to see him in person several times over the course of the last 10 years. He was quick to smile and always had a kind word or compliment to share with those around him.

We never know how much time we have with those we love, whether they be friends or family. In the midst of all this chaos swirling around us, I have implored each of us to be kind to those around us, but it’s easy to lose focus when things are out of what feels like their natural rhythm.

I’m resolving to say what I should have said this week. Not in a backbiting or angry way, but in a way that would honor the memory of my friend, Chris Fields. When I talk with someone, anyone, this week, I’m going to say what I should have said but held back, whether that is “I’m sorry,” “I love you,” or “thank you for who you are.”

Chris, we will miss you. Thank you for making us all better just by being here.

WOH 80: 11+ Ideas to Engage and Support Your Remote Teams

Leave a reply

In recent weeks the podcast has covered critical topics like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and how HR technology providers are supporting businesses during this time. Today, we’re going to take a step toward engaging those workers that are working remotely, many of them doing so for the first time. 

In this solo episode, Ben covers 11+ ways HR leaders and line managers can support and engage their workers, from simple concepts like one on one’s to more complex ideas for how to run company all hands briefings. Working remotely may be a challenge right now, but for those workers that enjoy the experience and want to remain remote after the COVID-19 scare is over, managers will need new tools and ideas to help them support workers they can’t see on a daily basis. 

If you have your own ideas to add to the list, please send them to ben@upstarthr.com and we’ll add them to the show notes here. Thanks!

WOH 79: How Employers Are Responding to Shutdowns, Quarantines, and Coronavirus

Leave a reply

“As the head of HR, I’m now suddenly expected to be a doctor, virologist, and epidemiologist.” 

That quote came from a discussion with an HR leader in the last few days, and it clearly outlines what many companies are going through right now. In today’s conversation, Ben talks with Brett Meager of Paycor to learn how employers are responding to the dynamic situations happening across the country as well as how the company is supporting its small and mid-size clients in the middle of the chaos. Brett talks about how the firm is helping to keep people informed on legislation and other details as they arise (see the links in the show notes below for more on that).

The best thing we can all do right now is share positive, helpful resources and information with each other, so if you would be willing to share this episode with a friend or colleague as a way of making work better and safer, I would greatly appreciate it. 

 

For pandemic preparedness plans, advice, resources, webinar and communication templates check out the Paycor Coronavirus Support Center for SMB Leaders. Paycor posts on Twitter and LinkedIn daily with our latest COVID19 resources, we encourage you to follow along!

Brett also shared a few tips on Working From Home with Kids: https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/how-to-work-from-home-with-kids

How to Respond to Workplace Accidents

It’s always a challenge for HR professionals to deal with cases of accidents in the workplace. Employment law and labor policies have provisions for how on-the-job injuries must be handled, and organizations should not take them lightly.

Violations of workplace laws involving injuries can take a toll on both the company’s reputation and their bottom line. In 2018 alone, injuries on the job cost companies $170.8 billion in total losses. The figure includes productivity losses as well as medical and compensation for fatalities.

Of course, businesses may need to look at these facts more seriously and implement the needed measures to mitigate the risk to workers. But apart from that, they also have to consider how best to approach injury cases that could potentially cripple the bottom line.

This is definitely one of the most challenging aspects of an HR professional’s job, but it’s still possible to make the process less complicated, costly, and risky.

Here are a few things to bear in mind when an employee has been injured on the job: Continue reading →