Human Resource Management

Are you experiencing problems with recruiting qualified employees, retaining your best employees, or justifying employee compensation levels? Experts agree that the development of a sound compensation system provides an excellent opportunity to resolve these concerns.

Our primary objective in developing a compensation plan is to install a salary system that is internally equitable, externally competitive, and consistent with current laws and regulations. Your plan and salary system will be structured to meet the financial goals and objectives of your organization, while helping you adhere to standard compensation principles and practices.

“Ignorance of the law” is no excuse, but it may be your employees’ primary reason for violating your organization’s policies. Most employees are willing to comply with their employer’s rules and regulations if they are aware of what the employer expects.

An employee handbook is an indispensable extension of the employer’s personnel policy manual, and is a cost effective means of communicating your rules of conduct. The handbook condenses your policies into an easy-to-read, written guideline that reduces misunderstandings and improves employee morale.

Our handbook typically includes policies on:

• Organizational Objectives and Expectations
• Promotion or Job Bidding
• Job Responsibilities
• Fringe Benefits
• Hours of Work and Overtime
• Paid and Unpaid Leaves
• Employee Conduct
• Corrective Action and Complaint Procedure
• Employment Separation
• State and Federal Employment Rights
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Sexual and/or Discriminatory Harassment

Your most experienced managers cannot always sense when there are employee relationship or morale issues within your organization. Even if managers recognize a problem exists, employees are often reluctant to openly discuss their concerns with their employer for fear of reprisal. Poor employee relations can lead to bad morale, poor performance, absenteeism, and low productivity. Left unresolved, these problems may also cause employees to seek outside representation.

Through a properly designed Employee Relations Audit, our experienced staff will discover underlying issues, identify communication breakdowns, and assess whether employees’ problems are real or perceived. Upon completion of the audit, our staff will provide you with a written report that identifies employees’ concerns, and they will work with you and your managers to develop workable solutions.

Building a solid workforce foundation must begin with well-written job descriptions. Job task analysis and job descriptions are considered essential by many successful managers for several reasons; some practical, some legal. They provide structure in the workplace by identifying what you expect of your employees, improve efficiency by helping them prioritize their work, and permit you to hold them accountable for good performance. They identify “essential functions,” and form the basis for structuring interviews, analyzing jobs, developing a fair compensation system, and supporting other HR components.

In today’s litigious society, employers must be prepared to defend their decisions regarding employee selection, compensation, exemption, and other similar employment matters. Our comprehensive job task analysis will provide you with the precise job descriptions you need to promote productivity and reduce your exposure to legal liability.

How do your employees know when their job performance is unacceptable, and how do you identify areas where improvement is needed? Motivated employees require regular feedback and direction to help them understand how their performance corresponds to your organization’s mission and goals.

We will develop an objective evaluation system based on job content, job responsibilities, and other job-related performance criteria. Our staff will review your existing job descriptions, identify essential functions, and develop specific job performance standards for evaluating your employees.

Your new system will enable managers to identify achievements and set priorities that will serve as a catalyst for improved performance.

Without order, there is chaos! Employees routinely ask supervisors about the organization’s policies, rules, and benefits. Without a written document that standardizes these issues, supervisors are left trying to construct their own policies, or guessing at the answers.

Our well-designed, custom policy manual follows a logical format that incorporates your existing policies and directives and defines additional rules of conduct that correspond to your basic management practices. This tailor-made manual will clearly identify the terms and conditions of employment for your organization, and help you comply with federal, state, and local government regulations.

Typically, our manuals include policies on the following:

• Organization objectives and expectations
• Appointment and promotion
• Job responsibilities
• Fringe benefits
• Hours of work and overtime
• Paid and unpaid leaves
• Employee conduct
• Corrective action and complaint procedure
• Employment separation
• State and federal employment regulations
• Equal employment opportunity
• Sexual and/or Discriminatory harassment
• Personnel forms

Management of your personnel records system is more than just having your files in alphabetical order. A solid system identifies those records and documents that need to be maintained, establishes a centralized and secure repository, and prescribes a records retention schedule. More importantly, it will help ensure that you have the necessary documentation for compliance with state and federal regulations.

Our experienced staff will analyze your current personnel records, identify deficiencies, and develop a centralized records management system. We will also include written procedures for monitoring and maintaining your new system, and training for your staff.

Coordinating the requirements of various employment regulations can be complicated. Many managers are uncertain or frustrated by a growing list of issues, such as:

• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA)
• Affirmative Action
• Military Leave
• Discrimination and Harassment
• Job Safety
• Drug and Alcohol Testing
• Privacy Rights

In response to this often daunting task, we have engineered a unique and coordinated approach to helping our clients pinpoint deficiencies. Our assessment of your personnel system will identify areas that require immediate attention, and provide you with a comprehensive, written report that summarizes our findings and recommendations.

In today’s tight labor market, it’s crucial to recruit and retain high-quality employees. Our Selection, Hiring, and Documentation System will guide you through the hiring process from beginning to end, and help you avoid the pitfalls encountered by many employers. We place a high premium on procedures that furnish documentation at every step of the process. New employees are required to provide written commitments that they will comply with all workplace regulations, and your records will reflect that your employment decisions were fair and nondiscriminatory.

Does your wage and benefit package meet the expectations of current and future employees? And more importantly, is it helping to meet the organization’s financial and operational objectives? Today’s labor market dictates that wages and benefits be competitive enough to attract and retain qualified employees, while allowing your organization to remain fiscally responsible.

A well-designed and executed wage and benefit survey is a good first step toward attaining balance between the needs of your staff and the needs of your organization.

We have performed more than 75 compensation studies in the last five (5) to seven (7) years, making our team one of the leaders in the marketplace. Our experienced and well-qualified staff will begin by reviewing your current compensation system. We will then identify benchmark positions and provide guidance in selecting comparable employers to be included in your survey. We will develop the necessary survey instruments, collect and analyze the data, and compile the results into a concise and understandable report. Upon your request, our staff can assist you in implementing improvements to your existing pay plan or offer recommendations for developing a new plan.