Do you have a People Strategy for 2012?

If you have read my blog posts in the past, you know that I typically write about topics in HR news, Compliance, or small business. This post is a little different; I woke up this morning thinking about all of the year end tasks that we must begin working on.  As a business owner, I want to have a solid plan going into 2012 that address issues like:

·         Business Growth/Development

·         Marketing and Communications Strategy

·         Lead Generation through the Holidays

·         Budget and Sales Forecasting for next year

·         Web, Social Media and Brand Strategy

·         Maintaining Service Levels Through the Holidays

In the midst of all this, the one thing that is often forgotten is what I believe to be one of the most important strategic planning steps, your People Strategy.

What is your plan for managing your employees? Do you plan to grow or shrink? Will you give bonuses or raises this year? Will those payments be tied to performance? Will you conduct performance evaluations? What have you allocated for employee expenses in 2012? Will you conduct an end of the year compliance check?

The list of questions can go on and on.  I must admit, when I called for a meeting with my leadership team today, our agenda is full of everything except for people planning.  We have to remember that our employees help move our company forward and we can’t leave them out as we plan and prepare for 2012.

We all know that our employees, whether we have one or one-hundred can make or break the business. Have a plan for developing and growing your staff to be outstanding employees.  This will lead to better customer experiences, higher productivity and will perpetuate business growth.

Now before you start thinking that this could cost you big money, think outside of the box or what is perceived as the norm for Human Resources/People Planning. Find unique solutions that meet the needs of your business within a budget that makes sense for you. Account for these expenses in your 2012 budget and make this a necessity. You have to be a step ahead of your competition at every turn, incorporate a great People Strategy to leverage your business as an industry leader.

I will end this post with a quick tip: If you don’t have a People Strategy for 2012, start working on one today! 

Written By

Melonie Boone MBA, MJ, PHR

Co-CEO and Owner

Complete Concepts Consulting

About us:

Complete Concepts Consulting is a human resources consultancy specializing in compliance for small to mid-sized businesses. We offer a non-conventional approach to human resources management to meet the unique needs of small to mid-sized businesses. Our HR methodology has been proven to reduce costs and mitigate risks for our clients.

Contact Us:
Stephen Polutnik
Director, Client Services
spolutnik@completeconceptsconsulting.com
(773) 294-0010

 

Complete Concepts Consulting (CCC) Teams Up With GroupHelix

October 26, 2011

Complete Concepts Consulting (CCC) teams up with GroupHelix to help attract new leads to our website, convert leads into clients, as well as manage and analyze customer relationships!



Click here to learn more

GroupHelix is an all-in-one digital platform to help companies attract new leads to their website, convert leads into clients, and manage and analyze customer relationships.  By intertwining the web, social media and mobile technology, GroupHelix, grouphelix.com, offers a custom solution and strategy uniquely fit to the needs of each client.   With a simplistic control panel, CCC will be able to control our website content with a few clicks, we can change our mobile content in less than 10-seconds, control how to get our leads online, monitor our competition, manage our marketing and customer relationships, and measure engagement with click-of-a-button analytics.    

GroupHelix is a custom simplistic and holistic lead generation and customer relationship management (CRM) solution or it can be just a few of these feature bits, depending on what a business needs. “We are very excited about the partnership with GroupHelix. They have captured our vision and produced a one-stop spot for us to engage current as well as potential clients in a fun and creative medium; all while continuing our commitment to being a forward thinking progressive HR consultancy” says Complete Concepts Consulting’s Co-CEO Melonie Boone.

With GroupHelix,  CCC is able to easily take control of our digital world including social media strategy, web content changes and additions, how we track and manage candidates and applicants, segment candidates together according to qualifications and hiring potential, stay connected to those we wish to consider for other positions in the future and build portals for communicating the latest employment regulation updates, and using our new client portal offering training videos or posting content for our client groups.   CCC is able to quickly and easily obtain real-time website and contact metrics to make more informed decisions and move quickly.   With GroupHelix's ongoing partnership, scalable applications and CCC's niche business model, we are poised to continue thriving and now have technology that will enable us on our growth trajectory.

The new site it set to launch on November 7, 2011. Visit www.CompleteConceptsConsulting.com to be a part of the HR Revolution.  Complete Concepts Consulting is simplifying HR for Business!

About Us:

Complete Concepts Consulting (CCC) is a full service human resources consulting agency in Chicago, Illinois specializing in employment law compliance. Human Resources professionals Melonie Boone and Yolanda Macias, co-founders, and their team have worked in the industry for many years and specialize in providing organizations with expert employment law compliance and customized human resources management solutions. CCC offers its clients the ability to enhance business operations by utilizing affordable compliance and comprehensive human resources solutions.

Contact:

Stephen Polutnik

Director, Client Services
Complete Concepts Consulting
spolutnik@completeconceptsconsulting.com
www.CompleteConceptsConsulting.com
(773) 294-0010

Amy Nedoss
Director
GroupHelix
Amy.Nedoss@GroupHelix.com
www.grouphelix.com

###

What's keeping you up at night?

The age old question that almost every business owner or CEO is asked "What keeps you up at night," has got me thinking. It's 2:34 am on a Tuesday morning and I am up with my mind on growing my business. Asking myself, what’s our competitive edge? What can we offer our target market that no one else does? How do we market it and get our message out?

These are all questions that you may be asking yourself.

What keeps you up at night?

•  Company growth 
•  Managing employees
•  Being a step ahead of your competition 
•  Evolving your business to meet the demands of the changing economy
•  Or one of the many other complex issues business leaders are facing!

Complete Concepts Consulting was birthed out of the notion that business leaders are taxed with so many issues that keep them up at night and managing employees should not be one of them.

We are a cut above the rest offering HR In-sourcing to the companies that need it most, small to mid-sized businesses.

So you are probably thinking to yourself, what is HR In-sourcing, she must mean HR Outsourcing? The answer is no, I mean HR In-sourcing.

So what is HR In-sourcing? 

HR In-sourcing is the best way to describe our full service HR Consulting Methodology. We function as your in-house HR team for a fraction of the cost of staffing one. What differentiates us is we incorporate HR compliance with non-conventional HR practices to meet the unique need of your business. We work within your organization fostering your company's culture and beliefs and pushing forward you goals. We are on-site working with you from strategic level executive planning through day to day administration and everything in between.

We bring you over 25 years of combined HR and customer service experience; knowledge and most importantly we deliver results that save you money and helps you mitigate risk. Our client first philosophy makes meeting your needs our top priority!

To learn more, contact:

Stephen Polutnik

Director, Client Services

SPolutnik@completeconceptsconsulting.com

(773) 294-0010

What's your plan for Succession?

When Steve Jobs recently retired from Apple, it got a lot of companies thinking about their executive successors. Lucky for Apple its new CEO Tim Cook has been with the company for a long time and had already been standing in as CEO with Steve Jobs absences.

What would you do if you were unable to manage your business or if your best manager left the company?

Here are a few tips that can help so that your management successor is ready when you need them:

       1. Identify

Measure the performance of your employees to help you identify your top talent.  This is an objective way of determining the right employees to include in your succession plan for future management positions.

2.   Development

Other than planning who should succeed, develop your staff so that they will be prepared to succeed. Anything can happen between today and tomorrow so be prepared.

3.   Measure outcomes

Keep track of your employees’ successes. Whether they treated a customer well, or they innovated a product; keeping track of their big and small success helps you evaluate your succession plan easier. 

4.   Keep it simple

Usually companies keep adding exclusive complex assessment criteria to the succession planning process in an effort to improve the quality of the assessment. What they forget is that succession planning is a process, so it doesn’t have to be perfect but improve with time.

5.   Stay Realistic

Always be able to distinguish good leaders from good performers.  Usually while choosing successors we tend to look at our best performer. This is good, because we all know that a good leader should also be a good performer. However, the makeup of a good leader is multifaceted. Focus on your best performer(s) and choose someone who can balance both roles.  

One final point to remember is “Only give the promise of succession if there is a realistic chance of its happening!”

Contributing Writer:

Eugenia Tibamanya

Client Services Intern

Complete Concepts Consulting

About us: Complete Concepts Consulting is a human resources consultancy specializing in compliance for small to mid-sized businesses. We offer a non-conventional approach to human resources management to meet the unique needs of small to mid-sized businesses. Our HR methodology has been proven to reduce costs and mitigate risks for our clients.

For more information contact:
Stephen Polutnik
Director of Client Services
spolutnik@completeconceptsconsulting.com

Sources
http://blogs.hbr.org/goldsmith/2009/05/change_succession_planning_to.html
http://hbr.org/

Is your business prepared for a disaster?

Did you know that almost 40% of businesses that close due to disaster never re-open? 

The busy hurricane season is well under way and winter storms are right around the corner.  Natural disasters are not the only threat lurking in the shadows; man-made disasters like fire which is the number 1 threat to all businesses could put you company at risk.

So what’s your disaster plan? How will you stay connected to customers, vendors and staff? How long will it take you to bring operations back online?

Having a plan for natural and man-made disasters that identifies the critical necessities is imperative.

A few important things to include in a business continuity plan:

·  Safety and evacuation plan with employee training

·  Safety/Emergency Committee

·  Temporary work space for immediately following a disaster

·  Communications Plan

·  Technology security and records back-up

·  Accessible  database of customer, employee and vendor contact information

·  List of resources needed

·  Emergency supplies

·  Insurance information readily available

You have to plan in advance to successfully manage an emergency situation.  The plan is just the first step; train managers and employees. Being able to properly assess each situation, use the necessary resources to ensure everyone’s safety and having the ability to recover.

Resources for more information:

http://www.fema.gov/
http://www.weather.gov/
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
http://www.ready.gov/business/index.html
http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/loans-grants/small-business-loans/disaster-loans



About us:
Complete Concepts Consulting is a human resources consultancy specializing in compliance for small to mid sized businesses. We offer a non-conventional approach to human resources management to meet the unique needs of small to mid-sized businesses.  Our HR methodology has been proven to reduce costs and mitigate risks for our clients.

For more information contact:
Stephen Polutnik
Director of Client Services
spolutnik@completeconceptsconsulting.com

Does your company use Credit Reports when making Hiring Decisions?

This morning I came across a great blog post that I believe every business using credit checks when making hiring decisions should read.  The content of this post is brought to you by Prime Pay: Payroll and Business Experts Blog.

FROM PRIME PAY: PAYROLL & BUSINESS EXPERT BLOG.....A Dodd-Frank Act amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) went into effect July 21, 2011. Bruce Richards, an attorney with Taylor English Duma LLP in Atlanta and formerly general counsel with the credit reporting agency Equifax, said that one of the amendments to the FCRA deals with the use of credit scores by anyone who takes adverse action based on the scores.

 

If an employer uses a consumer report that includes a credit score in order to determine eligibility for employment, the employer will be required to disclose:

• That a credit score was used
• Information on the credit score, including the credit score itself
• The identity of the agency that provided the score so that an applicant may contact the agency to correct any error

 

When Might Employers Use Credit Scores in Their Hiring Process?

Most employers don’t use third-party scores. They instead order background checks and sometimes credit reports, Richards noted. But he said that in highly sensitive situations a number of companies seek credit scores from credit reporting agencies when financial assets are at risk. For example, an employer that is seeking to hire someone for a position that involves access to cash or other liquid assets might want to be particularly careful in hiring to make sure that they do not select someone who is in need of cash and might be at a greater risk of stealing. The employer in this circumstance might decide to use credit scores as part of the hiring process.

 

Steps Employers Must Take Prior to Taking Adverse Action

Under the FCRA, prior to an employer taking adverse action against an applicant or employee based wholly or partly on the information contained in a consumer report, the employer must first provide the applicant or employee with a copy of the report, along with a written description of his or her rights under the statute (including the right to request disclosure of the nature, sources and recipients of any credit report). According to the FCRA, “adverse action” includes the “denial of employment or any other decision for employment purposes that adversely affects any current or prospective employee.”

 

Whenever any adverse action is taken against an applicant or employee, either partly or wholly because of information contained in a consumer report, the employer must provide him or her with:

• Oral, written or electronic notice of the adverse action
• The name, address and phone number of the consumer reporting agency that furnished the report
• A statement that the consumer reporting agency did not make the decision to take the adverse action and is unable to explain the specific reasons behind the decision
• In addition, the applicant or employee must be notified of his or her right to dispute the accuracy of the report.

Often, small employers aren’t aware of their obligations under the FCRA, such as getting an applicant’s or employee’s consent to order a credit report, Richards said. Some employers fail to provide the appropriate “pre-adverse-action” notices to applicants, which are required in order to enable the applicant or employee to address or clear up any potentially erroneous information.

 

Richards remarked that it is “clear that employers that consider using credit scores need to be aware of their obligations.”

 

(The majority of the content for this blog article was written by Allen Smith, J.D., SHRM’s manager of workplace law content.)

 

Source:

http://blog.primepay.com/payroll-business-experts-blog/bid/64510/Important-News-for-Employers-Using-Credit-Scores-When-Hiring?source=Blog_Email_[Important+News+for+E

 

 

 

 

 

What does an employee lawsuit really cost?

Some business owners think, “it hasn’t happened to me yet,” or “it could never happen to me.”

The reality is employee lawsuits are on the rise! Labor and Employment Law is the second highest pending litigation category in the United States this year. The average cost of an employee lawsuit for a company skyrocketed by 60% in 2008. In 2009 the median employer payout due to litigation was $326,640.

While $326,640 is the average cost, about 97% of all cases are settled before trial.  Can you afford a settlement, $10,000 or $20,000 how about $100,000? Moreover, managers spend 30%-50% of their time dealing with employee conflicts. If they are not trained on risk mitigating company policies, your company could wind up in real hot water. All and all, the total cost both in money and in time can be devastating to a small business.

Did you know?

• The claim where your company will most likely pay the most: retaliation. Judges and juries are especially tough when they perceive that a supervisor got tough with an employee who filed a complaint about discrimination or other unfair treatment.
• The claim your business will pay the most for if it goes to a jury: age or disability discrimination.
• The claim your company is most likely to get hit with: sex or race discrimination. They remain the most common.
• The Department of Labor estimates that approximately 70% of employers are routinely violating wage and hour laws, and the Wage and Hour Division recovered back wages of $1.4 billion for Fiscal Years 2001 through 2008, with numbers continuing to grow in 2010 and beyond.

So what can you do to protect your business?

1. Compliance with Government Regulations: Most but not all federal laws cover companies as small as 15 employees there are few regulations that do not apply to most businesses. Companies must also comply with State and local regulations. Know employment laws that apply to your business or work with a trusted partner who can advise you.
2. Hire the Right Person: Many small business owners hire people but do not take the proper steps to ensure that the person is right for the job.  Hire Smart & Hire Right! Having a hiring process will help you find the right fit, conduct due diligence to make sure the person has a sound background and minimize the costs of turnover.
3. Properly Classifying Employees: One law that applies to almost all employers regardless of size is the Fair Labor Standards Act. It is estimated that 70% of businesses routinely violate wage and hour law under this act. Know the proper classification and have processes in place to ensure compliance.
4. Document, Document, Document: Documentation in most companies is typically an afterthought and non-existent in some. Performance issues, discipline and terminations must be supported. You could possibly face lost unemployment cases and lawsuits either lost or settled for unforeseen amounts of money which can cripple a small business. 
5. Motivate Employees: Employees value rewards, and not just monetary ones.  In today’s economy, employees are feeling under-appreciated and overworked. Employee turnover cost money, lost productivity, lost hours for managers and can be devastating to a small business.

If you do not have the right policies and procedures in place, which include a strong documentation process and management training, then you leave yourself open to the potential risk of huge financial consequences!

      Contact Complete Concepts Consulting to learn more about our unique approach to human resources compliance and management.  One call could save you from being one of the estimated 100,000 businesses expected to face employment litigation this year.

       

     Complete Concepts Consulting

     (773) 527-1337

      info@completeconceptsconsulting.com

        Sources: 

        Fulbright 7th Annual Litigation Trends Survey Report

·       HRMorning.com 

        ADRMediator.com 

        TheProactiveEmployer.com

Why is HR Important?

Melonie Boone, Co-CEO and Owner of Complete Concepts Consulting was featured on Community Central Radio Thursday, July 7, 2011 with host Ruben Ramos. During the discussion, on “Why HR is Important” for your business they touched on topics of protecting your business from the top 5 HR mistakes most commonly made as well as some of the critical policies and procedures associated with human resources. Community Central reaches more than 500,000 listeners and viewers weekly focusing on issues that are critical to the community.

Mrs. Boone’s focus was on protecting your business by deploying effective employment law compliance and human resources management initiatives.

She will next be featured live on The Ordinary People Society’s Radio with host Dr. Kenneth Glasgow, August 18, 2011.

Click play to hear the entire broadcast:

Contact Us:
http://www.completeconceptsconsulting.com/
info@CompleteConceptsConsulting.com

Hype Media Global, a SNS Productions Company
Community Central Radio
Host: Ruben Ramos
Date: July 7, 2011
http://snsproductions.org/home

Want to file a wage complaint with the US DOL…there’s an app for that!

New timesheet app for smartphones helps ensure workers receive all wages earned.

In May 2011 the U.S. Department of Labor announced the launch of its first application for smartphones, a timesheet to help employees independently track the hours they work and determine the wages they are owed.

·       Available in English and Spanish, users conveniently can track regular work hours, break time and any overtime hours for one or more employers. Glossary, contact information and materials about wage laws are easily accessible through links to the Web pages of the department's Wage and Hour Division.

·         Additionally, through the app, users will be able to add comments on any information related to their work hours; view a summary of work hours in a daily, weekly and monthly format; and email the summary of work hours and gross pay as an attachment.

·       This new technology is significant because, instead of relying on their employers' records, workers now can keep their own records. This information could prove invaluable during a Wage and Hour Division investigation when an employer has failed to maintain accurate employment records.

The free app is currently compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Labor Department will explore updates that could enable similar versions for other smartphone platforms, such as Android and BlackBerry, and other pay features not currently provided for, such as tips, commissions, bonuses, deductions, holiday pay, pay for weekends, shift differentials and pay for regular days of rest.

This is more evidence of the DOL’s aggressive commitment to enforce wage and hour law across the country.  Most notably, they are putting the power in the hands of employees and making it easier than ever to file a complaint against employers who are not compliant. A simple touch on a smartphone could send an email and notify the US DOL of possible violations.  Employers with unreliable and inaccurate timekeeping systems are at great risk. As a business owner or leader, it is more important now than ever to know the law and be in compliance.

About us:
Complete Concepts Consulting (CCC) is a full service human resources consulting agency in Chicago, Illinois specializing in employment law compliance. Human Resources professionals Melonie Boone and Yolanda Macias, co-founders, and their team have worked in the industry for many years and specialize in providing organizations with expert employment law compliance and customized human resources management solutions.

Contact Us:
http://www.completeconceptsconsulting.com/
info@CompleteConceptsConsulting.com

Sources

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/whd/whd20110686.htm

http://documents.jdsupra.com/c45c962d-6994-4510-864a-273dbf33185c.pdf

Is Your Business Protected Hits the Airways!

Hype Media Global Community Central Radio Presents: Up Close and Personal with Melonie Boone


Melonie Boone, Co-CEO and Owner of Complete Concepts Consulting will be featured in her first recurring spot on Community Central Radio. Mrs. Boone will answer questions on protecting your business by deploying effective employment law compliance and human resources management initiatives.

On Thursday, July 7, 2011, host Ruben Ramos will lead the discussion on “Why HR is Important” for your business. Together they will touch on topics of protecting your business from the top 5 HR mistakes most commonly made as well as some of the critical policies and procedures associated with human resources. Community Central reaches more than 500,000 listeners and viewers weekly focusing on issues that are critical to the community.

Melonie Boone has over 13 years of human resources experience, primarily with small to midsized businesses. She holds a Master of Jurisprudence in Business Law and Corporate Governance from Loyola University of Chicago Law School, a Master of Business Administration from Florida Metropolitan University, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources Management from Loyola University of Chicago School of Business, and a Professional in Human Resources designation from Human Capital Institute.

Her dynamic background and diverse experience with organizations across many industries lends to a proven HR methodology that successfully mitigates risk and saves money for her clients. Working along with her business partner Yolanda Macias and their team, Complete Concepts Consulting offers its clients the ability to enhance business operations by utilizing affordable compliance and comprehensive human resources solutions.

About us:
Complete Concepts Consulting (CCC) is a full service human resources consulting agency in Chicago, Illinois specializing in employment law compliance. Human Resources professionals Melonie Boone and Yolanda Macias, co-founders, and their team have worked in the industry for many years and specialize in providing organizations with expert employment law compliance and customized human resources management solutions.

Contact Us:
http://www.completeconceptsconsulting.com/
info@CompleteConceptsConsulting.com

Hype Media Global, a SNS Productions Company
Community Central Radio
Host: Ruben Ramos
Date: July 7, 2011
http://snsproductions.org/home