Avoiding the Top Five “Problem Employees” – Part 2

Part 1 of this series of 5 addressed “The Bad Fit”, this blog will address the #2 type of problem employee – “The Vanishing Act”, or as I like to call them “Houdini’s”.

"POOF!" goes your productivity when your employee is a "Houdini".

Houdini’s are employees that have a tendency to “disappear”.  First, they are often absent physically from their post and second, sometimes they are there in body, but not in mind.  Here are some common types of disappearing acts that you may encounter and how to combat them:

Late Arrivals and Early Departures

No, we are not talking about airline flights!  Many good employees can have a problem making it to work on time, but you first have to think if that is crucial to their position.  Sure, if you are in retail or customer service and your facility opens for customer business at a certain time, it is imperative that employees arrive in a timely fashion.  But, if the employee’s position is more task oriented and they do get all their duties done in their work week, it may not be a point of when they arrive each day.  On the other hand, an employee who is habitually late can have a negative effect on other employees who arrive for work on time. Habitual lateness is like a disease, soon many employees may exhibit tardy behavior.  The same issues occur if you have an employee who leaves early whenever they please.

So, how do you combat this issue.  Well, the first line of defense is a written attendance policy that outlines your expectations and the consequences of violations; from verbal warnings, written warnings, suspensions and possible termination are your reactions to attendance issues.  But, having it in writing is meaningless if you never act on the problems when the arise.

 The Frequent Pee-er

It is hard to believe at times we are not dealing with 2nd graders in the workplace, but there are actually adults to “hide out” in the bathroom to avoid their work – or at least that is what we think.  Standards say:  “The ability to take bathroom breaks should not be considered a privilege. Denying workers their rights to use the bathroom facilities as needed could be to the detriment of a worker’s health. Denying workers the ability to use the restroom when they need to, or with unfair delays or obstacles, is a violation of workers’ rights and an affront to dignity”.  There is not a federal law that specifically applies to the number and duration of bathroom breaks. However, there are Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations which require employers to provide adequate bathroom facilities, and prevent employers from imposing “unreasonable restrictions” on bathroom use. The intent of these regulations is that employees are able to use bathroom facilities promptly, recognizing that the frequency of bathroom visits necessary may vary among employees, depending on factors such as the temperature, medical conditions and the effects of medication, and fluid intake.

Always, your first defense from abuse is to have a policy, even if it is just a “check-in, check-out” system where an employee has to notify their supervisor when they leave their post or indicate their absence on a department board.  When it comes to addressing  the issue of excessive bathroom breaks, don’t address the frequency or length of time issue, but address the performance issues created from frequent absences from their post.  If necessary, go through the progressive discipline procedures purely based on performance.

Internet Pirate and Social Butterfly

With so many businesses relying on internet access to conduct their day-to-day business, the rise of computer abuse is being felt more and more by employers.  You walk past a department and everyone is at their desk, appearing to work.  But, when you look closer, employees are shopping on the internet, IMing, sending personal e-mails, tweeting or updating their status.  It is hard to believe that the employees don’t understand that what they are really doing is stealing from you – I know that sounds harsh, but in essence, it is what it is.

A way to combat this issue is, yeah, you guessed it – a policy!  It is very important that if your business is computer based you have a “Computer, IT and Internet Usage Policy” that outlines what is and is not allowed when it comes to the use of your systems and equipment.  If you notice that certain sites are being abused (YouTube, Facebook, etc.), you can actually install a program that will block the use of those sites from your system.  For anywhere from $400 to $1000, you may gain that money back in increased productivity if Sally can no longer upload her puppy pictures on her MySpace page.  But, as mentioned previously, it is important to address policy violations and performance issues with your employees and follow the path of progressive discipline of handling violators.  Also doesn’t hurt to have a phone usage policy if you should notice abuse of taking or making personal phone calls at work.

So, if you should have a couple of Houdini’s in your midst, it isn’t too late to correct the issues at hand.  It may be time to revise and update your employee guidebooks with necessary policies to curb and stop abuse.  Have a meeting to go over important points of your policies and then start practicing progressive discipline when it comes to addressing the performance issues that occur from “vanishing acts”.

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

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Avoiding the Top Five “Problem Employees” – Part 1

Once you begin adding to your organization to help you with your day-to-day business, you may find yourself with one (or two) of the more common “problem employees”.  It’s almost inevitable, I mean, you are hiring humans and none two are alike, personalities and emotions are unpredictable, and frankly, some days you are not the best human you can be.

So, what are the most common types of problem employees and how can you prevent them from infecting your workforce?  Well, the next series of blogs will address the top five types of problem employees and some tips on avoiding them.

Part 1:  The Bad Fit

"Mr. Square, we don't believe you are a good fit for our company."

Sometimes, you hire out of urgency, frustration or frankly…stupidity.  No, this isn’t a “dig” at you, but it is impossible to be an expert in your business and then an expert in activities that support it – like recruiting and HR.  So, how do you  avoid hiring the wrong person for the right reason or the right person for the wrong reason?  Well, here are a few tips:

1. Lay Out Your Expectations:  Make sure the ad you post is clear on what you are looking for, truthful about the job duties and straightforward about the compensation and benefit package.
2. Screen Resumes:  I know, it is time-consuming and a bit boring, but you need to screen your applications/resumes before you can even begin to consider who to interview.  Make sure you only take the next step on those candidates that meet your requirements.
3. Interview TWICE:  It is advisable to do one of two things for a candidate (especially one in management), either interview them twice or have another person in your organization interview them as well.  You would be surprised how first impressions can change between meetings or between interviewers.
4. Test:  When hiring a crucial team member, it is advisable to have the candidate complete some type of profile testing.  Doing this correctly can really minimize the chance of hiring a bad fit.  Also, if you are hiring someone for a technical position, consider some type of competency or skill testing.
5. Check:  No, don’t write a check…but perform ALL of the following when necessary:
• Reference Check:  This one task is one of the most neglected aspects of the hiring process.  Many employers take information for granted when it comes to places a candidate worked, the tasks they performed, the pay scale they earned or even the degrees they achieved.  falsifying resume’s is on the rise and one way to combat this practice is to verify the information on it.  But, make sure to have a candidate sign an authorization allowing you to check their references and indicate if contacting their current employer (if applicable) is okay.
• Background Check: Especially if the employee will be in charge of other employees, finances or trusted with your trade secrets.  It is best to know if they have any criminal record, especially for violence or theft.
• NSOR (National Sexual Offender Registry):  VERY important if your new employee will be dealing with children, the disabled or elderly.  Most background check services include this with their normal screening.  Also, if your company is within 100 yards of a school, your local government may require you to perform these checks as well.
• MVR (Motor Vehicle Record):  If your new employee will be driving a company vehicle, issued a company car or driving their own vehicle for the position, your insurance carrier may require that you run this report on your new employees.  Some larger insurance agencies may actually run this for you at no additional charge.
• Credit Check:  New laws only allow you to run a credit report on employees that will be hired for a financial position (handling cash, your corporate checkbook, bank accounts, etc.).  If you have an employee that has been out of work for sometime due to the economy, you may find a rash of late pays on their file – don’t take this that they are a bad candidate, but someone who is a victim of the times and will be eager to work for you.  What to look for on the report will be foreclosures, write-off’s as bad debt, bankruptcies and collection activities that appear to be a pattern of financial disregard.
6. Fire:  When you fail to do the above or you just hired the best actor (and worst employee), it is time to let them go.  Letting an employee go before 30 days of employment will usually prevent your company from shouldering an unemployment claim.  Many states are “at-will”, so this means that at anytime, you can go to your employee and advise them that their services are no longer needed.  You are not required to warn them or work with them to make the situation better, you can just simply say “It’s not working out” or “It’s just a bad fit”.  If they have been with you over 30 days, the employee will most likely qualify for unemployment benefits, so hiring right or recognizing a hiring error early is the key.

Hiring a bad fit can also be averted by using a professional recruiting firm to help you.  They will usually have the knowledge and tools to help you develop a great ad, screen through the resumes, check, verify and test candidates and narrow down your interview pool to two or three prime candidates qualified and eager to help you and your business succeed.

The next blog in the series will address “The Vanishing Act”, addressing employees absent from work; physically, mentally and/or emotionally.

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations of PANTHEOS

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But, I Didn’t READ It!

They not only need to be issued, but they need to be "acknowledged"!

Being in HR, processing terminations and administering unemployment claims, I have often heard the excuse “But, I didn’t read it” when an employee is terminated for violating a policy clearly outlined in the Employee Guidebook.  You would (or maybe wouldn’t) be surprised by how many employees sign acknowledgement forms in an employee guidebook/handbook and NEVER even cracked it open!

Employers should know the importance of having an employee guidebook, I mean, the main purpose of one is right in the title, “guide”.  Not only will an employee guidebook (manual, handbook, etc.) guide your employees, but it also helps you and your business.  It’s in black and white (unless you spring for color printing) and provides a clear path for you to follow so you can enforce policies more consistently, which makes you a better boss and business owner.  But, if the guidebook is not presented properly, it could lead to headaches later!

Guidebooks should be issued as part of the new hire process, which allows both you and your new employee(s) to start on the right foot.  But a mistake that MANY employers make is to not give enough time for an employee to READ it.  Some enclose some type of form that the employee signs in which they acknowledge receiving the guidebook, but that does little good when you want an employee to actually follow the rules, policies and procedures that you took many hours to develop and fine-tune.  Plus, an “employee receipt” of a guidebook is not a true acknowledgment.  Therefore, there needs to be two (2) important sign-off’s in EVERY guidebook you issue.

At-Will Statement

This is NOT the guidebook acknowledgement, but happens to be the more important of the two acknowledgements you should get from every employee.  A majority of the states are “At-Will”  (43, to be exact), and this law allows either an employer or employee to severe the employment relationship without liability (provided that there was not an employment contract in place or discrimination laws violated).  That means an employer can go up to an employee and terminate their employment, no excuse or reason given.  The same on the other hand, and employee can quit/resign their position and give no reason as to why they are doing so.  If you do not have an “At-Will” statement or acknowledgement as part of you employment application, then you should either have it as a separate document or as part of your employee guidebook.  A properly declared “At-Will” statement should include the following points:

• The (your) company does not offer guaranteed employment
• An At-Will employment relationship exists regardless of any other written statements or policies contained in an Employee Guidebook, company documents or any other verbal statement to the contrary
• The company may elect to follow the progressive discipline or termination procedures, but is in no way obligated to do so and is at the sole discretion of the company
• No one except the company President/CEO (you) can enter into any kind of employment relationship or agreement and such agreement must be notarized
• The company has the right to terminate, discipline, transfer or demote an employee at any time, with or without reason and at the company’s discretion

Even if you do have your At-Will statement as part of your application or as a separate document, MAKE SURE to repeat it in your Employee Guidebook!

Guidebook/Handbook Acknowledgment

This form, usually located at the very end of a guidebook, is critical if you wish you and your employees to start out on the same page.  It is even recommended that you have two copies of the form in the guidebook and have the issuing supervisor/manager counter-sign the form when the employee signs it.  This allows one copy to go into the employee’s personnel file, but also to have a fully executed copy for the employee (a little reminder that they did sign off on it).   The acknowledgement provides two very important benefits; 1) It will prevent employees from arguing that they didn’t know a policy existed and 2) it trumps any other agreements that may have been made verbally or may be implied.    A guidebook acknowledgment should contain these important points:

• Employee acknowledges receipt of the Guidebook
• Employee understands that the Guidebook contains important information about your company
• Employee understands that they expected to read the guidebook, familiarize themselves with its contents and policies as it applies to their employment
• Employee understands that NOTHING within the guidebook constitutes a contract or promise of continued employment
• Employee understand that the guidebook can be changed at any time by the company
• Employee understands that their employment is At-Will (yes….state it again!)

Get on the same page by going through your guidebook with your employees.

If any changes are made to your guidebook, make sure to have the employees sign an acknowledgement form recognizing the new policy and how it will replace the one contained in the guidebook that had previously been enforced.

Do you want greater success with the implementation, recognition and enforcement of your employee guidebook?  Have your HR department or representative GO THROUGH the guidebook with your employees so that each policy can be explained and questions can be answered and issues clarified BEFORE they can become problems and you have to practice your “At-Will” statement.

And just so you know…if an employee states “But, I didn’t read/know/understand it” when they are terminated for a policy violation…it’s not a defense or argument in court or with the unemployment agencies when the employee’s signature is present on the acknowledgement form!

 

 

 

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations of PANTHEOS

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Dictating Off-the-Clock Behavior

What people do outside of work, as long as it is a legal activity, may not be used to reprimand or terminate an employee.

As everyone should know, discrimination based on age, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability and sexual orientation in the workplace will land business owners in court faster than they can spell “discriminate”.  But, what many businesses don’t know, is that MANY states (30 and counting) have laws protecting employees from discrimination of their lifestyles.

Some of the discriminatory actions are based on the need to control health care and other benefit expenses, but some are driven by morality or religious thoughts and perspectives.  One of the more controversial lifestyle dictations are companies who ban smoking on and off the clock.  For the 20 states that don’t have any form of lifestyle discrimination law, an employee can be fired for smoking a cigarette, in their own house on a weekend.  Do employers really do that?  Well, yes, they do.  There are also stories about private employers firing employees who drink alcohol or go to gambling boats, both legal acts that the employees engaged in during their personal time.

Most of us know of rules like no alcohol, no smoking and no visible tattoos while at work….but an employer better check their state statutes before they even try enforcing such rules on employees while they are on their own time.

Ohio is one state that is very employER friendly.  They allow a business to fire an employee for their off-work behavior or habits.  So, if the company you work for states you can not eat fast food and you are seen in a drive-thru, they can fire you.  I know that seems extreme, but Ohio companies are using the lack of lifestyle laws to terminate smokers and drinkers to help keep a “healthier” workforce and keep their health care expenses under control.

Non-profit and other organizations that focus on a particular mission, may be inclined to recruit and retain employees who “fit in” to the organization’s culture and behave in a manner that supports its goals.  But these employer interests are in conflict with an employee’s reasonable expectation that what legal activities he does on his own time is his own business.  Right now, laws in most states only allow religious agencies to make hiring and firing decisions based on a candidate/employee’s religion.  Though, in California, non-profit religious organizations can discriminate based on “any” characteristic because they are not subject to state discrimination laws.

So, before you think about adding “lifeystyle prohibitive” policy to your guidebook, you better have your HR department check to see if it’s legal in your state!

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations of PANTHEOS

Website Sources:  EEOC, State of California DFEH, IL Department of Human Rights and Ohio Civil Rights Commission

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Oh, the HORROR! I’ve Overpaid an Employee!

I overpaid them HOW MUCH?

It can happen; a mistype in the hourly rate, a miskey of hours worked, a miscalculation of a commission – however it happened, you just discovered that an employee was overpaid….so, now what do you do?

I wish this blog was inspired by me receiving a little extra in my check, but it actually comes from a PANTHEOS client that found that the wrong hourly wage was given for an employee.  Now, how you handle this dilemma will depend on the state in which you employed the worker.  But, for this article, we will be talking about the overpayments occurring in Illinois.

First, an employer needs to find out how the error occurred.  If it is found to be malicious (doctoring time slips, payroll producer paying themself too much, etc.) then you have a whole different ball of wax!  But, if the overpayment was just a little error of a miskey/mistype/misreport, a simple payroll deduction/adjustment may be all you need to “right the wrong”.

A number of states that ordinarily require employers to obtain an employee’s signed authorization prior to making most deductions from the employee’s paycheck nevertheless allow employers to make deductions to correct payroll errors without a signed authorization, because such a deduction is considered to be from an “advance” rather than from “wages” actually earned by the employee.

In Illinois, a deduction to correct an overpayment can be made without a prior written authorization only if the employee agrees and the overpayment is discovered early enough so that it can be made from the employee’s first regular payday after the payday on which the overpayment occurred. If the overpayment is not discovered until one or more paydays have passed, the employer and employee must agree in writing on a repayment schedule, and each deduction in the repayment schedule cannot exceed 15 % of the employee’s gross wages per paycheck.

If the employer and employee cannot agree on a repayment schedule, then the employer may pay only the amount it concedes is due to the employee, provided the employer reports the amount being withheld to the Illinois Department of Labor and states the reason why the payment is being withheld. The Department of Labor will then conduct an investigation to determine what wages are due.

Another solution that does not entail a monetary deduction from an employee’s check is to deduct the “overpayment” from an employee’s accrued vacation or personal time.  Here are some examples on how this would work:

1. An employee is accidentally paid two extra hours, you can deduct those two hours from their PTO balance with their authorization.
2. An employee is accidentally overpaid $200 in commissions and receives a base pay of $20.00 per hour.  $200/$20 = 10 hours that can be deducted from their accrued time balance with their authorization.

So, everything is going along with a repayment schedule authorized by the employee….and the employee quits!  Now what?  Well, unfortunately, an outstanding repayment agreement does not authorize an employer to deduct the balance from a final check.  That is, unless the employee agrees to it.  So, if an employee leaves you with a big balance (or any other type of unpaid reimbursement), I suggest you get your documents in order and I’ll see you on Judge Mathis or People’s Court – because a small claims action is the only way you can recoup your money.  You can not, stress – CAN NOT, withhold or make unauthorized deductions from an employee’s final check.

Errors occur and accidents happen, but one way to avoid or reduce employee overpayments is look over your payroll reports every run to make sure that everyone is paid correctly!

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations of PANTHEOS

Resources:  The Illinois Department of Labor

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Celebrate good times, come on!

A few of you are probably having wedding reception flashbacks right now, but this blog post isn’t about that kind of party – it’s about employee recognition!

Employees not only want good pay and benefits for a job well done, they would also like to feel valued and appreciated for the work they do and the milestones they accomplish.  It has even been stated that some work recognition programs help with talent attraction (recruiting) and with employee retention.  But, recognition, if anything, is a morale booster!

What kind of recognition programs are there?  Well, there are several types:

• Employee Birthdays
• Employee Anniversaries
• Personal Goal Achievements
• Department/Team Goal Achievements
• Company Achievements
• Company Milestones

Now, I could probably write PAGES on developing a good recognition program, but blogs are meant to be juicy little tastes of subject matter to incite interest and conversation…so, I won’t blabber on.  But, here are a few things you should consider about your current (or future) recognition program:

Make sure to include EVERYBODY!  Make sure that everyone from your Vice President to your newest line worker is included in any program that you offer.  Whether you decide to celebrate birthdays on their actual birth day or do a monthly party (just because it didn’t work on “The Office” doesn’t mean it won’t work in your office), make sure that everyone is recognized.  If you launching a huge sales initiative that includes recognition to your sales and marketing team, don’t forget about your staff that actually backs up that sale with the product/service.

Be sincere.  Even the best recognition program will fall to pieces and lose its potential to increase employee morale if you are not sincere in your gesture.  “Token” acknowledgements leave something to be desired.

It has to MEAN something!  If you are handing out certificates and other forms of recognition left and right, then they begin to lose their meaning.  Make sure to develop an award system that goes with the accomplishment.  If you hand out a logo’d t-shirt when someone has an anniversary but only distribute a laser-printed certificate when someone reaches a large sales milestone…it looks like there was a lack of thought to the caliber of award vs. the accomplishment.

Say it loud, say it proud!  Leaving a card and box gift on someone’s desk is no way to distribute recognition.  Present them in front of the department/team/company.  This allows co-workers to participate in the recognition of achievement or milestone as well as reinforcing to them how their good work and service will be awarded.

Random acts of recognition.  As much as people look forward to a slice of birthday cake or a company jacket when quotas are exceeded, look for opportunities to present awards or prizes when they are least expected (but earned).  As an example,  a piece of your automation hardware went down and required your employees to process jobs by hand that are normally only a push-button away, some even stayed late to make sure the products got out on time.  The next day, bring that team in a box of bagels and some juice and thank them for pulling together as a team to get the job done!

Acknowledging achievements is a small way to reap the big benefits of improved employee morale.  Whether you choose a potluck lunch, summer picnic, logo’d baseball jerseys, engraved plaques or even a pat on the back with a heartfelt “thank you”, letting your employees know that they are appreciated is sure-fire way to improve your business.

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS, recently recognized for celebrating five (5) years of service with PANTHEOS. 

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Waking up in Vegas..or Orlando…or Wisconsin Dells

…no matter where you are going to wake up, YOU NEED A VACATION!

As I get ready to cram five days of work into three days (yes…I’m going on vacation), it made me think about how the business owners and/or managers need to realize how important vacations really are FOR THEM.  Now, I’m not just saying this as I jockey the remainder of the summer schedule and pepper them with a few three-day camping weekends here and there, but I realize how none of my bosses have taken time away yet this Spring/Summer and their names aren’t on the company calendar. 

Well, I know that part of it is due to the new PANTHEOS Advantage program we are trying to get launched as well as an office move from the 2nd floor the 3rd floor of our building is anticipated for the middle of July.  But, EVERYONE needs their batteries recharged…so why is it that many business owners and entrepreneurs don’t go on vacations?

A few studys I have read this morning from sites such as Inc.com and Entrepreneur.com note reasons such as:

• “I’m too busy”
• “The office can’t survive without me”
• “The kids are too busy with their activities”
• “My spouse can’t get time off from their job”
• “We can’t afford it”

Now, all of the above seem like credible reasons….but they are really just lame excuses!  Recent studies show that vacations actually HELP your health.  Many wellness sites list statistics that vacationers actually live LONGER than those that don’t take time away from work to relax.  Some are even staggering, such as the following from Zeoscent.com:

• 32% of male vacationers are less likely to develop heart disease
• female vacationers are at 53% less heart attack risk
• non-vacationers are 8 times more like to die young
• non-vacationers 2 to 3 times more like to develop depression

What does that mean…VACATIONS HELP YOUR HEALTH!!!  And frankly, just as much as you need a break from the office…the office needs a break from YOU!

Here are some tips for taking that much-needed break:

1. Plan It!  Sit down with your family with a calendar and find the time!  Even if it’s a few long weekends here and there, you need time away from your daily activities to rest and relax as a family (and even plan a few couple-only trips!)
2. Make It Known!  Put it on the calendar at work, make sure no projects or meetings are scheduled for that time.  Put your staff and clients on notice that during that time, you will be on VACATION.  Also make sure to put the message on your Out-of-Office-Assistant on your Outlook and all your greetings on your phone/cell.
3. DO NOT give out your cell number!  Yep, DO NOT leave it in our outgoing messages or tell it to your customers.  You give your number to ONE trusted employee who will screen your messages and only contact you when it is extremely necessary (make sure to give them examples of when to call you).
4. Go Off Grid!  Resist the temptation to remain plugged into the office via cell/pad/laptop by going someone where contact with the outside world is minimum (cruises are great for this).
5. Set An Example!  Let your employees know it is okay to take time away from the office and NOT check in all the time.  It’s really not a vacation if you call them every hour or they call you.

Vacations are good for you, good for your family and even good for your employees!

The key to any successful vacation is planning.  Not only planning on where you go or what you will do, but planning to be away from the office where it doesn’t invade your every thought or strike paranoia about what is happening without you there.  But, also realize, it may take a trip of or two to actually master the ability to disconnect.  If necessary, take a few long weekends to work yourself up to the 10 day cruise around the Mediterranean!

 

 

 

 

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

Sources and Inspiration:  Inc.com, Entrepreneur.com, Zoescent.com and my upcoming vacation when I will be away from the office without access to voicemail or e-mail messages.  If you have an immediate need, please call (877) 693-9700 and ask to be transferred to another PANTHEOS team-member that can assist you.  < see, a great example of a vacation notification message! >

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The Heat Is On!

Today, in Chicago, we will be experiencing the hottest day in over five years.  For any of our readers and followers in the southern states, hearing us Midwesterners complain of a 95 degree day probably makes you want to send us a box of diapers and a binky!

But days like this end up inflaming the biggest office battles of them all – “THE BATTLE OF THE THERMOSTAT”.  We have that issue all year round…in the winter its jacking the heat up and down, in the summer it’s turning the air off and on.  Our problem is made worse by the fact that we work in a glass building with our windows facing the southeast – this makes lunch time real toasty here!  Depending on the temp and humidity, we will actually have condensation dripping down the inside of our openLESS windows!

So, how to win the war of the thermostat??  With rising fuel costs, business owners want to keep their staff comfortable, but keep their budget in tact.

OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Act) does not dictate the temperature of a work environment, but it does state that a workplace must be free of hazards.  A hazard is considered anything that could cause death or serious harm to an employee.  So, your office being a few degrees too hot or cold wouldn’t even register on their radar.  But, OSHA publications do state that “ideal office temperatures should be maintained between 68 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit”.  Some workplaces may actually have issue is with their air quality, not temperature.  One big feature of air quality is the humidity level, OSHA recommendations for air quality include a level of humidity between 20 and 60 percent, where more of the concern lies with higher humidity levels that can effect and impair workers ability to breathe.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has a standard called “Thermal Environment Conditions for Human Occupancy” that publishes guidelines for office environments “that will produce thermal comfort conditions acceptable to 80% or more of the occupants within a space”.  Those specifications state:

• Winter temperatures between 68 to 74°F
• Summer temperatures between 73 to 79°F
• Relative humidity between 30 and 60%

In general, people are very sensitive to temperature changes – some being able to detect just a degree difference.  So here are a few suggestions to help your employees control the environment within their work area:

1. Provide or allow portable fans and/or heaters
2. Close blinds during the warmer parts of the day in the summer while leaving them open during that time during the winter – consider thermal drapes to control tempature loss
3. Recommend and provide frequent water breaks during hot and high humidity days
4. Relocate workers to other parts of the workplace not effected by extreme temperatures
5. Change work hours to either before or after the hours that are greatly effected by daily temperature changes
6. Set the thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature during peak times – letting your office get too cold or hot causes your HVAC system to work harder and also leads to periods of worker discomfort
7. Allow lighter/casual dress during the hotter months of the year
8. Provide logo’d fleece wear for your staff to be worn during colder months
9. Switch off anything you are not using
10. OBSERVE! If you notice your workers experiencing any symptoms of heat exhaustion or cold exposure – ACT FAST!

Good luck to you all this summer and stay cool!  I am going to look for my PANTHEOS fleece to throw over my shoulders because the air conditioner seems to be working overtime today!

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

Sources:  OSHA and ASHRAE guidelines and standards

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Filling The Jobs That No One Wants

You have just re-listed that open position for the fourth time on CareerBuilder, but all you keep getting are resumes from people are just using your company contact info for their unemployment claims.  It may be time to face it, you may have a job that no one wants.

There is actually a list of jobs that are almost impossible to fill, 25 to be exact and some of these jobs can pay handsomely:

1. Crab Fisherman ($50,000 for eight week voyage)
2. Gastroenterologist ($260,000)
3. Podiatrist ($150,000)
4. Accountant ($40,000 start to $200,000+ with experience)
5. Commissioned Salesperson ($100,000 average)
6. IT Employee ($104,000 average)
7. Roughneck ($40,000 start to $100,000+ as Supervisor)
8. Crop Duster ($80,000 average)
9. Iraq Private Security Contractor (up to $10,000 per month)
10. Trash Collector ($35,000 start to $80,000 average)
11. Truck Driver ($44,000 start to $85,000 with experience and good safety/driving record)
12. Crime Scene Cleaner ($51,000 average)
13. Sewer Inspector ($35,000 starting to $61,000 with experience)
14. Soldier ($10,000 sign-on and up to $70,000 waiting at time of discharge)
15. Construction Worker ($50,000 average start)
16. Toll Booth Collector ($45,000 average)
17. Highway Patrol Worker ($43,000 average with room for advancement)
18. Plumber ($41,000 for journeyman/starting)
19. Hazmat Worker ($40,000 average, more in populated/metro areas)
20. Sports Agent  ($400 an hour for consulting, 3-5% of salary of player)
21. Unionized Deli Worker ($40,000 average)
22. Embalmer ($35,000 average)
23. Dog Walker ($50 per hour for reputable walker)
24. Lab Rat/Test Subject ($3,000 or more per month)
25. Proctologist ($226,000 average)

So, if you are looking for one of the above, it may be awhile before a candidate walks through your door.  But, what if you are just trying to hire a secretary and either no one is knocking on your door or who ever you hire leaves within a few weeks – what can you do to increase your odds of hiring a great new employee for what might not be so great of a position?

Be Honest.  Yep, it can be brutal, but you can’t build up the job for something it’s not, that only leads to the revolving door of employees.  Provide realistic job expectations in the job description and make sure to address the details that people might find unappealing.  Heck, you might even consider offering some type of “combat pay” for those less desirable tasks when they are performed, this will assure they will get done and give the worker a different perspective about doing that task.

Praise the Perks.  The position you have has a o’dark-thirty start time, which is usually a huge turn-off for many people.  So, mention how this allows them beat rush-hour or run errands in the afternoon when everyone else is still at work.  Show the brighter side of any task that may be a hurdle.

Revamp.  Okay, so this one position seems to hold a ton of day-to-day duties that when lumped together make even the most perky of people run for the hills…why must it?  Maybe it’s time to see if the duties of this position can be divided among other positions within your organization.  We all have that one (or two) tasks we do as part of our job that we don’t like, but since we only do it for a fraction of our time..it’s really not that bad.  Try revamping the position and adding some exciting tasks while taking out a few of hum-drums, you might find the perfect candidate for that job – and one that will stay!

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

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Should My Company Offer Bereavement Pay?

It’s a very delicate subject.  But, how does your company handle the situation when an employee suffers a death in the family?  Statistics show that about 90% of companies offer some type of bereavement pay.  The same stats show that the average policy is three (3) days for immediate family and one (1) day for extended.  Does your company have a written bereavement policy or is it more “case by case”?

Since I started at PANTHEOS in 2006, I have had more than my share of deaths in my family; my grandmother, two aunts, two uncles, my step-father and my father.  Some were sudden, where others were at the end of illnesses in which there was no hope.  My father was ill for a very long time and the past two years of his life were filled with many close calls.  I have to say, my bosses at PANTHEOS were so great through all these crises’ and I was able to utilize my PTO time when needed and was granted full bereavement pay when necessary.  I don’t know if I could have been any use to my family or been able to keep my own head straight if I had to worry about my job.  But…I am one of the lucky ones.

I was reading through a few of my on-line resources this morning and came across a posting in a blog called “Evil HR Lady” in which there was a posting about this subject.  Many people chimed in about experiences they had through their careers and their need for time off to deal with death and dying in their family circles.  One person even wrote about standing at her father’s funeral and her boss paying his respects but followed it up with how the work was piling up on her desk during budget time.  Was this her bosses’ inept way of dealing with the awkwardness felt when attending a funeral, or was this his real feelings about the matter?  Sad, isn’t it?

The matter of the fact is, bereavement pay is not a mandatory or a legally required offering.  Depending on your company size, FMLA may come into play depending on the circumstances, but allowing your employees either paid or non-paid leave to deal with a family loss is optional.  I’m not saying that there may not be an employee (or two) out there that always happens to have dying grandmother right around big summer weekends, but on the average, people don’t like lying about death (you know, the “karma” thing).  So, having a bereavement policy is the right thing to have.

If you offer paid leave characterized as “bereavement pay”, your policy should indicate the number of days allowed.  As mentioned before, most policies state three (3) days for immediate family (parents, siblings, grandparents, spouse, child) and one (1) day for everyone else.  The policy should also allow an employee to use up banked personal or vacation time if needed to deal with aftermath tasks.  And…allowing up to six (6) weeks of non-paid leave for an employee who suddenly loses their spouse or a child is also not uncommon.

The other thing to keep in mind in the development and enforcement of a bereavement policy is that is must be applied fair and equitably to all your employees.  If you allow one employee two weeks non-paid leave to deal with a death of a parent, you must be willing to do the same for all your employees in the same situation.

Think of yourself, as well, when putting your policy together.  How long do you think it would be before you could return to work if your teenager should suddenly pass?  I know…it’s a horrible thing to bring up, but it is the cruel harsh reality today.  No one, no law, says any time off granted must be paid time….but a bereavement policy may be written more by your heart…than your head.

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Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

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