OCTOBER
2016
Important Update: New EEO-1 Form
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a revised EEO-1 form on September 29, 2016. This updated form now requires employers, as well as, federal contractors, with 100 or more employees to include pay data regarding their workforce. The EEOC states that this information will help various offices identify pay discrimination issues and expand upon their enforcement efforts with employers. 

Employers with 100 or more employees are now required to report employees' total W-2 earnings for a 12-month period. They must also report the number of employees whose total W-2 earnings the prior 12 months fell within the 12 pay bands. 

Employers are required to submit the pay data info on their 2017 EEO-1 forms. However, the September 30th deadline has been extended until March 31, 2018. Employers must begin assessing their existing systems to ensure access is readily available for the required information. It is also recommended that employers begin reviewing the job titles in each of the EEO-1 job categories to ensure proper classification and avoid disparities in compensation. 

Alternative HR can assist employers with EEO-1 compliance, as well as ensuring proper compensation practices are in please. Please contact us with any questions.

Guide To Using Social Media As a Recruiting Tool
Employees spend a large portion of their week at work so naturally they are going to bring with them topics of discussion from outside the workplace. With the election season among us, people are talking about the most recent debate or what the candidates have been saying. According to CareerBuilder's last survey on politics at work, 36 percent of workers admit to discussing politics at work, while 46 percent stated that they plan to discuss this year's presidential election with their co-workers at some point. 

Work place arguments over politics are hurting productivity, which in turn has a more significant impact on the company. According to a survey conducted by SHRM, more than 1 in 4 employees feel like they have been negatively affected by workplace conversations about the Clinton-Trump race. Since this election year has had such a negative tone, it has led to voters having sharper emotional states in regards to their position on who to vote for and political discussions in general.

Employers cannot prohibit political speech; however, they can implement strategies to reduce and manage it. Employers have a very fine line to walk so that they do not infringe on the employee's rights to freedom of speech. It is important for employers to manage the political discussions in the workplace because these discussions not only effect employee morale and productivity, but they can also pose as a potential liability for employers. 

Employee Handbook: This is not a contract.

Courts have recently ruled that unless it is directly stated otherwise, employee handbooks are implied contracts. From the recent court case, the determination was made that the wording, "This is not a contract." must be included in the handbook. 

The ruling came from a new appeals court ruling that determined a handbook can create a contract unless it includes a disclaimer that states the opposite.

A few key missing sentences could cost you and your company a substantial amount. When reviewing your handbook make sure that it outlines that the employee handbook is not a contract, the employer is not bound by the handbook and that the handbook is subject to change at the employer's discretion. By including those statements, the legal liability is greatly reduced.


Empathy Avoids Unconscious Bias in the Workplace

Empathy is the key to avoiding unconscious bias in the workplace. As an employer, there is more to avoiding bias than just hiring the right mix of people. In order to maximize the benefits of diversity, companies must work to build a culture where employees from all backgrounds can work together and be successful. Empathy plays a key role in breaking down the barriers between coworkers that come from different backgrounds. In order to be successful in using empathy to bridge the gaps between coworkers, employers must encourage employees to interact and reflect on how someone else feels in a particular situation. Typically, empathy is viewed from a situational point of view; however, being empathic is more about being able to relate to an emotion rather than a situation.

Mangers should encourage their subordinates to exercise cognitive empathy. Cognitive empathy is the drive to understand and recognize accurately another person's emotional state.  Managers can do this by helping employees to increase their self-awareness.


Have You Asked These Questions?  
  • Do job descriptions exist and are they up to date?
  • Are compensation levels/ plans monitored and reviewed annually?
  • Is there an Open Door Policy?
  • Does a member of management evaluate each termination before it takes place?
  • Are workplace accidents, near-misses, injuries, and illnesses reported and investigated?
  • Are personnel files and I-9s current?
  • Are employee documents kept for their required duration (application, personnel files, payroll, I-9s, etc...?)
These are just a few of the many questions/topics reviewed with our HR Audit. They are also a sample of questions that may be asked in a hearing, an HR audit, by your attorney, and/ or by an inspector (OSHA, Immigration, etc.). 

Are your employee policies, files, etc. are compliant and up-to-date with federal, state, and local regulations? Contact Alternative HR today for your customized HR Audit. 


Alternative HR
Human Resource Consulting & Outsourcing

717-855-5589
kellie@alternative-hr.com

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NOTICE: No Legal Advice Intended: The contents of this email are intended to convey general information only and not to provide legal advice or opinions. No action should be taken in reliance on the information contained on this email. An attorney should be contacted for advice on specific legal issues.