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Remote Work's Impact on Employees' Mental Well-Being

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 11:50:32 GMT

Despite many organizations’ push to get everyone back to brick and mortar through return-to-office orders, remote work is still going strong.

In fact, according to the State of Remote Work 2022 report , 78% of employees preferred a remote or hybrid work arrangement , and 52% were willing to take a pay cut for the option to work remotely.

Among those already working in a remote or hybrid setup, if the ability to work from home (WFH) was taken away, 66% would immediately start looking for a job that offered flexibility, and 39% would simply quit.

But is remote work as effective and sustainable as we think it is? Some studies show it isn’t.

Is Working from Home Bad for Mental Health?

Well, it depends.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the global workforce and accelerated the widespread adoption of remote work, employees and employers have found themselves navigating a new paradigm in professional engagement.

The steady shift from traditional office settings to decentralized home offices has introduced many opportunities and challenges. Here are some of them:

Remote Work & Mental Health: The Pros

Work-Life Balance. The State of Remote Work 2023 reveals that 45% of employees find it easier to create work-life boundaries when working remotely. By allowing for greater flexibility in work hours, individuals can better balance professional and personal commitments.

Flexibility. When survey participants were asked what the biggest benefit of the work-from-anywhere arrangement was, “Flexibility in how I spend my time” (unsurprisingly) remains the top answer. Without the constraints and limitations of a physical office, workers can arrange their daily schedules to best suit their individual preferences and needs.

Productivity. Many employees admit to being more productive when away from office distractions and interruptions. A survey by Microsoft found that 87% of employees found themselves more productive when they were able to work remotely at least some of the time.

Cost and Time Savings. According to a survey by Global Workplace Analytics , employees save the following every year by working at home half the time:
Between $600 and $6,000 in expenses
Equivalent to 11 working days in time otherwise spent commuting

Remote Work & Mental Health: The Cons

Isolation and Loneliness. According to the State of Remote Work 2023 report , 23% of remote workers struggle with loneliness due to the lack of in-person social interactions with colleagues. The 2023 Workforce Special Report shows that 73% of middle market executives’ workers felt isolated.

Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. Multiple studies worldwide found that remote workers experienced poorer sleep quality, had more issues with relaxation, felt more significant irritability, and experienced more tension than their in-office counterparts. This suggests that as an effect of the pandemic-accelerated shift to the work-from-home setup, depression, stress, and anxiety prevalence have increased.

Communication Challenges. “In addition to the technological challenges, communication in remote and hybrid teams can be complicated by the fact that some people are more comfortable speaking up over screens than others,” said Dr. Martine Haas , Lauder Chair Professor of Management at the Wharton School. “And that’s in addition to the power, status, and language differences that already create barriers to communication in work settings.”

Blurred Boundaries. The State of Remote Work 2023 reveals that 22% of remote workers struggle with not being able to unplug from their work. Difficulty in establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life can result in overworking and burnout.

Working from Home: Mental Health Tips for Your Team

While the work-from-anywhere arrangement sounds like the ultimate solution to workforce flexibility and convenience, it comes with its own set of challenges. If you want your organization to experience the full benefits of remote work, you must prioritize your team’s mental health.

Here are a few ways you and your remote employees can take care of their mental health from the adverse effects of work-from-home life:

Establish a Routine

The United Kingdom National Health Service strongly recommends setting consistent work hours and establishing a daily routine to create a clear boundary between work and personal time.

Wake up at the same time every day.
Get out of your pajamas.
Eat breakfast.
Use what would have been your commute time to exercise, read, or listen to music.
Work the same number of hours that you would if you were in the office.
When the workday ends, shut down your computer and stop checking emails.
Focus on your home life.
At the end of the day, go to sleep at your usual time.

Setting a steady schedule and sticking to it helps you maintain a healthy work-life balance and avoid blurred boundaries, which can result in stress, overworking, and burnout.

Create a Dedicated Workspace

Designate a specific and comfortable area for work to enhance focus and reinforce your work-life boundaries. According to tech news and job platform Built In , a home office makes it easier to mimic walking into an office where you must leave personal matters behind and focus on work tasks.

In her book Working from Home: Making the New Normal Work for You , internationally recognized thought leader Karen Mangia advocates for work-life segmentation through a dedicated workspace, even if you don’t have a dedicated office.

“When you’re working from home, [work is] always there. Always available. It’s unhealthy if you’re always peering into your work pantry,” Karen writes. “When work is always on and always available, it’s vital that you create some healthy segmentation.”

Take a Break from Work

Schedule short breaks throughout the day to stretch, move away from your desk, and refresh your mind. This helps prevent burnout and maintains productivity.

Unfortunately, browsing the internet or managing personal items on your computer doesn’t count. According to collaboration software company Lucidchart , not every type of break is productive. When it comes to working remotely, it’s important that you’re flexible about the kind of breaks you need throughout your day.

Lucidchart recommends doing the following activities during your work-from-home breaks instead—just make sure you step away from your desk while you do them:

Exercise
Meditate
Talk to a friend
Explore productivity hacks
Do something you enjoy

Also, remember to use your time-off benefits. Just because you don’t travel to the office daily doesn’t mean you don’t need a vacation now and then.

Stay Connected

Even if you’ve already set a work-from-home routine, getting actual human interaction is vital to your well-being. Here are a few ways you can do that:

If you’re updating a colleague about a project, try scheduling a video call or picking up the phone instead of emailing.
Schedule regular virtual catch-up meetings with your teammates.
If you have colleagues living in the same city, consider organizing a coworking session at a local cafe.
Look into doing virtual team-building activities with fellow WFH employees.

Actively engaging and maintaining social connections are crucial to combating feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Prioritize Self-Care

Self-care is the intentional actions and practices individuals undertake to preserve or improve their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It involves recognizing one's needs and taking steps to address them in a positive and nurturing way.

If you or your team work from home, make time for activities you enjoy, practice mindfulness, and ensure a healthy work-life balance. The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health recommends the following ways to practice self-care:

Get regular exercise.
Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated.
Make sure you get enough sleep.
Make time for relaxing activities like meditation and journaling.
Set goals and priorities.
Remind yourself daily of things you’re grateful for.
Focus on positivity.
Reach out to friends or family who can offer support.

By helping you manage stress, lowering your risk of illness, and increasing your energy, self-care proves to be essential to achieving long-term success in remote work.

Make Remote Work Really Work for Your Team With Nexus HR

Remote work is a growing reality for organizations all over the world—and it looks like it isn’t going away anytime soon.

However, remote work isn't a plug-and-play solution. It requires careful planning, clear communication, and proactive strategies to ensure work effectiveness and employee well-being. As a company leader who oversees various teams and projects, you may not have the time, energy, or brain space to get these done—unless you have a tried-and-tested HR solutions company that can help you!

Whether you need HR specialists to handle admin paperwork, a team to manage your company payroll , or Certified QuickBooks Proadvisors to take care of your finances, Nexus HR has what you need!

By partnering with an established HR solutions company, you can leave the busy work to us and focus on what really matters—growing your business while caring for your staff.

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: HR Best Practices

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 12:34:25 GMT

As we stand at the brink of 2024, organizations find themselves at an ideal vantage point—one that allows them to look back and reflect on their diversity and inclusion efforts the past year but also to look forward and gear up for what lies ahead.

This pivotal juncture is a call to action. Now more than ever, your company can examine current practices, celebrate achievements, and revisit your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

It’s the perfect time to recalibrate strategies to ensure that your workplace sees DEI as more than trendy buzzwords or a checklist of policies but an integral aspect of your corporate ethos.

What Does Diversity and Inclusion at Work Mean?

Global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company defines diversity and inclusion as values that organizations strive to embody to help meet the needs of people from all walks of life.

While diversity and inclusion efforts are often grouped and executed simultaneously, they are two different concepts.

According to the software company Culture Amp , diversity is the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, social class, etc. It refers to the fair and equal representation of varying demographics within a workplace.

On the other hand, inclusion is making a person part of a group or collective, where each member is afforded the same rights, level of respect, opportunities, and engagement in the workplace, regardless of their demographics.

As inclusion strategist Vernā Myers quite aptly phrases it, “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.”

Diversity and Inclusion Best Practices for Your HR Team

While company leaders play a crucial role in diversity and inclusion efforts, they can’t do it alone. You need the active participation of everyone in the organization.

Your human resources (HR) team, in particular, plays a pivotal role in planning, implementing, and evaluating your company’s DEI strategy. If you don’t already collaborate with your HR department, now would be a good time to start.

Here are some inclusion and diversity best practices that can guide them as your organization enters 2024:

Ensure Leadership Commitment and Accountability

Because of its multifaceted role as the bridge between employer and employees, your HR team needs to ensure that leaders at all levels of the organization are committed to diversity and inclusion. They must also be able to hold leadership accountable for creating and maintaining an inclusive culture through measurable goals and transparent progress reporting.

However, before your HR team can do this, you need to ensure that the leaders in your company understand the problem. As Boston Consulting Group puts it, “If leaders lack a clear understanding of the problem, they can’t design effective solutions.”

Leadership must be able to see and recognize obstacles to diversity and inclusion in the company. One way to do this is by promoting a more diverse management team.

The State of Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the United States and Canada 2023 report reveals that more than half (52%) of the people from marginalized groups lack an active role in DEI policy/action. To foster a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, you must give people with first-hand experience of its challenges a voice and a seat at the table.

Restructure Recruitment and Selection Process (If Necessary)

If your company doesn’t practice inclusive hiring, your HR team may need to restructure your recruitment and selection process to ensure that you do. HR decision-makers believe inclusive hiring practices are a business imperative, as it has been proven to help their organization to:

Attract talent (63%)
Fill skills gaps (63%)
Retain talent (63%)
Improve customer service (63%)
Increase innovation (63%)
Boost performance (63%)
Reduce costs (63%)

While a total restructuring may sound like a considerable effort, your HR team can take it one step at a time. Here are a few ways they can kickstart the revamp:

Implement a blind recruitment process. This means your recruitment team doesn’t see demographic characteristics that may trigger bias.
Partner with diverse recruitment channels and organizations.
Provide unconscious bias training for hiring managers and interviewers.
Modify job descriptions to avoid gender-charged words .

Celebrate Differences

Celebrating differences is a crucial part of DEI efforts because it promotes a culture that values and embraces the unique qualities, backgrounds, and perspectives of every individual within an organization. It helps companies foster a sense of belonging and inclusivity, empowering employees to bring their authentic selves to the workplace.

Your HR team can look into current policies and see that they are culturally sensitive, use gender-neutral language, allow for individual expression, accommodate religious observances, and are communicated clearly.

You can also look into implementing flexible work policies that accommodate diverse needs, such as remote work options, flexible hours, and family-friendly policies. Employee benefits, such as healthcare and wellness programs, must also be inclusive and meet the workforce's diverse needs.

Provide Training and Education

According to The State of Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the United States and Canada 2023 report, 61% of employees admit that they have not received any DEI training from their employer, and only 24% claim to have received it during onboarding.

By offering ongoing diversity and inclusion training, your HR team can help your employees better understand diversity issues, unconscious biases, and the significance of creating an inclusive environment. Here are a few things they can consider when designing the DEI training plan:

Conduct a thorough assessment of your company’s current diversity and inclusion landscape and identify its challenges, cultural nuances, and areas needing improvement.
Prepare comprehensive training content that addresses various diversity dimensions like race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, abilities, and age. Include topics like cultural competence and microaggressions.
Consider various learning styles and preferences. Incorporating interactive elements, case studies, and real-world scenarios can enhance engagement.
Provide resources for continuous learning and development.
Clearly define the objectives of your training plan and establish measurable metrics to assess its impact and effectiveness.
Regularly update your training materials and methods to keep the content relevant and responsive to emerging DEI challenges.

Promote Sustainable Change

“While trainings, at best, can help raise awareness of inequality, they should not take precedence over more meaningful courses of action, such as policy changes, that are more time intensive and costly but provide lasting changes,” says experimental psychology researcher Jeffrey To .

Sustainable change in a company’s diversity and inclusivity outlook is a holistic, ongoing process. It is a profound commitment to long-term transformation and lasting impact, so your HR department needs to go beyond one-off training sessions. You need an approach that evolves with societal changes, organizational growth, and shifts in workforce dynamics.

If you want your organization to have a sustainable diversity and inclusivity initiative, your leadership and HR team must commit to ongoing accountability. Establish measurable goals, track progress, and hold leaders and employees accountable.

Build a Diverse and Inclusive Corporate Culture with Nexus HR

Your HR team is instrumental in championing diversity and inclusion efforts. By creating policies, fostering a diverse talent pipeline, educating employees, ensuring compliance, and helping resolve conflicts, they can work hand-in-hand with leadership to embed DEI principles into the company's culture.

However, propelling the development of a DEI framework in your organization is a massive responsibility for a small HR team that’s already juggling several other tasks like payroll and employee engagement. You need all the support you can get, and Nexus HR is here to give that!

As a full-service HR solutions company, Nexus HR’s team of remote human resources experts can take on tedious administrative tasks so you and your team can focus on more important matters. Outsource all the busy work to us and build the company culture of your dreams.

Benefits of Remote Bookkeeping Services

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 16:01:48 GMT

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the resilience and adaptability of remote work models, the conventional notion of office-centric operations is steadily becoming less appealing to business leaders looking for accelerated yet sustainable growth.

With employees remaining productive and connected even when working from different locations, more and more companies are considering a more permanent integration of remote work options into their operational strategies, embracing the potential for increased flexibility, cost savings, and a broader talent pool.

Businesses everywhere are going remote with their HR operations, payroll processes, and, yes, their bookkeeping, too.

Remote Bookkeeping: How Does It Work?

Finance company NerdWallet broadly defines bookkeeping as the recording of financial transactions for a business performed as frequently as daily, weekly, or monthly. As a vital component of the accounting process, accurate bookkeeping is crucial to filing tax returns and making informed business decisions.

Thanks to modern technology, businesses can now choose between two bookkeeping options: traditional (in-person) and remote (online).

Remote bookkeeping works along the same principles as its traditional counterpart. The only difference is instead of a specialist managing your company’s financial accounts on-site, they can do so online. Remote accounting professionals can even do bookkeeping from home.

In some situations, the remote bookkeeper is a company employee. In others, they’re a member of a trusted third-party firm to which the company outsources bookkeeping services. Either way, they typically perform the same responsibilities a traditional bookkeeper does:

Bank Reconciliation
Income and Expense Categorization
Financial Statement Preparation
Financial Reporting
Accounts Payable and Receivable Management
Budgeting and Forecasting
Financial Analysis
Tax Preparation Support
Financial Consultations
Payroll Processing

The Perks of Having a Remote Bookkeeper

The digital revolution, powered by cloud technology, has been game-changing for bookkeepers around the globe. Not only are they free from mountains of paperwork, but they’re also free from working long hours in office cubicles. They can do their jobs better and faster from the comfort of their homes.

According to a Wolters Kluwer survey , most post-pandemic tax returns were prepared without in-office contact with taxpayers. Auditing projects also showed a significant decrease in in-person interaction with clients.

But bookkeepers aren’t the only ones benefiting from the technological advancements in accounting; companies are enjoying the perks, too! Here are some of the advantages businesses enjoy from having remote bookkeepers:

Significant Cost Savings

Cost efficiency is one of the top reasons remote bookkeeping services are becoming more popular by the minute. By outsourcing bookkeeping tasks to established third-party firms, companies can avoid the expenses associated with hiring in-house bookkeepers, providing office space, and investing in infrastructure.

If your business operates in California, you’re looking at $50,000 for an experienced bookkeeper’s annual salary, which doesn’t include their benefits and bonuses yet. However, if you hire a remote bookkeeper , you only need to pay a flat monthly rate for your desired services. Some firms, like Nexus HR, offer flexibility by accepting per-hour and per-transaction payment arrangements.

With significantly lower operating costs, you can strategically allocate your resources to more business-building initiatives.

High-Quality Service

Established bookkeeping firms have stringent hiring processes and typically employ only highly experienced, highly trained specialists. Outsourcing your bookkeeping to them gives you access to an entire team’s skills and expertise.

For example, Nexus HR ’s team of bookkeepers comprises certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors. They use their knowledge in the field and proficiency in various accounting software systems to provide expert financial advice, perform accurate bookkeeping, assist with regulation compliance, and improve overall financial management.

Scalability and Flexibility

Every business needs processes and teams that adapt to changing needs without the constraints of physical office space or the need to hire and train additional staff. Remote bookkeeping services allow you to do this.

Whether you experience sudden growth or require additional support during peak periods, remote bookkeeping allows you to adjust the service level you receive without needing physical expansion or hiring more in-house staff . This scalability is particularly beneficial for startups and growing enterprises.

By leveraging digital tools and cloud-based platforms , established bookkeeping companies can access financial data, carry out accounting tasks, and collaborate with you from anywhere. With access to a remarkable degree of flexibility, you have the resources to reliably streamline operations, achieve financial clarity, and make data-driven decisions.

Data Security

Because of the sensitive nature of your company’s financial information, enhanced data security is a critical aspect of remote bookkeeping services. Client data, financial transactions, accounts, and business details are often transferred and stored electronically. This reliance on digital platforms and cloud-based solutions underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures .

When looking for a remote bookkeeper, always verify that the tools they use:

Implement advanced encryption
Secure data storage
Are compliant with industry and legal privacy regulations

Tried-and-tested bookkeeping firms, like Nexus HR , always take a proactive approach to data security. By doing so, they protect the integrity and confidentiality of your financial information and safeguard your company against potential legal and financial repercussions associated with data breaches.

Efficiency and Timeliness

Because they leverage the latest technological innovations, remote bookkeeping firms can access the following tools that increase efficiency in handling financial tasks:

Automation allows your remote bookkeeper to streamline routine financial tasks, decrease the likelihood of manual errors, and increase overall accuracy. This efficiency ensures that your financial data is processed quickly and accurately and your records are reliable and up-to-date.

Real-time access to your financial information allows your remote bookkeeper to implement instantaneous updates to financial records, giving you a thorough and current insight into your business’s financial standing. This access is crucial for strategic planning, budgeting, and timely, informed decisions concerning changing market conditions.

Schedule flexibility allows your remote bookkeeper to work on financial tasks without delays relating to physical location and office hours. This contributes to increased efficiency and responsiveness, essential qualities that business leaders look for in a fast-paced environment.

Achieve More by Doing Less with Nexus HR Bookkeeping

With all the benefits remote bookkeeping brings, every forward-thinking company leader knows (1) it’s here to stay and (2) it’s the most practical way to go.

However, not all bookkeeping services are created equal, and a one-size-fits-all solution is a myth. When it comes to hiring a remote bookkeeper, you need to ensure their price range, expertise, technology, flexibility, security, and efficiency meet your business’s unique needs.

Nexus HR’s professional bookkeeping services go beyond performing tasks. Our seasoned remote accounting specialists meticulously study your present fiscal footing and use their time-tested expertise to elevate your financial strategy.

We don’t just manage your books; we’re fully committed to managing them right . If you’re looking for scalable, secure, and efficient remote bookkeeping services that meet your business goals and budget, Nexus HR is at your service.

How to Make a Hybrid Workplace Model Work For You

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 11:17:06 GMT

As the world adapts to life after COVID-19, many find themselves moving forward to the future and leaving behind the remnants of the past.

For some, it’s their careers. For others, it’s memories of a pre-pandemic life. And for 40.9% of employees, it’s having to work in an office.

It’s been three years since the pandemic first broke out, and the working world has decided: hybrid work is here to stay.

What Is a Hybrid Workplace Model?

Job search platform Indeed defines a hybrid workplace model as one where employees receive flexible options for working in an office, remotely, or a combination of the two.

Hybrid work has existed for a while, starting in the early 2000s when people could get reliable internet connection at home. However, it was only until the COVID-19 pandemic that it really became an option for businesses everywhere.

By the start of 2021, global management consulting firm McKinsey and Company found that nine out of ten organizations planned to embrace hybridity, combining remote and onsite working among their teams.

While employees are happy about the flexibility hybrid working allows, the latest State of Hybrid Work report reveals that it may not be the ultimate workplace solution the market initially expected. The data shows that 2023 is the year employees are moving back to the office.

Global analytics company Gallup lists down the top advantages and challenges of hybrid work according to employees who have gone through it:

Recent data indicates there’s much more to the hybrid workplace model than simply doing it—you need to do it right.

How to Do Hybrid Work Right

Figuring out how to do hybrid work properly is complicated. It requires careful planning, thoughtful execution, and a commitment to fostering a dynamic and inclusive work environment.

To ensure your organization not only adapts to the change but also thrives in it, here are five things you can do:

Think It Through

Just because most companies are adopting the hybrid option doesn’t mean you should jump on the bandwagon, too. The most crucial step is the first one, identifying the reasons and motivations behind the proposed change:

Does the hybrid approach align with your company’s long-term vision and objectives?
How do employees feel about the current remote work arrangements, and what improvements do they desire?
What operational efficiency and productivity goals do you aim to achieve with a hybrid work model?
Will your teams be able to perform their duties effectively off-site?
Do you have the necessary technological infrastructure to support remote collaboration effectively?
What are the cost implications of adopting this change?
What are the potential risks and challenges associated with the transition?

Before deciding on anything, discuss things with your leadership team, human resources department , and perhaps some tenured team members, and listen to their honest opinions. This upfront clarity can help you assess if hybrid work is the way to go or if you can take another approach, like a four-day workweek.

Communicate Plans and Expectations

“One hallmark of the hybrid workforce model is flexibility,” Robert Half’s Senior Executive Director Paul McDonald said. “However, flexibility does not mean free-form. Businesses must determine which employees should come into the office and how often. And when teams are working remotely, managers must decide how those employees can interact effectively with their in-house colleagues without undermining productivity.”

Communicating clear plans and expectations is essential when transitioning to a hybrid work model because it establishes a foundation of transparency and trust within the organization. When announcing plans to adopt the hybrid model, leave no room for uncertainty.

Is the hybrid work option a temporary or permanent arrangement?
What will the new work structure look like?
What changes should the team expect in terms of work hours?
Will they be using specific tools for communication and collaboration?
Will there be specific events or days that they’re required to be in the office?

When employees are well-informed about your plans and expectations, they can better prepare for the changes, adapt their work habits, and align their efforts with organizational goals.

Be Clear About How You Define and Measure Productivity

Deep into the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft launched a multinational study on hybrid work and found that 85% of leaders found it challenging to be confident that their employees were productive.

They were experiencing productivity paranoia —they felt like their teams weren’t working as hard or as effectively at home as they would in the office.

Productivity paranoia is an unfortunate result of unclear, misaligned communication between leaders and members. To prevent it from hurting your team and business, ask yourself questions like:

What goals are you aiming to achieve?
What metrics are you looking at and measuring to know you’ve achieved them?
How will the hybrid work arrangement affect your projects and workflows?
What adjustments to current policies and procedures do you need to make?

Employees should clearly understand how you assess their work, what performance indicators are relevant in the hybrid model, and what changes you intend to make to current performance expectations.

Exercise Equity

Maintaining equity between remote and onsite employees during transitioning to a hybrid work model is paramount to fostering a fair and inclusive work environment .

Unless you pay careful attention to equity, you could risk creating a two-tiered system where remote workers feel isolated and overlooked or onsite staff feel as if they’re missing out on improving their work-life balance.

Give your onsite employees the same level of flexibility you give remote workers.
Give your remote employees the same level of trust you show their onsite counterparts.

Your team members deserve access to the same information, communication tools, and professional development opportunities regardless of their work arrangement. And when you provide them with those, you create a level playing field, promote accountability, and foster a culture of unity and support.

Listen to Your Team

As much as you would want it to, adopting a hybrid workplace model doesn’t stop at implementing remote and in-office work schedules. It extends to cultivating a supportive and adaptable organizational culture .

Beyond the logistics of shifting to a new work arrangement, company leaders like you have the crucial responsibility of ensuring continuous improvement based on feedback and evolving needs. This includes regularly gathering input from your staff, assessing the effectiveness of policies and tools, and adjusting them as necessary.

Stay interviews are an excellent way to know how your team is adjusting to the hybrid work transition and offer support in areas they’re struggling in. Simple, structured, and well-prepared, a stay interview creates the space for constructive, free-flowing dialog between managers and members.

Reap the Rewards of a Hybrid Work Model with Nexus HR

Increased employee satisfaction, enhanced productivity, and a thriving organizational culture—these are just a few of the fruits of a well-planned, well-executed hybrid work model.

The hybrid model isn’t just about lowering expenses by reducing office space; it’s about helping your company become adaptable and resilient in the face of unforeseen challenges.

But getting to your organization’s work arrangement sweet spot requires a lot of work and commitment. As a company leader juggling many responsibilities, you may not have the time or energy to deal with one more thing on your plate. This is where Nexus HR comes in.

As a full-service human resource solutions company, our seasoned team of HR and payroll experts takes on the full scope of your administrative tasks so you won’t have to.

Focus on planning and strategizing for your company’s future, and leave the tedious work to Nexus HR!

HR Strategies for Promoting Team Productivity

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 09:05:14 GMT

We need to redefine productivity. This is the first heading you read when you review tech company Slack’s summary of The State of Work in 2023 report.

The survey reveals a massive disconnect between what executives and employees expect productivity to look like:

The Unfortunate Result: Employees concentrate on generating high input (spending more time on tasks and using more resources) instead of producing more output (meeting goals and generating revenue).

To bridge the productivity gap, many managers look deeper into individual productivity, worrying about each member’s performance issues and micromanaging their tasks.

But what if the solution isn’t making your employees do better? What if it’s equipping them with what they need to achieve optimal productivity?

HR Tips on How to Improve Employee Productivity

As a business leader, you may already have a productivity system that works for you. You probably know the best way to systematically plan, efficiently execute, and effectively streamline every task—and that’s awesome!

But your ultimate challenge as a leader isn’t dealing with your own workload; it’s helping your entire team manage theirs. Here are five things you and your human resources (HR) department can do to increase employee productivity:

Establish Clear Goals and Expectations

According to The Ultimate Guide to Onboarding Employees , an employee with high role clarity knows what is expected of them. They understand how their roles and their colleagues’ roles align with the tasks they must accomplish to meet the organization’s goals.

You can start by writing straightforward, accurate job descriptions that give applicants and employees crucial information. The New South Wales government recommends posting a job description that answers the following questions:

What is expected of them?
What types of tasks will they handle?
What are their specific objectives?
How will their output impact the larger goals of the organization?
How will their work be evaluated and measured?
Where does their role sit in the organization?

Establishing clear goals and expectations helps reduce ambiguity and prevent misunderstandings that arise when employees are unsure about their responsibilities. It also allows you to evaluate your members’ performance better, provide constructive feedback, and ultimately lead them toward growth and productivity.

Create a Conducive Work Environment

Working in a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment boosts your employees’ morale and encourages them to perform at their very best.

If you want your team to be more productive, cultivate a workplace culture where they feel respected, valued, understood, and safe. How your company handles sensitive issues such as office conflicts, inclusivity , religious accommodations , and employee rights often indicates whether or not you have a conducive work environment.

According to job posting and hiring platform Indeed , there are seven characteristics of a positive and conducive work environment:

Calm atmosphere with minimal distractions
Open and honest communication between members of the organization
Respect, empathy, and understanding among colleagues
Positive reinforcement for good work
Opportunities to grow your skills and strengths
Positive thinking and optimistic outlook
A healthy balance between personal and professional life

Give Them the Tools They Need to Succeed

According to training and consulting firm ACHIEVE , every system is designed perfectly to achieve the outcomes it achieves. So, if your team isn’t producing the expected outcomes, you may want to look at your system and ask, “Is my team properly equipped to hit the goals I’ve set for them?”

One way you can significantly improve employee productivity is by giving them the tools they need to succeed. When your team has access to the right technology, training, and support, they can perform their tasks better, faster, and more confidently.

Whether that means investing in a project management tool, planning out a robust onboarding process , or training them to leverage the generative AI in their tasks, managers can empower their teams to work at full potential, resulting in improved productivity, higher job satisfaction, and a stronger commitment to the company's success.

Give Them a Break

One of the biggest enemies of productivity and efficiency is employee burnout, which is why it’s crucial that you provide your team with adequate breaks. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only 1.7% of the U.S. workforce takes a vacation. Even though workers have access to paid time-offs, very few use them.

As a company leader, your responsibility doesn’t stop at providing paid time-offs to your employees; you also need to encourage them to take breaks so they can recharge, destress, and refocus.

You can start by asking HR if your team members are taking time off work. If they’re not, look into possible reasons why. Do your employees feel like going on vacation makes them look expendable? Are they worried about returning to a ton of work if they take a week off?

Once you understand what’s keeping your team from taking breaks, you can work closely with your HR team to devise a plan to address them.

When you advocate for your team members’ time off, you show them that you value their physical and mental well-being . By getting the time, space, and confidence to step away from their tasks, they can return to work with renewed vigor and increased productivity.

Lead by Example

Employees mirror their leaders’ behavior. If you want to build a team that practices excellent time and workload management, you must first show them what that looks like. You need to walk the talk.

Leading by example fosters trust and respect between management and employees, creating a culture of accountability and responsibility. By modeling the positive behavior you want to see in your team, you can inspire employees to perform their best and align their efforts with the company’s mission and vision.

Here are seven ways company executives and managers can lead by example, according to human transformation platform BetterUp :

Sharpen your leadership skills
Address conflict calmly and constructively
Communicate kindly
Bounce back after failure
Practice ethical leadership
Celebrate diversity
Take care of yourself

Increase Employee Productivity Sustainably with Nexus HR

Contrary to popular belief, team productivity falls on the shoulders of company leaders, not the team members themselves. As a manager, you have the influence and authority to make a difference in how your employees work—their efficiency, quality, and productivity.

You can’t do it alone, though. Every successful team-building initiative requires meticulous data-gathering, planning, execution, and evaluation. Our advice? Leverage the experience and expertise of your HR department.

If you don’t have an HR team big enough to take on these responsibilities (or if you don’t have one at all), Nexus HR is here to help!

As a full-service human resource solutions provider, our team of HR specialists is ready to give you the support you need to boost team performance, enhance employee engagement, and grow your business.

The Benefits of Outsourced Bookkeeping for Small Businesses

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 11:13:10 GMT

As a small business owner, you probably started your entrepreneurial journey wearing many hats, including the role of the in-house bookkeeper.

It's a common scenario, and for good reason, too! When a business is in its infancy, handling bookkeeping tasks is likely the most cost-effective option. However, as your team, clientele, and services grow, so does the complexity of your financial operations.

At this point, transitioning to professional bookkeeping services isn’t just a wise choice; it's a crucial step for sustaining success and growth.

What Is Bookkeeping?

Financial technology platform Intuit defines bookkeeping as tracking and recording a business or individual’s financial transactions. It involves systematically organizing and maintaining records and logging the money that flows in and out of the company.

As a fundamental aspect of accounting, bookkeeping is essential for monitoring the financial health of an entity, making informed financial decisions, and meeting regulatory and tax requirements.

When businesses want professionals to balance their books, they have two options: hiring an in-house bookkeeper or outsourcing the tasks to an external vendor.

What Are Outsourced Bookkeeping Services? And How Does It Work?

According to Investopedia , outsourcing is the practice of hiring a third-party entity to perform services or create goods traditionally performed by the company's employees and staff. The most commonly outsourced business functions include customer support, IT management, bookkeeping, and human resources management .

Accounting or bookkeeping outsourcing involves entrusting a third-party company to handle one’s financial and accounting tasks. Instead of managing bookkeeping functions in-house, organizations contract with a specialized service provider to perform these tasks and pay them a fixed monthly fee.

Outsourced bookkeeping services can vary in scope and be tailored to meet the client's specific needs. Nexus HR, for example, offers its services in different tiers and price points, depending on the services included at each level. Here are several solutions bookkeeping or accounting firms offer:

Financial Record Keeping
Bank Reconciliation
Accounts Payable Management
Accounts Receivable Management
Expense Tracking
Budgeting and Forecasting Assistance
Financial Reports
Financial Analysis
Tax Preparation Support
Financial Consultation

While different bookkeeping firms may have their unique processes and approaches, Intuit states they typically follow the same general steps:

You provide the firm access to your financial accounts and software.
Your dedicated bookkeeper balances your books, monitors cash flow, and creates financial reports in the background.
Your bookkeeping team sends the expected financial information, documentation, or reports at the end of each month.

How Do Small Businesses Benefit from Outsourced Bookkeeping Services?

Small businesses face numerous challenges in their quest for growth and success because they often have limited resources and staffing. If you own or manage a small business, you know exactly what it’s like.

Bookkeeping is one of the key operational areas you probably struggle to manage in-house. A practical solution to that would be outsourcing it. Here are the top benefits small businesses enjoy with outsourced bookkeeping services:

You Save Time and Money

Outsourcing bookkeeping is often more cost-effective than hiring and maintaining in-house bookkeepers, which isn’t hard to believe, considering the average annual salary of one entry-level bookkeeper in California is $47,973 .

By partnering with a trusted bookkeeping service provider, you can save on costs associated with employee salaries, benefits, training, and overhead expenses. You only pay for the bookkeeping services you need, allowing for greater budget control and flexibility.

Outsourcing bookkeeping also saves you valuable time. With experts handling your books, you can redirect your time and attention to serving clients, pursuing growth opportunities, and caring for your team.

You Get Access to Expertise and Accuracy

Established bookkeeping firms employ highly skilled professionals who are well-versed in accounting best practices, compliance, and financial regulations. By outsourcing your tasks, you gain access to an entire team’s expertise and knowledge, reduce the risk of errors, and make well-informed financial decisions.

Nexus HR, for example, has a team of certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors who handle clients’ finances. With years of experience navigating various accounting software systems and delivering top-notch financial management solutions, Nexus HR’s bookkeeping services ensure clients’ books are accurate, up-to-date, and compliant.

You Can Focus on Your Core Business

When business owners take on the responsibility of managing financial records and bookkeeping in-house, they often find themselves facing administrative tasks that consume a significant amount of time and attention. This can be a distraction from core competencies and business-building initiatives.

While managing your books in-house isn’t a bad idea, a report by business research firm Clutch reveals that successful businesses outsource accounting tasks as they grow and expand.

The study found that among small businesses under the same management for less than a year, 73% have an in-house accounting team. That figure dipped to 49% among small businesses under the same management for five years or more.

By delegating bookkeeping tasks to experts, you can free up your time and focus your energy on growing the business.

Experience Better Business Accounting with Nexus HR

While it’s common for most small business owners to juggle multiple roles, handling business finances isn’t something everyone can do. It takes experience and expertise to get it right, which is why you need seasoned bookkeeping professionals on your side.

With a highly skilled team and streamlined process, Nexus HR is committed to providing accurate, efficient, and reliable bookkeeping solutions that set you up for financial success.

Get your books done fast and right with Nexus HR bookkeeping services .

The Role of HR in Building a Positive Company Culture

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:56:52 GMT

Company culture is a vital part of any organization—and the numbers say so:

94% of executives and 88% of employees believe having one is crucial to business success
55% of job seekers would leave a new job if the culture doesn’t align with their expectations or values
34% of employees who quit their positions in the first 90 days did so because the company culture was not what they expected

Even work environment sociologist Dr. Tracy Brower states, “Organizational culture is a critical criterion for people’s decisions to join, stay, leave, or engage with their roles.”

However, company culture is an often abstract or vague notion. There is no generally accepted definition, and many organizations don’t even know if they have one.

What Is Company Culture?

According to Great Place to Work’s Strategic Advisor Julian Lute , company culture is the sum of the formal and informal systems, behaviors, and values that shape your organization’s personality .

While company perks and benefits like free food, office activities, and employee recognition events express an organization’s culture, they don’t create or define it. Company culture goes beyond what one does within the organization and instead focuses on how they do it.

Comprised of your shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and norms, your company culture influences how employees, management, and other stakeholders perceive and engage with your organization. It manifests in leadership behaviors, communication styles, internal messaging, and corporate celebrations.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management ( SHRM ), a solid and positive organizational culture brings favorable results:

Your employees know how top management wants them to respond to any situation,
They believe the expected response is the proper one, and
They know they will be rewarded for demonstrating the organization's values.

What is Your Company’s Culture?

The SHRM explains that, at the deepest level, an organization’s unique culture is rooted in values drawn from assumptions about:

Human Nature
What does your organization believe to be true about human nature?
How should employees, customers, and suppliers interact?
How should they be managed?

The Company’s Relationship to Its Environment
How does your organization define its business and its constituencies?
What are its mission, vision, and core values?

Appropriate Emotions
Which emotions should the people in the organization be encouraged to express?
Which ones should they suppress?

Measure of Effectiveness
What is your organization’s definition of success?
How does it determine and measure success?
What metrics does it use to show whether or not the company and its individual components are doing well?

The answers to these questions show you the kind of culture your team has.

All organizations have a distinct culture, and every leader wants it to be positive. Unfortunately, company cultures aren’t automatically uplifting and healthy. Creating and managing a positive culture takes honest assessment, strategic planning, focused efforts, and successful implementation. And when left unguided or unstructured, your company culture may do more harm than good.

How is Culture Impacted by the Human Resources Department?

Your HR team is central to shaping, maintaining, and influencing a positive and healthy organizational culture. They do this by aligning their practices and initiatives with your values and fostering an environment where employees are motivated, engaged, and encouraged to exhibit behaviors consistent with the desired culture.

Here are five different areas your HR department can work in to impact your company culture:

1. Recruitment and Talent Acquisition

While HR plays a crucial role in selecting candidates who fit your company’s culture and values during the hiring process, they do much more than that during the recruitment and talent acquisition stage.

According to The Ultimate Guide to Onboarding Employees by Nexus HR, company culture manifests itself even before an employee joins your company. Your job listing, interviews, offer letter, and conversations all communicate what your company is about and how you do things.

An experienced and highly professional HR team ensures that their words, actions, and processes reflect your company culture. By doing so, they attract talent who not only qualify for open positions but also have values that align with your company’s goals and vision.

2. Employee Relations and Growth

HR shapes your company culture by providing training, development, and communication initiatives that reinforce your values and encourage employee engagement. By carefully designing programs that align employees with the company's culture, HR ensures that the team understands and embodies company values.

How your HR department handles sensitive matters like workplace conflicts, diversity, equity, inclusivity , performance evaluations, religious accommodations , and employee rights reflects and fosters your company culture. HR can promote respectful interactions, address issues fairly, and establish just policies. By doing so, they uphold and reinforce your organization’s values.

3. Leadership Development and Change Management

HR can play a crucial role in identifying and nurturing leadership qualities consistent with the culture, ensuring your company has strong leaders who embody and champion its values and principles.

Periods of change can be difficult, but your HR department can help facilitate smooth transitions during these times. For example, they can set up feedback mechanisms to know how employees feel and what they think about the change. HR sees that the organization addresses employee questions and concerns and makes the necessary adjustments to maintain cultural alignment. When they do this, they help ensure that the culture remains a guiding force within the organization even as it evolves to meet new challenges and goals.

Cultivate a Company Culture That Makes People Want to Stay

Organizational culture is never static; it evolves as the organization grows, faces new challenges, or undergoes leadership changes. HR doesn’t just deal with building a healthy and positive company culture; they also face the challenge of maintaining it over the years and adjusting it when necessary.

Needless to say, your organization needs a strong HR team that understands the company culture, aligns with it, and provides you with the support necessary to cultivate it. If you don’t have a team big enough to take on these responsibilities (or if you don’t have an HR department at all), Nexus HR is ready to fill in the gaps and offer exceptional remote HR support .

Whether you need help with legal compliance, staff supervision, employee discipline, performance improvement planning, or policy implementation, our international team of HR specialists can help you shape, maintain, and adjust your company culture to foster employee satisfaction, achieve business goals, and sustain long-term success.

Navigating Payroll Taxes: What Employers Need to Know

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:49:06 GMT

As American founding father Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.”

Every person who has run a business and managed employees knows this to be true. One of an employer’s many obligations is withholding taxes from their employees’ wages and remitting these to the government.

While most business owners rely on accounting firms, bookkeeping services, or software to take care of payroll taxes and keep penalties at bay, having a clear understanding of payroll tax management is vital to ensure compliance and safeguard your business's financial stability.

What Are Payroll Taxes?

Payroll taxes are levied on the wages, salaries, and other forms of compensation employers pay their employees. The employer typically withholds the tax from the employee’s paycheck and remits this to the government regularly.

Payroll taxes finance government programs and services like Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance. Comprising 24.8% of federal, state, and local government revenue, they are the second largest source of combined tax revenue in the United States.

Income Tax, Payroll Tax: What’s the Difference?

Payroll and income taxes are the most common types of employment taxes, but they’re not the same thing. They differ in what they fund, who pays them, and how to assess them.

3 Things Employers Should Know About Payroll Tax Management

Paying careful attention to payroll taxes is crucial to maintaining your workforce, avoiding stiff penalties, protecting your reputation, and keeping your business open. It directly impacts your business’s financial health and compliance with legal obligations. Here are a few things employers should know about payroll tax management:

There Are Different Types and Rates

As an employer, it’s your duty to collect, report, and remit your share of payroll taxes and the portion owed by your employees. Before you can do that effectively, you need to know the different types of taxes and their corresponding rates:

Federal Payroll Taxes

Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA)

The two main federal payroll taxes are known as the FICA, and it encompasses two parts:

Social Security. Part of the FICA tax funds the Social Security program. Social Security provides financial support to eligible individuals, including retirees, disabled individuals, and survivors of deceased workers. Employees and employers share in the Social Security tax, each paying 6.2% of the employee’s taxable gross income until the employee reaches the wage base limit of $160,200.

Medicare. Another portion of the FICA tax finances the Medicare program. Medicare provides healthcare coverage to eligible individuals, primarily aged 65 and older, and specific individuals with disabilities. Medicare helps cover medical expenses, including hospital care and medical services. Medicare tax is also split evenly between the employees and employers, each paying 1.45% of the employee’s taxable gross income. Employees who earn more than $200,000 annually may have to pay the Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9%, but their employers aren’t required to match this.

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)

The FUTA funds unemployment benefits for eligible individuals who have lost their jobs. The employers alone pay this tax and do not withhold it from their employees' wages. The FUTA rate is 6% on the first $7,000 that each employee earns. Employers may receive a credit against the FUTA tax if they pay state unemployment taxes.

State and Local Payroll Taxes

In the U.S., individual state and municipal governments may impose additional payroll taxes on employees and employers. These are separate from federal payroll taxes and finance state and local programs and services.

For example, the state of California has four state payroll taxes:

Your business’s payroll taxes will depend on which state, county, and city your business operates. Because payroll taxation is highly localized, managing it yourself can be very complex, increasing the risk of fines and penalties. This is why companies operating in multiple states or localities prefer outsourcing their payroll tax management to tried-and-tested payroll specialists .

There Are Deadlines

Every employer needs to remit payroll taxes on time and in full. While that may sound straightforward, different tax types have varying deadlines , which you must keep track of and adhere to.

According to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) , an employer’s deposit schedule for Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes is determined from the total taxes reported on Forms 941, line 12 , in a four-quarter lookback period. The lookback period begins July 1 and ends June 30.

If you reported $50,000 or less of taxes for the lookback period, you’re a monthly schedule depositor. If you reported more than $50,000, you’re a semiweekly schedule depositor.

However, new employers’ tax liability for any quarter in the lookback period before they started or acquired their business is considered to be zero. Therefore, they're automatically a monthly schedule depositor for the first calendar year of your business.

Monthly. Employers reporting a tax liability of $50,000 or less for the lookback period deposit monthly, and they are due on the 15th day of the following month.

Semiweekly. Employers reporting a tax liability of more than $50,000 for the lookback period deposit semi-weekly. For payments made from Wednesday to Friday, the deposits are due by the following Wednesday. For payments from Saturday to Tuesday, the deposits are due by the following Friday.

FUTA tax runs on a different schedule. Employers pay this every quarter, due one month after each quarter (i.e., January 31, April 30, July 31, and October 31).

State and local payroll taxes have varying due dates as well. Visit your state or local Department of Labor websites for information on due dates and deadlines.

There Are Penalties

The U.S. government expects employers to take payroll tax compliance seriously and meet their obligations accurately and on time. If you fail to do this, the federal, state, and local tax authorities could impose monetary fines and legal penalties against your business.

If you don’t make payroll tax deposits on time, in the right amount, or in the right way, the IRS charges a Failure to Deposit Penalty , calculating it based on the number of days your deposit is late:

If you fail to file the required payroll tax-related forms and reports, fail to pay the employer portion of payroll taxes, willfully fail to collect or pay them, or intentionally evade paying them, you can face penalties, fines, and even imprisonment.

Your Payroll Taxes: On Point and On Time with Nexus HR

Payroll tax management is a complex and time-consuming process. It requires highly specialized knowledge that makes it challenging to navigate, especially for business leaders who need to manage other areas of operations.

Due to payroll tax management's complexity and potential consequences, many employers entrust it to professional payroll service providers who leverage technology and expertise to automate and streamline the process. These solutions can help mitigate the administrative burden and reduce the risk of errors and non-compliance.

By partnering with trusted tax professionals, your business can get valuable insight and guidance that ensure accurate and efficient tax management. Free up your time and resources, focus on growing your business, and leave your payroll taxes to the experts at Nexus HR.

The Evolution of HR: A Look Into the Past, Present & Future

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 16:24:02 GMT

Human resources (HR) plays a crucial role in today’s workplace culture and environment, directly impacting business growth and success. That’s why it’s hard to believe there was a time when it didn’t exist.

From its modest beginnings as a mere administrative function to its present-day role as a cornerstone of organizational strategy, the history of HR is a captivating narrative of adaptation, innovation, and responsiveness to societal changes.

So, how did HR start? How has HR changed over the years? And how is HR evolving now?

The History of HR in the United States

People have always been crucial to the success of any organization, but it wasn’t until the late 18th century that this perspective gained some form of traction.

Only during the Industrial Revolution—when the machines and technology of the time required human labor to operate—did the concept of employee management, appreciation, and engagement begin to enter conversations.

Early 1900s: Employment Clerks and Personnel Departments

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) , the emergence of employment clerks in the early 20th century planted the first seeds of structured HR. Employee clerks were responsible for hiring employees to do factory work.

In 1915, only 5% of large U.S. companies had personnel departments.

1920s: The Human Relations Movement

The 1920s marked a shift from focusing on employees’ efficiency to recognizing the importance of their psychological well-being and satisfaction. The human relations movement, founded by George Elton Mayo , acknowledged that social and psychological factors could better explain employee productivity and output.

With the term personnel administration widely accepted, more than a third of large U.S. companies had personnel departments by 1929.

1940s: The Emergence of HR

During the 1940s, U.S. employers needed specialized staff and more structured HR practices for workforce planning, recruitment, training, labor relations, and government regulation compliance. This need led to the formalization of HR functions within organizations.

In 1948, the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA) was born. Its founding members established committees for budget, membership, conferences, and publications and introduced bylaws and a code of ethics.

In 1954, Peter Drucker published his bestselling book The Practice of Management and introduced the term human resources to the public for the first time.

1960s: The Civil Rights Movement

Prompted by the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the American people paid greater attention to anti-discrimination and equal employment opportunity measures. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to enforce this law.

1980s: Structure and Technology

During the 1970s and ’80s, the world of employment saw a more structured legal framework and regulatory changes. It also witnessed the establishment of various laws affecting HR practices, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) , the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) , and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) .

HR-specific technology had also begun entering the market. PeopleSoft , the first completely HR-centered client-server system for the enterprise market, was released in 1987.

1990s–2000s: Strategic Human Resource Management

When the 1990s rolled in, organizations recognized that effective human resource management was crucial for achieving business goals. Business leaders began taking a more strategic approach to HR and involved their HR staff in strategic planning, talent management, and organizational development.

In the late 1990s, HR vendors started introducing cloud-hosted HR services to make the technology more accessible to smaller organizations with limited budgets. Instead of investing in client-server networks, expensive hardware, and professional installations, companies could use online accounts on web-based portals. Mobile applications also became more common.

HR at Present: Emerging Trends and Changes

The profound evolution HR underwent in the past century is a testament to the dynamic nature of the field. From being a primarily administrative function to becoming a strategic partner in driving organizational success, HR has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis—and it’s not stopping anytime soon.

The following trends are evidence that the evolution of HR continues and the history of HR is still being written:

Employee Well-Being

Recent years have seen a growing emphasis on employee experience, engagement, well-being, mental health, and company culture within HR practices. Companies strive to create inclusive and supportive work environments that value employee contributions.

Xero’s Chief People Officer Nicole Reid advises organizations to ensure their employees aren’t getting too exhausted and burning out. “Have conversations so you know how your team is feeling as well as what they’re doing,” Reid added.

Work Setup Flexibility

The concept of work flexibility has gained significant traction in recent years due to various factors, including technological advancements, evolving job market expectations , and employee experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many organizations are actively exploring ways to incorporate flexible work options into their HR strategies to meet their workforce’s needs and remain competitive in the current job market. Here are a few examples of flexible work arrangement options:

AI and Automation

Artificial intelligence (AI) and process automation technologies have transformed how HR professionals manage various aspects of the employee lifecycle and streamline administrative tasks.

With the speed at which today’s innovations and technology are moving, organizations of every size can find AI and automation options to meet their business needs and budgets. HR companies like Nexus HR leverage cutting-edge technology to improve efficiency and accuracy in talent acquisition, candidate screening, employee onboarding , performance management, payroll processing , workforce planning, and more.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

DEI focuses on creating work environments that value and leverage every employee’s unique perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Its goal is to create a workplace where all members feel included, connected, and fairly treated.

With 56% of adults in the U.S. saying focusing on DEI at work is a good thing, HR professionals are committed to driving and sustaining these initiatives. When implemented effectively, DEI efforts can help organizations attract top talent , retain employees , and experience better business outcomes .

Nexus HR: The Future of Human Resource Management

As your company stands at the crossroads of technological innovation and the constantly shifting workforce landscape, you’ll need a highly experienced, fully equipped professional partner to help you navigate the breakthroughs and changes in HR. You’ll need the future of human resource management: Nexus HR .

As an established HR solutions provider, Nexus HR can supplement and support your internal HR department. Whether you need help with benefits administration, forms processing, employee onboarding, payroll management , or bookkeeping, Nexus HR is ready to fill in the gaps.

If you don’t have your own HR team, we can help, too! With its global team of experienced HR specialists and an impressive arsenal of HR technologies, Nexus HR can be your full-service, remote HR department for a fraction of the cost.

What Is Paternity Leave, And Why You Need To Offer It

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 21:00:00 GMT

The arrival of a new baby is always a momentous occasion for every family. It is life-changing in so many ways, which is why new parents look forward to soaking in the experience, witnessing precious milestones, and supporting each other as they start their new journey as parents.

Unfortunately, less than 5% of fathers take two or more weeks off work, even though research reveals that all men who went on paternity leave viewed it as a positive experience.

Instead of spending the first few weeks of their child’s life at home with the family, most new fathers spend what could have been their paternity leave at work.

What Is Paternity Leave?

Paternity leave is when fathers and partners take time off work to care for and bond with their new child. Typically requested after the child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement, paternity leave allows employees to actively participate in the early stages of parenting and support the well-being of their child(ren) and partner.

Paternity leave recognizes the importance of involving fathers and partners in caregiving responsibilities, promoting gender equality, and strengthening family bonds.

Why Is Paternity Leave Important?

According to former U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez , fathers taking paternity leave is essential to working families because doing so doesn’t just help their children—it helps the moms, too. By taking turns feeding the baby, changing the diapers, and other routine child-rearing responsibilities, parents can promote a culture of balance and equality in their professional and family lives.

Here are a few more data-backed reasons why paternity leave is important:

Establishes Father-Child Bond. Taking paternity leave allows fathers and partners to develop a strong emotional connection with their child(ren) starting from infancy. This contributes to healthier family dynamics and stronger relationships. Participants of the McKinsey study attribute the tight father-child bond to their increased presence, more frequent interactions, and a recalibration of priorities brought about by paternity leave.

Provides Crucial Support to Mothers. Sharing caregiving responsibilities can alleviate stress and fatigue for mothers, facilitating their physical and emotional recovery after childbirth. According to Stanford economists , giving fathers flexibility to take time off work in the months after welcoming a new child improves mothers' postpartum health and mental well-being.

Promotes Work-Life Balance. A Zippia study shows that 72% of employees consider work-life balance a “very important factor” when choosing a job. Balancing work and family responsibilities is essential for employee well-being. Paternity leave allows fathers and partners to manage their work commitments and participate in meaningful family moments without compromising their careers.

Helps Fathers Adjust to Their New Roles. The first weeks of parenting a new child are instrumental in establishing a family’s dynamics. Paternity leave gives fathers the time, space, and opportunity to immerse themselves in their new roles as caregivers and active parents. Not only does it support them in building a strong relationship with their child, but 90% of men who took paternity leave also noticed an improvement in their relationship with their partner.

Promotes Gender Equality. Paternity leave promotes gender equality by recognizing that both parents should have equal opportunities and responsibilities in raising children. It helps break down traditional gender roles and expectations, encouraging fathers to participate in caregiving and household duties actively.

How Does Paternity Leave Work in the U.S. Work Setting?

At the United States federal level, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees of covered employers with job-protected leave for family and medical reasons, including childbirth, adoption, or foster care placement. The standard paternity leave is up to 12 weeks.

While the FMLA provides important job protection and leave rights, it does not require employers to provide paid leave for paternity purposes. This means that if employees want to avail themselves of the paternity leave benefit, they will go unpaid for the entire duration they’re away from work.

Like maternity leave, the availability and length of your paid paternity leave depend on your employer and state of residence. Unfortunately, only 11 U.S. states have active paid parental leave policies:

Arkansas
California
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Rhode Island
Washington
Virginia

In California , qualified expectant fathers can receive benefit payments for up to eight weeks. These are around 60 to 70% of their weekly wages earned five to 18 months before their claim start date.

Who Is Eligible for Paternity Leave?

Even with federal legislation providing job-protected family leave, 44% of the U.S. workforce still doesn’t have access to it due to ineligibility.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , you are eligible to take leave under the FMLA if you meet the following criteria:

You work for a covered employer, which encompasses:
Private-sector employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the current or previous calendar year
Public agencies
Local educational agencies
You have worked 1,250 hours during the 12 months before the start of the leave.
Your work location has 50 or more employees working within a 75-mile radius.
You have worked for your employer for 12 months.

If you work for an employer with fewer than 50 full-time employees, federal law exempts them from the obligation to provide paternity leave.

How to Support New Fathers In Your Workforce

Welcoming a new child into one’s family is a huge milestone that involves a significant life change. If you have employees going through this, they’ll need all the support they can get. Here are a few ways you can provide meaningful support to new fathers in your company:

Offer Paid Paternity Leave

While the FMLA provides 56% of the U.S. workforce with up to 12 weeks of unpaid family leave, many new fathers limit their time off work simply because they can’t afford to interrupt their income stream.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that only a quarter of the U.S. workforce has access to paid family leave.

If you want to make a lasting impact on your employees’ well-being, include paid paternity leave in your company's time-off policy to ensure they have time to bond with their new children and adjust to their new roles without worrying about financial pressures.

Offer Flexible Work Arrangements

Depending on your business operations and goals, you can allow new parents to work remotely , on flexible hours, or on a reduced schedule . This helps them balance work and family responsibilities effectively.

According to Thinkific CEO Greg Smith , one main benefit of having flexible, paid family leave is continuity because it helps employees retain their institutional knowledge and domain expertise while allowing them to find the family structure that works best for them.

Educate Your Team About the Benefits of Paternity Leave

If you want to create a workplace environment that values each employee’s well-being and diverse needs, you must let them know the importance of taking time off work and spending time with their new children.

Design your onboarding process to include discussions on your organization’s paternity leave benefits, as well as its eligibility requirements, usage rights, and real-life positive outcomes.

Encourage by Example

Employees take their cue from leadership. If you want to foster a culture that embraces work-life balance and promotes positive family values, your organization’s leadership team must exhibit it.

When Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg went on paternity leaves after his children were born, it helped promote his company’s commitment to work-life balance and generous paid leave benefits. More importantly, Zuckerberg’s public announcement of using his paternity leave helped his employees feel they could do the same and encouraged them to spend time with their families.

Help Your Team Prepare for Paternity Leave

A Project: Time Off study reveals that the top reason employees avoid going on leave is the fear of returning to a staggering amount of work. This doesn’t have to be the case.

As a manager, you can help new fathers in your team prepare for paternity leave long before their scheduled time off. You can work with them to create a transition plan for their ongoing tasks and projects, assist in handing off the assignments to other team members, and ensure everything runs smoothly.

Champion Work-Life Balance in the Workplace with Nexus HR

As a company leader, you play a vital role in supporting your employees through the unique and challenging transition to parenthood.

You can start by working with your human resource (HR) department to establish a fair and achievable parental leave policy. If you don’t have the HR support to get this done, Nexus HR can help.

With our team of HR , payroll , and recruitment specialists, we can help create a comprehensive parental leave policy, implement a streamlined leave application process, communicate this information to your employees, and regularly review the procedures to ensure relevance and effectiveness.

As your trusted HR solutions provider, Nexus HR is ready to help you create a workplace culture that prioritizes the well-being of new parents, building a more engaged, loyal, and productive workforce.

Why You Need to Care About Religious Accommodation in the Workplace

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 17:00:00 GMT

For the first time in over four decades, the United States Supreme Court has addressed the issue of religious accommodation in the workplace.

In a unanimous decision on June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gerald Groff, a former postal worker who sued the United States Postal Service (USPS) for failing to accommodate his religious beliefs and practices.

So what does this recent ruling have to do with your business? Well, a lot.

The Groff v. DeJoy decision will make it harder for employers like you to deny your employees' requests for religious accommodation. And it may require you to scrutinize your organization’s current religious accommodation policy.

What is a Religious Accommodation Policy?

A religious accommodation policy is a set of guidelines and procedures an employer, organization, educational institution, or government body implements to accommodate an individual’s religious beliefs and practices in a respectful and nondiscriminatory manner.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination in the workplace based on religion. Discrimination can take various forms, such as refusing to hire, discharging, or segregating employees based on their religious beliefs, practices, or affiliations.

As a business leader and employer, the law compels you to make reasonable accommodations for employees whose religious beliefs, practices, or observances conflict with work requirements unless the requested accommodation would result in significant difficulty or expense to the business.

How Has the Groff v. DeJoy Case Changed Religious Accommodation Rights?

Since 1977, the United States has interpreted religious accommodation based on the Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison decision, which states that an employer can refuse to provide religious accommodation if doing so would impose more than a trivial, negligible, or minimal cost on the business.

Nearly half a century later, the Groff v. DeJoy case decision upended the long-standing legal precedent and created a new—much higher—standard for employers.

The Supreme Court ruled that employers can only deny their employee’s request for a religious accommodation under federal law if they can prove it would result in substantial costs and difficulty for the business.

Common Examples of Religious Accommodation in the Workplace

Because employees may hold diverse religious beliefs and practices, understanding and providing religious accommodations are crucial to promoting a harmonious and respectful work environment.

Here are some real-life examples of religious accommodation requests in the workplace according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) :

Exemption to Company Dress and Grooming Code

EEOC v. Brink's, Inc. - A Pentecostal Christian employee who does not wear pants or short skirts.

EEOC v Alamo Rent-A-Car, LLC; ANC Rental Corporation - A Muslim woman who wears a hijab to work.

EEOC v. Blockbuster, Inc . - A Jewish man who wears a yarmulke in the workplace.

Air Force Approval - A Native American airman who wishes to grow his hair according to his Kanien'kehà:ka faith.

Because this is a frequent religious accommodation request, the U.S. EEOC has issued a document to help employers like you address concerns regarding religious garb and grooming in the workplace.

Exemption from Events

Young v. Sw. Sav. & Loan Ass’n - An atheist employee may not participate in a religious invocation at the start of monthly staff meetings.

Job Assignment Changes

EEOC v. Dresser-Rand Co. - A Jehovah's Witness employee who does not wish to work on producing war weapons.

Work Schedule Changes

EEOC v. JBS USA, LLC - A Muslim employee needs a break schedule that will allow him to observe his daily prayers at prescribed times during the workday.

EEOC v. White Hall Nursing and Rehabilitation Center - A Seventh-Day Adventist employee who does not work from sundown on Friday to Saturday evening.

3 Key Questions to Add to Your Religious Accommodation Policies

Organizations striving to foster an inclusive and supportive work environment understand the importance of keeping reasonable accommodation policies current.

By regularly assessing existing policies, you can proactively address the religious needs of your workforce, ensure compliance with legal requirements, and promote a culture of respect and understanding.

Based on the recent ruling in Groff v. DeJoy , here are three questions you need to incorporate into your organization’s current religious accommodation policies:

Is the Requested Accommodation Causing Undue Hardship on the Business?

Contrary to the 1977 Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison ruling, the Groff v. DeJoy decision clarifies that an undue hardship means more than just imposing a minimal or negligible cost on the business. For an employer to refuse a requested accommodation, they must prove that doing so would burden the company with substantial costs.

According to the Supreme Court , to determine the presence of undue hardship, you must evaluate the request’s practical impact on business operations based on the organization’s nature, size, and operating cost.

Does the Hardship Stem From Religious Intolerance?

If you find that approving an employee’s religious accommodation request causes undue hardship on the business, you need to ensure it does not stem from religious intolerance.

For example, a colleague’s dislike of religious practice and expression in the workplace is not enough to constitute undue hardship.

“A hardship that is attributable to employee animosity to a particular religion, to religion in general, or to the very notion of accommodating religious practice, cannot be considered undue,” wrote Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito .

“Bias or hostility to a religious practice or accommodation cannot supply a defense,” he added.

Are There Alternative Ways to Fulfill Religious Accommodation Requests?

The law requires employers like you to do more than just assess the reasonableness of an employee’s requested accommodation; it compels you to make practical and fair efforts to respect and accommodate it.

Because every organization is unique, there is no universal formula employers can use to determine the answer to religious accommodation requests. Whenever you receive an appeal, always consider other options to fulfill them.

"Faced with an accommodation request like Groff's, an employer must do more than conclude that forcing other employees to work overtime would constitute an undue hardship,” wrote Justice Alito. “Consideration of other options would also be necessary."

To address similar requests, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recommends options like shift swapping, offering incentives to cover Sunday shifts, or coordinating with nearby postal facilities to involve a broader set of workers.

Foster a Culture of Inclusion and Support With Nexus HR

Accommodating your employees’ religious practices and beliefs is not just a matter of legal compliance; it’s a testament to your commitment to cultivating empathy and compassion in the workplace.

By recognizing and respecting diverse religious beliefs and practices, business leaders create an environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to the table, enabling them to thrive personally and professionally.

As a full-service human resource partner, Nexus HR can help support you as you build, reevaluate, and improve your company’s religious accommodation policies.

Whether it’s developing inclusive recruitment strategies, assisting with stay interviews , properly managing payroll , or gathering employee data, our team of experienced HR specialists is ready to help you create an inclusive and supportive work environment.

How to Handle Employee Absenteeism

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 19:02:41 GMT

Every successful organization starts with a vision, but the employees bring that vision to life. That’s why most successful business leaders understand that to grow your company means looking after your employees’ well-being first.

A study by the University of Oxford supports this, too! It reveals that higher levels of employee well-being generally correlate with higher firm valuations, higher return on assets, higher gross profits, and better stock market performance.

However, prioritizing your team’s welfare isn’t just about paying them well and respecting their fundamental rights ; it involves ensuring their happiness and being sensitive to their struggles.

So how do you know if your workforce is struggling? One tell-tale sign is employee absenteeism .

What is Employee Absenteeism?

Employee absenteeism is when workers are habitually absent from their workplace, job, or scheduled work hours. According to Investopedia , it is usually intentional and goes beyond absences related to occasional sickness, vacations, and personal time off.

While employers generally anticipate work absences occasionally, excessive or chronic absenteeism can pose significant challenges and negatively impact business productivity, team morale, and company performance.

In fact, Absenteeism - the Bottom Line Killer , a whitepaper published by workforce solutions provider Circadian, reports that unscheduled absenteeism costs organizations roughly $3,600 per year for each hourly worker and $2,660 yearly for salaried employees.

To measure absenteeism, organizations commonly use an absenteeism rate. While the ideal absenteeism rate varies depending on company size, needs, and location, startup consultant Alexander Jarvis recommends aiming for a rate of 1.5%.

What Triggers Employee Absence?

Workers miss work for various reasons. Here are three common categories under which the leading causes of employee absenteeism fall:

Health-Related Issues

Health-related issues are among the primary causes of employee absenteeism. In January 2022 alone, around 7.8 million workers missed work due to an illness, injury, medical problem, or medical appointment.

Surprisingly, they’re also the leading causes of presenteeism —the lost productivity that occurs when employees cannot fully perform their duties but choose to show up at work anyway.

Here are some common health-related reasons for employee absences in recent years:

COVID

The COVID pandemic’s lingering effects cause employees to fall sick throughout the year, especially the 7.5% of U.S. adults who suffer from long COVID.

Illnesses

The number of absences in the workplace typically increases during the cold, flu, and allergy seasons when affected employees need to stay home or visit their doctor.

Injuries

Work-related or not, accidents, injuries, and chronic pain issues (e.g., neck pain, back pain) are among the most common reasons for employee absences.

Mental Health Struggles

Anxiety, depression, burnout, and other mental health issues take a severe toll on the well-being of employees. Many require time off to focus on their mental health and seek professional support.

Dependent-Related Issues

Employees with dependents may struggle with their work schedules when these conflict with childcare and elderly care responsibilities.

Unanticipated events like last-minute school cancellations can force employees to stay home with their children. Similarly, employees may take time off work to care for elderly parents experiencing illness or injury.

Employees with issues finding (and affording ) childcare or elderly care facilities will ultimately find it difficult to keep up with their work schedule demands.

Work-Related Issues

When unhappy with their tasks, relationships, leadership, and environment in the company, employees tend to skip work, quietly disengage from the workplace, or resign.

Here are some of the work-related issues driving employee absenteeism:

Burnout
Stress
Interpersonal Conflict
Harassment
Disengagement
Dissatisfaction

The 2023 State of the Global Workplace report shows that 52% of employees in North America experience workplace stress. As an effect, 52% are quiet quitting, 17% are actively undercutting their company’s goals and opposing its leaders, and, with the post-pandemic resurgence in jobs, 47% intend to leave their current employers.

How to Deal with Employee Absenteeism

Employee absenteeism isn’t always the main issue. In most cases, it’s a symptom of larger issues within your organization—and it won’t take care of itself. Here are some steps you can take to address underlying workplace problems and, consequently, employee absenteeism:

Identify the Cause

You can’t treat what you don’t diagnose. Because employee absenteeism is a complex issue, the first step in dealing with it is identifying the root cause(s). Work closely with your HR team to gather data, analyze absenteeism patterns, and track reasons for absences.

Periodic surveys and stay interviews can be instrumental in gauging employee satisfaction, identifying work-related stressors, and knowing how the workforce feels about the work environment.

Once you’ve gathered employee feedback, analyze the data and identify common themes or patterns. Use this information to develop targeted solutions that address the underlying issues leading to absenteeism.

Establish a Comprehensive Time-Off Policy

If your organization doesn’t have one yet, create a time-off policy outlining the guidelines for sending and approving time-off requests and communicate them to your staff. Your policy should answer questions like:

What are the employees’ different options for time off?
How many paid and unpaid leave do you offer employees every year?
How do employees qualify for them?
How does leave accrual work? And do unused leaves roll over into the new year?
What is the time-off request process?

A clear and consistent attendance policy not only holds employees accountable for their attendance but also reassures them that they have well-defined and fair options for managing their work-life balance and personal responsibilities.

Consider Offering Flexible Work Arrangements

Not every business can accommodate flexible work arrangements, but if yours does, you may want to consider giving it a shot. A study by Expert Market shows that implementing a flexible work setup is the most mentioned initiative to aid absent employees (48%).

Providing your employees with options for remote work, hybrid work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks can help address employee absenteeism. You can also help your team better manage personal responsibilities, reduce stress, and, as a result, improve overall job satisfaction.

Provide Competitive Compensation

Low compensation is a common root cause of absenteeism in the workplace. Investopedia cites job hunting as a popular reason employees take the day off. A Qualtrics study also reveals that 52% of workers consider taking on a second job or a side hustle to make ends meet.

With 64% of employees saying it’s harder to pay for their living expenses than the year before, paying your employees a fair and competitive wage demonstrates your commitment to your team’s well-being. It tells them you value their contributions and want to invest in their success. It promotes a positive work environment where team members feel supported and appreciated, enhancing overall morale and job satisfaction.

Build a Happy and Healthy Work Environment with Nexus HR

Effectively handling employee absenteeism requires a compassionate, multi-faceted approach. It will take a lot of time, effort, and strategizing. As the leader, you must be part of the process. But you don’t have to do it all alone.

By collaborating with an experienced HR team, you get access to valuable resources, data-driven insights, and professional expertise to tackle absenteeism in the workplace and the complex issues that surround it.

If you don’t have an in-house HR department or a dedicated HR specialist, you can partner with an established HR solutions provider like Nexus HR !

With years of experience and a proven track record in human resource management, we can help you with talent recruitment, payroll management , and remote HR assistance . Nexus HR can support you in fostering a positive work environment and enhancing overall employee well-being.

What Are Seasonal Workers and How Do You Attract & Retain Them?

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:56:31 GMT

The sun is out, the sky is clear, the peak of summer is here!

For some businesses, summer means a slowdown in sales. But for others—like amusement parks, resorts, tourist attractions, and outdoor event organizers—it signifies a massive surge in demand for their products or services.

To meet their increased demand and ensure smooth operations, businesses often turn to a practical and effective solution: reliable seasonal workers.

Who Are Seasonal Workers?

The Center for Employment Training defines a seasonal worker as an individual who engages in a temporary employment situation that repeats yearly around the same time, mainly because they perform labor generally exclusive to a specific season and often in a particular place.

There are different types of seasonal workers, but they’re commonly found in the farming and agriculture, tourism, and construction industries.

Employers typically choose to hire seasonal employees over regular employees when:

They only open during a specific time of the year (e.g., ski resorts, summer camps)
They need extra help to meet a surge in demand during peak seasons (e.g., retail stores during the holiday shopping season, agricultural companies during the harvest season)

What Are the Rights of Seasonal Workers?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) protects seasonal workers' rights, establishing labor standards across private industry and government employers. Here are some fundamental rights seasonal workers enjoy under the FLSA:

Minimum Wage

While certain seasonal and recreational employees are exempt from the minimum wage and overtime pay, most seasonal workers are entitled to receive at least the federal minimum wage (currently $7.25 per hour) or their state or local minimum wage, whichever is higher.

Overtime Pay

Besides those exempt from overtime pay, most seasonal workers are entitled to receive it if they work more than 40 hours in a workweek. Overtime pay must be at least one and a half times their regular pay rate.

Child Labor Restrictions

The FLSA protects minors from excessive or hazardous work. It sets limitations on the work types, hours, and conditions for workers under 18.

Record-Keeping

The FLSA requires employers to maintain accurate records of hours worked, wages paid, and other employment details for each seasonal worker.

How to Attract and Retain Seasonal Workers

Many organizations rely on seasonal workers to keep their business running smoothly during the busiest times of the year. And they understand the value of having exceptional workers who keep coming back year after year, ready to get the job done without skipping a beat.

Whether hiring seasonal workers directly or partnering with a staffing agency, here are a few tips for drawing in seasonal workers and making them want to come back the next year:

Write Good Job Descriptions

When looking for seasonal help, Vault Consulting’s Managing Director of Human Resources, Kendra Janevski , recommends being creative and writing succinct, enticing job descriptions.

Create clear job descriptions that accurately reflect the nature and requirements of your open seasonal positions, so candidates know beforehand whether or not they should apply. Your job descriptions should address potential candidates’ questions about the job, such as:

What are the duties, responsibilities, and expectations of the role?
Are you looking for people with relevant work experience?
Do you require specific certifications?
Is the job physically demanding?
What are the working hours?
What is the compensation structure?

According to a LinkedIn study , shorter job posts (less than 300 words) attract more applicants, so make the application process as straightforward as possible. Strike a good balance between detailed and direct. Succinctness is key.

Identify Your Same-Time-Next-Year Candidates

Recruiting a fresh set of employees whenever you need seasonal help takes time, energy, and resources. Identify candidates likely to come back for another work season and prioritize them.

Software company Team Engine recommends offering this year’s positions to last year’s workers first (with a pay raise, if possible). This tells them you appreciate their value to your organization and want to work with them again.

By giving preference to boomerang seasonal employees, your company can streamline the recruitment process, speed up onboarding and training, boost productivity, and introduce an element of predictability into your workforce planning.

Offer College Credits

Students are an excellent fit for seasonal work because they’re often available during school breaks and holidays. If your company is looking to hire college students for seasonal work, offering college credits can help convince them to apply.

Vaco’s Chief People Officer Tracey Power suggests partnering with local colleges and building accreditation programs, especially if you know you’ll have seasonal openings you need to fill every year.

If you want to categorize your seasonal work as an internship, you can also participate in a student-learner internship program . Contact your local high school, community college, or trade school to find the most suitable program for your organization.

Provide Growth and Career Opportunities

Many opt to engage in seasonal work because of its temporary arrangement. It allows people to earn income and experience without committing to a long-term, full-time job.

However, not all seasonal employees are entirely opposed to a permanent role. Some of them could be interested in growing their career in your organization, so don’t assume that all of your seasonal workers are temporary.

If you see team members with the potential for long-term roles, identify them and closely monitor their performance. At the end of the season, if they’re fit for full-time employment, present the opportunity for a permanent spot in the company.

Stacy Fetherston , field talent officer at College HUNKS, also advises identifying core members of your team and turning them into mentors.

“Fill in the gaps and provide a space for others to learn and grow," Fetherston added.

Nexus HR: Delivering Reliable Workforce Support, No Matter the Season

Discovering, attracting, hiring, and retaining exceptional talent is crucial to your organization’s growth and success. And it’s no easy feat!

We understand how frustrating workforce management can be for any company leader, so we want to say you don’t have to do it alone!

Taking on recruitment, payroll , and HR management will only distract you from the many business-building responsibilities already on your plate. Make the smart move and partner with an established HR solutions provider like Nexus HR .

Whether you’re looking for full-time, part-time , temporary, or seasonal employees, Nexus HR’s team of talent acquisition and human resource specialists is ready to take on the full scope of your administrative HR responsibilities.

Focus on growing your business and leave the busy work to us.

Do You Know Your Employees’ Rights?

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 12:00:15 GMT

“We become leaders when we accept the responsibility to protect those in our care.”

- Simon Sinek , Bestselling Author of “Leaders Eat Last”

As a business leader, your role in the company goes beyond expanding size and profits. It entails a genuine commitment to nurturing and protecting your organization's heart and soul: your employees.

True leaders recognize that a company’s success is deeply intertwined with the growth and happiness of its team members. And they understand that their job as leaders starts with honoring every employee’s fundamental rights.

The Basic Rights of Every Employee

While labor laws vary from state to state, every employee in the United States enjoys the same rights that protect them against unfair treatment and ensure equal opportunities and a safe work environment.

Understanding and upholding these rights is vital to fostering a respectful and legally compliant workplace. Here are some fundamental rights your employee expects from you according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:

Freedom from Discrimination and Harassment

Your employees have the fundamental right to work without fear of harassment or unfavorable treatment based on legally protected characteristics such as:

Equal Pay for Equal Work

The “equal pay for equal work” principle asserts that individuals in the same workplace should receive equal pay for performing substantially equal jobs requiring similar skill, effort, and responsibility under similar working conditions.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is a U.S. federal law prohibiting pay discrimination based on gender. It aims to address the gender wage gap by requiring employers to give their employees fair and equitable compensation regardless of gender.

Freedom to Request Reasonable Accommodations

The U.S. Department of Labor defines reasonable accommodations as any modification or adjustment to a job, work environment, or company policy that:

Give an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to get a job and successfully perform it to the same extent as people without disabilities, as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 ensures. It includes facility enhancements, accessible restrooms, modified work schedules, and policy updates.
Allow an applicant or employee to practice or observe their religious beliefs, as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ensures. It often relates to work schedule changes, job assignments, and dress and grooming codes.

If the request for reasonable accommodation does not pose an undue hardship, the law compels employers to grant it.

Confidentiality and Privacy of Medical Information

All employees have the right to expect privacy and confidentiality when sharing medical or genetic information with their employer.

Under the ADA, employers must maintain strict confidentiality when dealing with medical records and similar documentation, keeping them separate from general personnel files. They should only be accessible to specific individuals (i.e., first aid workers, the employee’s supervisor for providing reasonable accommodation, government officials, and insurance companies).

Protection Against Retaliation

Along with other federal laws, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for engaging in legally protected activities.

Employees have the right to report discrimination in the workplace, participate in a discrimination investigation or lawsuit, or oppose discrimination without being punished by their employer for doing so.

Depending on the circumstances, retaliation can include demotion, verbal or physical abuse, negative performance evaluation, work schedule changes, job transfers, etc.

How to Avoid Employee Rights Violations in the Workplace

Creating a fair and respectful work environment that upholds employee rights is crucial for every organization. More than a thorough understanding of labor laws, it requires proactive leadership and a genuine dedication to employee well-being.

Here are a few things business leaders like you can do to foster a culture of compliance and uphold the rights of your team members:

Educate and Train

As the legal maxim ignorantia juris neminem excusat (ignorance of the law excuses no one) suggests, one cannot claim ignorance as a valid defense against legal consequences. It is our responsibility to know the laws that govern us and align our actions with them.

As a business leader, a vital part of your job is ensuring you and your team understand the federal, state, and local labor laws applicable to your organization.

By working with your office’s HR department, you can conduct regular training sessions about employee rights and recent updates about them. Help your employees understand their rights and protections in the workplace. Educate and inform your management team about acceptable and unacceptable workplace practices.

In Case You Didn’t Know:

The law requires every employer to post a notice describing the federal laws prohibiting job discrimination electronically or physically (in a conspicuous location in the workplace). Failure to do so can result in a monetary penalty of $659, adjusted annually for inflation.

Establish Fair Employment Practices

Start with inclusive recruitment processes that value—not discriminate against—every applicant’s unique background, education, opinions, and life journey.

You should also establish clear and measurable criteria for job promotions so every employee understands what skills you require and how management evaluates candidates.

Fair employment practices must reach the very end of the employee lifecycle. Build a systematic yet thoughtful offboarding process to avoid security risks, legal ramifications, and damaged relationships.

Provide Reasonable Accommodations

Employees don’t need to explicitly use the phrase “reasonable accommodations” when requesting them. They don’t even have to put it in writing. Informing you that they’re struggling to perform their work duties due to a medical, disability, or religious reason could already be a request for reasonable accommodation.

Technology company ADP recommends engaging your employee in an interactive process to determine their concerns, the limitations on their ability to perform their job, and the type of accommodation they require. And, based on the information you gather, provide appropriate accommodations where feasible.

Reasonable accommodations can range from purchasing ergonomic work equipment for your disabled employee to approving a time-off request so they can attend a religious ceremony.

Maintain Accurate Documentation

Keep thorough and accurate records of employment-related information like HR policies, hours worked, wages paid, leaves taken, and performance evaluations. Adhering to record-keeping requirements can help demonstrate your company’s legal compliance, prove transparency, and provide documentation in case of disputes.

Accurate documentation of legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons behind your decisions can also help address allegations of retaliation.

Conduct Regular Audits and Compliance Checks

Conduct periodic internal audits to identify and address any potential violations. These include wage and hour audits, diversity and inclusion assessments, and legal compliance reviews.

Audits and compliance checks allow you to evaluate existing processes and policies. Your management team can identify areas for improvement, update outdated policies, and implement best practices. You can proactively protect employee rights, mitigate legal risks, and establish a robust system for ongoing compliance by rectifying potential violations before they escalate into lawsuits or employee complaints.

Create a Safe and Healthy Work Environment with Nexus HR

Every good leader aims to create a work environment where team members feel secure, valued, and supported in their daily work activities. They understand that when their employees thrive, their organization thrives, too.

If you want to increase employee satisfaction and foster a culture of safety and compliance in your workplace, reach out to the team that can best guide and support you in that endeavor: human resources.

If your HR department can’t take on that project right now—or if you don’t have an HR team at all—trusted HR solutions provider Nexus HR can fill in the gaps!

Whether you need to offload recruitment and payroll tasks or have an entire team of remote HR specialists to handle administrative work, we are here for you every step of the way. Let us help you build the healthy work environment your employees deserve.

How to Prepare Your Team for Generative AI in the Workplace

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic for months now—not because it’s new, but because it has permeated every aspect of the average American’s life, including the workplace.

While the Microsoft Work Trend Index report shows 49% of employees worry that AI will replace their jobs, Slack’s State of Work report shows that employees adopting generative AI tools are 90% more likely to report higher productivity levels.

With more and more companies integrating tools like ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Synthesia in their workflows, you can’t help but ask yourself: Is it time to leverage generative AI to boost my business? How do I prepare my team for that?

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI refers to a branch of AI that focuses on creating new content, data, or outputs based on the data they were trained and prompted on.

For example, here’s what ChatGPT generated when asked to describe generative AI to a 15-year-old reader:

Generative AI is a super-smart computer program that can create its own things, just like a creative friend.

It looks at examples of things people have made, like drawings, stories, or music, and learns how they're put together. Then, it uses what it's learned to make brand-new creations that nobody has ever seen before. It's like having an artist friend who can surprise you with their unique artwork, except it's a computer doing all the creating!

People use generative AI in lots of cool ways. Artists use it to get inspiration and make new artwork. Game developers use it to create characters, worlds, and adventures in video games. It's like having a virtual collaborator that can help you bring your ideas to life.

Generative AI opens up a whole new world of creativity and imagination where the possibilities are endless!

Generative AI can be a groundbreaking tool for your business, but it’s not a turnkey , risk-free solution. It requires meticulous planning, thorough preparation, and careful execution.

Before hopping on to the generative AI bandwagon, company leaders like you need to understand how it can grow your business, what risks you could face, and what changes you need to make to adopt it.

How is Generative AI Impacting the Workplace?

According to a McKinsey & Company report , generative AI will significantly impact all industry sectors. It is especially transforming industries that rely heavily on data analysis and decision-making.

By analyzing large amounts of data, generative AI can provide valuable insights, make predictions, and assist in making informed business decisions. This helps organizations streamline processes, optimize operations, and identify new opportunities.

Here are some industries that generative AI has already penetrated:

Healthcare

According to a Precedence Research report , the global market for AI in healthcare was an estimated $15.1 billion in 2022. The report expects it to exceed $187.95 billion by 2030.

Healthcare organizations have been using AI to ease extended processes, improve patient care, lower costs, and increase the overall effectiveness of care.

For example, the University of Kansas Health System rolled out a generative AI app to more than 140 of its locations. The app, Abridge , captures the audio of a provider-patient conversation, transcribes it, identifies 90% of the key points, and summarizes them to automatically fill out the patient’s medical chart in the clinician’s preferred format.

By leveraging generative AI, the University of Kansas Health System aims to reduce providers' time on documentation, improve the quality and consistency of clinical notes, reduce provider burnout, increase provider retention, and enhance patient care delivery.

Architecture

In 2013, an Oxford University study showed only a 1.8% chance of technology and AI replacing architects. Ten years and many AI milestones later, experts still say it’s unlikely that robots will ever replace a human architect’s role.

However, that’s not to say AI hasn’t transformed how architects work. In fact, an increasing number of architects are leaning on AI technology to help them create design options, analyze them, optimize building performance, and predict how people will use a space.

Maket is one way generative AI is accelerating architectural innovation. Using profound advances in AI, Maket can generate hundreds of floorplan variations based on the prompts, parameters, and constraints you enter. It allows users to collaborate on one platform and provides instant answers on zoning codes, materials, and costs.

By harnessing the power of generative AI, architects can generate schematic designs in minutes instead of months. They can simplify and expedite the architectural process and increase production.

Retail

McKinsey & Company reports that the impact of generative AI on productivity in the retail industry could translate to an additional $400 to $660 billion a year in revenue.

National Retail Federation’s VP of Retail Technology and Cybersecurity Christian Beckner says generative AI may soon write product descriptions for thousands of products. It could also gather data from social media and automatically design products based on trends; this allows retailers to get new items to market much faster.

Besides marketing and sales content creation, generative AI can also help elevate the customer experience by giving chatbots a more human interaction style, accelerating consumer research, and speeding up content analysis.

When asked about how this would affect employees in the retail industry, International Data Corporation’s VP of Research Ananda Chakravarty explains that workers will need to adjust to working with data and technology more frequently. They don’t have to be experts but must learn how to interpret and use data.

Organizations looking into adopting generative AI tools need to give their teams the opportunity and space to learn about generative AI and leave no room for tech shame.

Dealing With Workers Who Are Anxious About Generative AI

Employees are worried AI will take over the workforce and take away their jobs. And they have every reason to be.

History teaches us that, like all technological advancements preceding it, generative AI will likely displace job roles . However, history also tells us that new technology spurs on creating new jobs, which will offset the displaced ones.

When you decide to integrate generative AI into your operations, there will be anxiety and fear among your team. That’s a normal reaction from employees who value their place in your company.

Handling your employees’ questions and concerns is crucial in seamlessly integrating technology into your business processes. Here are a few things you can do to reassure AI-anxious employees:

Set Expectations and Regularly Evaluate Progress

Dave Wilkin , CEO of talent experience platform 10KC, recommends that employers and company leaders set clear expectations about generative AI functions in their company.

What will and won’t the AI tool do? What tasks can your employees delegate to AI? What are the expected outcomes of incorporating generative AI in your business operations? And are you achieving these outcomes?

“AI should never be used to [make] automated decisions,” said Wilkin. “Rather, it should be used as a tool to help inform decision-making by humans.”

Inform and Educate Your Team

According to a TalentLMS survey , 49% of U.S. employees admit they need training on AI tools. Unfortunately, only 14% say they’re getting it.

If you want your business to experience the full potential of generative AI, your team needs to know its role in your workplace, how to use it properly, what AI data you will collect, and how it will affect each member’s role and responsibilities.

Informing and educating your team helps you smoothen the transition to an AI-assisted workflow, show your employees that you value them, and foster a culture of commitment.

Upskill and Reskill

According to a Microsoft report , business leaders are more interested in using AI to empower their employees, not to replace them. As a manager, you must reassure your team that generative AI will not replace them…but also be honest enough to tell them a person who knows how to wield it effectively could.

David Blake , CEO of learning platform Degreed, tells employers that with the potential time savings you have after generative AI takes on specific repetitive and time-consuming tasks, your employees may have more capacity to learn new skills or enhance current ones.

“Some workers will feel uneasy with the growing list of things that AI can do,” said Blake. “Doubling down on upskilling and reskilling them will help put their minds at ease while preparing them for the opportunities that AI will offer.”

Foster a Culture of Innovation and Growth with Nexus HR

AI is shaping the future of work, and it’s only a matter of time before your organization embraces it to stay competitive and relevant.

However, before you adapt to AI, you need to ensure your employees are ready for the change. You must invest your time carefully planning and preparing for your company’s future.

Unfortunately, you can’t do that if you’re stuck doing administrative HR , payroll , and recruitment work.

Free up your schedule and clear your mind by outsourcing tedious and time-consuming HR tasks to a trusted human resource solutions company like Nexus HR . With the latest tools, a global team of experts, and an extensive network of talent, we are ready to create custom solutions for your unique needs.

Focus on building your team’s long-term growth and success, and leave the admin work to us.

What Are Soft Skills, and Why Do They Matter?

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 13:00:06 GMT

If you’re building your team in today’s increasingly competitive job market, hiring people based on raw talent and technical skills is tempting. Unfortunately, it takes more than that to be a high-value employee.

According to LinkedIn’s 2019 Global Talent Trends report, 92% of recruiters and hiring managers say soft skills are just as important—or more important—than hard skills. And 89% of them say that when a hire doesn't work out, it’s usually because of a lack of soft skills.

So what are soft skills? And why are they a crucial factor when hiring new employees?

What Are Soft Skills?

A term first introduced in U.S. army training courses in the 1970s, soft skills referred to interpersonal skills rather than those needed to operate machinery and weapons. A decade later, the business and education sectors started using the term, and its meaning evolved to include several types of widely transferable skills.

Today, soft skills (also known as people skills or core skills) refer to non-technical and non-industry-specific skills that apply to various tasks in different roles and professions.

They enable individuals to build healthy relationships, foster a collaborative work environment, navigate complex situations, adapt to changes, and contribute positively to the workplace. Soft skills play a crucial role in personal and professional success.

In fact, the Society for Human Resource Management ( SHRM ) reports that 77% of organizations have focused on improving soft skills like empathy, compassion, and communication to meet the current workforce's expectations better.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What’s the Difference?

While very different from each other, hard skills and soft skills are equally crucial for professional success. Hard skills help us perform specific job functions and meet technical requirements, while soft skills allow us to collaborate, communicate, adapt, and grow.

Hard skills refer to specific, measurable, and teachable abilities that one typically acquires through formal education, training programs, or practical experience. They are often technical in nature and relate to a specific field or occupation. Hard skills are tangible and can be easily demonstrated, tested, and taught.

Hard skills include abilities like machinery operation, programming, data analysis, accounting, graphic design, and foreign language proficiency.

On the other hand, soft skills are non-technical skills that relate to an individual's personal attributes, behavior, and attitude. They involve how individuals interact with others and handle various situations. Soft skills are generally more challenging to quantify or measure than hard skills. They are also more abstract and subjective, which makes them relatively harder to teach and develop.

Soft skills include communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, adaptability, empathy, time management, and conflict resolution.

Soft Skills to Look for When Hiring

Many organizations think they only need to consider soft skills when hiring for leadership positions, but managers and leaders aren’t the only ones who need a well-rounded skill set.

When selecting new talent for your company, regardless of the role, you need to look beyond basic experience to ensure the new employee will fit your team well.

If you’re wondering what the most common soft skills among top-performing employees are, here’s a list according to an employer study by Indeed:

Problem-Solving

Forbes defines problem-solving as having the ability to identify complex challenges and opportunities and being capable of addressing them through alternative solutions.

With problem-solving skills, employees can analyze situations in various contexts, identify the best course of action, and ultimately make informed decisions that get things done effectively and efficiently.

Problem-solving skills include active listening, critical thinking, research, analysis, strategic thinking, and initiative.

Communication

Indeed defines communication skills as abilities a person uses when giving and receiving different kinds of information. While everyone can communicate in one form or another, not everyone can communicate clearly and efficiently.

More than the ability to convey information, effective communication is also about actively listening and understanding the perspectives of others. It encompasses various components, such as verbal and nonverbal communication, empathy, clarity, and adaptability.

Successful communication is a crucial skill in the workplace because it allows team members to express themselves effectively, articulate ideas, provide constructive feedback, and deal with difficult situations or colleagues.

Self-Direction

According to the Center on Transition Innovations , self-direction refers to the ability to take the initiative and look for ways to help and accomplish tasks without being told to by someone else.

Being self-directed means one can set goals, manage time, and work without constant supervision. It involves being proactive, self-motivated, and taking ownership of one's actions and outcomes. Self-motivated and adherent to a strong work ethic, self-directed employees can make independent decisions based on sound judgment and critical thinking.

Self-direction is a soft skill that empowers individuals to take control of their growth and be proactive in achieving their goals. In the workplace, self-direction among employees can bring in more innovative ideas, encourage learning and development, and prevent productivity paranoia.

Drive

Mental health platform BetterHelp defines drive as the internal push or effort one uses to accomplish long-term goals. It refers to a person’s motivation, determination, and ambition to achieve goals and excel in their endeavors.

According to organizational effectiveness consultant Jayne Lewis , driven people are generally more successful because they set high goals and don’t give up. They make sacrifices to ensure their job gets done on or before time and meets or exceeds expectations.

Drive involves a strong internal motivation to succeed, a desire for improvement, and the ability to use setbacks as opportunities to move forward. Driven employees are typically ready to take on bigger responsibilities and find ways to contribute beyond their basic job requirements.

Adaptability

According to Indeed , adaptability is the ability to be flexible to changing factors, conditions, or environments. It is adjusting to and thriving in change without creating stress or drama. Adaptability is the ability to bend without breaking.

To be adaptable, one must be open to new ideas, receptive to feedback, and resilient in the face of adversity or change. Adaptability is an especially valuable skill when working on projects and formulating strategies in a fast-paced, rapidly changing work environment.

Developing adaptability as a soft skill among your workforce not only helps drive success and achieve goals, but it also helps your team better cope with stressful situations and avoid mental health challenges.

Spot and Sharpen Your Team’s Soft Skills with Nexus HR

As author, playwright, and journalist Eric Burns said, “Greatness is more than potential. It is the execution of that potential.”

When hiring great people into your organization, you must evaluate job candidates beyond their raw talent and hard skills. They must possess the necessary soft skills to execute their potential.

As a trusted recruitment and HR agency, Nexus HR understands that it’s a lot easier said than done, which is why we’re here to help you throughout your hiring journey.

We’ve been in the recruiting industry long enough to know that a potential candidate’s former colleagues and bosses are the best people to ask about their soft skills. So we ensure our global team of recruiters asks the right questions to the right people whenever we conduct thorough reference checks.

With our massive network, stringent hiring process, and highly skilled team of recruitment and HR experts , Nexus HR is ready to help you grow your team to greatness.

What Are the Different Employee Types?

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 13:00:02 GMT

For centuries, the working class has always pursued the stability, consistent income, and benefits of full-time employment.

During the Industrial Revolution , people worked 16 hours a day, six days a week. In 1914, Ford Motors cut the workday to eight hours , which set the standard for the 9-to-5 model most of the global workforce follows.

But times are changing, and the job market is changing with it.

Thanks to technological advancements, a growing desire for work-life balance, and the opportunity for greater flexibility, traditional employment—typically characterized by full-time, long-term positions with set working hours and benefits—is no longer the working people’s employment type of choice.

5 Common Workplace Employee Types

Every organization comprises different employee types. And for good reason, too! Each has unique advantages and disadvantages, so studying them is crucial for effective workforce management.

Here are five common employee types, what makes them unique, and how they can contribute to growing your workplace:

Full-Time Employees

While the employer generally determines the definition of full-time employment, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) classifies anyone who works an average of 32 to 40 hours per week or 130 hours per month as a full-time employee.

Also called traditional employment, full-time employment typically involves a long-term or permanent work arrangement. According to the Academy to Innovate HR , full-time employees work around 30 to 40 hours per week, are eligible for benefits, and may not have a set contract end date. They can also either be salaried or paid hourly.

In most companies, being a full-time employee usually determines whether or not one is eligible for the following benefits:

Vacation Time
Medical, Life, or Dental Insurance
Pension and Retirement Plans

California law, however, requires employers to provide the following benefits to their employees:

Social Security Benefits
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Benefits
Paid Sick Leave
Pregnancy Disability Leave
Worker’s Compensation
Final Wage Payment

If you want higher productivity, long-term work commitment, and a stronger company, invest in excellent full-time employees.

Part-Time Employees

Part-time employment is a work arrangement where one works fewer hours every week than a full-time employee. Because there is no standard definition for it, certain government agencies have varying definitions of part-time employment.

For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines part-time employment as working between one to 34 hours per week, while the California Employment Development Department defines part-time work as less than 35 work hours.

Because employers are usually not legally required to provide benefits for them, part-time employees generally do not enjoy the employee benefits that full-time employees do. However, they are still entitled to several workplace rights, such as:

Meal and Rest Periods
Lunch Breaks
The State Minimum Wage
Overtime Pay
A Workplace Free from Harassment or Discrimination

In California, part-time employees are also entitled to paid sick days if they have worked for their employer for at least 30 days and an extra hour of pay if they’re a minimum-wage worker who works a split shift .

Hiring part-time employees is a clever (and flexible) way to provide the support or assistance your business needs without the cost of hiring a full-time worker.

Temporary Employees

As its name suggests, temporary employment is nonpermanent by nature. Temporary employees work on special projects or fill in for absent employees for a determined time. They have a set end date on their contract. And, unless otherwise required by applicable law, temporary workers are not entitled to company benefits.

Companies that hire temporary workers don’t usually plan for them to be part of the company’s continuing operations. Once the temporary employee’s contract expires, their working relationship with the company ends.

Unlike most employment types, which entail a company directly hiring workers, temporary employment usually involves a third-party contractor. Companies can hire temporary employees through a staffing agency or a professional employer organization (PEO), which serves as the employer of record. The agency or PEO takes care of wages, taxes, worker’s compensation, and insurance.

Most staffing agencies also offer temp-to-hire positions. This work arrangement means the agency places a qualified employee to work for you for a set duration, and if you’re satisfied with their work at the end of the period, you can offer them a permanent role in your team.

Overall, temporary employment is excellent for short-term projects and filling gaps in your company’s workforce, minus the cost and pressure of offering permanent positions.

Seasonal Employees

Like temporary employment, seasonal jobs are also nonpermanent by nature. They have a fixed start and end date. Seasonal work refers to temporary job opportunities that are present only during certain times of the year because:

The hiring companies are only open during specific seasons, like ski resorts and summer camps, or
The hiring companies need more employees during peak periods, like retail stores during the holiday shopping season and accounting firms during tax season.

Seasonal work highly depends on factors like holidays, weather, agriculture, tourism, retail seasons, and special events. While a contract can last a few weeks to several months, seasonal employees never hold year-round positions.

While a seasonal employee may not enjoy the same benefits a full-time employee does, they still have access to certain protections. In California , for example, seasonal workers are entitled to the following rights at work:

Meal and Rest Periods
Paid Sick Leave
Minimum Wage
Overtime Pay or Double Pay (Depending on the Work)
A Safe Workspace

Contingent Employees

Job search platform Indeed defines contingent employees as individuals outsourced by a business to perform specific duties on a nonpermanent and non-employee basis. Whether contingent employees work remotely or report to the office, companies don’t add them to their payroll and typically don’t provide them benefits like a traditional employee.

More commonly called freelancers, consultants, independent contractors, or 1099 workers, contingent workers are often experts in their fields and lend their skills to organizations temporarily, under a contract, or on an as-needed basis.

However, it’s important to note that not every worker can be classified as a contingent employee. The U.S. Supreme Court states that under the Fair Labor Standards Act, no single rule or test can determine whether an individual is an independent contractor. You need to consider the entire situation, especially the following factors:

The extent to which the services rendered are an integral part of the principal's business
The permanency of the relationship
The amount of the alleged contractor's investment in facilities and equipment
The nature and degree of control by the principal
The alleged contractor's opportunities for profit and loss
The amount of initiative, judgment, or foresight in open market competition with others required for the success of the claimed independent contractor
The degree of independent business organization and operation

Find Top Talent from Every Employee Type With Nexus HR

Deciding which employee types to hire for your company is a significant and challenging decision. You need to know your exact needs, how long you’ll need the additional personnel, and how much your budget is. But don’t let that stop you from moving forward with your plans!

Nexus HR specializes in helping growing companies discover, hire, and keep top-caliber candidates from every employee type! As an established HR solutions provider , our services reach every aspect of the employee lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding to virtual HR and payroll management .

Whether scaling up your team or building a new one, Nexus HR is ready to help you every step of the way.

5 Key Traits of a Good Manager (According to the People They Manage)

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 12:30:00 GMT

One of the most critical decisions an organization makes is choosing its managers. And it’s not an easy one.

According to analytics firm Gallup , companies fail to choose the right candidate 82% of the time. Why? Because good managers are difficult to find.

Gallup’s research reveals that only one in ten people possess good management potential. With good managers so hard to come by, the ability to identify, hire, and keep one is more important than ever.

What Makes a Good Manager?

As company leaders, managers set the tone, direction, and culture in every workplace.

Good leaders bring out the best in employees. On the other hand, organizational psychologist Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic says, “Bad leaders create high levels of anxiety, [high] turnover, low morale, [and] low productivity.”

So what separates good leadership from bad? And what are the key traits of a good leader?

The best people to ask these questions are those who work closely with them every day. Here are the top five characteristics of a good manager, according to employees:

Honesty

According to a survey published in “ What People Want ” by Terry R. Bacon, 90% of U.S. employees say they want honesty. The Predictive Index People Management Study backs up this claim stating 80% of employees see honesty as a top trait of great managers.

Honesty builds trust among team members. Managers who are transparent and truthful in their communication, actions, and decisions foster an environment of openness and accountability.

When managers take accountability and ownership of their actions, their words carry weight, and their influence pushes members to do the same. Honest managers set a positive example for their employees and give them a safe space to express their concerns, ideas, and feedback.

Respect

The 2020 study A Boss From Hell confirms that disrespectfully treating subordinates is the top misbehavior that “bad bosses” display (72%). This statistic makes sense because a Harvard Business Review study shows that when you ask employees what they want most from their leader, feeling respected tops the list.

Respectful managers acknowledge and appreciate the diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and ideas among the team. They are committed to promoting workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). They actively seek different viewpoints, listen attentively, and create space for everyone to contribute.

Leaders encourage innovation, creativity, and problem-solving by fostering respect and integrating multiple perspectives. And as a result, members who feel respected are more motivated, engaged, and committed to their work.

Responsiveness

When asked what they want from their managers, 74% of survey respondents said they want their managers to listen, understand, and respond. Unfortunately, an online survey by Harris Poll found that 69% of managers are often uncomfortable communicating with their employees.

Managers act as the bridge between the company and the employees, so keeping communication lines open and clear is essential. Good leadership involves actively listening to the needs of your members and striving to respond promptly to messages, requests, and inquiries.

Practice the art of responsiveness by proactively setting aside time for one-on-one meetings and stay interviews. Listen carefully to what your members say, and use that information to understand why they remain with your company and what work-related factors could push them to leave.

Appreciation

According to McKinsey & Company’s Head of Communications Glenn Leibowitz , exceptional leaders express appreciation. They say thank you publicly and often. They also give credit where credit is due. But appreciation is more than just recognition and rewards.

“Being an appreciative leader requires entering another’s world, experiencing it, and then letting that person know what you’ve seen,” says Henley Leadership Group Founder Dede Henle . “It’s about sharing the difference that a person’s unique contribution has had on you.”

Be intentional about expressing appreciation to your team. Whether you’re managing onsite or remote employees, build a habit of listing down what you appreciate about their contributions and communicating these to them genuinely.

Integrity

In their 2020 study on trust, software company Adobe confirmed that employees want integrity from their employers.

Leadership coach Brian Tracy defines integrity as “doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do.” A manager of integrity is committed to doing the right thing even when no one else is looking.

Former AirBnB Chief Ethics Officer Rob Chesnut refers to leaders as the thermostat for their company’s integrity. Just as a thermostat sets the temperature of a room, the leader sets the tone for how their team operates. If a manager leads with integrity, their team works with integrity.

Nexus HR Helps You Find, Hire, and Keep Good Managers

Good leaders are essential to achieving sustained success. It helps improve financial performance and boost employee engagement. It helps shape your organization’s culture and steer its growth in the right direction.

But to have good managers, you must first find, attract, and hire them into your team and make them want to stay. With the job market as competitive as it is today, you’ll need all the help you can get.

Nexus HR offers a vast selection of human resource solutions that you can customize to meet your organization’s every need. From executive recruitment, onboarding , and training, to remote HR management , payroll management , and administrative HR assistance, we are ready to give you the HR support you need as you build and strengthen leadership within your organization.

How to Manage Time-Off Requests Like a (Good) Boss

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 20:48:47 GMT

Everyone needs a break from work, especially when one in three Americans admits that work negatively impacts their mental health.

According to industrial/organizational psychologist Dr. Charlotte Fritz , taking breaks can improve one’s mood and performance capacity.

“Mentally disengaging from work—not thinking about work, not checking your emails at home, not being on-call—we find that it’s definitely beneficial for people’s well-being,” says Dr. Fritz .

It is every employee’s right to take time off work, and, as a good employer, it’s your responsibility they’re able to do so.

Things to Consider When Managing Time-Off Requests

A report by The Washington Post shows that, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. employees are around half as likely to be taking a vacation now (1.7%) than they were 40 years ago (3.3%).

The data didn’t show fewer paid time off (PTO) days; workers still had access to them. They just weren’t utilizing them.

Are your team members taking time off work to recharge? Do they feel safe asking for vacation? Are they taking too much time off?

Here are a few things you need to keep in mind to manage time-off requests (and your team) better:

Develop a Comprehensive Time-Off Policy

While U.S. employees are entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid leaves through the Family and Medical Leave Act ( FMLA ), no federal law regulates paid time off. It’s up to the state and employers like you to set a fair, comprehensive, and inclusive time-off policy that addresses the needs of your workforce.

With the help of your management team and HR department , develop your company’s time-off rules and processes. They should ideally answer the following questions:

How much time off are your employees entitled to?
How should employees submit their time-off requests?
When can they request time off work?
When can’t they request time off?
How much advance notice does management need for time-off requests?
How often can employees request time off?
What happens when there are overlapping time-off requests?

Technology is a great way to streamline, track, and manage your company’s time-off policy without dealing with paper forms, binders, and filing cabinets. Platforms like PrismHR and Timeco conveniently keep your entire team’s leave requests in one easily accessible place.

Clearly Communicate Your Policy

Transparency and open communication are essential to successfully implementing your company’s time-off policy. If you already have one in place, your employees need to know what it is and its details.

When onboarding new employees into your company, set aside time to talk about your time-off policy. Clearly explain it using situational examples and answering questions the new hires may have.

Adding a brief overview of your time-off policy on j ob descriptions during the recruitment phase can also show potential employees the perks of working for your organization and convince them to join your team.

Address Job Insecurity in the Workplace

Your team members may have accrued plenty of PTO hours but may be hesitant about using them.

Amber Clayton , Senior Director of Knowledge Center Operations of The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), calls this a matter of job security.

“If they’re not there and somebody else is doing the work now, they look like they’re expendable,” said Clayton. “Or they feel like it’s going to be frowned upon from their employer if they take off.”

If your team members are hesitant to take time off because they think it makes them appear replaceable and less-than-dedicated to their jobs, it’s time you step in and address the issue of job insecurity in your organization.

Establish a workplace culture that encourages healthy work practices. Emphasize that taking breaks and time off are crucial to performing better at work in the long run.

Help Your Members Manage Their Workload

According to a Project: Time Off study, the most common reason employees avoid going on vacation is the fear of having a massive pile of work waiting for them when they return.

Unfortunately, many employees think the staggering workload after a week-long break is enough to consider not going on vacation at all.

No one should feel like they can’t step away from work for a break. As a leader, you have the authority and influence to mitigate this.

Software company Replicon suggests implementing a three-day grace period when employees return from vacation. The company recommends prioritizing time-sensitive tasks for the first three days, and allowing them to catch up on the rest of the their tasks at a more relaxed pace.

You can also hire reliable part-time employees or temporary staff whom you can call to help fill in when your team members need to take time off.

Let Your Team Know You Can Say No

Unfortunately, you can’t approve every single time-off request you get. Your business needs to continue operating, and it’s important your team understands this clearly.

According to Felix Roy of Sherweb ’s Human Resources team, the only acceptable reason to deny an employee’s time-off request is when it affects business needs.

If approving the time-off requests means being understaffed, failing to meet deliverables and deadlines, being unable to ensure adequate service to clients, failing to attend critical meetings, and going against the set time-off policy, you may have to deny them.

However, as a leader, you must remember that you have a relationship with your team members. You not only care about the business’s needs, you also care about theirs.

Go above and beyond to help employees get the time off they deserve while sticking to your policies and ensuring sufficient coverage. If you still can’t make things work after that, have a conversation with your employee. Let them know you need to deny the time-off request and why.

Manage Time-Off Requests Efficiently and Effectively with Nexus HR

Tracking, assessing, and staying on top of your workforce’s time-off requests is no easy feat. And if you want to do it most effectively and efficiently, you need a reliable team of HR experts to help you out. If you don’t have one yet, Nexus HR is ready to help!

From building a time-off policy and integrating it into your payroll system, to implementing it in your operations, Nexus HR has got you covered! Fully equipped with the latest technology and industry experience, we’re here to help streamline time-off processes for your team and simplify PTO approvals and denials for you.

What is ESG in the Workplace & Why Should Your Company Care?

Tue, 30 May 2023 19:00:00 GMT

Today’s company leaders strive to achieve more than just success. They have their eyes set on sustainable success.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria have become crucial considerations for organizations that want to thrive responsibly and sustainably. Business leaders have realized that, when planned strategically and integrated successfully into their companies, ESG initiatives can help them boost financial performance, improve employee well-being, and make the world a better place.

What is ESG in the Workplace?

Analytics company Gallup defines ESG as the environmental, social, and governance criteria for evaluating an organization's success beyond the profit it makes.

According to A Great Place to Work , ESG stemmed from socially concerned investors’ desire to use non-financial measures when choosing their investments. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a way to account for externalities: things that did not cost an organization anything (like dumping waste) but had a cost to others (those who had to clean it up).

During the UN World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987, the creation of the Brundtland Report helped shape national policies and identify key measures to protect the planet and human life.

ESG became a framework that companies used to keep themselves accountable and practice sustainability management, ethical practices, and conscious consumerism. Over the years, it has evolved into the standards by which society expects companies, nonprofits, and governments to operate.

By challenging company leaders to shift their focus from short-term profit to long-term impact, ESG ultimately redefines what it means to be a successful organization. It’s not just about how much you’re earning or how fast you’re growing; it’s also about your legacy and how you’re making the world a better place.

The Three Pillars of ESG

ESG has three separate but interconnected elements: environmental, social, and governance. Let’s look into each component and see how organizations like yours can ensure they’re meeting the set standards:

Environmental Sustainability

The environmental pillar is founded on the commitment to protect the planet. Companies do this by measuring how their activities affect the environment and finding a way to reduce the negative impacts. Some key questions organizations need to ask themselves when evaluating their environmental sustainability efforts are:

How do the actions of my organization affect the environment, locally and globally?
How does my organization use energy and other resources?
In what ways does my organization create waste?
What are the environmental impacts of my organization’s products and services?

Enterprise platform company Countable labels the environment pillar as the most widely targeted and easily understood among the three. Because of this, companies all over the world already have systems tracking their impact on the environment.

You can measure your company’s energy consumption, water usage, and greenhouse gas emissions. You can also implement initiatives that help reduce your carbon footprint, like recycling, shifting to eco-friendly materials, and supporting conservation efforts.

Social Policy

According to McKinsey & Company , the social pillar “addresses the relationships your company has and the reputation it fosters with people and institutions in the communities where you do business.”

It focuses on how a company interacts with and contributes to the welfare of its employees, communities, and society as a whole. The social pillar pushes organizations to ask critical questions like:

How are my company's actions and decisions affecting society?
Are my employees treated with respect, fairness, and equity in the workplace?
Does my company care about the well-being of its employees, customers, and the community around it?
Does my company adhere to labor laws and regulations?

Nneoma E. Njoku , the creator of the U.S. Transparency Awards, found that events like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, the #MeToo movement, and the Great Resignation have driven increased interest in social issues and regulatory disclosures.

Concerned citizens are expecting companies like yours to disclose information on the social policies and practices you implement. Njoku identified these data as your turnover rates, diversity among the workforce and leadership, training and development programs, and pay equity .

Regulatory bodies are also increasing company assessments on societal issues, particularly on how you engage with and contribute to the well-being of the communities in which you operate.

Fair Governance

According to Sustainability Magazine , the governance pillar refers to a company's leadership, executive remuneration, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights.

It focuses on how an organization is governed, ensures accountability, and aligns its actions with the interests of stakeholders (i.e., shareholders, employees, customers, and society as a whole).

At its core, the governance pillar revolves around building and maintaining trust. It drives organizations to ask:

Can investors trust that my company will make good on its promises?
Does my company make decisions honestly, ethically, and fairly?
Are my company employees confident that their workplace is safe and fair?
Are the goals of company leadership aligned with the goals of shareholders, employees, and customers?

Patagonia is one of the top rated companies for good governance. Well known for its ethical practices, Patagonia’s products are made in factories that treat workers fairly. It is also transparent about its decision-making process, its successes and failures, and the suppliers it partners with.

Why Should You Have an ESG Strategy?

An ESG strategy is a systematic approach your organization adopts to incorporate environmental, social, and governance considerations into your operations, decision-making processes, and overall business strategy.

Besides making your organization sustainable and compliant, a well-executed ESG strategy also helps you achieve the following goals: secure investor confidence, foster customer loyalty, minimize operating expenses, and enhance asset management, ultimately leading to improved financial performance.

Increase Employee Satisfaction and Productivity

A Marsh McLennan study shows that organizations with the highest employee satisfaction scores have significantly higher ESG scores than their peers. And because studies show that satisfied employees work harder, stay longer, and seek to produce better results, building an ESG strategy in your organization could boost productivity by 31% .

Get High-Quality Talent

By 2023, Millennials and Gen Zs will make up 72% of the global workforce. A Deloitte study shows that members of these generations are deeply concerned about social issues and have a strong desire to drive societal change. If you want your organization to attract and hire high-quality talent , highlighting your commitment to social responsibility on environmental, social, and governance issues will definitely help.

Attract Investors and Lenders

According to Gallup , 48% of investors admit to being interested in sustainable investing funds. An effective ESG strategy showcases your commitment to sustainable practices, responsible governance, and social impact. This gives investors and lenders confidence in your company's ability to create long-term value, boost financial performance, and manage risks effectively.

How to Get Started With an ESG Strategy:

Every organization is unique, so there is no one-size-fits-all formula for starting and implementing an ESG strategy. However, a few questions can help guide your organization as it takes its first few steps toward adopting ESG initiatives:

What is the current state of ESG in my company?

Before you set anything in motion, it’s vital to take an honest look at how your company is currently addressing environmental, social, and governance concerns. Start a careful evaluation of your ESG goals.

Do you need to start from scratch, or are there existing ESG initiatives in place? What resources do you have that can contribute to a more structured ESG strategy? What are your company’s superpowers and vulnerabilities ?

What is my company’s purpose?

In the words of leading governance and risk management authority Catherine Maxwell , ESG is deeply connected with corporate purpose. Your ESG strategy must align with and link to your organization’s core values, vision, and mission.

What is your company’s purpose? What do you stand for? And how are they connected to what you do and how you do it?

Which regulations and standards are relevant to my company?

Sustainability recommends looking into ESG-related regulations and reporting standards that may be relevant to your company. Having this information beforehand allows you to zero in on your goals, plan more effectively, and ensure compliance.

Sustainability platform Brightest has an updated list of key U.S. ESG regulations that you may find helpful.

Nexus HR Helps You Focus on ESG in the Workplace

Setting up an ESG strategy for your company doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time, effort, collaboration, and lots of data.

As a company leader, you have a lot on your plate. And unless you find a way to hand some tasks over to your team members, your plan to create an effective ESG strategy isn’t going to move forward.

Nexus HR can help you with that.

As a full-service HR solutions company, we provide organizations like yours with comprehensive recruitment, payroll , and remote HR services. Nexus HR is committed to helping leaders offload time-consuming HR tasks so you can focus on business-building initiatives, like developing a successful ESG strategy for your company.

What is People Analytics, and Why Does My Company Need It?

Wed, 24 May 2023 14:00:01 GMT

“Truly successful decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.” – Malcolm Gladwell

Every day, business leaders face the challenge of making crucial decisions that benefit and grow their organizations.

When is the right time to hire more people? Who needs to get promoted? Which team members are at risk of quitting?

As a company leader, you’ve probably wondered if there’s an easier way to strike that delicate balance between trusting your gut and following a well-thought-out business strategy.

Well, there is. It’s called people analytics.

What is People Analytics?

People Analytics author Ben Waber defines people analytics as a “data-driven approach to people-related decisions and practices.” It’s about collecting an organization’s employee data and transforming it into actionable insights that improve business outcomes.

People analytics helps business leaders make smart, strategic, and data-backed decisions that result in better talent selection, improved performance management, and increased employee retention.

Also known as workforce analytics or HR analytics, people analytics can be traced back to Frederick Taylor’s 1911 book The Principles of Scientific Management . However, it gained popularity in the early 2000s as organizations started to leverage advanced analytics techniques to examine workforce data and extract insights for better decision-making.

In 2001, pharmaceutical company Merck formed their HR Decision Support team, arguably the first group dedicated exclusively to HR-specific analytics or decision science.

Since then, the field of people analytics has evolved significantly, with people analytics roles and teams popping up all over the United States. As technology and data analytics capabilities advanced, so did people analytics.

How People Analytics Can Help Your Company Grow

Data is power, and it’s driving the future of organizations everywhere. In fact, The Future of People Management report states that 70% of executives say they could make better decisions faster if they had better access to workforce data.

But how can people data and people analytics help your company grow?

People Analytics for Dummies author Mike West says that people analytics “helps leaders and employees make better decisions together—reinforcing organization-based competitive advantages, which result in sustained [organizational] growth over time.”

Here are a few ways you can apply people analytics to drive your organization toward success:

Talent Acquisition and Hiring

People analytics can help organizations optimize their recruitment and hiring processes.

According to people analytics software company Visier , analyzing data on successful hires (qualifications, skills, previous experience, etc.) can help you identify the critical candidate attributes that produce quality talent. This allows your staffing and recruitment team to refine their candidate selection processes and ultimately improve the quality of your company’s new talent.

Productivity and Retention

People analytics is an excellent way to know what factors contribute to an employee’s decision to stay with your company. It also helps you identify which employee engagement and retention initiatives work and which don’t.

For example, the PNC Financial Services Group ran an experiment to see the impact of pay increases on the productivity and retention of top performers, and they used people analytics to determine whether or not the idea was practical.

“We looked at HR data (retention) and business factors (customer experience, controllable contribution),” said Senior Vice President of HR Metrics and Analytics Jay Wilkinson. “The results showed that the pay increases did, indeed, lead to improved productivity and retention.”

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

By gathering and analyzing data on employee demographics, representation among leadership positions, and individual employee experiences, you can determine whether or not your organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusivity initiatives are effective.

E-commerce giant Wayfair uses people analytics to ensure inclusivity is embedded in all its people practices—from creating a more diverse workforce and ensuring equitable processes, to helping its leaders steward an inclusive culture.

“For the first time, we could easily tell the full story around outcomes for underrepresented talent at every stage of the employee lifecycle, from hiring through exit,” said Wayfair’s People Analytics Manager Dylan Mendelson. “This was crucial to understanding what the problems were, why they existed, and how to solve them.”

Performance Management

Performance management helps you understand what your employees may need in terms of motivation or communication to improve their overall performance. It’s also how employees know what to do to meet the organization’s expectations, get a raise, and receive a promotion.

Using data such as key performance indicators (KPIs) and goal achievement metrics, people analytics can help provide insights into how your employees are performing, who are the top performers, which areas they need to improve in, what factors influence their performance, and what you can do to help them achieve organizational goals.

Growth and Career Planning

Besides playing a pivotal role in the growth of your organization, data also helps drive the growth of your people. According to Global Talent Trends 2022–2023 , individuals who feel empowered in their careers are 2.6 times more likely to have had access to career path information.

People analytics can help you and high-potential employees prepare for company growth and career opportunities. By looking into and analyzing data on your employees’ skills, performances, and career progressions, you can identify team members who can assume critical leadership roles in the future.

Having accurate data allows you to explore different approaches to ensuring your current employees and teams are fully equipped to meet your organization’s future needs. Whether you’re considering quiet hiring , implementing mentorship programs , or conducting stay interviews , your decision-making process must be data-backed and data-driven to succeed.

People Analytics: Indisputable Data That Backs Up Your Business Decisions

Implementing a people analytics strategy is about leveraging data and analysis to gain insights into your workforce, enabling you to make more informed decisions and drive positive outcomes in recruitment , engagement, performance, talent management , and diversity.

If you’re considering it, your first step should be to inform and collaborate with your HR team . Talk about what you want to achieve, what your data sources are, what tools you need, and what the next steps should be for collecting and analyzing data.

If you don’t have an in-house human resources team, Nexus HR can be your full-service HR partner. With its expert teams and cutting-edge technology, Nexus HR can help you gather, organize, and prepare all necessary employee data for your people analytics program.

Develop data-driven strategies that back up your business instincts with people analytics, and get all the HR, recruitment, and payroll support you need from Nexus HR.

What is DEI in the Workplace?

Fri, 19 May 2023 14:00:01 GMT

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace means creating an environment where all members feel included and connected, enabling them to be their true and complete selves inside and outside the office.

The result? Companies ramping up their DEI efforts experience better business outcomes .

A few years ago, companies worldwide started aggressively adopting DEI programs. According to LinkedIn data , between 2015 and 2020, the global market experienced a 71% uptick in DEI roles.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. Workforce intelligence firm Revelio Labs found that companies have been backpedaling in their DEI efforts before 2020 ended.

“Attrition rates for DEI roles have outpaced those of non-DEI roles at more than 600 U.S. companies that laid off workers since late 2020,” stated the Revelio report. “And [they have] accelerated quickly in the last six months.”

So is DEI just a fad? Or is it vital to creating and maintaining a healthy work environment?

What does having a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in your organization mean? How does it benefit you? And how do you get started?

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: What’s the Difference?

As inclusion strategist Vernā Myers ’ put it, “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” And equity is ensuring everyone has access to the dance floor regardless of where they’re coming from.

While diversity, equity, and inclusion are interconnected and often used together, they represent distinct aspects of creating a more inclusive and equitable work environment. Here's a breakdown of each concept:

Diversity

Diversity refers to the representation and presence of people from various backgrounds at all levels of a particular organization, including positions of leadership and influence.

According to McKinsey & Company , it’s about who is represented in the workforce. Diversity encompasses various dimensions, such as gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, physical ability, neurodiversity, socioeconomic class, and religion.

Promoting diversity in the workplace involves recognizing and valuing these differences and ensuring that people from diverse backgrounds have opportunities to participate and contribute equally.

Equity

Built In defines equity as ensuring that practices and programs are impartial, fair, and provide equal possible outcomes for every individual.

Equity is about identifying and acknowledging that despite their effort and merit, people can still experience systemic barriers that prevent them from accessing equal opportunities, resources, and power to thrive.

Promoting equity in the workplace means addressing these barriers and actively working to eliminate discrimination, bias, and disadvantage while also considering historical and structural factors that contribute to inequality.

Inclusion

Inclusion refers to creating an environment where diverse individuals feel welcomed, respected, valued, and connected.

According to Inclusive Employers , an inclusive workplace culture is one where people from different backgrounds can come to work, feel comfortable to be their true selves, and be confident to perform their duties in a way that suits them.

More than just representation, inclusion involves actively dismantling exclusionary practices. Inclusion is about embracing diversity and ensuring everyone's perspectives, ideas, and contributions are recognized and included.

How Does a DEI Strategy Benefit Your Organization?

Whether you've been in business for a long time or are just starting, implementing an effective DEI strategy will benefit your company’s overall performance. Here are three key advantages of DEI initiatives in the workplace:

Better Talent Pool

A study by The Manifest reveals that 70% of job seekers consider the commitment to diversity a crucial factor when evaluating a potential employer. Among Gen Z job seekers, that number is 83% .

Creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment attracts top talent from different backgrounds. On the other hand, not having any DEI initiatives could mean your recruitment team is leaving a vast talent pool untapped.

Better Performance and Profitability

Multiple studies show that nonhomogenous teams perform better. They are more fact-focused, more careful about processing those facts, and more innovative.

According to Deloitte , organizations with inclusive cultures are twice as likely to meet or exceed their financial goals. McKinsey & Company also supports this, citing that companies with the most ethnically diverse executive teams are 33% more likely to outperform their peers on profitability.

By taking concrete steps to make your members feel welcomed, respected, and valued for who they are, your organization is helping them become more productive and engaged in their work.

Higher Employee Retention

According to the 2022 Gen Z and Millennial Survey , a diverse and inclusive culture is a critical issue regarding employee retention. The study shows that employees who are satisfied with their employers’ efforts to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment are likelier to want to stay with the company for more than five years.

When employees feel their voices are heard and their ideas valued, they tend to feel more connected and loyal to their organizations. They tend to stay longer in environments that give them opportunities to play a part in shaping the workplace culture.

How to Create a DEI Strategy

If your organization is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment, a DEI strategy is essential. However, every company’s journey to creating its DEI strategy is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

If you’re looking to get started with your organization’s DEI program, here are some steps you can take to kick off the process:

1. Know Your Driving Force

Before any organization can build a DEI strategy from the ground up, you need to understand what your driving force is for doing so.

Why does DEI matter to your organization? What makes a DEI strategy so important? How does it align with your organization’s purpose, vision, and mission? What results are you expecting to get?

“Your ‘why’ can be your north star,” says Shake Shack’s Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Culture Idris Stover . “It will help guide everything you do to support your company’s DEI strategy and business objectives.”

Only after honestly answering these questions and being transparent about your motivations can you start building a successful and strategic DEI management plan.

2. Gather DEI Data

Now that you understand your “why,” your next step is figuring out how your organization’s current diversity, equity, and inclusivity efforts are doing and in which areas you need to improve. Start by measuring DEI in your workplace quantitatively and qualitatively.

How are different groups in the company represented? Get the percentage of your employees based on age or generation, gender, differing abilities, ethnic backgrounds, etc.

How do your current and potential employees perceive your company’s DEI efforts? Are they engaged? Do they feel heard? Do they feel like they belong?

JPMorgan Chase’s Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Brian Lamb recommends conducting opinion surveys to understand how your team members feel about your DEI initiatives.

3. Get Buy-In from Company Leaders

To make a DEI strategy work or even gain traction, you need to get other team members involved. Start by seeking buy-in from your organization’s leaders and decision-makers.

Comcast Cable’s Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Loren Hudson says that getting senior leadership to be personally invested in your DEI efforts is one of the most important things you can do to achieve your DEI goals.

Hudson explains that when senior leaders intentionally diversify their teams and create opportunities for diverse groups to come together, it “gets the ball rolling.”

If your DEI initiatives involve revamping processes, implementing company policies, and launching new projects, you will need your company leaders' support and influence.

4. Start with Small, Achievable Goals

Building a DEI strategy from the ground up is no easy feat. It’s a long-term commitment that requires continuous momentum and support. Don’t burn yourself and your team out by doing everything simultaneously.

“Don’t try to boil the ocean,” Idris Stover advises. “It’s perfectly OK to start small, which allows you to be intentional, build momentum, and create a sustainable DEI strategy.”

Get your DEI program into motion with small, actionable, achievable goals. They are easier to do, track, and measure.

An example would be taking steps toward a more inclusive recruitment strategy by implementing an anonymous system of reviewing resumes to avoid triggering certain biases. You can also modify job descriptions to avoid gender-charged descriptions .

5. Assess Your Efforts

A successful DEI strategy involves more than getting DEI initiatives to run; it’s also about ensuring they work and align with the organization’s purpose, vision, and mission.

Is the DEI program making an impact? Are there changes in the workplace culture, employee behavior, and team morale?

Find out how your DEI efforts are doing by getting the employees’ perspectives. Stay interviews are an excellent way to gather this information in a meaningful, structured, and safe setting.

By measuring and assessing your DEI efforts, you can find ways to improve your implementation. You can also secure accountability by communicating your progress and obstacles with key stakeholders.

Nexus HR Helps You Narrow Your Organization’s DEI Gap

A strong diversity, equity, and inclusivity strategy can help advance your employees’ quality of life (and work). However, a well-planned and well-executed DEI program will take time, effort, and collaboration.

As a business leader, you must have the time and energy to develop a strategy, speak to company decision-makers, gather data, measure progress, and get employee feedback. Not sure if you can handle all that? Nexus HR is here to help.

As a full-service human resource partner , Nexus HR’s team of HR , recruiting, and payroll experts can help support you as you build your company’s DEI strategy. From updating recruitment processes, gathering employee data, and scheduling stay interviews, we’re ready to help you narrow your organization’s DEI gap and achieve the diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment you deserve.

Class of 2023: Understanding Job Market Expectations of Recent Grads

Tue, 09 May 2023 12:30:03 GMT

In the next few weeks, the class of 2023 will toss their hats in the air, march out of their comfort zones, and enter the workforce.

Despite having experienced most of their college life through the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent survey reveals that nearly all (93%) of this year’s graduates are hopeful for their future.

Resilient and adaptable to challenges, the predominantly Generation Z class of 2023 is ready to take on the uncertain job market that awaits them. What do they expect from future employers? And how do you get the cream of their crop onto your team?

Get to Know the Gen Z Recent Grads

This year’s batch of graduates has undergone something previous batches have not: spending all four years of college life amid a global pandemic.

Interestingly, they’re also the first generation never to know what the world was like without the Internet.

Having experienced the lasting impacts of technological advancements, economic shifts, and pandemic disruptions on their academic and personal lives, Gen Z graduates have developed unique outlooks, values, and priorities. Here are a few that make them stand out:

They Are True Digital Natives

According to marketing and sales expert Rebecca Croucher , Gen Z graduates have fundamentally different skill sets and ways of looking at things from a digital or process automation perspective.

Born from 1995 to 2010, Gen Zs have been surrounded by technology, the Internet, social media, computers, and mobile devices all their lives.

As true digital natives , Gen Zs are comfortable with and proficient in using modern technology for everyday tasks. In the tech world, they are often credited with the push to embrace industry-changing technologies like cloud computing , social media, and mobile applications.

They Are Practical and Pragmatic

In her research on Gen Z, Stanford anthropologist Roberta Katz describes the generation as highly collaborative, deeply caring about others, and pragmatic toward addressing certain issues.

With a mindset shaped by the challenges, breakthroughs, uncertainties, and complexities of the world they’ve grown up in, the class of 2023 tends to have a strong sense of personal responsibility and a focus on tangible outcomes. They are practical, realistic, and intent on finding solutions to problems.

They Are Racially and Ethnically Diverse

Besides being the largest generation in American history—comprising 27% of the US population—Gen Z is also the most racially and ethnically diverse .

Admissions statistics from multiple American universities show that the class of 2023 is the most diverse ever. In Cornell , for example, 55% of students admitted for the class of 2023 identify as people of color.

Data collected by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that Gen Z comprises:

51% - White
25% - Latino or Hispanic
15% - Black or African American
6% - Asian or Pacific Islander
5% - Two or More Races
2% - American Indian

They Are Socially Aware

According to a study by Deloitte , Gen Zs are deeply concerned about the state of the world and are actively trying to balance the challenges of their everyday lives with their desire to drive societal change. They are more likely to support causes that align with their values and beliefs.

The following are Gen Z’s top concerns:

Cost of Living
Climate Change
Unemployment
Mental Health
Sexual Harassment

With environmental protection being top of mind, 90% of Gen Z and millennials are trying to reduce their environmental impact. And they’re expecting businesses to do so as well.

How to Stand Out from Other Companies in the 2023 Job Market

Now that you know what recent grads are like, what they stand for, and what their job market expectations are, how do you use that information to grow your team?

Here are four things your company can do to attract, hire, and retain brilliant talent among recent graduates:

1. Include Salary and Benefits in Your Job Postings

Gen Z graduates are used to having data at their fingertips, so they’re often characterized as being rational and data-driven in their decision-making.

Recent grads are practical and pragmatic, especially regarding their careers. They are often willing to take on multiple jobs or side hustles to make ends meet.

A study by Handshake shows that Gen Z job seekers gravitate toward companies that offer:

Job Stability (85%)
Benefits (81%)
A High Starting Salary (80%)

If you’re looking to get highly driven and qualified talent into your workforce, you need to give them a reason to consider applying to your company. Tell them what you can offer upfront and tip their decision-making in your favor.

2. Highlight What You Stand For

“Few things are more important to most members of Generation Z than a corporate commitment to social responsibility on both equity and environmental issues,” says Gartner Vice President of Talent Acquisition Lauren Smith .

As a socially and environmentally conscious generation, most recent grads seek balance and sustainable change even in the companies they work for. According to Insight Global , Gen Z is more passionate about a diverse and inclusive workplace than any other generation, and they show interest in companies with similar passions.

A recent Monster study shows that 83% of Gen Z employee candidates say an employer’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is significant when choosing where to work.

To attract and retain Gen Z talent, business leaders like you should shape work models and messaging that meet the expectations of that demographic.

Whether you stand for work-life balance, mental well-being, inclusivity and diversity, environmental protection, or other social causes, highlight it in your organization’s messaging. Let your target audience know they have the opportunity to address societal issues through their work in your organization.

3. Invest in Technology

As true digital natives, technology plays a significant part in how Gen Z graduates discover job opportunities, communicate with talent recruiters, and learn new skills.

If you want to draw in excellent talent from the class of 2023, you must invest in technology and incorporate it into your recruitment, training, and onboarding processes.

According to a study by Pearson , around 64% of Gen Z college students prefer to learn using technology-driven tools. As a generation of digital natives, Gen Z students are more likely to engage with digital resources, automated processes, and virtual communications than more traditional teaching strategies.

Nexus HR CEO Kris Sen highly recommends leveraging technology to provide the best employee experience possible.

“We use tools to automate recruitment, onboarding, training, and even benefits administration,” Sen says. “It’s paperless, works great for on-site and remote workers, saves time, and improves accuracy. ”

4. Provide Clear Growth Opportunities

According to Pew Research , Gen Z is on track to be the most well-educated generation yet. They are ambitious, highly motivated, and goal-oriented. By showing recent grads that you can give them opportunities for personal and professional growth, you increase the likelihood of them joining your company and staying there long term.

A Deloitte study shows that Gen Z employees want to make their voices heard to drive change. Unfortunately, not all of them feel listened to in the workplace, and unless something changes, 47% plan to quit within a year.

When planning growth paths for your staff, allowing Gen Z employees to gain knowledge and share it with others is crucial. In her study , Roberta Katz states that Gen Zs may be more likely to question rules and authority because they’re so used to finding what they need independently. They also value authenticity and non-hierarchical leadership, which could make reverse mentoring an excellent learning experience for them.

Get the Best and Brightest on Your Team with Nexus HR

If your company wants to grow your team with goal-driven, tech-savvy, and socially conscious individuals, you’ve got an entire batch of fresh graduates entering the labor market very soon!

However, you need to remember that while you and your ideal employee may meet each others’ job market expectations, you may not be able to find each other in the vast sea of resumés and job postings.

This is where Nexus HR comes in.

With our experienced team of recruiting and HR specialists, Nexus HR can help you discover the hard-to-find talent and high-quality candidates you need.

No matter the position you're looking to fill, Nexus HR can help you grow your team with the best talent.

Are Your Employees Career Cushioning? Here’s How to Handle It.

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 21:30:42 GMT

As an employer, you are undoubtedly aware of the importance of employee satisfaction. But have you considered the implications of “career cushioning” on your workforce?

This increasingly popular workplace trend has become an important factor in business success and is something every manager, CEO, and department leader should know about. By understanding how career cushioning works, companies can avoid costly mistakes and make informed decisions about how best to leverage this trend for their organization's benefit.

What Is Career Cushioning?

Career cushioning refers to maintaining and nurturing various options and relationships that may serve as a backup plan in case of unexpected setbacks in one's career. Essentially, it's a cushion to fall back on.

This practice may involve building a strong network, developing versatile skills, or even pursuing side gigs.

While some argue that career cushioning shows a lack of confidence or commitment, it can actually be a savvy strategy in today's unpredictable job market. As the saying goes, "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst." By taking proactive steps to protect their careers, workers are safeguarding their livelihoods and ensuring they have a secure path to follow in worst-case scenarios.

Why Do Employees Choose to Career Cushion?

Career cushioning offers a sense of security and protection against potential job losses or unexpected career setbacks. But why are so many workers opting for this approach?

Well, there's no single answer. For some, it's about satisfying their desire for career growth and advancement, while for others, it's about keeping their options open in the event of an economic downturn. But in general, employees decide to career cushion when they see long-term uncertainty with their current position.

As an employer, it's crucial to understand your responsibility in creating a culture in which people are confident and comfortable so that you can attract and retain top talent in today's dynamic job market.

How Does Career Cushioning Impact the Workplace?

While it may seem like a smart move for individuals, career cushioning can significantly impact the workplace. Ultimately, career cushioning may negatively impact an employer's bottom line, affecting productivity and the likelihood of employees quitting.

When employees are not fully committed to their current job and actively search for other options, they may bring a negative attitude and lack of enthusiasm to their tasks. This can create a toxic work environment and have a ripple effect on the entire team.

How Can Employers Address Career Cushioning in the Workplace?

In today's competitive job market, it is essential to address these drivers proactively to retain employees and promote a positive work environment. Employers should be aware of the potential impact of career cushioning and encourage open communication to ensure everyone is on the same page.

The first step is always accountability. By acknowledging this practice and taking measures to address it, employers can create a more engaged and loyal workforce while improving overall performance and productivity.

Creating opportunities for career growth can go a long way in addressing career cushioning. You’d be surprised at how positively workforces respond when their employers start doing things like:

Acknowledging and rewarding employee achievements
Offering long-term incentives
Opening channels for communication
Addressing employee concerns
Providing feedback for career development
And creating a workplace culture that celebrates personal and professional achievement

By doing so, not only do employers create a loyal and committed workforce, but they also improve productivity and, ultimately, the company's success. Invest in your employees, and you invest in the future of your business.

The Top 5 Strategies for Creating a Culture that Supports Professional Development

Building a culture that supports professional development is essential for the growth and success of any business or organization. With the ever-changing landscape of the professional world, it's important to have strategies in place that encourage continuous learning and development.

However, building a company and culture that talented workers will commit to for years is easier said than done. If you aren’t already, your company should begin implementing these five strategies to create the best work environment possible:

Provide training and development opportunities
Encourage goal-setting and feedback
Foster a culture of collaboration
Offer mentorship programs
Utilize technology to enhance learning

By implementing these steps, organizations can ensure their employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to reach their full potential. Building a sound foundation for professional development not only benefits individual employees but also helps the organization as a whole to grow and thrive in a competitive market.

In conclusion, there are multiple ways employers can create an environment that addresses career cushioning while building up their business. From creating opportunities for professional development and providing equitable reward systems to improving transparency and addressing work-life balance concerns , employers deemphasizing career cushioning can set employees up for long-term success and help ensure their organizations remain competitive.

Career cushioning should never be seen as a sign of laziness or indecision; instead, it is a vital tool that all working professionals—both employers and employees—should use thoughtfully and responsibly to improve working conditions and help each other reach their professional goals.

Stop Career Cushioning and Set Your Business Up For Success

Want to stop career cushioning in its tracks? Nexus HR has the solution.

Our HR specialists are standing by to help you build the business of your dreams. Whether you need payroll , recruiting , or a complete remote HR solution, Nexus HR delivers the results you expect for a fraction of the cost of traditional in-house HR.

What is Tech Shame, and How Can Your Company Avoid It?

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Have you ever mocked a coworker for scanning a document upside down, accidentally printing dozens of extra copies, or staring at the fax machine in utter bewilderment?

You’re not alone. It turns out that ridiculing tech ineptitude is common in the workplace—especially toward Gen Z employees, who face higher expectations from older generations.

But giggling at a young coworker’s expense isn’t just fun and games. All that pointing and laughing is creating a confidence crisis across the workforce known collectively as “tech shame.” Without taking action to course correct today, a subversive culture of tech shame could hold your business back and stop you from being as profitable as possible.

What is Tech Shame?

Tech shaming is a relatively recent phenomenon that emerged as technology became more integrated into our daily lives. In short, it is the act of making individuals feel embarrassed or inferior for their lack of knowledge or expertise in using technology.

This can occur in personal and professional settings and take many forms, from condescending comments to outright belittlement. Tech shaming can damage a person's confidence and self-esteem, particularly in a world where technology is seen as a prerequisite for success.

In the modern workplace, technology is everywhere, and those unfamiliar with the latest devices or software can feel left behind. Businesses like yours need to recognize and address tech shaming to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace. Failing to address the issue may produce unmotivated, discouraged employees that cost you money and sap your resources.

The Top Five Ways to Prevent Tech Shaming

Stamping out tech shaming won’t be easy, but it can be done.

To create a great work culture that is positive, welcoming, and inclusive, try implementing these strategies at your organization:

Don’t Make Assumptions

Just because Gen Z spends 24 hours a day on TikTok doesn’t mean they know how to run a copy machine.

Unfortunately, older generations, especially boomers, don’t always get this. They expect younger generations to understand how to use technology just because they grew up in the 21st century. This underlying expectation of tech competence promotes and perpetuates tech shaming.

Instead of throwing your workers into the technology ocean assuming they’ll swim, not sink, be open to the possibility that younger workers don’t know it all. Throughout onboarding, approach technology as if it’s normal not to understand every piece of equipment or software solution, and that it’s okay to make mistakes.

Some IT teams are even sticking labels on monitor power buttons or taping instructions to scanners to reduce the pressure. The more welcoming an environment you create, the better!

Open Communication

An office that shuts down questions is the worst environment for growth. To prevent tech shaming, you need to create a culture where asking questions about technology is not only accepted but encouraged.

When your team embraces dialogue about technology rather than mockery, you’ll make it easy for workers to turn their tech deficiencies into tech efficiencies.

Remember that communication is a two-way street. Don’t be afraid to ask employees about their experience levels or to reach out with help preemptively. When workers know it’s okay to ask for guidance because you’ve set a great example, they’ll be more likely to develop their tech skills and contribute to the team effort.

Provide Training

You can’t expect employees to know how to use your tech if you never show them.

A recent study by Salesforce revealed that 33% of workers aren’t receiving any digital skills training, while almost 50% wish they had more digital education at school or earlier in their careers. There’s a high probability that you could do more to close your team’s technology skills gap.

If there’s any silver lining, the tech shaming situation provides a great opportunity to improve. By offering more technology training, you’ll get your team up to speed and increase their skills while making your company a more attractive place to work.

Skilled employees are also good for business. When employees know how to use technology correctly, they become more productive, proficient, and confident.

Pick User-Friendly Products

Let’s face it. Some software and devices are easier to use than others. Your company can nip tech-shaming in the bud by choosing tech that prioritizes usability and accessibility.

User-friendly products cut down on awkward or embarrassing moments by being straightforward. Replacing hard-to-use tech will contribute to a tech-positive atmosphere as long as you aren’t sacrificing critical capabilities.

Foster Mentorships

Many successful companies are jumpstarting junior employees’ careers with workplace mentorship programs.

Partnering less experienced workers with tech veterans like yourself can quickly distribute knowledge and build relationships that contribute to company goals. As an added benefit, such initiatives can help promote interoperability beyond tech and into other key aspects of your business.

Tech shaming can cause your employees to distrust not only technology but each other. Once introduced to the workplace, these feelings might linger for a long time, or even permanently, if you don’t take steps to counter them.

While technology is meant to bring people together, tech shaming only succeeds in driving them apart. Fortunately, there are many remedies your company can implement today to create a positive environment that breeds success and confidence tomorrow.

Create the Ultimate Work Environment With Nexus HR

Building a great workplace starts with Nexus HR . Our team of human resource specialists knows how to develop and implement the best work environment possible so that your company can stop tech shaming before it starts.

From payroll and recruiting to full-service HR solutions, Nexus HR offers all the services you need to get your company staffed , paid , and trained . If you’re ready to save money and boost your professionalism overnight, contact Nexus HR today and let us take care of your human resources responsibilities.

How to Increase Flexibility for Frontline Workers

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:30:00 GMT

As we learned quickly during the pandemic’s start, frontline workers like healthcare practitioners, delivery drivers, food service employees, and public transport staff play a pivotal role in keeping operations running smoothly. However, traditional work schedules and rigid job descriptions can sometimes hinder these workers’ productivity and job satisfaction.

Companies are exploring ways to offer frontline flexibility to improve worker retention . Making accommodations for employee needs can have a significant positive impact in the long run. It’s up to companies to determine how to implement changes that can positively affect their workers' experiences.

Why Is Frontline Flexibility Important?

Frontline workers face challenging schedules and responsibilities that may interfere with their personal lives. Like most people, they have commitments outside of work, and having flexibility is crucial in managing these demands effectively while still fulfilling their work obligations.

Employees have a higher degree of well-being when they have options. Studies show a negative correlation between job autonomy and occupational stress. Frontline worker retention increases when companies give importance to their staff’s welfare. The reduced mental demands that come with flexibility significantly impact an employee’s disposition and productivity.

More research shows that those who can take time off or change their schedule have a higher level of satisfaction with their work arrangement. In this case, a heavier workload doesn't always mean more stress for employees because they can take a break to deal with urgent non-work tasks. Taking care of private matters can help employees reduce work-related anxiety.

Examples of Flexible Arrangements

Many companies have improved their shift management practices and provided more flexible scheduling options to meet the needs of their frontline workers. Companies can choose from various scheduling types to best suit their employees.

Fixed Schedule

Some workers require a consistent and predictable schedule to effectively plan their lives outside of work. Advance notice of shifts can help them manage their personal schedules efficiently.

Gliding Schedule

There’s also an arrangement that enables employees to start working at different times each day, provided they complete the required number of hours. This gliding schedule can be particularly beneficial for workers who have other obligations outside of work, such as caring for children or attending appointments.

Flextime

Some workers may benefit from schedules permitting them to take a few hours off to attend to personal matters. This flexibility also enables workers to manage their personal and work-related responsibilities efficiently.

Encourage Use of or Increase PTO

In addition to flexible scheduling, companies can increase frontline worker retention by leveraging the number of days given for paid time off (PTO). Employees can utilize readily granted PTO to rest, relax, and recharge. This time off can help alleviate stress and prevent burnout, improving employee morale and job satisfaction.

When employers support and value their employees, employees are more likely to stay with the company, reducing turnover rates and associated costs.

Achieve Frontline Flexibility with Nexus HR

Frontline work is often difficult and stressful, leading to high employee turnover. To combat this, you must place a premium on retention strategies. One way to do this is through increased frontline flexibility and scheduling arrangements.

Providing frontline workers with more options for how and when they perform their jobs is one way to foster a positive work environment where employees can thrive. Determine the unique requirements of your frontline employees by collaborating with your HR department. Nexus HR , a leading provider of human resource solutions, can help.

With a wide range of resources, Nexus HR can aid you in assessing your frontline workers’ needs, developing effective flexibility policies, and providing ongoing support so you can prioritize your employees' well-being while ensuring your business's success.

What is a Boomerang Employee and Why Should You Care?

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT

First, came the Great Resignation . Starting in the spring of 2021, millions of employees quit their jobs, citing inadequate compensation and work conditions. Fueled by optimism and stimulus checks, the exodus hit its peak in 2022, which resulted in over 50 million workers sticking it to the man in search of better opportunities.

But it turns out all that glitters is not gold. By March 2023 , the resignation landslide reversed as pandemic-era policies ended and the economic landscape shifted. With the promised land of higher pay, remote work, and work-life balance drifting out of reach, a phenomenon arose: the boomerang employee.

What Is a Boomerang Employee?

A boomerang employee is an employee who applies to work at a company they voluntarily left in the past.

Recently, a survey found that over 40% of workers who quit their jobs during the pandemic already regret their decision, while close to 20% have returned to their previous employer as boomerang employees.

Whether these boomerang employees strike you as flip-floppers or ingenious negotiators, your business needs to have a plan for when a familiar face appears in your stack of applications. Assumptions aside, rehiring prior employees may not be such a bad thing after all.

Why Do Employees Go Back to a Job They Quit?

While no two situations are identical, boomerang employees possess several common denominators:

1. Unmet Expectations

Many, if not most, employees quit their original positions because they believe a new company will enrich their lives or careers with better opportunities. These include perks like hybrid work, superior benefits packages, career growth opportunities, and more.

But when the new company’s promises don’t live up to expectations or those growth opportunities never materialize, it can leave workers dreaming of their previous employer.

2. Disappointing Company Culture

Work is more than what you do; it’s about who you do it with. Sometimes, workers who try out a new organization find out quickly that it’s not a match in personality, management style, or culture.

If a boomerang employee has strong social ties to their former coworkers and enjoyed working at your company, it’s entirely reasonable that whatever benefits they were seeking didn’t outweigh the social drawbacks.

3. Financial Pressure

It’s just business. Financial incentives are a major factor in why and where people work. It’s entirely possible that the financial circumstances that emboldened an employee to make a big move ended up not panning out economically, putting them in a position where boomeranging is their best financial option.

No matter the reason, it’s vital that your company considers all of an applicant's motivations.

Is Rehiring Former Employees a Good Idea?

Hiring a boomerang employee may or may not be a good idea. Consider these pros and cons before deciding:

Pros

Familiarity

A previous employee is a known quantity. Your team already has experience working with this person, so it is unlikely they’ll surprise you with uncharacteristic shifts in behavior. You know how hard they work, understand their value to the company, and can see how they will develop over time, assuming they stay.

Compared to a new employee, this has its benefits. Even under the best circumstances, around 25% of new hires quit within six months. If you really believe that they’re back for the right reasons, going for a rehire may save you a lot of headaches.

Minimal Retraining

The Society for Human Resource Management reports that replacing employees can cost over 30% of an employee's annual salary. As one of the most expensive aspects of hiring new employees, skipping this cost by rehiring someone can save your company a lot of money.

An employee who has already worked for your business knows your workflows, appreciates your management style, and understands your expectations. You won’t need to invest nearly as much time, money, or resources to get these types of employees up to speed compared to a brand-new person.

Increased Morale

Who you work with is just as important as what you work on. The return of a beloved employee will raise spirits around the office.

Letting an ex-worker back into the fold also shows that you care about your employees. When you show staff that you genuinely have their best interests at heart and don’t hold grudges, you’ll boost morale and foster a positive company culture.

They’re Back for the Right Reasons

Like a couple who keeps getting back together after every breakup, you and your boomeranging employee may be made for each other. The time apart can help them realize that your company really was the best place for them and that it is in their best interest to make a return.

More Skills

It’s not uncommon for a boomerang employee to come back with more skills than they left with. This upgrade in their abilities, which came at the expense of the employee or some other organization, should make them even more productive and a greater asset to the company.

Cons

Baggage

Familiarity breeds contempt. If a boomerang employee quits under less-than-ideal circumstances, it’s possible that their return will come with some baggage. In the long run, you may find that the boomerang employee isn’t working as hard as you expected because they're just taking advantage.

You’re Settling Out of Habit

Are you going with them because they’re a known quantity? That type of complacency is deadly to your business. If you’re settling for a boomerang employee because you know what you’re getting, it could be a bad sign for the direction of your company at large.

They Could Leave Again

If someone has shown a lack of loyalty in the past, there is no reason to suggest that they will not do it again, no matter how many incentives or concessions you provide.

Personality Clash

If a boomerang employee didn’t get along with your company culture in the past, they will almost certainly not assimilate in the future. Even if they are a top performer, workers who don’t match your office's values or social expectations will never succeed.

Starting Fresh May be Better

Business owners often forget to consider opportunity costs. Rehiring a boomerang employee isn’t just a risk regarding performance; it’s a risk concerning all the other employees you could have hired instead. If you put aside your better judgment, a boomerang employee might set your team back by wasting the time, energy, and resources you could invest in a brand-new worker.

How to Handle a Boomerang Employee

Now that you understand the boomerang employee's motivations and the potential benefits and pitfalls of rehiring them, your HR team and hiring manager need a game plan.

Set Expectations

Your team should first establish clear expectations and boundaries. While rehiring an employee can benefit both parties, your company bears a higher percentage of the risk. Before making any hires, you need to make clear what you want to see from them to build trust and confidence in your decision and resolve any lingering ambiguities.

Ask the Right Questions

Understanding where a boomerang employee is coming from is critical in determining whether they deserve a place back at your company.

Throughout the hiring process, be sure to establish their motivations with direct but fair lines of questioning.

Don’t Judge Prematurely

It’s easy to dismiss a boomerang employee outright, especially if you were sad to see them go the first time around. That being said, we recommend hearing them out before rushing to conclusions. You may be surprised to find that their time away has helped them develop worthwhile talents or gain new perspectives, making them an exciting asset to your organization.

Need Help With Boomerang Employees? Nexus HR Is Your Solution

In today’s complicated hiring environment, finding the right employees for your business is more complex than ever.

That’s why Nexus HR’s recruiting team specializes in finding you the perfect candidate, whether they’re a fresh or familiar face.

If you’re looking to save time, money, and resources on your next round of hiring, Nexus HR is here to help. From recruiting and payroll to full-service HR , we offer the industry’s best HR services at the most competitive prices. Discover how Nexus HR can turn your boomerang employee nightmare into a recruitment dream today.

What’s the Difference Between Recruiting vs. Staffing?

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 00:22:05 GMT

Company leaders, HR staff, and business managers use “staffing” and “recruiting” interchangeably. And although the industry generally groups them together, many HR companies differentiate the two words in terms of the services they provide.

Understanding the difference between staffing and recruiting may seem trivial, but it could be the key to communicating your company’s talent needs, achieving desired outcomes, and managing workforce operations more efficiently and effectively.

Staffing vs. Recruiting: Similarities and Differences

The main similarity between staffing and recruiting is that they’re both essential functions within the human resources branch of an organization. According to HRM Handbook , both processes “ensure an organization has access to the best-fit candidates to meet its objectives.”

While both processes play significant roles in talent acquisition, they have different scopes, involve different functions, and address different needs.

What is Recruiting or Recruitment?

Recruiting, also known as direct hire , typically refers to finding, screening, and introducing quality talent to be interviewed and hired directly onto a client's payroll. The recruitment process may also include a grace period (typically 90 days) where the recruitment company guarantees the employee’s quality of work.

In talent acquisition jargon, recruitment often refers to acquiring talent for full-time, often higher-level, employment. According to HR technology company Timerack , recruiting aims to attract long-term employees who add value, participate in company processes, and contribute to company culture.

The Society for Human Resource Management ( SHRM ) defines recruitment as a function encompassing all aspects of hiring new individuals to work for a company. It includes the following responsibilities:

Attracting, identifying, and engaging candidates
Ensuring qualifications and assessing background information
Interviewing and selecting a quality candidate for hire
Making a job offer and onboarding the new employee

What is Staffing?

Like recruitment, staffing includes finding, screening, and introducing quality talent to employers. However, staffing involves agencies placing qualified candidates in open positions as their own employees for an agreed period of time .

Staffing Organizations by Herbert Heneman III and Timothy Judge defines staffing as “the process of acquiring, deploying, and retaining a workforce of sufficient quantity and quality to create positive impacts on the organization’s effectiveness.”

Staffing is widely used to refer to hiring an agency to provide workers for short-term roles, seasonal work, or specific projects, addressing employers’ limited budgets and tight deadlines.

Staffing also includes temp-to-hire , a hybrid between direct hiring and temporary staffing. Staffing agencies place a qualified employee to work for your organization for a fixed period. When the temporary staff’s contract ends, and you’re happy with their performance, you can offer them a permanent position with your company. Companies with unions often turn to temp-to-hire staffing to overcome strict termination protocols. This type of hiring allows the company to ensure the employee is an ideal candidate for the position before they fall under the union’s umbrella of protection.

Staffing vs. Recruiting: Which Should You Go With?

Well, it depends on your organization’s talent needs.

Are you looking to directly hire someone for a permanent or full-time position?

Are you looking for higher-level talent to potentially play a leadership role?

Are you more concerned about the candidate’s compatibility with your team’s culture than you are about compensation?

If so, recruitment is the option for you. You can either have an in-house recruitment team or partner with a third-party recruitment firm. How much you spend on their services depends on the new employee’s salary. Recruiting agencies typically charge a flat fee or a percentage of the new employee’s annual salary.

Does your company have a lot of roles that need to be filled as soon as possible?

Are you looking for temporary workers to fill in a short-term or project-based role?

Are you experiencing a temporary influx of tasks your current workforce can’t handle?

If so, consider staffing. Because staffing is time-consuming, companies usually partner with a trusted staffing firm to run it for them. For the cost, staffing agencies can charge 25% to 100% of the hired employee’s wages.

Grow Your Team with Nexus HR

Nexus HR and its experienced talent acquisition specialists has the recruitment side of your company's needs covered. We'll take the time to get to know your company’s unique needs, sort through stacks of resumes, and find the right people with the right skills at the right time to help your business grow.

What is Quiet Hiring? And Is It a Good Idea?

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 13:00:08 GMT

First, there was quiet quitting , then quiet firing , and now there’s a new addition to the list of quiet workplace buzzwords: quiet hiring.

With the labor market expected to get more competitive this year, research and consulting firm Gartner predicts quiet hiring as a top work trend in 2023. HR leaders will see the quiet hiring strategy as a means to acquire and retain talent without dealing with the entire recruitment process (and cost).

But what does quiet hiring even mean? And is it something your company needs to adopt?

What is Quiet Hiring?

According to Gartner’s Senior Director of Research Emily Rose McRae , quiet hiring is when an organization acquires new skills without actually hiring new full-time employees. It aims to address acute and immediate company needs by making temporary changes to employees’ current roles. Quiet hiring may be a new term, but the tactic has been around for a while.

An example of quiet hiring would be Australian airline Qantas’ efforts to tackle an acute labor shortage last year.

For three months, Qantas assigned its senior executives to take on baggage handling roles three or five days a week, in shifts of four or six hours a day.

Organizational psychologist Cary Cooper says that quiet hiring and similar strategies have always occurred during difficult economic times.

“It has been called ‘redistribution of resources,’ and people were expected to be agile and flexible,” Cooper added.

There are several ways to do quiet hiring. Here are a few ways companies have been doing it over the years:

Temporarily transfer current employees to an open role that they have the skills to fill
Invest in current employees’ training and education to help them develop skills that can fill the available role
Hire short-term contractors to fill immediate skill gaps

Is Quiet Hiring a Good Idea?

In theory, yes, quiet hiring is a good idea. However, a quiet hiring strategy's success depends on how you plan, handle, and communicate it to your team.

Advantages of Quiet Hiring Done Right

When done correctly and ethically, quiet hiring can help your company address skill gaps efficiently and cost-effectively. It offers your company the flexibility to meet ever-changing market demands and a higher chance of getting through a challenging economic time.

Quiet hiring can also benefit your employees by allowing them to expand their skill set, boost their resumes, and venture into a new field of expertise.

According to a poll by Monster , 63% of workers view quiet hiring as an opportunity to learn new skills. Monster career expert Vicki Salemi sees this as a potential strategy to increase employee engagement and retention.

“If a company is considering laying off workers, it can temporarily assign them to another role, so they retain their jobs while simultaneously learning new skills,” Salemi says.

While quiet hiring may not always come with an immediate pay increase or promotion, it can lead to opportunities for employees to add value to the organization, prove themselves to be top talent, and negotiate any rise to compensation or benefits.

Pitfalls of Quiet Hiring Haphazardly

Despite its advantages, quiet hiring has developed a negative connotation among employees. Management professor Anthony Nyberg says it gives people the impression that “organizations are tricking employees into doing undesirable jobs.”

Without proper planning, execution, and communication, quiet hiring can have dire consequences, such as employee burnout, loss of confidence in the company, and high turnover rates.

Based on the Monster poll, not all employees see quiet hiring in their company as a good sign. If they were “quiet hired,” 41% would view their company as disorganized, 27% would question if their company is going out of business, and 27% would consider quitting.

Quiet hiring may often sound like a total win on paper, but company leaders must acknowledge it has some potential employee pain points.

Vicki Salemi says that if employers aren’t effectively managing workloads, employees could end up doing two full-time jobs at the same company instead of one.

She adds that quiet hiring could also lead to workers getting a “soft promotion” instead of compensation for additional roles. Employees may end up permanently taking on more responsibilities and performing at a higher level without getting any salary increase or rank promotion.

How to Implement Quiet Hiring Successfully

If your company is struggling with a labor shortage and needs an immediate solution, quiet hiring may be an option for you. However, before you jump into a quiet hiring campaign, here are some essential things you must consider:

Evaluate and Assess Your Talent Needs

Quiet hiring is designed to tackle immediate talent needs. If your company is severely understaffed, that’s not something a temporary redistribution of talent can address. When you make quiet hiring a band-aid solution to a long-term staffing problem, things will not work out.

Reexamine your current talent and identify the skill gaps that urgently need to be filled. Use the information you gather to select which quiet hiring technique works best.

You can have a current employee temporarily fill that role, but you need to ensure the added responsibilities won’t negatively affect how they perform their primary function. You can also consider hiring a short-term contractor . If you have a part-time worker who can address the skill gaps, shifting them to a full-time role is also an option.

Prioritize Communication

“[Quiet hiring] has to be done with open communication and transparency,” says Bundle CEO Kayla Lebovits .

A company can’t just pick an employee and drop them into a new role, even if the arrangement is temporary. Leaders must clearly explain to the employee that they’re being considered for a new role or responsibility. They also need to communicate why management thinks the employee can do it, what the position requires, what the timeline is, and how they plan to implement the transition.

An effective quiet hiring process relies on how leadership communicates it to the team. Emily Rose McRae says, “If you’re asking a bunch of people to make this move, you should be able to articulate: What does this mean for them?”

Communicate to employees how a quiet hiring program will benefit them, ask them how they feel about it, answer their questions honestly, and recognize them for taking on more responsibility during challenging seasons.

Leverage Excellent Staffing Solutions

Talent redistribution is not the only way to hire quietly. If your company doesn’t have enough employees to move around, you can employ short-term contractors to fill your urgent talent needs. McRae calls this “external quiet hiring.”

By hiring short-term contractors, you can fill a skill gap without disrupting your current workforce. You also avoid spending a lot of time and money on recruiting and hiring for a permanent position. Partnering with a tried-and-tested staffing agency is the way to go.

A reliable staffing solutions company can typically help you through the following services:

Temporary Staffing - They find and place qualified employees to work for you on a short-term basis.
Temp-to-Hire - They find and place qualified employees to work for you for a fixed period (typically 90 days). And if you’re satisfied with their work, you can offer them a permanent position.

Find the Talent You Need with Nexus HR

Quiet hiring is a strategy that can benefit both employers and job seekers in various ways. But you need to keep in mind that how you plan, execute, and communicate your quiet hiring strategy can make or break it.

Put your quiet hiring program into action by working closely with your HR department. If you don’t have one, a reputable human resources solutions provider like Nexus HR can help you get things done!

As a full-service HR company, Nexus HR can help you with employee communications, payroll concerns, administrative tasks , and recruitment so you can address challenges and meet demands in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.

What is Productivity Paranoia & How Is It Hurting Your Business?

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 16:11:19 GMT

Three years after the pandemic pushed the world into adopting remote and hybrid work, managers still aren’t convinced their teams are being productive.

After surveying 20,000 employees in 11 countries during the pandemic, Microsoft found that 85% of leaders say hybrid work has made having confidence in their employees’ productivity more difficult.

This interesting statistic paved the way for a new buzzword quietly making its rounds in the business world: productivity paranoia.

What is Productivity Paranoia?

Microsoft defines productivity paranoia as the company leaders’ fear that their employees are unproductive, even though their hours, meetings, and activity metrics state otherwise.

In the same study, Microsoft found that 87% of employees say they’re productive at work, but only 12% of leaders are fully confident they are. Productivity paranoia lies in the stark disconnect between these two figures.

Since the massive shift to remote and hybrid work, managers and leaders have been missing the usual visual cues of productivity. Because they no longer see employees having meetings in the conference room, taking calls at their desks, and working on their computers, they feel that work isn’t getting done and their teams are slacking off.

As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella put it, “Leaders think their employees are not productive, whereas employees think they are being productive and in many cases even feel burnt out.”

Productivity paranoia is that nagging feeling leaders get that their team isn’t working as hard or as effectively at home as they would in the office.

The Damaging Effects of Productivity Paranoia

Whether we admit it or not, the world is obsessed with doing more in less time. With the rise of digital technology, employers and employees are pressured to produce and achieve more, often at the expense of their mental health and overall well-being.

Productivity paranoia also comes with its own set of consequences. What is productivity paranoia doing to you, your team, and your business? Here are two possibilities:

Proximity Bias

Proximity bias is the natural tendency to prefer people, things, or ideas that are physically closer and more familiar to them.

While it is a human instinct that aids in our cognitive decision-making process, proximity bias is not something you’d want in your organization. Proximity bias in the workplace is the tendency for leaders to show favoritism or give preferential treatment to employees who are physically closest to them.

“Proximity bias is a mental shortcut that allows managers to make decisions about performance, promotions, and hiring based on familiarity rather than objective criteria,” said award-winning business psychologist Ali Shalfrooshan .

Productivity paranoia is a crucial driver of proximity bias in the workplace. And unless it’s addressed, it could lead managers and company leaders to make poor, uninformed decisions based on biases rather than data.

Micromanagement

Micromanagement is a decades-old phenomenon. However, experts say the major transition to remote work has propelled (pun intended) a new breed of micromanagers: helicopter bosses who hover over their employees, constantly monitoring their tasks and performance.

A study by Harvard Business Review found that one-fifth of remote workers felt their supervisors were continually evaluating their work, and one-third felt their supervisors expressed a lack of confidence in their work skills.

As a result, experts find micromanaged remote workers to be less engaged, less motivated, and less capable than ever before. And when you have disengaged employees, it’s only a matter of time before they quit (or quiet quit).

How to Stop Productivity Paranoia from Hurting Your Business

The longer you allow productivity paranoia to have a hold on you and your leadership team, the more you’re hurting your employees and business. If you think your company may be going through a vicious cycle of paranoia and distrust, it’s time you make a move to end it.

Here are tips on overcoming productivity paranoia and finding a healthier, more sustainable approach to managing your team:

1. Prioritize Employee Well-Being Over Employee Well-Doing

Unfortunately, many company leaders focus too much on what an employee is doing than how they are doing.

According to educational leadership expert Brian Creasman , when leaders focus on employee well-doing, the culture revolves around superficial experiences geared toward short-term metrics. Getting a lot of tasks done in little time looks like significant progress, but if the trade-off is a team of burnt-out employees, that progress won’t be sustainable.

Creasman adds that when organizations focus on employee growth and development, they’re on the path to higher and more sustainable team performance.

By prioritizing employee well-being over employee well-doing, research shows your organization can experience higher staff retention , lower employee burnout, and generally happier employees.

2. Communicate Effectively

Productivity paranoia often results from poor and unclear communication between management and members. Communicating effectively can help address it. It’s important to note, however, that effective communication doesn’t always mean constant communication.

When it comes to connecting with your team, quality communication trumps frequent communication. An honest and in-depth stay interview once a year can be much more productive than shallow, one-sided check-in meetings every day.

Be intentional with how you communicate with your employees. Clearly express your team’s goals, be transparent about your expectations, thoroughly explain how productivity is measured, and always listen to what your members have to say. Effective communication renders productivity paranoia irrelevant and unnecessary.

3. Focus on Outcome, Not Input

Contrary to popular belief, your team’s productivity is not about how many tasks you complete, how frequently you attend meetings, and how many hours you work. Productivity is about doing the necessary work to reach the measurable goal or outcome.

According to productivity and time management coach Carl Pullein , “The key to better productivity is to focus on the outcome you want, not the tasks that will get you there.”

So before you look for a detailed accounting of your employees’ work hours the entire week, ask yourself: What are we aiming to achieve? And how do I know we’ve achieved it?

Establish your goals and have baseline metrics to measure each employee's deliverables. However, corporate productivity expert Prasanth Nair emphasizes that having metrics should never be about surveillance; it’s about accountability.

To address productivity paranoia, remember that how much your team puts in (whether 12-hour shifts or four-day workweeks ) is not as significant as the outcomes they generate.

Foster a Culture of Trust and Accountability with Nexus HR

Productivity paranoia may be most company leaders’ knee-jerk reaction to quiet offices and empty work desks. Still, it has no place in any organization striving for growth and innovation. Bridge the productivity paranoia gap with a healthy and supportive workplace culture.

When your employees feel valued and respected, they are more likely to be productive and engaged, leading to better overall results for your organization.

Nexus HR can help you build and sustain a culture of trust and accountability. As a full-service human resource partner, we can help ensure your company culture manifests throughout your employees’ lifecycle.

Whether you have an on-site, remote, or hybrid work arrangement, Nexus HR can take HR , recruitment , and payroll off your plate, so you can focus on building connections, setting goals, and having meaningful exchanges with your team.

What is a Stay Interview? And How Do I Conduct One?

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 16:27:54 GMT

A surprise resignation by a high-performing employee is every manager’s worst nightmare.

If you’ve experienced this, you probably asked yourself what pushed them to resign and why you never saw it coming. Then you realize “ prevention is better than cure” applies to employee turnover, too.

In many companies, employees experience personal, one-on-one meetings with their managers only a few times. These meetings are typically the job interview, periodic performance reviews, and the exit interview.

As a result, employees don’t get meaningful interactions with their managers; no wonder four out of five (86%) employees don’t feel heard in their organizations. They feel unappreciated and unmotivated. It doesn’t take long before unmotivated employees quit, and your company loses valuable talent.

A stay interview is designed to break this cycle.

What is a Stay Interview?

Richard P. Finnegan , the author of The Power of Stay Interviews for Engagement and Retention , defines a stay interview as “a structured discussion a leader conducts with an individual employee to learn specific actions the leader can take to strengthen the employee's engagement and retention with the organization.”

Stay interviews are conversations where managers, supervisors, or leads set aside time to proactively connect with their team members to assess job satisfaction and offer support in areas that need improvement. It’s a tool that helps leaders understand why employees stay with the company and what work-related factors may cause them to leave.

By asking structural questions about job satisfaction, leaders know what their employees think and feel. They can use this information to identify things the company can continue doing and concerns they must address.

Stay Interview vs. Performance Review: What’s the Difference?

While both stay interviews and performance reviews can help increase employee engagement, they are not the same, and you should not hold both in the same meeting. Stay interviews must avoid discussing performance.

Finnegan recommends having the stay interview focus on how the company can raise the employees’ levels of engagement and retention, not how they can perform their job better.

Schedule stay interviews and performance reviews a few weeks or months apart. Employees are in a different frame of mind during stay interviews than in performance reviews, so you need to give them time to ease into the ideal mindset for the particular meeting you want to have with them.

During performance reviews, employees expect to hear potentially difficult news from you about their performance. Their minds are likely programmed to absorb information, speak little, and not engage in open discussion. During stay interviews, however, you’d want your employees to be more relaxed, honest, and open to free-flowing dialog.

How to Conduct a Stay Interview

Stay interviews must be simple, structured, and well-prepared. Here are a few steps to follow while conducting a successful stay interview:

1. Schedule the Interview

Make sure to schedule the interview ahead of time. Before sending out any invites, decide on the following details:

Frequency. Most companies do stay interviews at least once a year.
Duration. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recommends setting the meeting at 20 to 30 minutes.
Venue. Choose a private yet relaxed area in the office where you can comfortably have a conversation.
Time and Date. As mentioned in the previous section, ensure you don’t schedule stay interviews and performance reviews too close together.
Attendees. While HR can join the interview, they don’t have to. Stay interviews are ideally handled by the employees’ direct supervisors or managers.

Once you have the stay interview details, send the employee an invite to block the timeslot on their work calendar and yours.

While stay interviews are ideally conducted in person, scheduling a face-to-face meeting with a remote employee may not be practical. If you must hold a stay interview via video call, ensure you turn on your cameras and your devices work correctly.

2. Open the Conversation

On the day of the stay interview, HR expert Charlette Beasley recommends opening the conversation by telling them the purpose of the meeting and that you’re looking for honest feedback. Set a casual, relaxed tone and keep the conversation informal.

3. Ask and Listen

Stay interviews are structured discussions, so you must prepare a list of questions beforehand. Ask open-ended questions and encourage conversation. Actively listen to the employee’s answers and ask follow-up questions to get more detail and clarity.

4. Close with a Summary

To show the employee that you were listening to them, summarize the key points you discussed. Assure the employee that you heard what they said and that you will take action to improve their employee experience. Thank them for their time and insight, and end the interview positively.

5. Take Action and Update

The most critical part of stay interviews takes place after the meeting ends. Respond to your employee’s feedback with actionable steps, and ensure you update them on any progress, stumbling blocks, or concerns.

12 Stay Interview Questions to Ask Your Employees

Because stay interviews are typically informal conversations, it’s easy to get sidetracked and lose track of time. To keep the stay interview structured yet casual, we’ve added a list of open-ended stay interview questions from SHRM . You can use them as inspiration when preparing your own questions for the interview:

What do you look forward to when you come to work each day?
What do you like most or least about working here?
What keeps you working here?
If you could change something about your job, what would that be?
What would make your job more satisfying?
How do you like to be recognized?
What talents are not being used in your current role?
What would you like to learn here?
What motivates (or demotivates) you?
What can I do to best support you?
What can I do more of or less of as your manager?
What might tempt you to leave?

Nexus HR Helps You Find Time for Stay Interviews

A stay interview is an invaluable tool that helps create a positive work environment, increases employee engagement, and boosts employee retention.

A vital aspect of the stay interview is that leaders conduct it, not the Human Resources department. Unfortunately, only a few supervisors have the time to sit down and meet with each of their employees—this is where HR comes in.

Third-party HR partners like Nexus HR can handle tedious, time-consuming administrative tasks so leaders like you won’t have to. By streamlining your office’s HR processes, recruitment , employee onboarding, and payroll , you can clear your calendar and book vital one-on-one time with your employees.

Hiring Part-Time vs. Full-Time Employees: Which Is Better?

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 14:00:13 GMT

Employees make up the backbone of every organization. From tech giants to mom-and-pop shops, businesses of all shapes and sizes need employees to succeed. However, hiring employees takes careful consideration and deliberation to ensure the right fit for your company.

As a business manager, you may ask:

Will hiring a full-time employee for this project be a financially sound decision?

Will hiring a part-time employee get the job done?

Do I need a team that adjusts to fluctuating needs?

Do I need dedicated staff members who handle long-term projects?

The decision to hire the right employees affects your bottom line and the productivity of your entire workforce. Understanding how full-time and part-time positions fit within your business model is essential to getting the most out of your workforce and budget.

What’s the Difference Between Part-Time vs. Full-Time Employment?

The general difference between part-time and full-time employees is the number of hours they work. However, no federal laws or regulations fully define full- or part-time employment.

The California Labor Code , for example, defines full-time employees as those who work 40 hours per week. However, it doesn’t have a specific definition for part-time work.

Because no hard-and-fast rule establishes the difference between the two contract types, employers often turn to Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations and Affordable Care Act (ACA) benefit requirements to distinguish the two.

Under the ACA, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers it full-time work if the employee renders an average of at least 30 hours a week or 130 hours a month.

While the FLSA doesn’t define full-time or part-time employment, it does define whether an employee is exempt from overtime pay. Nonexempt employees are entitled to overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours in a single workweek.

Full-time and part-time employees also differ in the benefits that they enjoy. Here are a few examples:

Health Insurance. Although this is subject to the carrier and state jurisdictions, insurance companies generally require employees to work at least 20 hours per week to be eligible for their insurance plans.
Retirement Plan. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) requires employees to work at least 1,000 hours in 12 months to be eligible to participate in their employer's retirement plan.
Benefits at Employer’s Discretion. Outside of state and federal requirements, an employee’s eligibility for voluntary benefits is at their employer’s discretion. Whether they have on-site or remote workers , the employer can offer benefits like vacation, 401(k), and paid time off only to full-time employees.

The Pros and Cons of Hiring Part-Time vs. Full-Time Workers

Understanding the benefits and drawbacks of hiring part-time and full-time workers can be vital in determining the best option for your organization. Here are some advantages and disadvantages that guide you in making the most practical hiring decision.

Part-Time Employees

PROS

Lower Overhead Cost. Part-time employees are much more inexpensive to hire because you won’t spend as much on salaries and perks as you would on a full-time employee.

Flexibility. Your team gets extra help when and where you need it, especially when your business’s scheduling needs fluctuate.

Employee Work-Life Balance. By spending fewer hours at work, your part-time employees can pursue passions, nurture relationships, and improve skills outside the workplace.

CONS

Lower Employee Commitment. Part-time employees who juggle at least two jobs tend to be less invested in your organization’s culture, goals, and growth.

High Employee Turnover. Part-time positions often come with inconsistent work schedules, making it difficult to retain employees who seek steady hours.

Potential Work Inefficiency. Because they spend less time at work, part-time workers lack consistent repetition of their tasks, which may result in more mistakes and a slower working pace.

Full-Time Employees

PROS

Stronger Employee Loyalty. Because they spend a lot of time at work, full-time employees develop a sense of accountability for the company’s growth and success.

Higher Productivity. Full-time employees can sharpen their work skills much faster, making them more productive, more knowledgeable, and able to handle more responsibilities.

More Long-Term Planning. Full-time employees are typically more interested in career advancement. When you know your employee is in it for the long haul, they can play a part in your long-term goals.

CONS

Higher Overhead Cost. Because of state, federal, ACA, and FLSA requirements, you will pay full-time employees more for their work and offer more benefits than part-time workers.

Possible Overstaffing Issues. When your company’s workload drops, you spend money on too many people working too many hours and not many tasks to keep them busy.

Potential for Burnout. Because they typically have more responsibility and projects, full-time employees encounter more deadlines, ultimately leading to more work-related stress.

Part-Time vs. Full-Time Employees: Who Do You Hire?

Well, it depends. Whether it’s best to hire a full-time or part-time employee depends on several factors. Here are three key aspects you need to consider when making a hiring decision:

What Are Your Needs?

The first factor to consider when hiring full-time or part-time employees is your company's needs. What type of work needs to be done? How many hours are required to complete it?

If you don’t have answers to these questions yet, starting with a part-time employee may be a good idea. They work fewer hours, which will cost you less money, and you can use their first few weeks of productivity to gauge just how much time and human resources you need to complete the job on time.

What is the Nature of the Job?

Is the work seasonal or project-based? If so, hiring part-time workers may be a more practical decision. However, if the job is ongoing and requires a high level of commitment, then hiring full-time employees will make more sense.

If you’re not confident about either contract type, you can also consider partnering with a reputable staffing agency to recruit temporary staff for your organization. Once the contract ends, you won’t have to worry about dismissing or reassigning the temp; the staffing agency does everything for you. And if you’re happy with their work, you can offer them a full-time position in your company.

How Much is Your Budget?

Another critical factor to consider is how much your organization is willing to spend. As mentioned in the previous section, hiring full-time employees will cost you more money because they typically require a higher salary and benefits package than part-time employees.

If your needs require a full-time employee, can your organization afford to pay for one? If you can, it may be a good idea to go with a full-time worker. Doing so lets you get the project done on time without worrying about missed deadlines, low productivity, and a lack of staff.

Get the Right Person for the Right Position with Nexus HR

Deciding between hiring full-time or part-time employees can be challenging. It involves knowing the exact needs of your business, weighing the risks and benefits that come with each option, and taking into account the needs of your current staff. But don’t let that overwhelm you!

Nexus HR offers top-notch recruitment and payroll services that guarantee business success. We also have a team of HR specialists ready to help, so you don't have to go through your HR decisions alone. You don’t have to deal with the hassle of finding and hiring people; Nexus HR can help you get the right people for the right roles in your business.

5 Ways to Improve Inclusivity in the Workplace

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 13:00:23 GMT

Creating an inclusive workplace is essential for any business that wants to stay ahead of the curve. An open and welcoming work environment increases collaboration, sparks innovation, and develops a competitive edge in even the most well-established industries.

In recent years, we've seen a significant shift in attitudes toward discrimination and an increased focus on giving individuals from different backgrounds a seat at the table. While there is progress, companies still have a long way to go to ensure every employee feels welcome and respected in the workplace.

What is Inclusivity in the Workplace?

According to Oxford Languages , inclusivity is the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those having physical or intellectual disabilities or belonging to minority groups.

More often than not, inclusivity goes hand in hand with another term: diversity . Often mistakenly used interchangeably, inclusivity and diversity are two different terms.

Diversity and inclusion (D & I) expert Rita Mitjans defines them this way:

Diversity is the ‘what’; inclusion is the ‘how.’

Diversity focuses on the makeup of your workforce—demographics such as gender, race/ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, just to name a few.

Inclusion is a measure of culture that enables diversity to thrive.

Diversity is the variety of people and ideas within your organization. Inclusion creates an environment in which all individuals feel accepted, valued, connected, and given equal access to opportunities.

As Vantage Circle aptly says, “Diversity is getting a dinner invitation. Inclusion is making sure everyone enjoys the meal.”

What are the Benefits of Inclusivity and Diversity in the Workplace?

Research by McKinsey and Company shows that diverse and inclusive organizations outperform their homogeneous counterparts by 35%.

A Deloitte study shows that organizations adopting inclusive cultures are:

Twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets
Three times as likely to be high performing
Six times as likely to be innovative and agile
Eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes

Deloitte also found that inclusive companies had higher employee retention rates and less trouble recruiting new employees than those without inclusivity.

Tips to Promote Inclusivity and Diversity in the Workplace

Promoting inclusivity and diversity is much easier in theory than in practice. Fortunately, there are simple yet effective steps company leaders like you can take to help ensure your office embraces an environment of inclusion.

1. Start with Self-Evaluation

American Mensa CEO Trevor Mitchell says, “Self-awareness is the first step toward understanding what perspectives you lack, appreciating other experiences and viewpoints, and building more diverse and inclusive organizations.”

Take a moment to reflect on and recognize your personal privilege and biases. Think about how these differ from others. Understanding your biases (both conscious and unconscious) and being aware of how they impact the people around you can help shape the way you think, behave, and interact with others.

As a company leader, start your D & I journey by evaluating yourself and your organization. Ask yourself the following questions:

Does the company have an official definition and shared understanding of diversity and inclusion?
Do you have a diversity, inclusion, and nondiscrimination policy?
Is inclusivity tied to your company objectives?
Is everyone afforded equal opportunities to pay, knowledge, and career growth?

Knowing where you stand and what you lack can help you plan your next step toward establishing inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.

2. Practice Inclusive Recruitment

Inclusive recruitment refers to engaging, interviewing, and hiring diverse individuals by giving value to their unique backgrounds, education, opinions, and life journeys. By having a more inclusive recruitment strategy, your organization can innovate and solve problems more effectively.

If you don’t already practice inclusive recruitment, here are some ideas you can consider implementing in your current recruiting process:

Think twice about requiring industry-specific experience. You may miss out on candidates with valuable skills and insight from different career backgrounds.
Write gender-neutral job descriptions. Check your pronouns and avoid (or balance) using gender-charged words .
Use a blind system of reviewing resumes so you don’t see demographic characteristics that may trigger bias.

Read: How to Create an Effective Recruiting Process

3. Make It a Team Effort

Promoting inclusivity in your organization is no one-person job. It’s not something you can expect your D & I officer or HR department to accomplish alone. Promoting diversity and inclusivity in the workplace is a team effort.

“A team is more than just a group of people working near each other. They have to truly work with each other,” said organizational psychologist John Amaechi . “They need to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, their skills. They need to know what knowledge and abilities their teammates bring to the table beyond their assigned roles or job descriptions.”

Everyone in the organization has a role in building an inclusive workplace culture—this includes the newest intern, the most tenured employees, and especially the top leaders. Here are a few initiatives that allow your team to enjoy each other’s company while promoting diversity and inclusion:

Host potlucks where employees bring in food that showcases their culture.
Celebrate diverse holidays that are significant to your team members.
Implement a reverse mentoring program.

Read: What is Reverse Mentoring, and Should My Company Do It?

4. Listen and Respond

Active listening is critical to promoting inclusivity in your organization. According to management consulting firm Oliver Wyman , “In our experience, there is a clear link between leaders actively listening to their workforce and successfully creating a culture of inclusion.”

However, before you practice active listening with your team, you first need to establish an environment where employees feel safe and comfortable to express their opinions, especially about complex or controversial topics.

Create confidential or anonymous communication channels for your team to freely speak their mind without fearing judgment or retribution. These communication channels allow you to “listen” and understand what is affecting your team and respond to them with reasonable and feasible solutions or feedback.

By facilitating effective discussions and acting on the valuable insight you get, you can slowly influence your colleagues to move toward a culture of inclusion and belonging.

5. Track Progress

To make progress, you need to gauge your progress. This concept also applies to inclusion and diversity initiatives in the workplace.

You can start by setting D & I goals as an organization. Here are some examples:

Implement a mentorship program for diverse employees.
Develop inclusive recruitment strategies.
Review promotional materials and ensure they’re culturally sensitive.
Create employee resource groups.
Organize D & I training programs.

D & I initiatives are an ongoing commitment. You can’t achieve long-term culture change with one-time activities. After establishing your goals, monitor employee engagement and check in on projects. You can also use surveys to know how your employees feel about the changes.

Reach Your Inclusivity and Diversity Goals with Nexus HR

Whether you’re restructuring your company’s inclusivity and diversity program or designing one from scratch, you’ll need all the help you can get. Building a culture of inclusivity in the workplace takes a lot of planning, effort, and commitment.

If you’re a company leader with inclusivity and diversity goals at the top of your priority list, Nexus HR can give you the support you need to accomplish them. As a full-service human resource service provider, Nexus HR can help you with administrative, employee communication, and data-gathering tasks in promoting workplace inclusivity.

Top 10 Tips for Terminating an Employee

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 15:00:01 GMT

The decision to terminate an employee is always challenging. It's a serious and emotionally charged process that requires careful planning, clear communication, and the utmost respect for everyone involved.

Whether you’re terminating an employee for the first time or looking for ways to do it better, this blog post will give you helpful tips on navigating the complexities of employee termination.

Reasons for Terminating an Employee

Before discussing how a company leader can properly terminate an employee, you first need to tackle the question: Why do you terminate an employee?

If you’re planning to fire an employee, you need to have a specific reason for doing so, and your motivation must comply with state and federal laws. Most U.S. states are at-will employment states , which means both the employer and employee are generally free to end their employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or prior notice. However, there are exceptions.

The state of California, for example, is an at-will state . However, when you fire an employee for illegal reasons, they could file a wrongful termination claim against you. Here are certain exceptions to at-will employment in California:

Public Policy.

This exception protects employees from being fired for reasons that violate public policy, like terminating the employee because they refuse to engage in illegal activity or report unsafe work conditions.

Implied Contract.

This exception protects at-will employees who do not have an employment contract but were led to believe by their company that they enjoy protection from termination.

Discrimination and Retaliation.

Employers cannot fire at-will employees based on protected characteristics such as age, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, marital status, disability, etc.

Public sector employees, union workers, and employees with contracts that specify the need for good cause for termination also enjoy protections from at-will employment laws in California.

Employment laws are complex, and implementing them in your business is challenging. If you have any questions about your business’s contracts, documents, and employment decisions, it would be best to seek guidance from a reputable legal consulting firm.

Tips for Terminating an Employee

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are critical to an efficient workplace. Just like how your business has an effective recruiting process , you also need to have an SOP to follow when offboarding employees. Here are a few things to consider when handling employee terminations:

Before Terminating an Employee

1. Give them the opportunity to improve.

Because recruiting, hiring, and training new employees can be costly, it makes sense to put in a little extra effort to see if underperforming employees can get better at what they do.

Provide honest feedback and schedule regular coaching sessions with your employee to review and appraise their performance. You can even develop a performance improvement plan together to address problem areas and set goals.

2. Document, document, document.

According to talent management expert Aaron Ziff , “Without proper documentation of company rules, position requirements [and] expectations, infractions, and disciplinary policies, you will lose most lawsuits.”

Documentation is necessary to support most employment decisions, including employment termination. Make sure you record your employees’ employment events, such as coaching sessions, performance evaluations, positive contributions, policy violations, etc.

3. Schedule a face-to-face meeting.

Letting an employee go over a phone call or email may be tempting. However, it’s crucial to give your staff the courtesy of a face-to-face meeting to discuss their termination.

Schedule the termination meeting with your member toward the end of the workday so that the office is quieter and more private and other coworkers have left for the day.

Holding a face-to-face termination meeting may not be possible if you're letting go of a remote employee. Your next best option is a video conference call. Compared to phone calls and emails, meeting via video call allows you to deliver tough news more empathetically. You’ll also be able to see and read the employee’s body language and facial expressions.

Having the Conversation with the Employee

4. Have an HR representative attend the meeting.

Firing an employee is a highly sensitive situation, and things can get very emotional quickly. It would be wise to have someone from your Human Resources (HR) department attend the meeting or video call with you to support you during the process and to serve as a witness to the event.

If you don’t have an HR department, partnering with a full-service HR company can help you get complex tasks like employee terminations done effectively and efficiently.

5. Be direct.

Skip the small talk and go straight to the point. Employment termination is a serious matter, and beating around the bush can make the situation more stressful than it already is.

Of course, being direct doesn’t mean being tactless. Make sure to think before you speak. Don’t go into the meeting without a script or an outline of what you plan to say.

6. Be clear that the decision is final.

Some employees may not believe you when you tell them they’re fired, especially when they don’t think they deserve to be. If the decision to terminate employment is final, don’t give the employee any reason to think otherwise.

During the conversation, tell the employee the reason for termination and when it takes effect. You can also discuss pay, benefits, unused vacation time, etc.

7. Allow them to ask questions.

Your employee has the right to ask questions regarding the termination; allow them to do so. You can prepare a brief and honest answer ahead of time to avoid getting caught off-guard and dragging the meeting on further.

The termination meeting also serves as the employee’s exit interview, so you can use the conversation as an opportunity to ask them for their feedback on management—positive and negative.

8. Thank them for their contributions.

Wrap up the conversation graciously and on a positive note by thanking your employee for their valuable contributions to the company. Show them you respect them even though you had to let them go.

End the meeting with a firm handshake and encouraging words.

After Speaking with the Employee

9. Revoke access to company resources and facilities.

If your company has a solid employment termination process in place, this step is typically arranged ahead of time and executed even before the termination meeting has ended.

Work with your HR team and IT department to remove the employee’s access to the company network, accounts, files, devices, etc. You will also need to take away their office keys, company ID cards, and access badges.

10. Send them off with professionalism and respect.

After a difficult conversation about their termination, you can walk your now-former employee back to their workstation and wait for them as they gather their belongings.

When the employee is ready to leave, escort them to the office exit, shake their hand, and wish them well.

Get Employee Termination Support from Nexus HR

Firing employees is one of the most challenging things a company leader like you has to do. The good news is you don’t have to do it alone!

Your organization’s HR department can build a solid offboarding process that ensures an efficient transition for your company and your departing employees. A reliable HR team will also take care of the necessary paperwork that comes with terminations.

If your organization doesn’t have a functioning HR department, you can partner with an established HR services provider like Nexus HR . With tried-and-tested processes and a team of HR specialists working around the clock, Nexus HR provides the administrative support you need to handle complex tasks like employment terminations.

What is Reverse Mentoring, and Should My Company Do It?

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 18:26:53 GMT

Did you know that, for the first time in history, the current workforce spans five generations?

Your organization may have Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z all working together to finish tasks, run projects, and meet deadlines.

While 83% of global business leaders consider it key to their companies' growth and long-term success, having a multigenerational workforce has its challenges. Often, employees struggle to appreciate colleagues' unique behaviors, work habits, and communication styles from a totally different generation.

One of the ways companies can address the struggle within a multigenerational workforce is by designing and implementing a reverse mentoring program.

What is Reverse Mentoring?

Reverse mentoring is when a junior employee pairs up with a more senior colleague (typically someone in a leadership position) and mentors them in a particular area of expertise. The program helps senior employees develop new skills and understand the younger generation of employees.

Reverse mentoring is also designed to equip junior employees with leadership and mentoring skills. According to Laura-Jane Silverman , Head of LSE Generate, "The younger generation may not be as experienced as their older counterparts, but they are able to bring fresh new insight to problems or concepts, which more senior leaders may not have thought of before."

Reverse mentoring isn’t a novel idea, though. It started in the late 1990s when General Electric’s then-CEO Jack Welch asked 500 top executives to pair up with the youngest employees and become their mentees on new technologies.

Traditionally, the senior members of the company mentor the younger ones. With reverse mentoring, however, the organization recognizes that both sides can lack certain skills, and both have a lot to learn from one another.

Whether it involves the youngest employee teaching the top executive how to use the Internet or a fresh graduate teaching a veteran sales executive how to use social media to expand their reach, reverse mentoring can be a great learning experience for any employee.

3 Ways Reverse Mentoring Can Help Your Team

Over the years, reverse mentoring has proven to be a highly beneficial initiative for companies from various fields, namely business, education, technology, medical education, and health sciences.

Here are three benefits of implementing a reverse mentoring program in your organization:

1. Encourages Knowledge Sharing

At its core, reverse mentoring is a way to foster knowledge sharing between individuals who grew up during different times. Even though junior employees take on the role of mentors, they rarely go through the program without learning a few lessons from their senior colleagues.

As the younger generation of employees imparts knowledge on the latest tools, technology, and trends, they also get valuable insight into corporate know-how, business fundamentals, and many other lessons one only learns through experience (and mistakes).

Reverse mentoring encourages a cross-generational, cross-departmental exchange of knowledge, skills, and experience within your organization.

2. Closes Generation Gaps

When you have a multigenerational workforce, generation gaps are inevitable. A generation gap is the wedge that separates the opinions, beliefs, and values of people from two different generations. Unless addressed, the disconnect caused by generation gaps can easily become barriers to effective communication and collaboration in the workplace.

Reverse mentoring creates a space for your employees to learn from and about someone who grew up in a different time. By creating a symbiotic relationship between people from different generations, a reverse mentoring program can help break down barriers and bridge generational gaps in your company.

Learning, understanding, and embracing the perspectives of employees from different generations can help build a stronger and more resilient company culture.

3. Increases Retention of Younger Employees

According to a study by Deloitte , millennial and Gen Z employees want to make their voices heard and drive change. Unfortunately, not all of them feel their employers are listening to them, and unless something changes, half of them plan to leave the company within a year.

A reverse mentoring program can make younger employees feel welcome, heard, and valued in the workplace. It can even help you find potential leaders among them. By becoming a mentor, junior employees develop confidence in their leadership abilities as well as learn from their mentees’ experience in the workplace and leadership roles.

When younger employees know that their voice matters in the workplace, it can encourage them to stay longer and do more for the organization. After implementing its first reverse mentoring initiative, Pershing experienced a 96% retention rate for the 77 millennial mentors involved.

3 Potential Barriers to Any Reverse Mentoring Program

Implementing a reverse mentoring initiative in your company isn’t easy. There are many potential barriers to its success. As a company leader, you need to anticipate these challenges and find a way to work around them.

Here are some potential obstacles to a reverse mentoring program to iron out first:

1. Resistance from Senior Employees

Many of your senior employees, especially those in leadership positions, are established experts in the field. They may be open to enrolling in formal classes, but they may not see any value in being taught by a less experienced employee.

You can help senior members appreciate the value of the program by asking them what necessary knowledge or digital skills they feel they lack. Ask them how these skills, if developed, can positively impact how they do their jobs. Once they create a list of skills, you can explain how junior employees can help fill those skill gaps.

2. Lack of Full Commitment

Reverse mentoring goes beyond one or two tutorial sessions. It involves the mentor and mentee meeting regularly for an extended period of time. Reverse mentoring requires full-time commitment on both sides.

Before implementing the program, help the employees decide how frequently they should meet, how long each mentoring session lasts, how they can touch base between sessions, and how they can record progress.

Once the pair agrees on the details of their mentoring schedule, ensure they block out the agreed-upon time on their work calendars so they stick to the schedule and keep the momentum going.

3. Mentor-Mentee Mismatch

Making the right mentor-mentee match is crucial to any reverse mentoring program. A mismatch could lead to one or both employees feeling uneasy with the other, being uncomfortable with freely communicating their thoughts, and ultimately failing to make a connection with their partner.

When matching junior employee mentors with their senior leader mentees, see to it that they are compatible. You can start by working with your HR team to gather a list of employees interested in the reverse mentoring program, and then send out surveys to find out:

The new skills they want to learn or develop
Their areas of expertise
Their career goals
Their interests
Their hobbies

Use the data you gather from the surveys to match compatible employees. You can base the match on what they want to get out of the program and what they can offer to it. It’s also helpful to match employees with the same interests or hobbies because this helps them establish an initial connection.

Is a Reverse Mentoring Program a Good Idea for My Company?

Most likely, yes. In fact, 72% of DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies claim to have a reverse mentoring program.

If you’re looking to encourage knowledge sharing, close generation gaps, and increase retention of young employees in your company, you may want to try reverse mentoring.

Every successful employee engagement program requires lots of planning, coordination, and data gathering—and you can’t do all these by yourself. The perfect partner for an initiative like this is your HR department.

Don’t have an HR team in-house? Outsource your HR needs to a full-service human resource partner like Nexus HR . By taking care of your payroll , recruitment , and administrative HR tasks , Nexus HR frees up your calendar and gives you the support you need to do what’s best for your company.

How to Support Your Employees' Mental Health

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 15:54:55 GMT

Nearly 53 million adults in the U.S. face mental health issues in any given year. That represents one in five adults, so chances are someone in your workplace is facing the struggle right now.

Unfortunately, not everyone who needs help will get it. As a result, many employees who experience mental health issues end up either missing work or showing up but are unable to fully function.

The World Health Organization estimates that, on a global economic scale, anxiety and depression alone cost an estimated $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. Mental health doesn’t just affect one person; its impact ripples across homes, communities, and workplaces.

Why Employee Mental Health Matters to Your Organization

With the average full-time worker spending most of their waking hours at work, workplaces profoundly shape one’s mental well-being.

Your organization’s work environment, culture, and values can make or break your employees’ mental health.

As an employer, you have the influence and authority to make decisions that support employee mental health and, by doing so, build up your organization’s success. On the other hand, ignoring and mismanaging employee mental health can lead to problems in key areas of your business operations:

1. Decreased Productivity

One’s mental health is closely linked to one’s productivity. According to Psychology Today , poor mental health can severely decrease employee motivation and productivity while increasing stress. Certain mental disorders can also interfere with focus and attention, making it even harder for them to get tasks done.

Mental health issues may appear to be an individual problem, but it’s a problem for their employers, too. If left untreated, mental health issues can cost your company $9,450 per employee per year in absences and decreased productivity.

2. Increased Staff Turnover

Since early 2021, millions of employees all over the country have been voluntarily resigning from their jobs in what is dubbed The Great Resignation . Many joined the movement because of work-related stress from being overworked and underpaid.

The Great Resignation reflects an ongoing mental health crisis in the United States. Work stress and burnout were already alarmingly high even before COVID hit, and the pandemic acted as a tipping point and accelerant for what was bound to happen.

The lesson here is this: Unless company leaders prioritize their employees’ mental health, they will continue to experience high staff turnover, negatively impacting their business productivity and bottom line.

3. Strained Team Dynamics

In a letter to Inc. Wellness , one manager described their employee as “tired, unfocused, unorganized, and not meeting deadlines. She oversleeps and comes in late at least once a week.” The employee may sound difficult and lazy , but the letter reveals that she’s not. She’s just struggling with depression, and it’s affecting her performance and relationships at work.

Employees with poor mental health can experience difficulty dealing with pressure, handling negative feedback, responding to change, and interacting with others. This can quickly lead to tension among members, low team morale, and strained workplace dynamics.

What You Can Do to Support Employee Mental Health

Stress isn’t always bad. It’s a normal response to the many demands in the workplace. In short bursts, stress can help you focus, stay alert, and perform at your best.

However, too much stress is unhealthy. The Help Guide describes the workplace in today’s hectic world as an emotional roller coaster with long hours, tight deadlines, and ever-increasing demands that can leave one feeling worried, drained, and overwhelmed.

Work stress can be helpful, but when it exceeds one’s ability to cope, it becomes detrimental to their physical and mental well-being.

As an employer and company leader, you have the unique opportunity to leverage your position to promote and protect your staff’s mental health at work, especially in the face of pressure, unanticipated change, and uncertainty.

Here are a few things you can do to support your team’s mental health during difficult times:

1. Be Honest

Ever since the pandemic hit, mental health has become a more talked about topic. Everyone has gone through some type of struggle during tough times, even company leaders like you.

Acknowledge the struggle that people and communities are experiencing and show your team that you know this is a difficult time for many, including yourself. You can even share how you are coping.

When leaders are willing to be vulnerable and honest about mental health matters, employees realize they are not alone in what they feel and experience.

According to Mind Share Partners leaders Kelly Greenwood and Natasha Krol , “When managers describe their challenges, whether mental-health-related or not, it makes them appear human, relatable, and brave. Research has shown that authentic leadership can cultivate trust and improve employee engagement and performance.”

2. Foster a Culture of Communication

Employees struggling with their mental health often have feelings of isolation and helplessness. And because they spend most of their waking hours in the workplace, it’s crucial that they feel comfortable opening up about their struggles and asking for help when they are there.

By fostering a culture of communication, you can create safe spaces for discussions about mental health in the workplace. Remember that a one-time webinar on mental health isn’t enough to create a culture. With the support of a strong HR team , leaders should check in with team members regularly to discuss life and work.

Communication must also be two-way, so it’s vital that you listen to what your members are saying. According to the American Psychological Association (APA) , 48% of employees say lack of involvement in decisions contributes to stress in the workplace.

Give employees the opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their jobs. Proactively solicit feedback from them, use that valuable information to inform your decisions, and communicate any positive changes that took place because of it.

3. Educate & Equip Your Team to Promote Mental Well-Being

Consider training the managers and supervisors in your organization in skill sets that support employee well-being, such as recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and knowing what to do when they see them.

“It’s important for managers to be trained to recognize the signs of emotional distress so they can react in a supportive rather than a punitive way,” says clinical neuropsychologist Jerome Schultz, Ph.D .

According to an APA study , leaders who went through at least three hours of mental health awareness training reported improved attitudes about mental health and a higher motivation to promote it at work.

By educating and equipping your managers with the knowledge they need to support and promote employee mental health, you can more effectively mobilize your organization’s mental health initiatives.

4. Strengthen Prevention Efforts

The old saying “prevention is better than cure” also applies to mental health in the workplace. Your organization’s ultimate goal should go beyond spotting and addressing mental health issues within the team; it should help prevent them from developing in the first place.

You can strengthen your prevention efforts in various ways—they don’t have to be a full-blown campaign. You can start by offering perks to help employees take better care of themselves. These include free or subsidized lifestyle coaching, self-management programs, or gym memberships.

You can also host seminars or workshops that teach your team different stress management techniques like breathing exercises, mindfulness, or meditation.

If you want to make an even bigger difference, give your employees more options for where, when, and how they work. According to the APA’s 2021 Work and Well-being Survey , 34% of employees say flexible hours would help their mental health.

While remote, hybrid, and flexible work arrangements may not work for every employee in your company, the APA says, “The key is to give employees the agency to select from among an array of reasonable options that balance business needs with their personal circumstances.”

5. Remove (or Reduce) Workplace Stressors

Strengthen Your Workplace Mental Health with Nexus HR

This sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s surprising how many workplace stressors exist. Stressors are everywhere, from the tasks an employee is given, to the processes they follow, to the people they work with.

As an employer, you can help ensure these stressors don’t overwhelm your team by identifying them and allocating your resources to remove (or at least reduce) them.

When welcoming new hires, have a solid onboarding process in place and partner with an HR team that provides excellent remote onboarding support .

Help current employees avoid unnecessary frustration by providing clear-cut task descriptions, responsibilities, and deadlines. Money matters can also stress employees, so ensure your company has a reliable payroll management system to avoid errors and delays.

If they have questions or concerns about work, encourage them to communicate. Partnering with a full-service human resource company like Nexus HR can help you manage employee communications and ensure your team is heard.

Investing in your employees’ mental well-being can deliver numerous benefits to your organization: increased efficiency, increased productivity, lower staff turnover, and increased job satisfaction. If you’re unsure how to start or sustain it, partnering with a reputable HR company like Nexus HR is a smart first move.

With its team of experienced HR professionals, tried-and-tested recruitment process, comprehensive payroll solution, and easy-to-use employee platform, Nexus HR provides end-to-end HR support for your organization.

With dedicated HR experts taking care of your administrative tasks, you can take a step back and focus on supporting your employees’ mental health.

How to Respond to Negative Employee Reviews

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 15:42:04 GMT

No business owner wants to receive negative reviews from current or former employees. Not only do they reflect poorly on your business, but they can also make it difficult to attract new talent. But while negative employee reviews can be disheartening, they can help identify areas of improvement and provide feedback on job performance.

Whether you’re getting a one-star review or just some grumbling about certain policies, it’s essential to know how to respond effectively, gracefully, and professionally.

How to Manage Negative Employee Reviews

Address Concerns Promptly

The first tip in managing negative employee reviews is to respond promptly. Everyone wants to be heard and appreciated, so it’s crucial that you don’t ignore their concerns or wait too long before replying. Leaving a negative review unanswered may also sway prospective hires from your company.

According to a 2021 Glassdoor survey , 7 out of 10 people said they changed their opinion about a brand after seeing the company reply to a review. In addition, 75% were more likely to apply for a job if the employer actively managed its brand. Responding quickly shows job seekers that you care deeply about crafting a positive workplace environment.

Acknowledge the Employee’s Experience

Next, remember that no matter how inaccurate or exaggerated their claims may be, this person had an experience at your business that was real to them. It may be tempting to immediately defend your company or explain why you made certain decisions, but that won’t do anything for the employee who wrote the review.

Acknowledge the individual's feelings, give them credit for coming forward with their opinion, and let them know you appreciate their feedback. This doesn't mean you have to agree with what they said; simply thank them for making their viewpoint known.

Address Concerns Thoughtfully & Honestly

Once you've acknowledged the individual's experience, it's time to address their concerns thoughtfully and honestly. Even if you disagree with certain portions of the review, focus on providing relevant facts and helpful context while respecting the individual's perspective.

Above all else, strive to remain professional in your response. Even if an employee is being hostile, resist the urge to match their tone; this will go a long way toward diffusing any tension between you and the reviewer.

Take Ownership of Your Response

Take ownership of the situation and apologize for any mistakes or misunderstandings that may have occurred during the employee’s tenure at your company. Showing empathy will demonstrate your commitment to customer service and make it easier for prospective employees (and customers) to trust your brand.

Be Open To Feedback

When responding to negative company reviews, it’s important to be open to constructive criticism. Take note of any suggestions they may have to improve the situation. This shows potential customers that you value their opinions and take their feedback seriously, even if it’s not always positive.

Make Changes Where Necessary

Finally, look honestly at the review and see if you need to change any areas within your organization. While it can be easy (and tempting) to dismiss all negative feedback as invalid, doing so could prevent you from addressing important issues within your business that could ultimately lead to improved operations down the line.

If an employee has a legitimate complaint, such as feeling underpaid or working too many hours, then don’t just promise change—deliver it! Taking steps toward fixing the issue will help create trust between you and your employees and demonstrate that you care about their well-being in the workplace.

Create Happier Employees with Nexus HR

Negative employee reviews can feel like a punch in the gut—but if handled properly, they have the potential to significantly improve your company. Look at negative Indeed or Glassdoor reviews as an opportunity to make changes within your company to provide better experiences for your team moving forward.

Creating a supportive and enjoyable work environment involves many moving parts that most business owners don’t have the time to manage. Outsourcing your HR is a smart solution in helping your company avoid negative employee reviews in the first place. Nexus HR handles all the ins and outs of attracting and retaining employees , including remote HR management , recruiting , full-service payroll , and legal consulting services . Learn more today!

How to Create an Effective Recruiting Process

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 17:36:34 GMT

The cost of a bad hire is high . According to the HR Exchange Network , 74% of companies lost an average of $14,900 for every bad hire they made.

Unfortunately, hiring mistakes are easy to make. Many organizations think that simply filling an open job position is enough—it’s not.

A successful hire is about filling the right position with the right person and making sure that person stays with the company . And you need a streamlined recruiting process to do that.

By helping your company hire top talent who fit in, perform, and stay, a solid recruiting process enables you to avoid wasted money and employee turnover.

What is the Recruiting Process?

The goal of recruitment is not just to fill an organization’s open position with a qualified candidate—it’s to find the talent with the skills, experience, and personality that best fit the role and successfully hire them.

Your recruiting process is your carefully crafted plan to achieve that goal.

Typically executed by the organization’s human resources (HR) department , the recruiting process involves identifying a staffing need, drawing in interested talent, sifting through applications, interviewing and evaluating candidates, and hiring the right person for the open position on time and on budget.

5 Qualities of a Good Recruiting Process

Not every recruiting process is effective and efficient. If you’re looking to have top-tier talent in your needed positions as quickly and efficiently as possible, you will need a rock-solid recruiting process.

So what makes a good recruitment process? Here are a few things to consider when building and designing your company’s recruiting process:

1. Tailored to your business needs

There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for hiring talent, so a good recruiting process should never be rigid. It needs to be consistent, structured, and scalable, but you shouldn’t have the same exact process every time.

For a recruiting process to fit the organization's hiring needs, each step must be intentional and serve a clear purpose. This means the steps will vary depending on the specific role to fill.

For example, a graphic design position will likely require applicants to submit a job portfolio, while a sales position will not.

Get a clear picture of your hiring needs and tailor-fit your process to meet them.

2. Designed for a positive candidate experience

Your recruitment process speaks a lot about your organization. In a world where people can easily voice their opinions about you, how you deal with candidates (even those you don’t hire) can impact your bottom line.

In fact, according to G2 , 63% of job seekers will likely reject a job offer because of a bad candidate experience.

Your recruiting process reflects your company’s brand, so design it with candidate experience in mind. Write clear job descriptions, optimize your career site , provide a clear timeline, schedule interviews effectively, and give application status updates regularly.

3. Automated and streamlined

A 2022 report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) states that it takes an average of 54 days to fill a nonexecutive position and 62 days for an executive position.

The longer your recruiting process takes, the fewer interested applicants you end up with. While many companies see this as an opportunity to weed out unfit candidates, Punchkick Interactive Director of Research Sarah Gregory believes it’s doing them more harm than good.

"Good candidates know their time is important, and they have plenty of opportunities in the job market,” Gregory said. “Their tolerance for jumping through hoops is much lower than many employers think.”

A good recruiting process is streamlined and efficient; the best way to achieve this is by taking advantage of technology. Using tools can automate a large chunk of your recruitment process, from filtering resumes, tracking applications, posting job listings, and collecting data.

Automating and streamlining your talent acquisition process eliminates unnecessary delays and drastically improves recruitment productivity.

4. Data-backed and data-driven

Data is a crucial ingredient in making business decisions, and recruitment decisions are no exception.

Data-driven recruiting means using tangible facts and statistics, not hunches or guesswork, to inform and influence your hiring decisions.

According to Forbes , talent acquisition teams with mature data analytics are twice as likely to improve their recruiting efforts. They are also three times more likely to realize cost reductions and efficiency gains.

But how do you shift to a data-driven recruiting process? You can start by choosing which hiring metrics you want to track, learning how to calculate each one, and then deciding which ones best align with your recruitment efforts. Here’s a helpful cheat sheet from LinkedIn to get you started.

Quality data is powerful. A data-backed and data-driven recruiting process can help you evaluate past performance, assess current strategies, and develop future plans.

5. Open to employee referrals

Did you know that companies can expand their talent pool by ten times by recruiting through their employees’ networks?

Employee referrals are among the most effective recruitment tools. In fact, the SHRM's 2022 Talent Access Report shows that employee referrals are the most common tool used to source nonexecutive candidates—89% of recruiters use it!

Not only do employee referrals help you hire faster and lower your cost per hire, but candidates referred by current employees also tend to be more qualified for the role, more interested in the job offer, and more likely to stay longer.

Establish a recruitment process that includes an employee referral program. Engage your employees and incentivize them to refer quality candidates to your company.

8 Steps in the Recruiting Process

Now that you know what makes for an effective and efficient recruitment process, you can start building one!

Here are the primary stages of the recruitment process to use and customize to fit your company’s needs:

1. Identify your hiring needs.

Make a list of the job vacancies in your company, and be as specific as possible. What existing roles need to be filled? What roles do you anticipate filling due to gaps in the current team? Was the position recently vacated, or was it newly created? What specific knowledge, skills, and experience does the role require?

2. Prepare the job description.

Job descriptions tell potential candidates what responsibilities and requirements are expected for a specific position in the company. A good job description is clear and specific about what the role requires. What are the core responsibilities of the job? What are its qualifications? What compensation and benefits are you offering?

3. Develop the recruitment plan.

You may be tempted to jump straight to searching for talent, but it’s important to take a step back and figure out the best way to do that. Which channels and tools will you be using to get the word out? Who will review the resumes? Who will interview the candidates? Who will make the final hiring decision?

4. Start the talent search.

Execute the recruitment plan and start searching for talent. This is the most time-consuming step in the process, but by strategically using the channels and tools you have, you can cut down on time and expenses. Don’t forget to tap both external and internal recruitment sources.

5. Screen and shortlist qualified applicants.

For a recruiting company , this can be the most challenging step. You need to execute it as accurately and efficiently as possible. Otherwise, you’ll have top-tier candidates falling through the cracks. Start screening applications using the minimum qualifications, then set aside ones with preferred skills, experience, credentials, etc. The applications with minimum requirements and preferred credentials can be your shortlisted applicants.

6. Conduct interviews.

The next step is interviewing the shortlisted applicants. Whether you plan to do it over the phone, through a video call, or in person, make sure you come prepared. Review the candidate’s resume and formulate the right set of questions beforehand. It’s also helpful to have an interview rating scale handy so that you can measure and compare the candidates’ capabilities fairly.

7. Check references and make an offer.

Once you’ve selected the perfect candidate for the position, your next step is to run a reference check and verify their employment details. When everything is in place, come up with a desirable offer and present it to the candidate. Be ready to negotiate salary and benefits.

Tip: According to Linkedin , 94% of candidates say being contacted by their prospective manager can make them accept a job offer faster.

8. Onboard the new employee.

Not every talent acquisition team covers this step, but a successful recruiting company knows just how vital onboarding is to create a comprehensive recruitment process. Nexus HR, for example, helps its clients meet state training requirements by providing sexual harassment, HIPAA, and workplace policy training to every employee it hires.

Reach Your Recruitment Goals with Nexus HR

Finding the right people for the right positions effectively and efficiently is hard work! It also requires an experienced recruitment team, a workable budget, and a proven recruiting process. Unfortunately, not all companies have the resources for all these.

If your organization doesn’t have the time, staff, or technology to build and implement a streamlined recruiting process, then outsourced recruitment may be the answer.

Nexus HR is a company that provides affordable, full-service HR solutions to companies like yours. Besides comprehensive recruitment, it also offers full-service payroll , remote HR management , and even legal consulting services.

Get more services from Nexus HR than from any other recruiting company—all at half the cost .

How to Perform an Exit Interview Properly

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 21:45:33 GMT

Every business owner knows the importance of onboarding new employees , but only a few focus on the importance of an exit interview. Preparing for an employee's exit from your company is more than just a necessary task; it can be an invaluable tool for both the departing and remaining staff. An exit interview provides essential feedback about the workplace environment, culture, and operations that can help you identify areas of improvement.

By understanding how to conduct an exit interview properly, you will have access to comprehensive information that could influence your organizational decision-making processes and ultimately help increase workplace satisfaction.

What is an exit interview?

An exit interview is a conversation with a departing employee that provides valuable insight into why they are leaving and what could be done better to retain quality employees. It offers insights for business owners that can help them improve their businesses by better understanding the needs and concerns of their employees.

How do you prepare for an exit interview?

The first step in conducting an effective exit interview is preparation. Before the meeting, review the employee’s personnel file, including past performance reviews, job descriptions, and other relevant documents. Make sure you’re familiar with all aspects of the employee's role so that you can ask detailed questions about their experience. During preparation, document any questions you plan to ask during the interview and any specific areas you want to focus on.

What questions do you ask in an exit interview?

To gain meaningful insights from your exiting employees, you need to ask the right questions. Inquire about their job satisfaction, what they liked or disliked about their job, and any suggestions they might have to improve the workplace.

Here are some sample questions that may help provide valuable information:

What could we have done better during your time here?
Are there any changes or improvements that you suggest implementing?
Were there any problems or issues that could have been resolved more quickly or efficiently?
What did you like most about working here? Least?
Would you recommend our organization as a good place to work? Why/why not?

How do you conduct an exit interview?

When it comes time for the actual interview, be sure to create a welcoming atmosphere by introducing yourself (if you haven’t already met) and thanking them for coming in. Explain that your goal is not to place blame or cast judgment but rather to get honest feedback about their experience at your company so that you can improve working conditions for all employees moving forward.

Ask open-ended questions about their time at your company—both positive and negative experiences. Ensure the employee feels comfortable answering these sensitive questions honestly by creating a confidential environment and emphasizing that their feedback will remain anonymous if they so choose.

Finally, close by asking them if they have any final thoughts or comments before ending the meeting on a positive note.

What do you do after an exit interview?

Once you complete the exit interview, it’s vital to promptly take action based on the feedback you received before more employees leave for similar reasons. This could include changes like offering more competitive salaries or benefits packages, revising policies and procedures, or improving communication between management and staff members.

Additionally, consider sending out surveys or gathering feedback via text or other methods after each employee leaves so that you can continue collecting valuable data points over time. To increase your chances of gathering completed surveys, consider offering small gift cards as incentives.

Once these changes have been implemented, follow up with departing staff members to inform them of the improvements you made thanks to their feedback. This ensures that employees feel heard and valued even after their employment with you ends.

Let Nexus HR Handle Exit Interviews For You

Exit interviews are invaluable for gaining honest feedback regarding workplace culture and improvement initiatives for future years. However, performing an exit interview the right way takes time, something most business owners don’t have.

Hiring remote HR professionals, like Nexus HR , takes that burden off your shoulders. With complete employee lifecycle management from hire to termination, Nexus ensures the proper handling of your staff’s HR needs.

5 Types of Difficult Employees and How to Deal with Them

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 15:34:33 GMT

One bad apple spoils the bunch.

When you’ve had to deal with a difficult employee on your team, this centuries-old saying makes so much sense!

Negative employee traits are highly contagious and ultimately breed an unfavorable work environment. They lower employee morale, create division within the organization, and ruin overall productivity. A few “bad apples” can definitely spoil the workplace culture you worked so hard to establish .

Unfortunately, difficult employees are hard to spot, too. Not only do their discouraging traits typically show up after they’re hired, but they also come in different shapes and sizes.

5 Types of Difficult Employees

When you hear “difficult employee,” you probably imagine someone rude, belligerent, and hell-bent on taking the company down. While that certainly is an image of a difficult employee, toxic employees can take different forms.

Here are five common types of difficult employees:

1. The Aggressive

The Aggressive is often an overly confrontational type A performer who won’t stop until they achieve their goal, even at the expense of the people they work with.

The Aggressive is not just outspoken about their ideas; they’re also unafraid to use combative, rude, and condescending ways to get their point across. Not only does this behavior put colleagues down, it can also undermine your authority as a leader.

2. The Passive Aggressive

Snarky, disingenuous, and dismissive, the Passive Aggressive avoids direct confrontation and instead expresses their opposition or discontent indirectly.

The Passive Aggressive can resort to eye-rolls, backhanded remarks, feigned confusion, and procrastination. Passive aggression is insidious and, when left unaddressed, can quietly seep into and fester in work and communication dynamics.

3. The Gatekeeper

Often driven by the need to be indispensable in the workplace, the Gatekeeper hoards and hides any work-related knowledge they can get their hands on.

The Gatekeeper is the complete opposite of a team player. They keep the knowledge to themselves, even when it stunts employee growth, creates conflict, or hurts business productivity.

4. The One Who’s Always Right

The One Who’s Always Right believes they are the smartest person in the room. They don’t admit to needing any help and talk more than they listen.

The One Who’s Always Right doesn’t necessarily have an unpleasant disposition, but their inflated ego, lack of self-awareness, and disinterest in learning new things can get in the way of your team’s growth and expansion.

5. The Underperformer

The Underperformer is a team member who constantly fails to meet expectations at work. They don’t pull their weight around the office and don’t seem to be interested in doing anything about it, either.

Whether the Underperformer is unmotivated, unequipped, or simply lazy, having them in your organization can mean:

Their colleagues have to pick up the slack, or
Their colleagues take their cue and slack off, too.

How to Deal with Difficult Employees

Handling difficult employees is no easy feat, but you need to do it if you want to minimize the damage they do to your business. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution when dealing with difficult employees, here are five strategies to try:

1. Take a step back before addressing the issue.

Difficult employees aren’t born; they’re made. It’s important to realize that there’s a reason why employees act the way they do, and it helps to pause and have a look at what may be causing the undesirable attitude.

Does an over-competitive environment cause the Aggressive’s overly aggressive approach? Is there a lack of feedback from management? Is the team unknowingly encouraging their attitude?

By identifying the possible cause for the behavior, you can have the proper perspective and use the most effective approach to address the issue.

Instead of criticizing the Aggressive’s personality outright, you can let them know (privately) that while you appreciate their desire for excellence, it can hurt the rest of the team.

You can also reassign the Aggressive to tasks and projects where they can leverage their strengths and, simultaneously, limit damage to their colleagues.

2. Listen to what they have to say.

Dealing with difficult employees can be incredibly frustrating—especially when you’re at the receiving end of passive-aggressive behavior day in and day out. It may be tempting to retaliate, but that won’t solve anything.

When the Passive Aggressive is making negative comments, don’t respond with sarcasm. Stay calm and emotionally neutral as you encourage them to speak their mind. Assure them you’re listening and that their opinions matter in the workplace.

According to Sankalp Chaturvedi , a professor of organizational behavior and leadership at Imperial College Business School, the job environment also plays a role in stirring up passive-aggressive behaviors among employees. If employees feel their needs are constantly ignored by management, the frustration could drive them to find ways to subtly act out.

Encourage open communication within your organization. Foster an environment where everyone feels free and safe to speak up. Most importantly, keep an open mind as you listen to what they say.

3. Encourage knowledge sharing.

Workplace toxicity doesn’t always stem from what people do, it can also develop from what people don’t do. A perfect example of this would be knowledge hoarding —when employees like the Gatekeeper refuse to share their work-related knowledge with other members of the organization.

Knowledge hoarding kills productivity and drives a wedge among staff members. Prevent knowledge gatekeeping by implementing policies that require and reward knowledge transfer.

Maybe you need to redesign your team’s onboarding, upskilling, and product training processes. You may have to start documenting work-related information in an organized system that your team can easily access and update.

You can also consider implementing mentor-mentee relationships in the workplace. This helps newer employees get the guidance they need while rewarding the more experienced employees with opportunities to grow their leadership and communication skills.

Make it easier to share knowledge than to hoard it by building a healthy knowledge-sharing culture in the company. That way, if the Gatekeeper leaves, they won’t take all the knowledge with them.

4. Be clear and specific about your feedback.

Giving transparent and honest feedback is a crucial part of dealing with difficult employees. This is especially true when it comes to members like the One Who’s Always Right, who may think they don’t need any.

“If you manage or mentor a know-it-all, you have an obligation to give them feedback,” advises career coach Priscilla Claman . “Let them know that their attitude is having a negative effect on their career.”

The feedback you give should ideally be:

Continuous - Regular and timely feedback helps monitor progress and improve performance.
Constructive - Instead of criticizing, give actionable feedback to build and improve your staff’s skills.
Considerate - Consider your employee’s strengths, weaknesses, and current workload. Deliver your feedback with tact.
Credible - Keep your feedback specific to accurate observations and not biased assumptions.

5. Work with them to create an action plan.

If there’s anything more frustrating than working with an Underperformer, it’s having a manager who doesn’t do anything about it.

When dealing with uncooperative employees, you’re going to need an action plan in place. Unless you come up with one, underperforming employees will just keep underperforming.

Start by investigating and identifying why the Underperformer is falling short. Do they understand what their responsibilities and expectations are? Are they fully equipped to do the job? Are they motivated to get it done?

Have a direct, respectful conversation with them. Ask good questions and avoid accusations. Stick to the facts. Let the Underperformer know what the job expectations are as well as the consequences of not meeting them.

According to Bailey Strategic Innovation Group President Eric M. Bailey , communication is not only about the manager stating expectations, it’s also about the employee understanding those expectations.

When you’ve clearly communicated expectations, work with your employee to devise an action plan to improve their performance. In addition to everything the Underperformer needs to work on, list down the things you can do on your end to help them meet their goal.

Ensure you document the action plan in writing, and plan out regular check-ins so you can work together and monitor progress.

Free Up Your Schedule with Nexus HR

Adverse traits are contagious in the workplace, but positive ones are, too! Be the change you want to see and lead by example.

If you want your employees to communicate clearly and confidently, they need to have an avenue to do that. They also need leaders who can sit down with them, listen, give constructive feedback, and help them grow out of their detrimental traits.

As a leader, it’s crucial to make time for your employees. Unfortunately, you can’t do that if you’re too busy handling staff recruitment and payroll tasks.

Free up your calendar by partnering with a full-service human resource solution like Nexus HR . By outsourcing HR administrative work to the experts, you can be more hands-on with your leadership and more effective in growing your organization.

Is a 4-Day Workweek Possible for My Company?

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 16:08:35 GMT

From hybrid schedules to Zoom meetings, companies are revolutionizing work as we know it. Today’s corporate culture is acknowledging the importance of a healthy balance between careers and life outside of work, and the speed of change isn’t slowing down.

Enter the four-day workweek—the latest innovation sweeping the professional world. Instead of a traditional eight-hour workday, five-days-per-week schedule, some business owners are opting for seven to 10 hours a day, four days a week, to reduce burnout, boost morale, and increase productivity.

So far, the response from employers and employees has been positive, but does the 4-day workweek work for your business? Research shows there are massive benefits to switching.

Thank God it’s…Thursday?

A recent study by independent researchers at Boston College, University College Dublin, and Cambridge University suggests that the four-day workweek may become the new normal. Study participants allowed their employees to enjoy a 32-hour workweek for six months and saw overwhelmingly positive outcomes without making pay cuts—proving shorter workweeks can be beneficial.

“Revenue has risen. Sick days and absenteeism are down. Companies are hiring. Resignations fell,” researchers said of the results. Out of 27 businesses, only one reported adverse outcomes compared to 18 who committed to continuing four-day workweeks after the study.

Workers also responded enthusiastically. Ninety-seven percent of employees expressed a desire to continue the program, 51% saw an increase in ability, and 49% experienced more control over their schedule.

These results are far from unique, as emerging research is producing similar results across the board. According to early adopters, the benefits of a four-day workweek are strong enough for your company to consider making the switch.

4-Day Workweek Advantages

Work-Life Balance

Burnout, mental health, and stress management remain underappreciated aspects of managing a workforce—and many companies are falling short. A survey of over 20,000 people by Microsoft showed a staggering 48% of workers get burned out on the job. Burned-out employees are less productive , produce lower-quality work, and are more likely to quit, costing companies like yours $190 billion annually .

Taking a day off allows workers to pursue activities that bring them joy and satisfaction. This could include developing hobbies, spending quality time with family or friends, taking care of pets, or engaging in meaningful relationships. Happy employees make for an enjoyable work atmosphere and are much more likely to drive success at your organization, which can have potential long-term financial benefits.

Productivity Gains

While shorter workweeks imply lower productivity, they actually appear to produce better results.

Early adopters, like Kickstarter’s Chief Strategic Officer Jon Leland, claim that the four-day workweek has been a win-win.

“Staff are more focused, more engaged, and more dedicated, helping us hit our goals better than before,” he said.

The Society for Human Resource Management claims that 60% of companies who try four-day workweeks see increased productivity, with productivity increases as high as 40% reported by Microsoft Japan.

Condensed workweeks don’t amplify stressors like work pace or workload either. Instead of feeling dread on Monday mornings, employers return to work relaxed, recharged, and ready to tackle objectives at a comfortable tempo.

Lowered Expenses

Implementing a shorter workweek could create company-wide savings, especially when combined with other changes, like hybrid/remote work. These benefits include less energy usage, lowered consumption of office supplies, reduced transportation costs, and increased availability for child care and medical appointments outside work hours.

Attracting Talent

The best employees take the best opportunities. Highlighting a four-day workweek on job postings will grab the attention of top-tier prospects looking for benefits that go beyond salary.

4-Day Workweek Disadvantages

Not For Everyone

One size does not fit all. Your business will have to consider the specific demands of your industry to determine if you can accomplish everything on a new schedule.

For example, companies that must be open five days a week may need more employees to keep things running when everyone is taking an additional day off. Customer-focused businesses that need all-hands-on-deck, five days a week, should proceed with caution.

Increasing daily hours to compensate may also affect workers negatively. A ten-hour workday places time restraints on activities like hitting the gym, picking kids up from practice, housework, or whatever commitments people have before or after work.

Complicated Scheduling

The four-day workweek can create situations where everyone is on a different schedule or timetables that don’t match work demands. In particular, it may be difficult to organize meetings on the fly, respond to emergencies as they happen, or communicate effectively.

Payroll may also face new challenges. For example, if someone needs to go into the office on a Friday after working four 10-hour shifts Monday through Thursday, they could trigger overtime pay and cost your business money.

It’s still the early days of the four-day workweek, at least in the United States. Changing the established 5-day workweek culture will take time. But if your company is flexible enough to adapt, there may be significant benefits to making the switch, including higher morale, better productivity, and increased revenue.

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How to Negotiate Salary with Employees

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 16:05:14 GMT

Negotiating salaries can be a delicate process. You want to be fair to potential employees while ensuring that your organization gets the most bang for its buck.

Regardless, it’s important to remember that your employees are valuable assets to your company and that you need to treat them with respect throughout the hiring process. That said, here are the top tips, tricks, and strategies to negotiate salaries with employees.

8 Tips for Employer Salary Negotiation

1. Do Your Research

The first step in any negotiation is doing your research. This holds true when negotiating salaries with employees as well. You need to know the going rate for the position in question and what similar companies pay their employees. This will give you a good starting point from which to negotiate.

2. Don't Delay The Conversation

One common mistake employers make is waiting too long to discuss salary. This can often lead to frustration on both sides and may even result in the employee looking for greener pastures elsewhere. If you're considering making an offer, it's best to have the conversation sooner rather than later.

3. Be Transparent About Your Budget

Many employers are hesitant to reveal their budget for fear of being taken advantage of, but being upfront about your budget constraints can actually help the negotiation process. It shows that you're being honest and transparent about your finances, which builds trust between you and your employees.

4. Be Flexible

When negotiating salaries with employees, it’s important to be flexible. There is usually some wiggle room regarding wages, so be prepared to negotiate. Keep your budget for the position in mind, and be willing to pay a little more if it means getting the employee you want.

5. Be Prepared to Compromise or Offer Alternatives

No negotiation will ever be one-sided. Be prepared to compromise on certain aspects of the salary to reach a satisfactory agreement for both parties.

In some cases, salary may not be the only thing on the table. If you are unable to meet an employee's salary expectations, you can offer other forms of compensation, such as stock options, bonuses, or additional vacation days. There are many ways to negotiate, so you may need to get creative to ensure you secure great candidates.

6. Know Your Limits

You want to avoid getting into a situation where you are overpaying for a position or agreeing to terms that are not feasible for your business. Know what you can and cannot afford before entering into negotiations to avoid surprises down the road.

If you cannot come to an agreement, be prepared to walk away from the negotiation. This shows that you are not desperate and willing to stand your ground.

7. Put It in Writing

Once you've reached an agreement, it is essential to put it in writing. This will help avoid any misunderstandings or confusion down the road. A written contract also protects both parties in case there are any disputes later on.

8. Use a Third Party

If you feel overwhelmed by negotiating salaries with employees, consider using a third party, such as an outsourced HR company or a remote HR solution like Nexus HR . These companies specialize in salary negotiations and can help take the stress out of the process for you. They will also have up-to-date information on salary rates to ensure you are getting the best possible deal for your business.

Negotiating salaries with employees doesn't have to be stressful or difficult. By following these tips, tricks, and strategies, you can ensure that you are getting the best possible deal for your business while also being fair to your employees.

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If you need extra help in the negotiation process, consider using a remote HR provider like Nexus HR —we can help take the stress out of negotiation for you while also getting you the best possible deal! Our team at Nexus HR is always here to lend a hand. Contact us today to learn more about our outsourced HR solutions, including recruitment, payroll, full-service HR, and more!

Employee Training Tips for Successful Onboarding

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 00:10:57 GMT

Did you know that 37% of new employees will exit your company before finishing their first year?

Losing employees isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s an expense. The average cost of turnover is one-third of an employee’s annual salary, but it can skyrocket even higher for managers, executives, and highly technical positions.

One of the most common factors that contribute to high onboarding failure is a lack of adequate training. According to a recent report , 79% of employees think it’s important for their employer to provide training opportunities, and 93% believe training will improve performance. On the contrary, bad training programs leave employees feeling unmotivated, underappreciated, and unqualified.

With your reputation and revenue on the line, letting great employees slip through the cracks isn’t a viable option. Using the best employee training tips and practices, your company can onboard new team members successfully and avoid the embarrassment of high turnover.

What Is Onboarding & Why Does Onboarding Matter?

Onboarding is the process of integrating new hires into your organization. Despite sounding simple, there are many nuances to training new employees.

As the Society for Human Resource Management observes , onboarding can last one or two days at some organizations while taking months at others. Dr. Talya Bauer of Portland State University makes things easy to understand by outlining your onboarding strategy into three levels of achievement: passive, high-potential, and proactive.

Passive Onboarding

Thirty percent of organizations engage in passive onboarding, which approaches the practice as a checklist of compliance and clarification tasks: “sign X document, create Y account, watch Z video,” etc. While sufficient at getting employees situated, passive onboarding leaves employees hanging by failing to address the “social relationships and information networks” that underpin your organization.

High-Potential Onboarding

High-potential onboarding touches on the social dimensions of work but fails to build intentional systems that support connections and common culture. In other words, you’re taking new employees out to lunch or checking in with them every once in a while, without having a specific plan, schedule, or objective behind these interactions. This is the most common approach to onboarding at 50% of all companies.

Proactive Onboarding

In contrast to passive & high-potential onboarding, achieving a proactive onboarding strategy requires active development of company culture and connections. You’re not only building relationships throughout the onboarding process but doing so in a structured and methodical way. Only the top 20% of companies reach this level of onboarding.

If your company isn’t delivering the proactive onboarding experience great talent expects, consider improving your onboarding procedures with training opportunities.

Empower New Hires With These Onboarding Training Tips

Implementing a great training program throughout your onboarding process is a surefire method of increasing engagement and retaining employees. Research by the University of Rhode Island’s Schmidt Labor Research Center suggests that workers who receive training are more likely to feel included in their workplace and become incentivized to reciprocate the investment by staying with your company longer.

Putting in the effort to overhaul your onboarding with training now will pay off big in the long run. Surveys show that companies with engaging onboarding can retain over 90% of new hires after one year.

Depending on your industry, reducing turnover by 25-35% from training will create huge savings opportunities while strengthening your team. According to the Huffington Post , companies that offer comprehensive training have 218% higher income per employee, 24% higher profit margins, and 6% higher shareholder returns on average compared to companies that don’t invest heavily in training.

To empower your organization with these benefits and upgrade from passive to proactive onboarding, use these employee training tips on your next hire:

Buddy Up

It takes two to make a thing go right. Coaches, buddies, and mentors can build a reliable training foundation for new employees to ground their tenure. Since high-level management doesn’t always have time to connect with staff on a day-to-day basis, having peers available to answer questions and explain the ropes is a great solution many companies turn to. Eighty-Seven percent who implement buddy training programs report improved productivity and lower turnover.

Build an Onboarding On-Ramp

Effective onboarding doesn’t stop after day one. It takes approximately three months for most employees to become fully accustomed to their roles. That competency tail needs to be supported by an effective, prolonged on-ramp—one or two days of training isn’t enough.

Just as students follow a multi-year education plan when pursuing a degree, setting clear onboarding goals for new hires further into the future can help keep team members engaged at work until they are comfortable. Consider what skills employees should learn after three months, six months, twelve months, and beyond. Take the time to schedule these important training milestones into a training program they can look forward to as they progress at the company and in their careers.

Make Training & Onboarding Accessible

Consider investing in a learning management system to make your training easier to engage with and track. Learning management systems can help put your training into perspective and give you the insight you need to build realistic training goals that don’t overburden workers. The streamlined approach offered by learning management solutions may also expand your training outreach and improve performance with gamified mobile apps that can be accessed from anywhere.

When it comes to onboarding in general, it’s essential to give new employees a way to access personal information and company documents. This is especially true for workers who may not use a computer or spend time in the office. When workers are able to review and solve personal problems on their own, they are more likely to feel comfortable in the workplace and stay in tune with information networks. It is also advisable to develop clear communication channels and to keep those channels open, as they can provide additional opportunities for on-the-job learning.

Invest In Education Opportunities

It isn’t uncommon for employees to experience a lack of confidence in their first few months at a new job. As evidenced by high turnover rates, many workers end up feeling like an organization isn’t the right fit or what they expected.

Learning opportunities build a sense of competency, not only for particular roles but for the company as a whole. Workers are more likely to see a long-term future with your organization after you’ve demonstrated that they are valued, appreciated, and worth the investment. Education not only makes people better at their job; it also makes them feel included.

Teach Through Feedback

In a fresh romance, positive affirmations give people the reassurance they need to commit. If our new partner isn’t texting us back or making an effort to spend time, the effort starts feeling like a waste of time and falls apart quickly.

The same holds true with professional relationships. After three months on the job, confidence in one’s ability to perform core tasks tends to decrease significantly. Providing consistent feedback helps confirm that an employee’s work is noticed and creates organic opportunities to teach and train.

This doesn’t always mean glowing reviews: providing honest feedback goes a long way to center workers and demonstrate where they stand, which is what they are looking for during their early days on the job. And don’t forget that feedback is a two-way street. Give workers a chance to send feedback your way so that you can learn how to be the best manager, executive, or owner you can be.

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Contact a Nexus HR representative today to learn more about how your team can improve onboarding culture while cutting expensive HR costs.

In-Office, Remote, or Hybrid Work: Which One is Best?

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 14:55:10 GMT

With business back in full swing since the beginning of the pandemic, many companies are struggling to adjust to a new workplace environment. Everyone’s back to work, but the question remains whether we should return to in-person work or keep it remote.

Companies like yours find themselves in a three-way showdown between in-office, remote, and hybrid work: which is the best when put to the test?

In-Office Work

The Good

In-office work offers many benefits that are intangible via remote work. Among these are social and interpersonal relationships that help drive a successful business.

Even with today’s advanced technology, there is simply no replacement for face-to-face communication. When everyone works together in the office, coordinating and communicating effectively is much easier.

For example, in-person workers don’t have to schedule Zoom meetings or write lengthy email chains for every point of discussion. Instead, they can walk over to their co-worker’s desks and get things done in the moment. This creates an immediacy to your workflows, which is good for managers who are hands-on or insecure about productivity.

Some employees also enjoy the communal aspect of in-person work. Humans are social creatures by nature, so interacting with colleagues daily is a major plus—especially for the extroverted among us. The more your organization embraces company culture through social events and physical benefits (lunch, gym, happy hour, etc.), the more an in-office work system will pay off.

The Bad

Some strengths of in-office work also contribute to its weaknesses. In order to work in person, you first have to get to the office. That means a commute, which is the bane of many employees’ existence. Getting up early, preparing lunch, sitting in traffic, waiting for the elevator, avoiding road rage, etc., are all obstacles workers must navigate every time they go to the office.

The rigidity of in-office work also restricts your employees' lifestyle. It isn’t just about sitting in traffic for two hours a day; it’s about missing out on the other things you could do with that time. This restrictive nature of in-office work can feel limiting and contribute to burnout, which may lead to less productivity.

In fact, surveys show that many people are actually more productive and put in more hours when they work from home. Strictly in-office work may counter-intuitively lead to poorer results and stop your team from succeeding.

The Ugly

One hundred percent in-office work is slowly disappearing in some white-collar industries, at least if current trends continue . Workers are demanding at least some form of remote work, putting managers in a challenging position. If friends and acquaintances of your team are doing the same work from home, employees probably realize they can work remotely elsewhere. Sticking with a strictly in-office system across the board risks driving exceptional talent or potential employees to the competition.

Remote Work

The Good

The growing popularity of remote work suggests it’s a framework many people love. With remote work, gone are the days of getting ready for the day and commuting to the office. Why put in all that effort when you don’t have to? Many workers prefer to get things done in sweatpants on their sofas.

Remote work offers several advantages, like flexibility, less stress, and increased comfort. It allows people to get their work done on their own schedule and build their work around their personal lives rather than the other way around.

If you want to clock out and take your dog on a walk or get work done early, you can do that on a remote schedule. It turns out, it doesn’t particularly matter when and where people work as long as they stay productive and get things done.

So far, surveys suggest remote work implementation has been highly successful, with satisfaction levels reaching as high as 83% among employers.

The Bad

Because of the physical distance, remote workers are theoretically empowered with more independence. They say with great power comes great responsibility, yet managers aren’t quite willing to surrender that responsibility. A new industry is forming around keeping remote workers in the folds of an organization despite their newfound freedom.

That means investing in technology solutions that make remote work realistic from a management perspective. You’ll need to buy communication systems to allow your team to stay in touch, task management systems to keep people on track, and software that enables people to perform their jobs outside of the office.

At the extreme end, many companies opt to install monitoring systems that track every click and keystroke or take pictures/record remote workers via webcam.

The Ugly

Managers may not know what their remote workers are really up to. For example, crafty remote workers are cheating the system with bots that jiggle their mouse to make it appear like they’re working when they’re actually watching Netflix. The boldest will take multiple remote jobs simultaneously to rack up massive paychecks.

In the long run, you may end up paying people for hours in which they accomplish little work. Remote work creates more opportunities for you to be taken advantage of, and the paranoid measures you implement to avoid such an outcome may backfire by negating the benefits people like about remote work in the first place.

Hybrid Work

The Good

Hybrid work presents a win-win solution by giving employees many of the benefits of a remote work system while tethering them to the office. This reduces some drawbacks of in-office work, like daily commutes, while maintaining some benefits, like company culture. Best of all, there’s nothing stopping anyone from working five days a week in-office or scheduling additional in-person workdays when needed, since all that infrastructure will already be there.

Your team likely doesn’t need to be in the office every day. So in the short term, hybrid work will probably be the most common option across many fields. Your company risks being left behind if you don’t consider giving people the opportunity to work from home at least two days a week.

The Bad

While remote work is a great middle ground, being in the middle isn’t always the best place to be. Hybrid workers can leave some workers unsatisfied. If they can do most of their work from home, why not all the time? Hybrid work gives workers the taste of freedom without letting them fully enjoy the benefits.

The Ugly

While hybrid work negates many of the problems associated with in-person and remote work, it doesn’t eliminate them. You might have all the same issues of both systems, only 50% of the time respectively. That means you’ll still have to invest in remote monitoring & communication tech, and your employees will still have to go through a grueling commute. Hybrid work is probably the most expensive option for employers and still presents many of the same risks associated with fully remote schedules.

Ultimately, the decision between in-person, remote, and hybrid work will largely depend on the nuances of your team and the specific jobs in consideration. For positions in the middle of the spectrum, we recommend a hybrid work strategy, as this schedule gives employees and managers the best of both worlds.

But for some opportunities, it is much better to go all-in on a remote or in-person strategy. For example, a machinist can’t shape sheet metal over the internet. Other positions, like human resources, are easily and effectively performed remotely at a much lower cost.

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6 Ways to Get Employees to Read Your Emails

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 14:26:30 GMT

You’re sending out company emails, but is anyone reading them? Getting employees to read your content can be more difficult than it seems.

Ideally, email communication should be a two-way street. If you have great things to say but feel like no one is listening, follow these tips to get employees to read your emails.

Make Emails Interactive

Statistics show that interactive emails outperform static content by as much as 2 times.

You don’t have to get fancy. Even simple effects, like countdown timers, dynamic graphics, menus, ‘hover-over’ buttons , sliders , scratch-offs , and peel-to-reveals , do an excellent job of catching readers’ attention by encouraging them to click on interactive parts of your email to reveal content and copy.

For more advanced options, games, giveaways, and quizzes are surefire ways to get eyeballs on your message. When you have a large volume of information to deliver, clickable infographics and moveable timelines are great for filtering content and allowing readers to choose what’s relevant to them.

Be Original

You can only read birthday announcements and safety updates so many times before they all blur together. Prevent readers from tuning out by cutting the monotonous emails, and treat your team to fresh content when possible.

As always, prioritize creativity in your writing. Even if you’re writing something basic, use exciting headlines, strong language, and interesting formatting to get readers hooked.

Change things up and keep people on their toes. Drop some humor. Pull heartstrings. As they say, variety is the spice of life—so spice up your emails!

Respect Your Audience

With billions of emails floating into inboxes daily, you don’t have the luxury of wasting people’s time. Get to the point! Nobody wants to open your company update only to discover a several-pages-long email.

Be as precise as possible and ask pertinent questions before hitting send: is this email relevant? Am I sending this to the right people? Is it too long? Can I remove anything?

If you treat your audience’s time with respect, they’ll appreciate your efforts and be more interested in reading future emails.

Represent Your Team

People like being included and seeing themselves represented. Use that to your advantage by working your team into emails.

Start by encouraging your employees to share feedback, announcements, or messages on your next news bulletin. Try introducing a Halloween costume contest or Christmas raffle across the company. Include fun surveys, movie watchlists, employee spotlights, or anything else that will get workers excited to open up your emails and engage.

Not only will representation get employees to read your emails, but it will also help bring them closer together and grow company culture.

Include Multimedia

Did you know multimedia can improve open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65%, and reduce unsubscribes by 26%? There’s no longer an excuse for sending out boring walls of text.

Make your emails interesting with visual content like videos, graphics, and GIFs. Incorporating visual flair into your work will help keep things exciting and appeal to younger crowds.

Keep It Cool & Casual

The last thing you should do is turn company emails into annoying lectures. You want your emails to be effective, readable, and enjoyable, not long and intellectual.

Instead, embrace a casual tone and resist the temptation to engage in jargon. Leave the serious and negative communication for management and stay positive.

Increase Engagement With NexusHR

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How To Write The Perfect Job Description

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:32:06 GMT

Knowing how to write a good job description is critical to attracting the best talent. Remember these do’s and don’ts when crafting your next job description.

What To Include In A Job Description

Job Title & Overview

A great job description starts with a compelling job title. Most prospective employees will begin their search here, so it’s essential to match your title to what the average applicant looks for.

Use clear language and avoid wacky or mysterious references. That means picking a job title like “Software Engineer” as opposed to “Computer Wizard.” If people can’t figure out what the job is by the title, they aren’t going to take your job description seriously, let alone apply.

You should also include basics about the position. For example, is this a full-time or part-time role? How many hours a week are you expecting applicants to put in? What’s the schedule like?

In an era of remote/hybrid work, speaking to logistics—like where the company is located and how many days a week you need to commute into the office—is another way to make your job description more enticing to the right candidate.

Core Responsibilities

Once you’ve established what the position is , you’ll want to dive into who the position is for by fleshing out a few key duties.

Be specific and avoid generalities. Try to communicate the most important responsibilities in as much detail as possible. Considering that 33% of employees quit their jobs within the first 30 days, and 43% report their work being different than what they were led to believe as applicants, a well-written list of core responsibilities will not only attract great candidates but will also keep them with the company.

That being said, you don’t want to overdo it. Aim for a maximum of eight key responsibilities. Breaking them down into subcategories is a good method of developing a readable framework and making your job description easy to comprehend.

Qualifications

Your dream candidate brings specific experience, qualities, and skills to the table. Make sure you include a detailed list of important qualifications to filter out applicants who don’t meet that vision.

However, jotting down a long list of extensive job requirements is not the best look. It’s a good idea to filter qualifications down to the absolute essentials/non-negotiables to avoid making potential matches feel underqualified.

It’s also wise to avoid using negative or discriminatory language. Phrases like “Do not apply if…” or “Will not consider…” may scare away qualified candidates due to the perception of an overly demanding work environment. Frame your job description in a positive light and make the role appear accessible.

Salary & Benefits

Compensation is a key sticking point. While many employers choose to forgo salary specifics in a job description, workers overwhelmingly support including salary information in your post. Consider being upfront with new hires regarding pay and include an accurate salary range within your description.

Likewise, speak to the benefits and perks your company offers. Competitive health insurance, tuition reimbursement, vacation days, free lunch? These extras add up over time and could tip the scales when your next, best employee is deciding to submit their app—especially if you’re offering truly special perks.

Whatever you do, don’t allude to compensation levels you can’t deliver under any circumstance. Applicants dislike being misled by job descriptions more than anything else.

Tips For Writing a Job Description

Be Professional

Take each job description as an opportunity to communicate the vibe of your company. Applicants overwhelmingly favor straightforward, mature job descriptions over cute or clever ones. Job descriptions aren’t the place to test out your latest stand-up material. If you do decide to go with a more casual tone, avoid projecting a juvenile image with your language.

Above all else, strive for professionalism. Get your grammar in order. Cut the fluff. Eliminate typos as if your life depends on it. Job descriptions full of errors reflect poorly on your organization and will drive away workers with even moderate standards.

Promote Your Company Culture

Job descriptions are a great place to include a little information about what kind of place your company is and who works there.

That doesn’t mean you should write a long boring paragraph about how your company started in a garage in 1982—the best job descriptions focus on the position. Experts recommend keeping your company’s “about us” blurb on accessible pages like your website or social media. If job hunters like what they see in your job description, they’ll know where to seek more information on your company.

Cast a Wide Net

If nothing else, the goal of writing a good job description is getting people to apply. You obviously don’t want high school dropouts applying for a nuclear physicist role, but be wary of narrowing your search to such a degree that you squeeze great candidates out of the running. It’s better to find a high-quality candidate out of a large pool of applicants than an inferior candidate from a curated selection.

Create a Sense of Urgency

A job description doesn’t stop at getting people to apply. Ultimately, it’s about filling a role and growing your business quickly. Motivate candidates to apply by including the desired start date and outlining the steps it will take to get hired. This will get the ball rolling and expedite the recruitment process.

We recommend ending your post with a direct call to action that explains exactly how to apply and links to an application page or form. You don’t want to lose the perfect candidate to a competitor once they’re in the palm of your hand!

Keep It Concise

When it comes to job descriptions, less is more. The most popular job descriptions tend to be relatively short , with 100-300 word entries performing the best.

Consider skipping the cover letter altogether. Applicants hate writing them, and many hiring managers admit to them being a useless formality. You’ll get more applicants by making the process as easy as possible.

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What is Quiet Quitting & How Do You Prevent It?

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 20:34:26 GMT

Ready or not, the “quiet quitting” wave continues to crash across the labor market. Ignited by swarms of articles and viral hot takes , this controversial phenomenon is getting professionals fired up and inspiring fierce debate over what it means to work.

But for managers like you, quiet quitting is more than a #hashtag. The consequences of your team not being invested could damage morale, affect your bottom line, or even threaten your business.

Are your employees quietly quitting their jobs? And if they are, what can you do about it?

What Is Quiet Quitting?

You’ve heard the term, but what does quiet quitting mean?

The term quiet quitting reflects the practice of creating strong work-life boundaries. That means no staying in late, working off the clock, taking on co-workers' responsibilities, or going above and beyond your job description in any capacity.

In other words, workers who “quiet quit” are checking out from their jobs and only doing what is necessary to not get fired.

According to Gallup , over half of Americans are quiet quitting, which should raise legitimate concerns for employers—especially those requiring all hands on deck.

While quiet quitting may not spell imminent doom—expecting everyone to always give 110% is unrealistic—responsible business owners will want to prevent quiet quitting culture from pushing their team toward poor performance or outright dereliction of duty.

How to Prevent Quiet Quitting At Your Workplace

Your business needs happy, motivated employees that are willing to put in the effort to make your organization successful.

The best methods to prevent quiet quitting involve making your team feel valued, respected, and included.

You can improve professional relationships at the office and prevent quiet quitting using the following tips:

Keep job expectations realistic

There are only so many hours in the workweek. Managers should assign achievable deadlines, not strive to max employees out at 100% productivity. By pushing your team too hard, you may ironically create an environment where less gets done due to increased resentment and burnout.

Respect work/life boundaries

The new generation of employees has different attitudes towards work than their parents. According to PEW Research , only 51% of Americans get a sense of identity from their jobs, while 47% see their job as something they simply do for a living. More than ever, hobbies and communities offset what was once tied exclusively to people’s jobs. In today’s environment, managers must give their team space to have a life and find purpose outside of work.

Recognize good work

Giving your team a pat on the back for a job well-done is an easy way to boost motivation. Be sure to recognize your employees when they do go above and beyond to encourage similar behavior in the future. Your team won’t continue putting effort into thankless work.

Maintain open communication

You can’t know how your employees feel if you never speak to them. An open line of communication is one of the easiest ways to motivate your team and ensure they have what they need to succeed. As a rule of thumb, aim to have at least one meaningful conversation per week.

Offer personal development opportunities

Your organization should be more than an employee turnstile. Ideally, you’re facilitating real-world opportunities to get ahead and achieve personal growth. Career development, like courses and skills training, is a great way to ensure that employees see their work as more than just another job.

Provide proper compensation

A related term that has seen a resurgence in the wake of “quiet quitting” is “acting your wage.” Workers who drop this term promote the idea that you shouldn’t be doing any more than what you feel you are being compensated for. By giving your employees fair pay for what’s expected of them, they’ll reciprocate the favor and show up ready to perform.

Deliver more work perks

Benefits like insurance, gym membership, volunteer opportunities, and retirement plans are excellent ways to supplement pay. With rising inflation affecting the purchasing power of salaries, upping your benefits will motivate your team to achieve despite economic downturns.

Don’t force leadership roles

With great power comes great responsibility. That’s why some workers want neither. Letting employees stay in their lane will prevent them from biting off more than they care to chew and resenting a promotion. Having a motivated junior employee is better than a burnt-out middle manager.

Prioritize mental health

Mental health awareness has erupted in recent years following decades of stigmatization. Practicing positive managerial behaviors, like speaking to employees respectfully and prioritizing stress & anxiety reduction, are no longer options but necessities. Avoid talking down to employees or rejecting mental health accommodations to show your team the respect they deserve and dissuade quiet quitting.

Fix Your Quiet Quitting Problem With Remote HR

One of the easiest ways to obtain these benefits and reduce quiet quitting is to outsource your HR department.

A specialized HR team can offer many pathways to success. For starters, a remote HR company is often less expensive than hiring full-time HR employees in-house. By choosing a remote HR solution, you’ll free up resources to redirect toward employees through better benefits, career development opportunities, or higher salaries.

Likewise, if you or your managers have been busy handling regular HR tasks like recruitment and payroll, a remote HR company can give you the time to be the hands-on supervisor you wish you were. Instead of spending hours a week doing busy work, let a remote HR company handle it and use that time to check in with your employees and develop your team.

By choosing remote HR, you’ll unlock your company's full potential and create a work environment your employees won’t want to quietly quit.

Nexus HR: Full-Scale HR For a Fraction of the Cost

Nexus HR is a remote HR leader helping companies motivate their employees and deliver the most professional workplace possible.

Whether you want to reduce your workload for particular services like onboarding and billing or need to outsource your entire HR department, Nexus HR is the best place to find the high-quality, affordable remote HR service you’ve been looking for.

Reach out to our team today to discover how Nexus HR can help you say “goodbye” to quiet quitting for good!

How Remote HR Helps Businesses Counter Inflation

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 15:46:53 GMT

Between a global pandemic, supply chain breakdowns, energy and food supply shortages, and war in Eastern Europe, the world economy is experiencing pressures not seen since the 2008 financial crisis.

The result has been high inflation—up to 8.5% in March 2022. As the value of the dollar collapses, rising prices are putting businesses into difficult positions where resources must be stretched as far as possible, making cost-saving solutions like remote HR more valuable than ever.

Why Are Costs Increasing?

Inflation is generally defined as decreasing currency value and/or increasing prices over a period of time. While traditional schools of thought suggest that prices go up when there is too much money in circulation chasing too few goods, modern economists distinguish monetary expansion from the actual decline in purchasing power since supply/labor shortages, lower interest rates, and consumer confidence can also contribute to rising prices.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, a whirlwind of these economic factors generated strong inflationary triggers following the coronavirus outbreak and the U.S. government’s response to the pandemic. The problems began once worldwide lockdowns prevented people from working, thus limiting the production of goods and services needed to keep the economy functioning.

At the same time, the government’s financial institutions engaged in quantitative easing and public spending programs to combat COVID’s effect on the economy, including but not limited to stimulus checks, direct business loans, and vaccine production. With production shrinking and the money supply growing, businesses like yours soon dealt with both a deadly virus and runaway inflation.

Protecting Your Business From Inflation

Regardless of the economics, you need solutions to manage how inflation affects your employees now.

As the cost of living rises, workers expect higher incomes to maintain their lifestyles. The market is already seeing annual salary increases between 3-5% on average, which isn’t enough to keep pace with inflation despite being well above normal fluctuations.

For businesses hit by inflation the hardest, especially those in industries connected to supply chain issues, this impact on payroll costs can devastate your ability to attract or keep talent. Not every business can raise salaries overnight to meet this new demand without making adjustments.

Fortunately, remote HR is a great option for companies looking to cut costs and reinvest savings into their workers.

What Is HR Outsourcing, and Why Does Your Business Need it?

HR outsourcing offloads HR tasks onto a third-party organization that handles HR responsibilities remotely for multiple companies. Companies can outsource individual HR tasks to a remote HR team, like billing and hour tracking , or offload their entire HR needs.

Remote HR is a great option for small to medium-sized companies that may not have the revenue to hire full-time HR employees, or whose resources may be better spent countering the skyrocketing costs of living with more competitive wages and benefits.

If you outsource your HR department to a remote HR team, you can expect to beat inflation with:

Lower HR Costs

Outsourcing your HR department is an efficient way to find huge savings—and every dollar counts when it takes around 10% more funds to purchase the same goods and services. Instead of paying salaries, taxes, and benefits for in-house staff, the remote HR model allows you to offload those costs onto a third party while maintaining all the necessary human resource capabilities. Best of all, you can optimize which services you want to be outsourced for maximum efficiency.

Better Benefits

With an experienced remote HR team, not only will you create the financial breathing room you need to ensure your workers aren’t falling behind, but you’ll unlock new ways to improve total compensation. In addition to saving on HR costs, one of the most exciting perks of remote HR solutions is their attractive benefits packages. Through their more extensive networks, HR outsourcing teams can often offer better deals on health and dental insurance, retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, and more. Upgrading your benefits can be a creative way to augment salary increases and keep workers happy.

Superior HR Services

If you can only afford to employ a few HR workers—if any—a remote HR solution may provide a much higher level of service. Remote HR can strengthen your business with offerings you wouldn’t have the time or money to procure on your own, like onboarding and training, continuing education, and regulatory compliance. These benefits will contribute to overall morale and boost professionalism, which is equally important to adequate wages.

Upgrading your HR capabilities is the best way to ensure your business remains an attractive place to work throughout the current inflationary cycle by delivering the standard of living and work environment top talent expects.

Nexus HR Helps Businesses Beat Inflation

Nexus HR is a leading remote HR provider for businesses like yours. From payroll administration to hiring and onboarding, you can trust Nexus HR to handle all of your HR needs at a fraction of the price of an in-house HR team. Speak with our representatives today to learn how businesses are taking their teams to new heights with Nexus HR despite high inflation.

How Your Business Can Still Succeed During the Great Resignation

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 22:51:09 GMT

You’ve probably heard of the “ Great Resignation ,” but is your business ready to adapt? Think tank consultants and armchair analysts remain unaligned on the phenomenon and its implications, making it difficult to get a read on the situation. Is it truly a mass resignation or more of a realignment ?

No matter the framing, chances are high that your business has already felt its effects or will soon. Across the economy, many Americans are considering quitting or have already quit their jobs in search of greener pastures, leaving unprepared organizations scrambling to find qualified workers and new methods to retain their best.

What is the Great Resignation?

The Great Resignation is best understood by the numbers. Following a multi-year trend, America’s “quit rate” reached a 20-year high in 2021, with over 3% of all private sector employees leaving their job per month, the highest level recorded since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking relevant data. That’s 47 million people throughout the year, with 4.5 million quitting in November alone—an all-time record.

Analysis by PEW Research suggests several factors pushing workers towards new opportunities. Among the most critical issues cited were burnout, lack of autonomy, and low pay. Workers are willing to take significant risks to secure better positions, with 53% of new hires switching industries entirely, reducing employers’ leverage over the existing labor force.

Better pay, more opportunities for advancement, higher flexibility, easier-to-manage work-life balance, and superior benefits were all cited as incentives for participation in the mass exodus, with a plurality of workers ultimately securing these bonuses. Since so many workers are getting what they’re looking for, companies across the economy feel pressured to adjust and meet demands.

With Great Resignations Come Great Opportunities

This complicated environment is forcing business leaders to think about how to respond to the Great Resignation.

As workers shuffle throughout the economy, this could be the perfect moment to pick up top talent using the following strategies:

1. Increase Pay and Benefits

Whatever the reasons, workers are getting the courage to look for jobs that pay more and provide better benefits en masse. Many are succeeding. That means you should look for all the advantages possible to make your offerings more competitive, especially during this period of inflationary pressure. For example, a remote HR solution might be a great way to redirect resources towards better compensation packages.

2. Manage Flexibility

Today’s worker wants a stronger sense of personal autonomy than their parents or grandparents did. Having the ability to work from home—at least some days per week—or set your hours is becoming less of a luxury and more of a requirement for many positions.

Reducing long, daily commutes and strict 9-5 schedules can give workers the time and space they need to focus on personal hobbies, relationships, and goals. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to invest in the technologies that make remote/hybrid work possible, including task management, telecommunication, and personnel software.

3. Build Long-Term Opportunities

High-quality workers don’t want to be stuck in the proverbial hamster wheel for years. They want to build skills that translate into future success and see their hard work pay off.

This is the right time to start a career development program or offer learning opportunities to your workers so that they can envision a brighter future at your organization.

4. Respect Mental Health

Related to the prioritization of work-life balance, mental health has become an emphasis of the modern worker. Employees want to avoid the pitfalls of previous generations who eagerly sacrificed their well-being on behalf of corporate profit.

The days of posting irregular shifts at the start of each week are likely over. Reduce stress and anxiety with reliable schedules so employees can stop worrying about having enough hours to cover expenses.

And there isn’t room for toxic middle management in this atmosphere. Feelings of disrespect, in particular, affects mental health and is a major driving force behind resignations.

5. Create Space for Purpose

Research shows that modern workers are not only trying to maintain balanced lifestyles but also create overlap between their careers and passions wherever possible. This is the time to align the interests of your workforce with your company’s mission. By building on popular themes of diversity, high-quality culture, and freedom, you’ll empower your team with a sense of purpose that competitors fail to deliver.

Thrive With Nexus’ Remote HR Services

Struggling to manage your workforce? Don’t feel embarrassed: do something about it! Nexus HR is ready and willing to facilitate the changes you’ll need to turn your business into an attractive workplace during the Great Resignation.

If you’ve been impacted by the Great Resignation and need more qualified workers, we can help. Nexus HR offers a complete recruiting package : we’ll find candidates, screen applicants, schedule interviews, and head all onboarding & training for you.

Everything You Need to Know About HR Outsourcing

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 16:58:09 GMT

In today’s hyper-competitive economy, it isn’t enough to provide employees with paychecks and a pat on the back. That’s why companies invest extensive resources in the art of human resource management to attract and keep the talent that makes them successful. Yet, despite all the attention, many business owners remain unaware of the alternatives to hiring full-time HR employees or the benefits such arrangements offer.

For example, have you considered outsourced HR? With high-quality services at competitive prices, outsourcing your HR department is rapidly becoming the most advantageous way to implement human resources. From supplemental administrative tasks to comprehensive HR roll-outs, companies searching for HR solutions should explore the opportunities HR outsourcing offers, including lower costs and enhanced growth.

What is HR Outsourcing?

HR outsourcing is a business arrangement between a company and a third-party human resources provider that oversees human resources tasks on behalf of that company.

However, outsourcing services doesn’t mean a reduction in quality. In fact, HR outsourcing specialists may provide superior services to what a company could provide by hiring HR staff internally.

There aren’t strict limitations on what human resource services you’re allowed to outsource. HR outsourcing can either replace existing services entirely or augment an existing HR team to plug gaps in their workload.

Who is HR Outsourcing For?

HR professionals recommend companies with as few as 15 employees invest in human resource services, and that businesses begin looking into HR options well before reaching this critical milestone.

While often the first consideration, hiring full-time HR professionals in-house can be expensive, especially in countries like the United States with high minimum wages, increasing living costs, complicated tax systems, and prohibitive regulations. Some estimates place the savings potential of outsourcing HR as high as 35% and increased growth rates near 10%.

Because of its low-cost, high-return potential, HR outsourcing is an excellent option for:

Organizations:

Small or medium-sized businesses
Businesses with limited resources
Small HR departments

Situations:

Difficulty keeping up with HR responsibilities
HR tasks performed by non-HR personnel
Legal trouble
Low morale

The flexibility of outsourcing HR services makes it especially appealing for growing companies and companies with a remote workforce, as an outsourced HR workforce is naturally situated to operate from a distance and adjust along with you.

What Tasks Will an Outsourced HR Manager Perform?

One of the best aspects of outsourcing HR is picking which responsibilities to offload and which to keep in-house, if any.

Some of the most common tasks performed by outsourced HR managers ad hoc are:

Personnel:

Maintaining personnel records
Learning and development
Managing employee relations
Creating company guidelines

Administrative:

Benefits administration
Legal compliance
Payroll services
Termination

Workforce Management:

Recruitment
Onboarding and training
Background checks
Drug testing

By trusting an HR outsourcing company with these responsibilities, you’ll have more time and energy to focus on your core business with the peace of mind that professionals are handling your fundamental operations.

How Can Outsourcing HR Benefit Your Business?

Outsourcing HR responsibilities to a professional HR organization is an excellent method of boosting company efficiency and performance.

For the right business, employing an outsourced HR department can provide a wide range of benefits:

Cut Costs

Why pay for additional full-time employees when an outsourced HR team can perform all the same tasks for a fraction of the cost? After outsourcing HR tasks, you’ll cut unnecessary salaries, benefits packages, and payroll taxes out of your budget, freeing up resources for profit-generating endeavors.

Recruit Better Talent

Your company is only as strong as your employees. Yet sifting through applications to find the right talent can be as time-consuming as it is challenging. Outsourced HR professionals put in the hard work to find that needle in the haystack while you maintain the best team possible and avoid the costs of hiring the wrong person—now up to 30% of a bad hire’s expected first-year earnings .

Reduce Turnover

You probably want to keep that excellent new hire at the company after spending so much energy onboarding them, right? An outsourced HR team that excels at people management and administration will create an environment top talent wants to work in. Avoid late payroll, poor communication, and inadequate conflict resolution processes before your disgruntled coworkers become former coworkers.

Deploy Technology

HR outsourcing may also provide employers with advanced technology solutions that are often collectively out of reach for small employers. These services can include:

Timesheet and payroll services
Performance management
Mobile apps
Candidate referral systems
Applicant tracking
Talent management

Boost Engagement and Productivity

Only 30% of the American workforce is genuinely engaged in their work. Improve your HR offerings with an outsourced HR department that offers career development and incentive structures, deploys the latest tools and technology, and creates an enjoyable work environment to motivate your employees. Thanks to positive, creative atmospheres that reduce stress and encourage collaboration, happier employees are more productive .

Provide Competitive Benefits

Sometimes HR outsourcing can unlock new opportunities, such as improved benefit offerings. Your HR services partner may secure better benefits packages through their extensive network than you could afford on your own, making your company more attractive to prospective workers.

In addition to health and dental insurance coverage, benefits can include:

Volunteer hours
Maternity leave
Life and pet insurance
Tuition reimbursement
Retirement plan

Mitigate Risk and Enhance Safety

Rules and regulations concerning the workplace are constantly changing, making compliance difficult even under ideal circumstances. When consequences for minor lapses in compliance are severe, third-party experts who make the intricacies of legal compliance their full-time job offer peace of mind to weary businesses in litigious industries.

Evaluate Performance

Sometimes, the best way to make decisions about the future is to evaluate past performance. However, finding the time and resources to conduct performance reviews might go beyond your HR team’s capacity or budget. HR outsourcing helps by delivering critical performance reviews so that you can develop superior insights into your business and discover areas for expansion or reduction.

Trust Nexus HR With Your HR Outsourcing

Nexus HR is the premier HR outsourcing company for your human resources needs, including payroll, recruitment, and administration. Increase efficiency, boost productivity, and save money with the world-class, remote HR team you deserve. With Nexus HR, you can’t go wrong—our affordable solutions offer the highest quality services at the best prices.

How Many Work Hours Are in a Year?

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 19:55:13 GMT

Whether you run an advanced medical practice all by yourself or work part-time as a receptionist, it’s wise to know exactly how many work hours are in a year to accomplish critical tasks like projecting salaries, gauging productivity, or planning for the future.

Despite surface-level simplicity, figuring out how many hours someone works in a year might be more complicated than you’d think. Let’s start with the basics.

How Many Work Hours Are in a Year?

Figuring out how many hours someone works in a year might be more complicated than you’d think. Let’s start with the basics:

There are 52 weeks in a year. Assuming you work a 40-hour week, it’s fair to generalize average work hours per year at 2,080 hours .

However, that figure is a slight oversimplification considering the calendar year does not always start on Monday or end on Sunday, nor does it account for years with 366 days. If we include leap years and years with higher numbers of weekdays, full-time employees are working up to 2,087 work hours per year over a 28-year average.

How Many Work Days Are in a Year?

Let’s apply this same formula to determine how many work days are in a year:

If you work five days a week, 52 weeks a year, there are 260 work days in a standard year, but some years go as high as 262 days .

There is No Universal Work Week

To analyze how many days or work hours are in a year, you’ll first have to factor in the variables that differentiate a particular work week from our established baseline.

For example, you’re probably not working exactly 8 hours daily. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the average full-time worker spends 7.8 hours a day on the job. Over an entire year, those 12 minutes could add up to 52 fewer work hours per year.

Now imagine all the major and minor permutations that could increase or decrease yearly hours. Some of the most obvious are:

Employment Schedule:

Not everyone is working five days or forty hours a week. Employees working part-time, irregular shifts, or multiple jobs must pay special attention to their schedule to delineate work hours.

Time Off:

Holidays and vacation time drastically alter how many hours you end up working. The United States has eleven federal holidays, but employers outside the federal government aren’t required to close their doors or pay workers to take the day off. And remember that life happens sometimes. Sick days, appointments, and emergencies further shape your time at work over a year.

Location:

The average workweek varies depending on where you live . Cambodians regularly work 47 hours a week, whereas Danish citizens usually only work 26. Likewise, states and employers have individual rules regarding meal and break periods, which may shorten or lengthen the work day and affect paid hours.

Industry:

Certain industries have work expectations that deviate from the norm, and expectations can often change seasonally. Loggers work more hours than tour guides; waiters get less time off than government bureaucrats.

The bottom line: not everyone works the same hours. With everything accounted for, many “full-time” employees are working 1,920 to 2,000 hours per year , as opposed to 2,087.

When calculating work hours per year, don’t forget to consider how your particular situation may alter the equation. If you have an unorthodox schedule, put in overtime, work abroad, or plan on taking an extended sabbatical, you’ll get a unique outcome. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer!

Contextualizing the Work Week

In addition to clocking in and out, business owners and personnel alike are responsible for knowing how many hours they or their employees work in a year and the relevant consequences.

Employees:

Employees should review their working hours to:

Determine Eligibility for Benefits and Overtime:

While there is technically no federal distinction between full and part-time employment, employees working over 30 hours a week at applicable large employers—companies with at least 50 full-time employees—are required to receive health benefits per the Affordable Care Act (ACA) . Employees can be asked to work over the 40-hour per week limit set by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) but must be granted overtime pay should they choose to do so.

Plan for Vacation and Retirement:

Once you know your work hours, review company policy to see when you’ll accrue enough vacation time to book your next getaway, or estimate how long it will take for your 401k to sustain you into your golden years.

Prevent Unpaid Work:

The average worker in North America is putting in an additional 8.9 hours per week off the clock. Keep track of work hours to ensure you’re getting paid for all your efforts!

Employers:

Meanwhile, employers can utilize a deep understanding of work hours to:

Calculate Costs:

When efficiency is key, employers want to achieve the best results with the fewest workers/work hours possible. Calculating total personnel costs by work hours is an excellent place to start to maximize your budget, manage a contract, or evaluate productivity.

Manage Flexibility & Work-Life Balance:

Even if you’re willing to pay for overtime, assess how work hour requirements will affect your employees’ quality of life before demanding everyone sign up for a 50-hour work week. Pushing your team to put in just 48 hours or more per week may diminish productivity returns and poorly affect mental health.

Avoid Fines and Penalties:

Failing to manage specifics like overtime pay, break periods, and employee health benefits may induce significant fines or lawsuits. After adjusting for regulations, it can take more resources to get the job done than you think.

Upgrade Your Payroll Management with Nexus HR

At Nexus HR , we offer superior human resources and payroll solutions for businesses looking to cut costs while maintaining the standard of excellence employees expect.

With advanced payment, taxation, and workers comp capabilities, our payroll services take care of work hour administration and empower clients to focus on the tasks that matter most. Schedule a conversation with our team to discover why you should choose Nexus HR today.

What is the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) & How Do You Claim It?

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:27:22 GMT

Did you know you may be missing out on up to $26,000 per employee in refundable tax credit? This extra money is possible through something called the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) , and it’s here to provide significant financial relief to your business.

The pandemic has hit small businesses hard over the past couple of years, and the government has tried to find solutions and assistance to keep companies afloat.

One such solution is the ERTC, also referred to as the employee retention credit (ERC). Established through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act as a refundable payroll tax credit, it is designed to help reimburse businesses for the wages and health insurance they paid employees during 2020 and 2021. The goal is to reward companies for keeping their staff employed during this challenging time despite bringing in less revenue.

However, due to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act , the ERC technically ended at the end of Q3 (September 30th) 2021. But, the good news is that there’s still time to cash in on its benefits.

How Do I Know If My Business is Eligible?

First, you must be a private business or tax-exempt organization that conducts a trade or business. As of 2021, this includes public colleges or universities, medical or hospital care organizations, and certain institutions, such as federal credit unions.

Next, your business must have been forced to cease or limit operations due to a government order and/or had a significant decline in gross receipts of at least 50% (for 2020, beginning March 12th) or 20% (for 2021, Q1-Q3) versus the same quarter in 2019.

To be eligible for Q4 of 2021, you must qualify as a Recovery Startup Business , a business started after February 15, 2020, and have gross receipts under $1 million.

If you started your business in 2020, you can use 2020 as your comparison year instead of 2019.

How Much Credit Can I Get?

For the 2020 tax year, the maximum credit a business can receive is $5,000 per employee. For 2021, the maximum is $21,000 per employee. So in total, companies can claim up to $26,000 per employee.

To figure out how much your company can get, first determine the total amount of qualified wages paid to each full-time employee per quarter. Qualified wages include all forms of wages that are subject to FICA taxes, as well as qualified health plan expenses.

For 2020:

If you had over 100 full-time employees, only claim wages of employees who were paid but didn’t work
If you had 100 or fewer employees, claim everyone
Cap off qualified wages at $10,000 per employee per year
Claim back 50% of all qualified wages paid per employee
Maximum per employee per year: $5,000

For 2021:

If you had over 500 full-time employees, only claim wages of employees who were paid but didn’t work
If you had 500 or fewer employees, claim everyone
Cap off qualified wages at $10,000 per employee per quarter
Claim back 70% of all qualified wages paid per employee
Maximum per employee per year: $21,000 ($7,000 per quarter)

How Do I Get Credit for 2020 & 2021 When I Already Filed Those Taxes?

Even though ERC ended in 2021, you can still retroactively file Form 941-X , the Adjusted Employers’ Quarterly Federal Tax Return, to get your tax credits. The IRS gives you up to three years after the initial filing date to adjust.

What Are the Exceptions?

When calculating qualified payroll wages, you cannot include wages from:

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCR A)
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Paid Leave Tax Credits
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)
Research and Development Credit (R&D)
Employees that are family members of the owner
Employees that own 50% or more of the company
A grantor, beneficiary, or fiduciary of the employer

Let Us Do the Hard Work for You

We understand that taxes and payroll calculations are complicated and time-consuming, but we’re here to help. If you’re still not comfortable applying for ERC , pass the responsibility to us. Nexus HR payroll services can help you with your quarterly and annual tax filings so you can concentrate on the parts of your business only you can do. Reach out to us today for a free quote.

Note: This blog is not intended as expert tax advice. Please consult a licensed professional for guidance on your specific business and situation.

Should I Outsource Payroll? Yes—And Here’s Why.

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 23:08:58 GMT

Time is money. As a business owner, you’ve most likely realized the truth in this adage. And one of the most time-consuming responsibilities of keeping a business afloat is managing payroll.

Processing payroll is complicated; it comes with a myriad of compliance and technical obstacles and can take up a large chunk of your resources, especially for small to mid-sized businesses.

If you don’t have the expertise or capacity to do payroll, delegating those responsibilities to a third party is your best bet in keeping employees happy and your business thriving.

Benefits of Outsourcing Payroll

Giving your payroll duties to someone else not only takes a massive weight off your shoulders and provides peace of mind but also offers several other benefits to your company. Here are six reasons you should outsource payroll today.

It saves time.

Processing payroll requires long hours spent on administrative work, including calculations, preparing pay stubs, generating reports, and dealing with state and federal taxes. Payroll duties also often fall on the shoulders of non-experts, taking up way more time than a specialist requires. Outsourcing this job allows your already-stretched-thin staff to focus on more important matters instead, like helping customers or growing your business.

It saves money.

Outsourcing just makes mathematical sense, especially for smaller companies. Many payroll providers charge per employee, so processing that amount tends to be far cheaper than paying for a full-time, in-house accountant’s salary. Plus, you’ll accrue additional savings on other resources like payroll software, training, and government penalties.

It helps you stay compliant.

Businesses are legally responsible for upholding government rules and compliance, but constant changes and complicated forms don’t make the process simple. A recent Paychex poll found that 25% of payroll users are worried about keeping up-to-date with tax laws and regulations. Plus, with the recent surge in remote employees during the pandemic, staying compliant with varying rules across state lines is no easy feat. A payroll expert helps prevent costly penalties during income tax filing and tax reporting.

It minimizes errors.

Many companies place the responsibility of payroll on an HR manager rather than someone with a financial background, making room for unintentional mistakes and errors. Even though many companies pay through direct deposit, payroll staff still must verify the final amounts. Not only will mistakes cause your employees to lose trust in you, but as stated above, can result in hefty fines.

It improves security.

Smaller companies rarely have the financial means for advanced technology to use for their payroll processes, but using cheaper software runs the risk of weak security. Payroll providers come equipped with modern payroll programs to keep your and your employees’ data safe and private.

It keeps employee data consolidated.

Third-party payroll companies often provide an integrated employee portal to keep information organized in the same space. Employees can view and print pay stubs, track and request time off, set up or adjust direct deposit, and find tax forms. Accessible, online employee data means no need for outdated recording keeping or cheap apps—just increased employee satisfaction.

The Answer to Your Payroll Woes

As a business owner, you’re constantly forced to make decisions that could significantly impact the future of your success. Nexus HR makes your decision to outsource payroll a no-brainer with tons of services to make you, your staff, and your employees happier and more productive.

Get help in:

The preparation and distribution of paychecks
Quarterly and annual tax filings
Workers’ compensation reporting
Fully integrated payroll software
Prep for full-time & part-time employees and consultants
Paid time-off tracking

Stop wasting time and resources. Outsource your payroll today.

Professional Employer Organizations: What is a PEO & How Does it Work?

Thu, 26 May 2022 00:48:31 GMT

Businesses that use PEO services achieve 40% higher revenue growth , are 50% less likely to go out of business, and experience 14-16% lower turnover rates than businesses that do not use a PEO. No wonder about 175,000 small to medium companies employ PEOs today.

We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to tell you everything you need to know about PEOs, how they can benefit your business, and if utilizing one is the right decision for you.

What is a PEO?

PEO stands for Professional Employer Organization. According to the National Association of Professional Employer Organization’s (NAPEO) definition , PEOs “provide comprehensive HR solutions for small businesses.” Businesses can cost-effectively outsource the management of human resources, payroll, employee benefits, tax administration, regulatory compliance, and worker’s compensation through a PEO.

PEOs help small businesses gain access to employee benefits such as 401(k) plans, health and life insurance, dependent care, and other benefits they might not typically be able to obtain as a small company. By taking care of various employee administration tasks, PEOs help businesses focus on their core operations, improve productivity, and increase profitability. If you're a business looking for human resources help and cost-savings, a PEO might be the answer for you.

How Does a PEO Work?

A client company and a PEO establish a business relationship called a co-employment relationship. Workers are employed by the client company and the PEO in a co-employment relationship and thus share certain employer responsibilities. Both parties enter into a contract typically known as a client service agreement (CSA). The CSA addresses the relationship between the client employer and the scope of each party's responsibility.

The PEO processes payroll, administers employee benefits, withholds and pays payroll taxes, and provides human resource guidance. On the other hand, the client company handles all the other non-employee aspects of business operations, such as marketing, sales, and customer service.

PEOs cannot make hiring and firing decisions for the client company. The client company retains complete control of the compensation and benefits package offered to employees. Depending on the agreement, both the client company and the PEO can share specific HR responsibilities, such as creating an employee handbook or promoting company culture. As NAPEO effectively puts it, “each party will be responsible for certain obligations of employment, while both parties might share responsibility for other obligations and be ‘an’ employer, but neither party is 'the' employer for all purposes.”

What Are The Benefits of Using a PEO?

HR challenges hinder your business growth. When you’re overwhelmed with time-consuming HR tasks, it’s easy to forget about revenue-generating opportunities. Business owners often turn to PEOs for strategic HR guidance so that they can focus on their core competencies. If you’re still on the fence about whether or not this type of business relationship is for you, these three advantages of using a PEO might convince you.

1. PEOs save time and reduce costs.

HR tasks can be time-consuming and complex. Compliance-related tasks alone generally take up 36 hours per week . PEOs are HR experts that use their existing infrastructure and established processes to perform administrative tasks more efficiently, saving your company precious time.

Partnering with a PEO allows you to reduce costs on government-mandated benefits like healthcare. According to a United Benefits Advisor study , an employer’s healthcare plan contribution costs an average of $6,401 per employee. PEOs can help you save around $2,400 of that cost per employee by paying for benefits at bulk prices and at much cheaper rates. A small company with less than ten employees may not be able to afford to pay for premium benefits. But when you work with a PEO, your business is grouped with the PEO’s other client companies. And together, you can act as one large company and acquire bigger buying power. Think of it as buying in bulk at Costco. Because you buy in large quantities, you’ll be able to negotiate prices at a lower rate.

By using PEOs, you can lower total employment costs and boost your business’ bottom line.

2. PEOs help maintain compliance and mitigate risks.

Employment law is complex and ever-changing. Not keeping up with these changes can lead to costly penalties. If you’re unsure about a situation’s regulations or requirements, PEOs can help answer your concerns, offer legal advice, and minimize risks. For example, when hiring remote employees , PEOs help you navigate different time-off policies, pay, and employment laws across various states.

PEOs also provide worker’s compensation coverage and handle claims administration on your behalf. When worker’s comp or unemployment claims arise, PEOs can partly assume the risk as co-employer. To lower workplace risk, PEOs provide advice on implementing industry-specific workplace safety measures. Teaming up with a PEO gives your company a great advantage. You’ll have access to seasoned experts who will work hand in hand with you to navigate complex compliance regulations.

3. PEOs help provide better benefits and enhance the employee experience.

Employers today need to provide an attractive benefits package to stand out in a highly-competitive labor market. However, small to mid-sized companies may find it hard to compete with larger companies for the best talents because they can’t afford to provide competitive benefits. Because PEOs co-employ several employees from other client companies, they can harness the buying power only larger companies can. In turn, partnering with a PEO helps your company offer access to high-quality benefits at competitive prices, many of which rival those of Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, PEOs will help manage these benefits for you.

Since PEOs provide expertise in all things HR-related, they are well-equipped to answer employees’ questions about benefits. PEOs can also help you establish better hiring practices to reduce turnover, find creative ways to motivate employees , and make strategic plans for the future. A PEO keeps you competitive in searching for new talent while at the same time keeping your current employees happy.

How To Choose a Professional Employer Organization

No two PEOs offer the same services. It’s essential to compare different PEOs and decide if their services meet your organizational goals. Ensure that they provide all the services you need and know how to navigate the ins and outs of your industry. Before deciding on a PEO, ask whether they charge a flat fee per employee or a percentage of your payroll. Ask about additional charges, and request to see a sample invoice to check if they charge hidden fees and other extra costs.

If your business needs help with any HR administration, guidance, and recruitment, Nexus HR, a full-service human resource partner, supports your business in all areas of human resources. From recruiting to remote HR management to payroll, Nexus HR helps manage every aspect of the employee life cycle. As an extension of your company, we will be your employees’ direct contact for any questions or issues and take full ownership of any HR-related duties. With Nexus HR, you can focus on growing your business rather than administrative tasks.

Back to the Office Incentives: The Culture Your Employees Want

Mon, 16 May 2022 17:35:02 GMT

As Covid-19 cases decline, many employers plan to welcome back employees to the office. While some employees look forward to returning to the office, not everyone's easily sold on the idea, especially now that they know what zero commute and more free time feel like. So how do you incentivize employees’ to return to the office and avoid the dread?

Spending some time together in the office helps with collaboration, fosters office culture, and establishes institutional knowledge. However, working from home provides a greater work-life balance. After two grueling years of the pandemic, employers now know that prioritizing employee wellness is key to increasing their satisfaction. If you plan to go back to a traditional work setup, you need to motivate employees to come back.

Great Back to Office Incentive Ideas

The best incentives extend beyond an employee's work life and help ease the transition to an office setup. Give your employees something to look forward to and make them excited about coming to the office again. Here are a few ideas to attract your employees back to the office.

1. Monetary Incentives

Blackhawk Network's recent survey reports that money is the number one incentive to make employees return to a physical workplace. CoStar, a real estate company, made headlines when they randomly gave $10,000 daily to employees who returned to the office. This is a luxury only a few companies can afford on top of offering attractive perks in a tight labor market. Companies can instead provide monetary incentives in the form of transportation reimbursements, childcare stipends, or meal allowances.

The shift to remote work allowed employees to significantly save money on their commute, work clothes, daycare, and meals. At the onset of the pandemic, 700,000 parents left the workforce to raise their children full-time. If you want to incentivize parents to return to the office, consider their family needs. Adding a daycare or childcare allowance goes a long way in making them feel supported. Likewise, offering to ease the burden of the day-to-day commute by providing a transportation allowance can help smooth the transition—especially with rising gas prices.

2. Hybrid Work Schedule

Traditional work setups and remote work setups each have their upsides and downsides. Consider structuring a hybrid work setup to set a balance between the two. However, Harvard Business Review suggests not letting employees pick their work from home days because of the risk to employee equality and diversity. Instead, managers should survey employees on which time and day work best for them. Then, decide on an office day where team members can collaborate and discuss ongoing projects. Then, offer to work remotely on other days to accommodate employees who feel more productive doing their tasks at home.

3. Free Meal Program

After years of working from home, heading back to the office brings large-scale changes to a person's routine, including meal planning. Employees need to rearrange their grocery shopping and cooking schedules, especially those with families, to adjust for commuting and office time. Working from home allows employees to whip up a home-cooked meal quickly. However, if you're working in the office, there's the added headache of where and how to get lunch. Ease the burden of this change by introducing a free meal program.

While remote work greatly benefits employees, it has one notable downside to a company—the loss of company culture. Company culture grows by employees coming together and engaging in company-wide activities. Providing in-office meals and sharing them with a colleague is a simple, cost-effective way to rebuild the loss of company culture.

4. In-Office Fitness Programs

Remote employees tend to build healthier exercise habits without the need to waste time on a commute. As a result, employees may be reluctant to return to the office. Consider implementing a free in-office fitness program as one of your back-to-office incentives. Zoom, for example, offers morning meditation and stretching classes to prepare employees for the day ahead. Classes continue again at lunchtime to energize them for the rest of the day. This type of program gets employees excited about heading to work every day while promoting employee bonding and camaraderie.

5. Gift Bags and Fun Events

To encourage employees' return to the office, surprise them with a "welcome back” gift that suits their lifestyle or personality. Personalized gift bags help show your team members that you care and boost employee engagement. This incentive alone isn't the most persuasive, but isn't it exciting to arrive in your office with a gift bag waiting for you?

Organizing fun events is another way to entice employees back to the office. Google, for example, held a private concert for its employees in April and is planning to have pop-up events with free food and swag. Other companies held fun events like Waffle Wednesdays or Mario Kart Mondays. Convincing employees to return to the office is an uphill battle, but providing rewards at the top will certainly make the climb worth taking.

Finding the Right Balance

Organizations must recognize the benefits of working remotely, while employees must weigh the value of in-person collaboration. The decision to return to the office may be easy for some. For others, it could make or break their relationship with the company. Implementing a back-to-office incentive program and planning a smooth transition will help remove the dread of returning to the office.

Nexus HR , a full-service remote HR company, can help your organization work through a plan that supports your employees' unique needs and what's best for your business.

30 Employee Perk Ideas to Attract and Retain Employees

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 04:47:07 GMT

Job perks play an essential role in an employee's happiness with a company. They give workers something to look forward to every day and help improve their quality of life . Employers greatly benefit from providing perks and incentives, too. It helps attract and retain top talent and helps your organization stand out. Employee perks should benefit everyone regardless of age, gender, life situation, dietary needs, etc. If you are looking for employee perk ideas that suit everyone, there are various options you can implement.

Why Are Employee Perks Important?

Employee perks are typically non-monetary benefits given to employees to increase job satisfaction and productivity. Almost anything can be an employee perk, even if it's just a candy jar sitting in the conference room. Work perks slightly differ from employee benefits, although there's no fixed rule between them. In essence, benefits cover an employee's basic needs, such as health insurance, life insurance, and paid leave. If not covered by an employer, employees would have to pay for these themselves. On the other hand, perks are "nice-to-have additions" to an employee's salary and benefits package.

In today's competitive labor market, creative work perks catch a prospective employee’s eye in a job listing. Glassdoor reports that an attractive benefits and perks package is the primary driver for employees applying to a company. Employee incentives define and reinforce a company's culture. They help prospective employees see what the company values and show they care for their employees. Even the simplest, low-budget perk can enhance the employee experience. When workers feel content in their work life, they are more productive and engaging.

What are Good Employee Perk Ideas?

Companies of all sizes should look for ways to support their employees inside and outside of work. Let’s look at the six common categories and examples of employee perks that support every aspect of an employee’s life.

Food

Everyone enjoys food, and nothing brightens a hardworking employee's day more than free food. Providing shared food onsite brings a sense of togetherness and improves teamwork. It boosts productivity and removes the headache of meal planning. Here are a few examples of food-related perks that work for every budget:

Healthy snacks
Daily lunch
Birthday cake
Holiday meals
Weekly team eat-out

Mental Health and Overall Wellness

The future of work is employee well-being. The stresses associated with COVID-19, such as health risks, adjustments to remote working, and job insecurity, gave away to employers prioritizing employees’ physical and mental health. Employers now realize that a healthy employee is a productive employee. Here are some wellness activities to implement at your workplace:

Free massages
Meditation room
Subsidized gym memberships
Weekly exercise programs
Healthy food cooking classes

Self-Improvement and Career

Investing in your employee's personal development and career growth sends ripple effects to your organization. When you help an employee advance their skills, it helps fight off stagnation and allows employees to bring new ideas to the table. As your team gains knowledge, your organization gains a competitive edge by keeping up with the latest trends in your industry. Choose from a variety of career-growth support options below.

Mentorship programs
Sponsored travel to conferences
Memberships to professional organizations
Office library
Professional development fund

Family Life

Lack of childcare resources significantly costs employers an estimated $57 billion in lost productivity and revenue each year. Organizations lose about $25.2 billion yearly due to elderly care-related absenteeism alone. Even in the best of times, most employees struggle to balance work and caring for their family members. Providing benefits that extend to an employee's family life can make a considerable difference in how they value their job and employer. Here are a few family-friendly work perk suggestions:

Nursery rooms or playrooms
Child or elderly care assistance
Educational assistance
Free park or museum passes
Pet store discounts

Fun Work Activities

Fun office activities energize coworkers and create a sense of community. Bonding outside the typical workplace environment allows employees to get to know one another, bringing them closer together and increasing collaboration. Give your employees a day away from their desks with these stimulating activities:

Employee interest clubs
Happy hours
Offsite meetings
Team building activities
Office entertainment rooms

Finances

A smart business owner knows that salary alone is not attractive enough for employees to stay. Other financial benefits, like matching your employee's 401k contributions and providing stock options, increase employee loyalty and encourage them to stick longer with your organization.

401k and retirement plans
Employee stock options
Store rewards and discounts
Performance bonus
Commuter and transportation allowance

Align Your Perks to Your Company Goals

Useful perks create happy offices and productive employees. They add to the overall perception of a fulfilling workplace. Ask your employees what perks they want and carefully select those that meet your company goals. For example, if your goal is to boost retention rates, you might want to implement perks that provide long-term rewards, such as a retirement plan.

It's essential to first identify your goals before implementing a new employee perks program. Then, carefully track the program's progress to see if it meets your goals. Connecting your perks to company goals is the best way to maximize their benefits.

As a full-service human resource partner, Nexus HR takes time-consuming administrative tasks off your hands. We help administer benefits and perks, such as health insurance, 401(k)s, and other retirement plans. Your employees can directly talk to us regarding any HR concern. Nexus HR handles all tedious and stressful tasks as your remote HR manager, so you don't have to. Simplify your business and partner with Nexus HR today.

Tips for Managing Remote Employees

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 01:56:59 GMT

Managing remote employees is no easy task. It requires a mental leap, especially for those supervising a remote team for the first time. Without the ability to physically monitor employees in a shared office space, remote managers may find it challenging to gauge productivity and efficiency. The lack of face-to-face interaction can leave employees feeling isolated — affecting engagement, focus, and teamwork.

Working remotely benefits all stakeholders , but it requires an abundance of communication and trust from everyone. In a healthy remote work environment, employees thrive, productivity increases, and managers achieve their KPIs.

5 Tips To Effectively Manage Remote Employees

Supporting your remote team means more than just providing them with necessary tools. Managers may need to pivot their mindset and understand that what works in a traditional setting doesn’t necessarily apply to a remote environment. To get you started, here are some tips you can implement to manage your remote team effectively.

1. Set Expectations and Productivity Standards

When building a remote team, providing guidelines, setting communication expectations, and establishing productivity metrics are vital. Set tangible milestones and goals for each job role and document them so that everyone is on the same page. For example, say that a medical biller working from home should process a given number of claims per week. If the employee foresees missing a deadline, they should update you at least 24 hours in advance. With this process, the employee knows what is expected of them, and the manager knows when to follow up.

A successful remote team has constant, reliable communication. Ask for each team member's availability to ensure you can reach them when needed. Encourage everyone to reach out if they have any questions or concerns, but remember to set communication boundaries to ensure work-life balance.

2. Trust Your Remote Employees

A recent study by Harvard Business Review shows that remote managers significantly distrust their employees. When doubt arises, managers start micromanaging and creating unnecessary stress for their direct reports. A manager’s close monitoring can cause employees anxiety and distract them from completing their jobs. Expectations of always "being online" interfere with an employee's home and family life. The more employees feel micromanaged, the more they feel they are not doing their tasks well enough.

Micromanagement is not the smartest way to bring out the best in your employees. Instead, managers must learn to delegate tasks, empower employees with the right tools, and trust their employees to deliver. As long as your team is meeting deadlines, try not to get caught up in the specifics of what they do every hour on the job.

3. Establish Structured Daily Check-Ins

When everyone on your team works in the same location, it's easy to walk to an employee's desk to pitch an idea, inquire about something, or discuss a project. When working remotely, you might not easily "find" a person at a given time. Instead of having your employees guess when you'll be available, set brief daily check-ins where they can communicate any concerns. A pre-arranged time helps employees prepare their questions and issues. Daily check-ins also allow managers to monitor projects without micromanaging.

If daily meetings are too much, you can change it to once a week. Set expectations for agenda, deliverables, and meeting length to make meetings more efficient.

4. Show Flexibility

Each member of your team will have a different home environment. Some will have a quiet private office, while some may work from the kitchen or bedroom. Some will have children to take care of while others don't. Some are more productive outside the typical working hours than others. As a manager, understanding each employee's circumstances can help you successfully manage a remote team. Providing your team with flexibility empowers them to complete tasks their way. Rather than focusing on the amount of time a person spends at their desk, focus on the output and what it takes to get things done.

5. Hire the Right People

While everyone loves the flexibility of working remotely, only a few have the discipline to work productively in a remote setting. Aside from hiring based on the job's technical requirements, hire employees who can work independently and communicate well. WeWorkRemotely lists down general skills to look for in a remote worker, namely:

Strong writing skills
Strong interpersonal skills
Self-starter
Emotional intelligence and self-awareness
Growth mentality

Ensure you can capture the traits above by preparing well-framed interview questions.

Simplify Remote Team Management with Nexus HR

Managing remote workers is easier with a full-service human resource partner . Nexus HR handles all the tedious HR administrative tasks for you so that you can focus on providing leadership and managing your remote team. We can help you hire remote workers that best fit your organization and directly deal with all the necessary paperwork. We take full ownership of any HR-related duties, from recruitment to onboarding, and directly answer your employee's concerns. Contact Nexus HR today and see your remote team thrive.

Questions to Ask in a Performance Review

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 15:50:05 GMT

"It's time for performance reviews."

If that sentence makes you anxious, you are not alone. Employees and managers equally dread performance reviews, but that doesn't always have to be the case. Performance reviews are a critical part of a company's employee management strategy and can guide your organization to meet its goals. It helps companies discover top performers, struggling employees, missing resources, areas for improvement, workforce skill gaps, or misaligned goals. Creating engaging performance review questions that solicit valuable insights from employees is the key to making the most out of an invaluable tool. Getting performance reviews right takes careful planning and effective questions.

Best Performance Review Questions

The best performance review questions deep dive into individual performance, employee engagement, goals, and motivation. Broad and general questions like "Are you happy with your current role?" fall flat and create minimal impact. On the other hand, specific and targeted questions like, "What accomplishments were you proudest of this year?" spark active participation and reveal how employees feel about their work. Revitalize your performance reviews by asking the following questions below.

Performance-Related Questions

Asking employees about their perceived strengths helps you gain perspective on their contributions to the company. It's also an avenue for the employee to talk about the skills they haven't had the opportunity to showcase yet. Identifying each of your employee’s strengths allows you to better direct them towards meeting your organization’s goals.

What accomplishments are you most proud of, and what impact did it have on the team, department, or company?
What motivates you to get your job done?
What personal strengths help you do your job effectively?
How do you think your role helps the company succeed?
Which of your current tasks comes most effortless to you?

Challenges and Areas for Improvement Questions

Discussing roadblocks and areas of improvement create a safe space for employees to reflect on their past performance. It's also a chance to review why specific projects or tasks did not go as planned and how managers can offer support. Start the conversation with these questions:

What deliverables were you least proud of, and how will you approach those differently in the future?
Which part of your role drains you or makes you feel less enthusiastic?
Where do you think there's room for you to improve?
What training do you wish you had or would like to have?
Of all the goals you've set in the past [performance year], which ones fell short? And why did you think it did?

Growth and Development Questions

Asking employees about their career goals and future aspirations gives insights into what motivates them. Understanding an employee's long-term plans helps managers map out career development opportunities and provide any necessary tools and resources. It also allows managers to gauge if employees envision themselves growing within the company. Try these performance review questions to identify employee career goals.

Which strengths or skills would you like to focus on and develop over the next few months?
What do you hope to accomplish in the coming year?
What do you want your next position to be in this company, and what growth opportunities would you like to master to get there?
How do you see yourself growing within the company?
Are there any special projects you'd like to tackle this coming year?

Employee-Manager Relationship Questions

Employees don't leave companies. They leave managers. Leverage performance reviews to build rapport and develop relationships with your team members. Asking the right performance review questions helps managers retain employees and get relevant information on how they can better support them.

What are the things that I can do differently to better manage and support you?
How can I help you improve and do your best work?
Do you feel comfortable reaching out to me [manager] with new ideas? Why or why not?
Do you feel supported in your current tasks? How so?
Have I been able to help you achieve your goals this [performance period]?

Company Goal and Culture Alignment Questions

Engaged employees positively impact your organization. Asking the right questions during a performance review helps managers understand how the employee aligns with the company's goals and culture . Start by asking these questions:

What company value have you exemplified best last [performance period] and how?
What do you think of our company culture, and are there any areas for improvement?
When have you felt most proud working for this company?
Where and in what aspect of the company is there room for improvement?
Will you recommend working for this company to your friends? Why or why not?

How to Conduct Performance Reviews

Create a culture that promotes performance reviews as a positive tool that helps both employees and the organization. Once you've decided on your performance review questions, schedule the meeting in advance so that both parties have enough time to reflect on what transpired the past year. Be sure to tailor your questions to your organization's unique needs so that they can drive a meaningful impact upon your business. Keep a conversational tone so that employees feel comfortable sharing.

If you need help structuring performance reviews, Nexus HR can guide you in creating the best performance review questions to benefit your specific organization. Afterward, we will save the evaluation in the employee's personnel file and launch a performance improvement plan if necessary. As a full human resource partner, Nexus HR takes care of all of your administrative tasks so that you can focus on other aspects of growing your business.

How to Tackle Employee Benefits for Remote Workers

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 18:34:44 GMT

Hiring remote employees provides advantages for both the company and the employee. As the popularity of remote work grows, employers are rethinking their current benefit packages to reflect the needs of remote employees. Now, organizations face the challenge of structuring flexible benefits for employees wherever they choose to work.

Employees who relocated during the pandemic have suddenly found themselves unable to find in-network providers. A one-size-fits-all leave policy may not work for a distributed workforce since different states have different policies. Job applicants for a remote position frequently ask whether the pay is fixed or adjusted to geographic location, and more often than not, recruiters don't have an answer.

If you're thinking about hiring remote employees but don't know how to manage or administer a well-rounded benefits package, this guide is for you.

Promote Open Communication

Offering a remote work setup provides several competitive advantages when attracting talent, but companies need to track employees' work locations for payroll tax compliance. In the middle of the pandemic, many employees relocated out of state and failed to inform HR. This lack of communication can cause employers to accidentally fail to comply with tax obligations and risk penalties during a government audit.

At the same time, moving to another state may limit existing benefits and work perks such as insurance coverage, gym membership, and childcare support. To ensure employees can continue using their benefits, companies must encourage staff to communicate with HR if they plan to relocate to another state in order to adjust taxes and benefits accordingly.

Broaden Health Plan Networks

Review your current healthcare plans and check whether they benefit employees living in other states. If not, you can either move to an insurance company with national coverage or work with different insurance providers in each state where an employee lives.

Remote employees living in rural areas may have limited access to healthcare providers and services. If this happens, consider adding telemedicine coverage for routine and primary care. Remember that telemedicine coverage varies from state to state, and some states prohibit providing telemedicine across borders. In cases like this, employers can subsidize out-of-pocket fees or provide stipends.

Analyze Geographic Pay Policies

WorldatWork's Geographic Pay Policies Study reveals that 67% of remote employees expect their compensation to reflect their location. More employers are adjusting pay based on an employee's location. Of those with existing geographic pay policies, 41% pay differentials as a premium, and 33% create a separate base pay structure for different geographic locations. In addition, 55% of organizations use city or metro areas to base geographical pay differentials.

Remote work is here to stay, and employers need to respond with a fair and transparent geographic pay policy to remain competitive. Meanwhile, those who don't adapt may suffer from high attrition rates.

Learn Local Leave and PTO Laws

Different states have different laws on paid time off. Leave duration, use requirements, accrual policies, and unused PTO payout upon separation vary as well. Understanding state laws where your remote employees work is essential and will affect how you structure your leave and PTO policies.

Typically, leave laws apply where an employee physically works. However, this is not an all-encompassing rule. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) , for example, requires an employee's worksite to have at least 50 employees within a 75-mile radius. Under the FMLA, an employee's home is not considered a worksite but defines worksite as "the office to which the employee reports and from which assignments are made." Therefore, FMLA eligibility depends on where the work is assigned and not where the employee physically works.

Additionally, an employee's state may have more favorable paid leave laws than another employee's state or your organization's office location. If you have remote employees, you will have to assess each situation individually when creating remote work benefits.

Adding Unique Remote Employee Benefits

The typical office work perks, such as free unlimited coffee and lunch, may not apply to a remote setup. Social interactions in the office naturally set micro mental breaks and reset the exhausted brain. Remote workers could spend days not talking to anyone and even forget to take mini mental breaks. Although remote employees have more flexibility with their time, the boundary between work and home life blurs for people who work in the same place they live, especially those with children.

Offer well-rounded benefits for remote employees that help them balance work and home life and reduce burnout. These benefits include childcare benefits, health and wellness subscriptions, meal home deliveries, free home cleaning services, and workstation support.

Simplify Benefits for Remote Employees

Managing a remote team and creating a comprehensive benefits package come with their own challenges that take time away from your core operations. Nexus HR can help you build an attractive pay and benefits package for remote employees no matter where they choose to work. As your full-service human resource partner, we take full ownership of any HR-related duties, including directly answering your employee's questions or issues about pay and compensation. From recruiting to benefits administration and onboarding, we handle every aspect of the employee lifecycle so that you can focus on growing your business.

Contact Nexus HR today and start building an attractive benefits package for your remote employees.

6 Things to Look for in an Employee Portal

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 02:18:47 GMT

Keeping employees connected and engaged is a never-ending process for companies of all shapes and sizes. Implementing an employee portal is one way to offer convenience and build trust with your employees. From providing access to HR-related information to managing PTO, an employee portal enhances your staff’s experience and increases engagement.

Why is an Employee Portal Important?

An employee portal provides access to various HR services such as benefits, pay, direct deposit, time off, tax forms, and more. Because employees have instant access to important documents and information, they don't have to wait hours for someone to respond to their inquiries. It increases employee satisfaction and helps reduce HR administrative transactions, freeing up time to focus on strategic efforts.

Businesses today, even in healthcare, have a distributed workforce following the COVID-19 pandemic. An employee portal allows companies to stay in touch with their employees regardless of whether they're working onsite or remote. It helps employees stay updated on their benefits and embrace company culture .

What Should You Look For in an Employee Portal?

Not all employee portals are created equal. As you would when selecting an EHR for your practice, pick an employee portal that serves your organization's goals . Here are some characteristics to look for in an employee portal.

1. Easy to Use

An employee portal is only worthwhile if employees use it, so choose one with the user experience in mind. Pick a system that's straightforward, intuitive, and provides easy navigation. A smart search feature in an employee portal helps employees save time when searching for documents, colleagues, and policies. Employees don't need to spend hours learning and navigating a new system, especially in healthcare where time is especially valuable. Select a system that your employees would want to use and that can help them easily find what they need without assistance.

2. Works on Any Device

Employees today appreciate flexibility in their work, and that applies to accessing company information too. In particular, healthcare professionals who are always on the go need a more mobile solution. Cloud-based solutions allow staff to access the employee portal from any location and device, whether they are in the office or at home. Additionally, a cloud-based solution helps you scale up quickly if the need arises. Ask potential vendors if their employee portal has a companion mobile app. If not, ensure that the portal is optimized for mobile devices.

3. Secure

Employee portals contain sensitive and confidential information like social security numbers, contact information, tax forms, performance reviews, salary history, and other data, and need to uphold a high-level of security. For example, a multi-factor authentication verifies an employee’s identity and prevents data breaches. Select a portal with customizable security options to ensure each employee only has access to the minimum necessary information related to their role.

4. An All-in-One Platform

Everyone today is used to having information at their fingertips. Similar to how patients today search online for the best local providers and book appointments themselves, your employees want their employment information at hand to be able to take immediate action. An employee portal should serve as a one-stop-shop for anything HR-related, such as looking up and requesting time off, viewing and printing pay stubs, setting up and adjusting direct deposit, and accessing tax forms. If they have a question about their benefits, employees want to be able to access that information quickly and initiate steps to resolve their concerns further.

5. Gives Managers the Ability to do More

A great employee portal empowers managers to do more. It allows managers to oversee work schedules and employee leave requests, gain insight into the workforce, and make informed decisions. Systems with role-based security allows managers to have access to everything they need and nothing they don’t, resulting in a clean interface and increased productivity.

In today's remote work setup, an employee portal helps streamline new hire orientation and onboarding . HR staff and managers can post a list of instructions and the onboarding schedule on the portal, allowing new hires to navigate the process virtually.

6. Customizable Branding

Find an employee portal that allows you to customize the logo, colors, and background images to your company branding. Take it one step further by customizing your portal to the company's own domain or subdomain. This simple change provides a lasting impact that reinforces your legitimacy. An on-brand employee portal creates a welcoming and engaging environment, helping your employees become more invested in your company.

Empower Your Staff with an Intuitive Employee Portal

An intuitive, easy-to-use employee portal significantly contributes to happy employees. Happy healthcare employees drive profitability and provide exceptional patient care. Self-service employee portals reduce HR's workload, freeing time to focus on employee retention and other strategic efforts. With the wealth of data that an employee portal provides, managers can make informed decisions that benefit the entire organization.

Nexus HR's employee portal ticks all the right boxes of an intuitive system fit for modern healthcare organizations. Our responsive design delivers an optimized user experience on any device. With role-based security, you can control what your employees see based on their job function. In addition to a convenient employee portal, Nexus HR also offers end-to-end human resource solutions. From recruitment to onboarding and payroll, we’ll handle all HR administrative functions so you can focus more on patient care.

Contact Nexus HR today and discover how our portal helps your practice stay connected and engage employees.

How to Conduct a Job Interview Effectively

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 02:49:46 GMT

Giving little thought about how to conduct a job interview leads to costly hiring mistakes. When hiring employees, methodically preparing for the interview helps you make the most out of a vital recruitment tool. Interviews allow you to get to know the candidate beyond their resume, assess if they're the right fit, and sell your company. Creating an intentional process for conducting interviews helps you hire strong, competent employees that work well together and towards your healthcare practice's goals.

Well-framed questions help interviewers elicit the desired information from a candidate. Interviewers who have effective listening skills make well-informed hiring decisions. On the other hand, a poorly conducted interview negatively impacts a candidate and future applicants. Here are some interview best practices for hiring managers to help conduct a well-structured job interview, whether you're hiring remote or onsite employees.

Preparing for the Interview

1. Review the Candidate's Resume Beforehand

When hiring employees, interviewers often make the mistake of asking candidates to repeat what they already provided in their resumes. It eats up valuable time in an interview instead of asking relevant questions that can help you evaluate if a candidate is the right fit. Review the candidate's resume, cover letter, and online profiles beforehand. Make a note of any puzzling job descriptions, unfamiliar job titles, or significant gaps in work history and ask for clarifications on those instead.

2. Know What You're After

In order to ask the right questions, ensure that you know exactly what you're looking for in a new hire before meeting your candidates. You've probably already decided on what qualifications and hard skills you want a new hire to have when you created the job description, but don’t overlook values and soft skills. Begin by listing attributes that can help your practice deliver efficient care. For example, communication, leadership, and teamwork are essential skills for every healthcare employee. You can also ask supervisors what elements they think make up a great candidate.

3. Prepare the Right Questions

Now that you've reviewed a candidate's resume and know what you're looking for in a new hire, you can formulate the right questions to help you screen your options. Ask questions that can help you provide a clear picture of the candidate aside from what's on their resume. The answers you get from questions like, "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" may not be as truthful and verifiable. Instead, try to probe how a candidate will handle real-life situations related to the job. Ask questions that help you assess the candidate's competency and potential. Use a combination of these types of interview questions:

a. Fact-based or general questions: This question type calls for simple, informational answers, sometimes to clarify information on the candidate's resume. These questions work best when you're trying to ask for specific details or set the stage for a more complex query. Examples include:

b. How do you stay current with healthcare advancements?

Why did you choose to work in healthcare?
Hypothetical questions: This type of question asks for a candidate's reaction to a given situation or to resolve an imaginary problem. It helps assess the candidate's ability to think on the spot, stay calm under stressful conditions, take the lead, and make positive decisions despite a job's difficulties. Examples include:

What would you do if you saw a coworker stealing from the company?
You know your direct supervisor is wrong about something. How would you handle it?

c. Behavioral questions: Behavioral questions ask how a candidate previously handled a difficult situation. This type of question reveals the candidate's skills, abilities, and personality. Examples include:

Tell me about a time when you initiated a project that resulted in increased productivity?
Have you ever dealt with company policy you weren't in agreement with? How did you handle it?

Conducting the Interview

1. Put the Applicant at Ease

Start the interview by making eye contact and putting the applicant at ease. Establish rapport by asking friendly questions before getting down to the hard questions. You can also introduce yourself, your role in the organization, and the steps in the interview process. Candidates often find job interviews stressful so resist the temptation to jump straight into the interview questions.

You might not truly see a candidate's personality if they are nervous. While others may argue that it's an effective way to understand how a person performs under pressure, it should not be the only metric for qualifying a candidate. Make the candidate comfortable so that you have a productive, professional interview.

Remember that your behavior sets the tone for the interview and the company. Candidates today have many options so setting the right atmosphere during the interview helps you acquire the best applicants.

2. Allow Applicant to Ask Questions

A job interview is a two-way street. Encourage the candidate to ask questions about your practice and the job. An interested candidate takes the opportunity to ask questions regarding company culture and the expectations of working for your practice. A candidate who asks questions helps you gauge their enthusiasm about joining your team and shows they've done their research about your company well.

3. Sell the Job

Candidates wish to find the right company to fit their needs as much as you're looking for the most qualified candidate. If the interview is going well and you think the candidate is the perfect fit, spend a significant time selling the role and your practice. Remember that the candidate is screening your company as well.

Demonstrate why you'd be a great employer. Discuss the perks, benefits, company culture , and what it will feel like to work for your practice. Frame the candidate's experience and allow them to picture how well they would fit within the company. Talk about career growth and sell the job.

4. Use a Rating System

When you've interviewed several candidates, it can quickly turn into a confusing mess of "who is who" if you don't document every interview properly. Creating an interview rating system helps you manage the interview process, measure a candidate's capabilities, and compare candidates fairly. Instead of relying on the interviewer's preference, a rating system helps you select the best candidate based on their ability. It minimizes potential bias in the hiring process and eliminates the possibility of hiring someone just because they got along well with the interviewer.

Indeed , a popular job search site, recommends asking your team about new hire requirements and establishing clear ratings for each requirement.

5. Describe the Next Steps

When you've finished asking questions, you can end the interview by explaining the next steps, when they can hear back from you, and the intended timeline for filling the position. If you promise candidates that you'll call them, make sure you do, even if they don't get to move on in the hiring process. After all the hard work an applicant puts into the interview, they'll appreciate receiving any feedback. After all, a candidate's experience during the hiring process has the potential to create a positive or negative impression on future applicants.

How to Find Your Next Best Employee

Hiring employees requires a long, rigorous process. It's a vital step in reaching your business goals and not something to take lightly. With the many challenges the healthcare industry faces today, conducting an intentional interview may be the last thing on your mind. Outsourcing your recruitment process takes the burden off of you and your staff and allows you to shift your focus back on patient care.

Nexus HR finds top talent for your healthcare organization. We cover the entire recruitment process , from job posting to employee training, at half the cost of what other recruitment companies charge. With years of experience in the healthcare industry and an extensive database, we only shortlist the finest candidates that best fit your team. Partner with Nexus HR today and hire the most qualified candidate for the job.

How to Build a Strong Company Culture in a Healthcare Organization

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 07:59:05 GMT

Disney is not only the happiest place on earth but also the happiest place to work . Mars, Inc., creator of M&M’s, claims generations of families working for the company since its establishment. Twitter employees can’t stop talking about their workplace. How did these companies create happy, proud, long-term employees? They all established a great company culture.

Creating a strong company culture is essential for all businesses, but it’s especially crucial in the healthcare industry, where stress and burnout are already prevalent. A toxic workplace not only affects the employees but also significantly influences patient outcomes and care delivery.

Why is Healthcare Company Culture Important?

Company culture defines the environment where employees work. It’s the combination of a vision, goals, values, beliefs, norms, and employee behavior. Company culture determines how employees act, decide, and engage. It threads through everything a company does, including policies, benefits, systems, procedures, and even how the office looks.

The healthcare industry consists of extremely demanding careers with high turnover rates. Employees in healthcare are especially prone to workplace burnout and face critical life-or-death decisions every day. A positive healthcare company culture that fosters appreciation and support helps employees bounce back after every challenge. It helps employees become satisfied with the work they do.

A culture that encourages professional relationships boosts collaboration and communication, both of which are important in treating patients. Encouraging teamwork helps employees work toward the same goal. An effective company culture embraces learning, innovation, and change. In a constantly changing industry like healthcare, this type of culture helps organizations adapt and scale up.

How to Build a Positive Workplace Culture in Healthcare

The workplace culture in healthcare organizations significantly affects employee job satisfaction, retention, and quality of patient care. Here are five ways to build a strong, employee-oriented culture within your organization.

1. Define Your Values and Communicate Them

Your company values drive the direction of your company culture. It determines what is important and meaningful to your organization. It helps your employees make the right decisions.

Make your values mean more than just words that you’re required to hang on a wall. Create values that genuinely represent you and your practice. Imagine what it looks like to live through your values and think of action plans to stay true to those values. Weave them through the employee’s day-to-day work activities and decision-making.

If your practice has been around for a while, but you have yet to establish written values, it’s not too late to create some now. It’s also not too late to change your company’s values if they don’t align with your organization anymore.

2. Optimize Your Hiring Process

If your new hires align with your company culture, it’s easier to ensure that everyone will move in the same direction. Structure your interview questions to help you screen applicants that share your company’s values and appreciate your company culture. LinkedIn shares some interview questions to help you assess candidates.

Sometimes skills and experience are not enough to consider a candidate the “right fit.” Attitude plays a significant role in how the new hire can contribute and succeed within your organization. For example, hospitals and clinics need people who can work with a team, but if your new hire hates working with others, it’s not worth hiring them.

3. Create an Effective Onboarding Process

Your new hires probably heard about your company’s culture during the interview process, but onboarding is where they will first experience it. Onboarding allows you to introduce your company culture to new hires and ensure its continuity. Align your onboarding process to reflect your company values and what you want your company culture to portray.

Assigning new hires with a mentor during the onboarding process gives them an idea of the company’s culture on their first few days. Invite employees from different departments with different roles to participate in onboarding so that new hires get a bigger picture of the workplace environment.

4. Focus on Employee Wellness

Your employee’s traits and behavior shape the company culture, so it’s always worthwhile to invest in their health. You cannot have a great company culture, nor have a successful company, if your employees are not physically, mentally, and emotionally well. Additionally, the demands of working in the healthcare industry make even the most committed person demotivated.

Create a culture where employees’ well-being is important too. After all, how can one efficiently care for a patient if they don’t feel well themselves? Check in regularly with your employees and help address any work issues, stressors, or burnout factors they are facing. Offer resources to help your employees be their best selves. Introduce wellness programs and activities that promote work-life balance.

5. Ensure Your Leaders Are Walking the Talk

Your leaders are the faces of the culture you’re trying to build. You can’t preach your values if the person you expect to lead doesn’t practice them. Make sure your leaders understand the culture you are trying to build, know their expectations, and map their management style to your culture.

A strong culture doesn’t happen overnight or by accident. It’s created and nurtured by the action of your leaders who work consistently to cement it.

Grow Your Healthcare Company Culture with Nexus HR

As your organization grows, preserving company culture can be hard to maintain. Additionally, administrative tasks increase as your company scales up, and managing your employees will become more demanding.

Nexus HR can help you shape and ensure continuity of your company culture so that you can focus your time and energy on what you do best — patient care. As a full-service human resource partner , we align recruitment , onboarding, employee communications, and company policies to your organizational culture. Unlike other HR outsourcing companies, your employees can directly talk to us about any HR-related concerns.

Partner with Nexus HR today to grow your company culture and create happy and satisfied employees.

4 Healthcare Onboarding Best Practices You Should Follow

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 04:36:34 GMT

Have you ever hired a talented, eager employee to work for your practice, but they left after only a month? The candidate seemed excited during the job interview and was beyond thrilled to receive an offer. Despite a generous compensation package and positive work culture, you can’t seem to retain new hires. The problem could lie within your onboarding process.

Like other industries, healthcare onboarding is the process of welcoming a new employee, arming the new hire with the necessary tools and resources, and introducing them to company policies. Onboarding, when done right, creates engaged and dedicated staff members that are ready to make long-term contributions to your practice. Employee satisfaction is not just about salary. Giving your employees the information and support they need to succeed gives them a reason to stick around.

Why is Healthcare Onboarding Important?

The healthcare industry currently faces several staffing issues such as the nursing shortage , an aging healthcare workforce, burnout , high staff turnover, and exhaustion due to the pandemic. In addition, in today’s highly-competitive workforce environment, employees can afford to choose where they work and for how long. As a result, the quality of patient care declines. A good onboarding process helps healthcare organizations attract, engage, and retain employees .

Employees in healthcare need to complete paperwork and certifications before officially starting a new role. A complete onboarding roadmap guides new hires on required compliance training such as HIPAA and cybersecurity rules. It ensures that new employees are fully aware of these rules and how they impact their work. A strong healthcare onboarding process helps establish the employee’s full responsibility regarding sensitive information and ensures that all legally required documentation is collected and filed.

4 Healthcare Onboarding Best Practices

HFirst impressions last. Glassdoor reports that companies with a strong onboarding process

improve retention by 82% and employee productivity by over 70%. On the other hand, companies with weak onboarding programs are more likely to lose new employees in the first year. Whether you’re restructuring your onboarding process or creating it for the first time, here are four healthcare onboarding best practices to consider.

1. Create a Healthcare Onboarding Checklist

An onboarding checklist helps employers stay organized during a new hire’s first several days and avoids any important details getting lost along the way. When welcoming new employees, there’s a lot of things to go over to ensure everyone knows what to expect. Creating a checklist helps you keep track of every required paperwork and compliance training. Lists provide new hires with all the tools and resources they need to start their new role. A thorough checklist puts your new employees in the best possible position to succeed by helping them adapt to their new role and environment.

If your new hires still have trouble adjusting to their new environment despite your onboarding efforts, you might need to evaluate your checklist and make adjustments to your process to address any issues.

2. Assign a Mentor

One of the most daunting things about being a new employee is walking into an unfamiliar environment filled with unfamiliar people. Designating a mentor for your new hire builds an instant relationship, gives them access to the person’s existing network, and sets the path for establishing new working relationships. New employees might feel detached without a mentor, especially since everyone else in the workplace has existing relationships.

Interactions with a mentor give new hires an idea of how they are expected to behave, communicate, and collaborate. Structure the mentor’s onboarding tasks on what they should introduce on the first day, week, or month. Assigning a mentor helps ease the transition when the new employee knows they have somebody they can approach.

3. Encourage Professional Relationships

When hiring an employee, make it a point to announce the addition to the concerned team. New hires might find integration challenging if their department isn’t expecting a new team member.

Feeling connected to your coworkers is a critical aspect of the workplace. It builds trust and creates a sense of belonging, both of which are essential elements of retaining employees. Set that tone as early as possible in the onboarding process. Introduce your new hires to the whole floor and set aside a time for icebreaker games where the new employee can get to know the current employees and vice versa. If time is limited, send an email to your employees with the new hire’s background and interests and encourage them to introduce themselves.

4. Do Not Rush the Onboarding Process

Make onboarding more than just a one-day basic orientation about the company’s policies. Create a complete onboarding experience where new employees can get acclimated to their role and new environment smoothly, even if it takes several months. As much as you want them to be productive on day one, they might get overwhelmed and confused, leaving a poor impression on your company. In a study by Ivanti, 92% of respondents say a productive onboarding process positively affects their overall satisfaction with a company. Take the appropriate time to properly onboard your employees, and they will have an easier time integrating with your practice.

Assess your new hire’s progress periodically across the various stages of your onboarding process. Check how they are adapting and provide feedback on any issues. Additionally, ask your new employees for input regarding your onboarding process. Make the necessary changes and revise your onboarding process accordingly. You can easily create actionable next steps for smoother onboarding when you clearly understand what’s working and what’s not.

How Can You Achieve Successful Onboarding?

A successful onboarding process in healthcare and beyond involves educating new hires about company culture and policies and informing them what is expected of them in their new role. Structuring a robust onboarding process takes several trials and errors to get it right. It requires time and resources that can take you away from what you do best — patient care. Outsourcing your onboarding process to a company specializing in healthcare is an efficient strategy to achieve successful employee retention without compromising your time and resources.

Nexus HR offers a comprehensive recruitment process , from finding the right candidate to onboarding a new hire. We help you meet various compliance training requirements such as HIPAA and other workplace policies. Partnering with Nexus HR makes managing your practice and employees more straightforward and less stressful.

Why Healthcare Companies Should Hire Remote Employees

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 05:24:42 GMT

When you think of industries where a person can work remotely, healthcare rarely shows up on that list. Remote work in healthcare is often difficult to manage because of the increased exposure to cybersecurity threats. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced practices to work and think differently. Many healthcare organizations scrambled to implement work-from-home policies and build the necessary infrastructure needed to provide virtual care. After everything settled, it became apparent that healthcare professionals could efficiently work remotely too.

Who Can Work Remotely in Healthcare?

Non-clinical staff such as IT personnel, billers, medical coders, risk managers, case managers, and healthcare consultants work independently without interacting face-to-face with patients. They can perform their jobs remotely without minimal interaction from other employees.

Medical assistants who liaise and support clinical providers can still complete their tasks remotely through emails, internal messaging systems, and phone calls. Even though nothing beats face-to-face patient care, telemedicine provides opportunities for clinicians to “see” and monitor their patient’s health remotely for non-urgent care.

As healthcare technology advances, it will open more remote work opportunities for healthcare professionals.

What are the Benefits of Hiring Remote Healthcare Workers?

As pandemic restrictions ease, the question of whether remote work in healthcare should continue remains a debatable topic. Even though the healthcare industry reluctantly adopted remote work, practices can benefit greatly from hiring remote healthcare workers.

1. Increased Use of Remote Care Technology

The rise of remote care technology led to more opportunities for remote work. Telehealth usage continues to increase even after the initial spike in April 2020, with patient demand as the primary driver. As a result, practices need to hire more healthcare providers to accommodate the demand. Telehealth vendors feel the spike in demand too.

Ross Friedberg, Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer at Doctor on Demand, said in an interview with Healthcare Drive that the biggest challenge facing their organization is “a need to get as many providers on our platform as quickly as possible, so we're able to meet that surging demand.”

More practices are adopting remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices into their workflow and need a healthcare provider to monitor and interpret those results. Providers who solely focus on virtual care don’t need to be physically present in the office to do their jobs.

2. Access to a Larger Pool of Talent

Offering opportunities for remote healthcare work attracts a wide range of applicants who prefer a flexible work environment. According to a 2018 survey from Indeed , 47% of employees report that remote work policy is important when looking for a job and 40% are willing to take a pay cut if it means they can work from home. Clearly, remote work options have always been attractive, even before the pandemic. Remote work in healthcare also attracts the younger generation who enter the workforce expecting more remote job opportunities.

For practices located in smaller towns, recruiting talents are limited. By removing geographical boundaries, employers are no longer limited to the local job market, making it possible to hire the best talent regardless of location. Recruiting employees outside of your immediate area enhances your applicant pool and enriches your team. Practices should embrace remote work options to remain competitive to prospective talents.

3. Lower Overhead Costs

When you hire someone, you not only pay for their salary or benefits. You also pay for overhead costs such as office space, equipment, utilities, general management expenses, and more. As your organization grows, your overhead costs grow too. You’ll need a bigger office space and your utility bills will increase. However, with more employees working remotely, your overhead costs won’t increase as much. You can bring on more workers with minimal additions to your existing infrastructure.

Cost savings can also come in the form of fewer absences, reduced turnover, and increased productivity. As the healthcare industry strives to lower its costs, hiring remote workers can significantly help.

4. Increased Productivity and Performance

Several studies confirm the positive impact of remote work on productivity. A Stanford study conducted over nine months reported a 13% increase in productivity when employees were assigned to work from home. Working remotely leads to fewer patient or visitor interruptions, office chatter, and a quieter noise level. Without these distractions and greater work autonomy, remote healthcare workers have the potential to get more work done. With zero commute, employees tend to be less tired and more productive during their shifts.

Practices that offer more flexible schedules can get more out of employees who are more productive outside of the traditional 9-5 hours. Some employees may feel more motivated and efficient to work early in the morning or late at night.

5. Positive Impact on the Environment

Fewer people commuting to and from work every day reduces our negative impact on the environment. In 2017, 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US came from transportation.

When people stay at home more often, fewer cars crowd the highways and fewer greenhouse gas emissions are released. In fact, Global Workforce Analytics estimates that remote employees help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons per year.

Office buildings consume more energy than employees individually working from home. Printing stations, office appliances, and shared spaces constantly need to be turned in an office setting. Just think of the electricity your practice can save if some employees work remotely.

How Can You Hire Remote Healthcare Workers?

Hiring remote healthcare workers comes with its own challenges. Without face-to-face interaction, it may be challenging to gauge if an employee is the right fit. Establishing trust is difficult if you’ve never met the employee and vice versa. Promoting teamwork and collaboration sometimes requires a face-to-face connection. Outsourcing your recruitment process to a company specializing in healthcare is an efficient strategy to combat the challenges of hiring remotely.

Nexus HR can assist you with finding the best fit for your organization. With years of experience in the healthcare industry, we only screen high-caliber prospective applicants. During initial interviews, Nexus HR assesses an employee’s fit and composure, whether you’re hiring an onsite or remote employee. Our end-to-end recruitment process offers everything from job posting to onboarding so that you can focus on what you do best. Partner with Nexus HR today and see your team and practice flourish.

Nexus HR Hosts Its First Blood Drive

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 06:33:36 GMT

Nexus HR Hosts Its First Blood Drive

Nexus HR successfully held its first-ever blood donation drive, in partnership with Meditab and Vitalant , on December 2, 2021. The event delivered a high turnout with employees from Nexus HR, Meditab, and nearby establishments of the Arden Arcade area in Sacramento coming together to donate blood. Donors received $5 Amazon gift cards, beanies, masks, and other goodies as tokens of appreciation.

Vitalant is the country’s largest independent non-profit blood service provider, supplying donations to more than 900 hospitals in the United States. During the pandemic, many blood drives were cancelled, resulting in fewer donations. Then, as communities started to re-open and more patients sought previously deferred medical care, the need for blood supply increased while donations continued to fall. In June 2021, Vitalant issued a critical blood shortage alert , prompting Nexus HR and Meditab to collaborate in the organization of a blood drive to help alleviate the issue.

Each time a healthy adult donates blood, they can save up to three lives. Blood transfusions are necessary for numerous routine and emergency procedures and to treat various illnesses and bodily injuries. Donating blood is quick and easy and only takes an hour or so to complete, yet it can do so much in saving another person’s life.

If you missed the event but want to donate blood, you can schedule an appointment with Vitalant through their website or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825) .

Thanks to this event’s success, Nexus HR plans to team up with Vitalant again to host future blood donation campaigns. Follow Nexus HR and Meditab on Facebook to stay updated on future events.

5 Ways to Increase Employee Retention

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 03:24:37 GMT

Employee retention is crucial to every business, including healthcare practices. If an employee quits, the time, resources, and money you spend hiring and training them goes down the drain. Employee turnover not only impacts operational costs but also negatively affects your practice’s revenue, productivity, workplace culture, and patient experience. These losses may not directly reflect on your balance sheet, but it affects your business nonetheless.

Recruiting and onboarding new employees costs more than retaining existing employees. In fact, according to Gallup , “The cost of replacing an individual employee can range from one-half to two times the employee's annual salary.” Despite this, many businesses fail to prioritize employee retention. Those who do, however, reap significant rewards, including revenue growth, improved productivity, and higher quality of work.

Why is Employee Retention Important in Healthcare?

Employees in healthcare are more prone to burnout , face emotional exhaustion, and are required to work longer hours. The high-pressure demands of working in healthcare can drain even the most committed employee, pushing them to leave. The remaining employees are then forced to pick up extra shifts and the work left behind, creating a vicious cycle of employee turnover.

Burned out and dissatisfied employees negatively affect patient care. A good patient experience consists of building positive relationships with your patients. If an employee leaves, that relationship is lost and it may take some time to replace it. Losing employees also means the loss of institutional knowledge, leaving few people to mentor incoming healthcare providers.

Improving employee retention in your organization reduces stress in the work environment, boosts morale, enhances the patient experience, and improves your practice’s bottom line.

Employee Retention Strategies in Healthcare

Decreasing your employee turnover rate doesn’t happen overnight. Thankfully, there are actionable employee retention strategies your practice can implement that result in long-term benefits.

1. Address Burnout Factors

Simply asking your employees what causes their burnout and implementing ways to address it helps reduce their chances of leaving. Practices need to ask for feedback from their staff on what’s causing stress through one-on-one discussions or employee surveys. Then, brainstorm ways to reverse burnout.

One of the leading causes of burnout in healthcare is the long hours required by the job. Your practice can address this by creating more employee scheduling flexibility. Establish a calendar that lets employees live a balanced and healthy life with more time for their family and hobbies. Encourage employees to use their allotted vacation time.

The mental and emotional exhaustion that comes with a healthcare job also adds to employee burnout. Create a safe space where employees feel comfortable opening up when they are struggling with their workload. Foster a culture that prioritizes mental health. Bring in instructors to teach staff meditation techniques to help them feel calmer in stressful situations. Every employee is different, so practices need to be mindful of each employee’s well-being.

2. Provide a Competitive Salary and Comprehensive Employee Benefits

Many people in healthcare went into their field to satisfy a greater purpose rather than simply wanting a hefty paycheck. However, compensation is still a primary driver in job satisfaction. Research and compare your current compensation plan with other healthcare organizations in your area. Then weigh the high cost of turnover versus the cost of competitive compensation. If your practice can’t increase pay right now, you can provide other work perks like wellness programs, store vouchers, or free meals. Work perks attract potential employees and re-engage your current staff.

Even if your employees already feel great pride working in healthcare, adding a range of employee benefits, like retirement plans and health insurance, makes their job more rewarding. Fifty-six percent of employees say that good healthcare coverage is critical in their decision to stay at their current job.

3. Provide Opportunities for Growth

As healthcare continues to evolve, so does the need for healthcare professionals to learn and keep up with changes. Establish a positive learning environment for employees who are interested in learning new skills and furthering their careers. Supporting your employee’s continuing medical education and professional development will help them refine their skills which will, in turn, help them deliver better care. Creating an employee development plan helps your workers remain committed to your practice, knowing that there are growth opportunities for them along the road.

4. Create a Positive Company Culture

A positive company culture helps employees feel proud about their work and improves their attitude about coming to work every day. Glassdoor reports that company culture is one of the main reasons 65% of workers stay at their job. If employees like your company culture, they will likely stay with you longer, reducing employee turnover rates.

Create a culture where success and achievements are regularly recognized. Healthcare workers already know that their work matters, but routinely recognizing their impact on patients’ health improves morale and job satisfaction. Remind them why they opted for a healthcare career in the first place and reignite their passion for the work they do.

The healthcare industry is composed of professionals with specialized knowledge and specific duties. Positive patient outcomes depend on these providers working together, collaborating, and communicating often. Promoting teamwork and collaboration as part of your company culture creates a positive workplace environment that retains employees.

Establish a culture where feedback is valued. If your practice decides to implement a new EHR software or launch a new care program, ask for your employee’s feedback and opinion. Foster an organization where employees feel comfortable communicating any of their concerns without the fear of being sanctioned. Doing so ensures that their voice matters.

5. Boost Employee Engagement

According to Forbes , “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment employees have to the company and its goals.” When employees are engaged, they care about their team, their patients, and your practice. An engaged workforce leads to improved quality of care, higher patient satisfaction rates, and increased patient safety.

Disengaged employees, on the other hand, are harmful to your organization. They bring down other employees’ morale, discourage others, and deliver poor quality of care. To increase engagement in the workplace, offer invaluable work perks to make them more committed to the organization. Create peer support or mentorship programs to establish professional relationships within the workplace, boost morale, and increase productivity.

Team building activities create opportunities for your team to get to know each other and build trust. When people trust each other, it generates a positive work environment and builds well-functioning teams.

A Cost-Effective Employee Retention Strategy for Your Practice

Healthcare has always been a balancing act between patient care and business. Creating a successful business means taking care of your employees too. At the core of every healthcare organization is its people, so it’s worth looking into the direct link between job satisfaction and high-quality patient care.

With so much on their plate already, healthcare organizations often don’t have the time or staff to prioritize human resources. Increasing compliance demands, technological advancements, and changing patient trends may take your focus away from implementing an employee retention program. A proactive approach is key to reducing employee turnover rates. But you don’t have to do everything on your own.

Nexus HR offers complete healthcare HR services from recruitment to payroll to onboarding . From ensuring a potential employee is the right fit to creating an attractive benefits package, Nexus HR helps you reduce administrative burdens on your staff. As your remote HR manager, we take full ownership of all HR-related duties at a fraction of the cost of a full-time employee’s salary. Partner with Nexus HR and let us help you build a better workplace environment for your employees.

4 Ways Your Practice Can Overcome the Nursing Shortage

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 05:30:37 GMT

The American Nurses Association (ANA) recently sent a letter to The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging the HHS secretary to declare the unsustainable nurse staffing shortage a national crisis and to implement immediate solutions to address it. The nursing workforce crisis was a prevalent problem long before the pandemic. It’s a complex issue involving several factors, and it will likely take years to solve entirely. But there are many ways healthcare organizations can start addressing the problem now.

Why is There a Nursing Staff Shortage?

Advancements in medicine and improved quality of life have helped Americans live longer, but not necessarily healthier, lives. As the population grows older, the demand for health care services rises. This rising demand, however, doesn’t equate to the current supply of nurses.

The growing population of older adults also means that more Americans will be retiring, including nurses. The average age of registered nurses is 50 years old , and many have chosen to speed up their retirement due to the stress of the pandemic. Additionally, current nursing school enrollments are not growing fast enough to meet expected demands. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) report, several US nursing schools had to turn down 80,407 applicants in 2019 due to insufficient faculty and facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many chronic nursing workforce challenges like burnout, emotional exhaustion, and feelings of lack of support. A survey from Trusted Health said that 39% of nurses ages 20-39 reported feeling less committed to nursing because of the pandemic. Nursing is already a stressful and demanding job, but with the pressure of the pandemic, more nurses are transitioning to other healthcare roles or leaving the field entirely. Many nurses have made extraordinary sacrifices while overcoming health risks, limited equipment, and the pandemic’s uncertainty, pushing them to breaking point.

Impact on the Healthcare System

Nurses are an essential part of the healthcare system. Several studies show that when there are enough nurses and a lower patient-to-nurse ratio, it improves patient safety and outcomes. On the other hand, nursing shortages lead to more errors, higher patient readmission rates, and worse mortality rates. Moreover, when fewer nurses take care of patients, it can lead to prolonged patient wait times and overcrowded emergency rooms.

Nurse burnout is both a symptom and a cause. As more nurses leave their jobs, the remaining staff are forced to pick up the work left behind, increasing their workload and lengthening their hours. The added pressure and stress can quickly lead to burnout, work dissatisfaction, and lower standards of patient care.

Over one million nurses are expected to retire between 2010-2030, taking years of clinical knowledge and wisdom with them. As more experienced nurses retire, healthcare organizations are struggling to find skilled nurses to take their place. Instead, new nurses are prematurely thrown into a stressful, critical care environment, increasing the risk of burnout and turnover.

Addressing the Nursing Shortage

The increasing demand for healthcare coupled with the current nursing shortage is creating a gloomy future for healthcare. Stopping the nursing shortage crisis requires long-term strategic planning with the help of government institutions. However, individual healthcare organizations can help mitigate the problem with these solutions.

1. Offer Relocation Compensation

Healthcare organizations need to attract new nurses and retain experienced ones. The good news is that the nursing shortage isn’t the same in every state . Some states have too many nurses, while others don’t have enough. Providing a compensation package that includes a relocation allowance is an excellent incentive for nurses from states with a surplus of registered nurses to transfer to those with a deficit.

2. Foster a Healthy Working Environment

Every organization wants to keep its best talent. However, the uncertainty of the pandemic is leaving our nurses uninspired by their work. Create engagement, recognition, and mental health support programs that help nurses feel good about the work they do. People go into nursing because it’s a rewarding and fulfilling career. When their work goes unrecognized, especially during stressful times, they might be tempted to look for opportunities elsewhere. Holding recognition programs at regular intervals is a powerful tool for retaining employees.

Build an engagement program that is meaningful to your employees. For example, if your staff values fitness, you can hold fitness challenges or offer discounted rates with the local fitness center.

Provide mental health resources and programs to help relieve workplace stress. ANA listed resources and tips specifically curated for nurses on their website .

3. Provide Growth Opportunities

Training and growth opportunities help retain employees and increase job satisfaction. Advancement opportunities can include leadership, management, communication, or other specialty-specific skills training. Make it a priority to invest in nurses’ professional development. Give them time to attend conferences and offer reimbursement.

Nurses need continuing medical education to meet licensing requirements throughout their careers, but allotting time for it isn’t always easy. Providing easy access to continuing medical education opportunities through in-house or online classes can increase participation in this obligation and help nurses save travel time.

4. Use Healthcare Recruitment Solutions

Finding the right employee and retaining them can be time-consuming for your healthcare organization. Plus, the current nursing shortage is making recruitment more challenging. Outsourcing your recruitment process to a company specializing in healthcare is an efficient strategy to combat the shortage. Not only do recruiting companies have the expertise, but they have a large pool of candidates and a good selection of quality prospects, so you’ll never fall short on applicants.

Companies like Nexus HR , a top healthcare recruitment company with a global reach, can help you bridge the skill-set gap between early-career nurses and experienced nurses who will soon be retiring. Nexus HR follows a rigorous screening process , helping you find the best candidate that fits your organization. With an end-to-end recruitment process that offers everything from onboarding and training programs to compensation and benefits planning, Nexus HR helps you retain quality employees. Contact Nexus HR today to help you get top talent for your organization and build long-term employees.

How to Lower the Cost of Healthcare Recruitment

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 18:24:58 GMT

Healthcare is one of the highest growing industries in the entire world. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projected a 16% growth in healthcare employment by 2030. Whether your practice is hiring for expansion or replacing an employee, outsourcing your recruitment process is an efficient and cost-effective solution and minimizes interruption in patient care and office workflow. The challenge now is to look for an efficient recruiting company that can hire quality applicants while still keeping costs low.

The True Cost of Recruitment

According to Undercover Recruiter , recruitment companies typically charge between 15-25% of a candidate’s first annual salary and can even ask for up to 50% for hard-to-fill or senior positions. Aside from this upfront recruiting payment, several indirect costs add to an already hefty bill.

When a role goes unfilled, your practice’s clinical duties and financial goals suffer. The longer the hiring process takes, the more time you spend away from core operations and the higher the loss of productivity. Even if you outsource your recruiting process, it still takes time out of your management team’s schedule to finalize a candidate. In business, especially in healthcare, time is valuable. Time and productivity loss are intangible, but they cost your practice nonetheless.

Hiring the wrong candidate results in significant financial and productivity repercussions. It not only means starting your recruitment and onboarding process again but also puts projects on hold, lowers employee morale, and minimizes productivity.

Recruitment cost is only a small portion of the total price of hiring a new employee. Additional costs include training, onboarding, benefits, and new equipment. Added together, it takes time for practices to break even and see a return on investment. According to Investopedia , a new hire reaches their full productivity only after 12 weeks.

With all these indirect, yet unavoidable, costs when hiring new employees, how can you minimize total recruitment expenses and maximize your investment?

Minimizing Costs and Maximizing Your ROI

Cutting upfront costs, reducing hire times, and choosing quality employees not only helps you minimize overall recruitment costs but also improves your ROI down the line.

We already know that outsourcing your recruitment process is more cost-effective than having an in-house team. Still, it’s vital to select a cost-effective recruitment agency as well. Most recruitment companies don’t know the intricacies of healthcare recruiting, leading to a more costly hiring process. To cover their costs, companies charge up to 25% per employee.

On the other hand, Nexus HR knows the ins and outs of healthcare recruitment, allowing us to keep costs at a minimum and only charge our clients 6-10% of a new hire’s salary. Nexus covers the entire recruitment process, from finding the right candidate to onboarding and training, at half the price of what other companies charge. With a large pool of candidates and an extensive database, we only shortlist the finest candidates that best fit your healthcare organization.

Don’t let high recruitment fees drag down your bottom line. Partner with NexusHR and see your practice grow.

How Outsourcing Healthcare HR Reduces Employee Burnout

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 18:21:11 GMT

Human resource management is difficult on its own, but HR in healthcare comes with its own added challenges. The healthcare industry consists of extremely demanding careers with high turnover rates , a trend that existed even before the pandemic. Unlike other fields, healthcare professionals require specific certifications or degrees, necessitating a rigorous recruitment process. On top of that, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates a shortage of 18 million health workers by 2030 .

Employees in healthcare are especially prone to workplace burnout . When providers and staff save patients’ lives every day, the least of their concerns should be delayed paychecks, staffing concerns, and administrative work. By outsourcing their HR and payroll duties, health organizations can help reduce burnout and focus more on providing quality patient care.

What is Human Resource Outsourcing?

Human resource (HR) outsourcing involves hiring a third-party company to manage and take over your HR functions like recruitment, training, payroll, health benefits, and insurance administration.

Outsourcing HR Can Reduce Burnout

HR duties may not technically generate revenue, but they’re still an integral part of your organization. Recruitment, for example, is crucial to building your practice. Too many staff members on the payroll can lead to financial losses, but staff shortages lead to burnout and workplace dissatisfaction, resulting in suboptimal patient care. Finding the right employee for the job, and retaining them, is essential in delivering quality care . The entire process takes substantial time and resources that could otherwise be spent on core clinical activities.

Just like any other business, your practice needs to follow several hiring and benefits regulations. On top of that, employment and labor laws are constantly changing, and new legislation is always being implemented. Since healthcare is a heavily regulated industry, practice owners also need to consider HIPAA compliance. For smaller practices, keeping up with these changes and remaining compliant can be a burden, and the inability to keep up with these regulations results in severe financial consequences. Outsourcing these tasks to HR experts helps you stay on top, lessening the administrative load in an already stressful industry.

Whether you’re a small practice or a big hospital, your employees may have different shifts with varying clock-in times and pay grades. This inconsistency makes it difficult to track hours and calculate income accordingly, making payroll tedious and stressful. Although software applications can help you track and maintain employee logs, they are often more of a headache than help. If your employees are already stressed out and nearing burnout, seeing inaccurate information on their payslips will only increase their work dissatisfaction. Relieve yourself and your employees from worry and outsource your payroll to a company that can automate these tasks instead.

Moreover, compensation claims, background checks, enrolling employees in benefits programs, and other everyday HR tasks involve a serious amount of paperwork and are stressful if you’re not familiar with the process. Outsourcing these tasks saves you energy and lets you focus back on caring for your patients. Do what you do best and leave the intricacies of human resources to the experts.

Focus on Your Patients and Practice

HR management is becoming increasingly sophisticated and technically complex. It’s shifting from just filling vacancies to a comprehensive employee services process. For this reason alone, many businesses are outsourcing their HR tasks to the experts instead.

The challenge for healthcare organizations now is to look for an HR outsourcing company specializing in their industry. Nexus HR is specifically suited to the unique challenges of managing HR activities in healthcare. Having worked in the healthcare industry for years, we know what you want, what type of employees your practice needs, the market, and the healthcare landscape. Partner with Nexus HR today, take the burden of managing your HR, and start focusing on your practice.

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