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  • If you’re a business owner, you’ve probably had to hire and fire employees in your time. You know how hard it is to find good people, especially when the job market is where it is today. What happens when you don’t take the time to conduct pre-employment background screenings? You could end up with an employee who can’t do the job or isn’t a good fit, or worse, someone who steals from your company.

    In this guide, we’ll discuss the importance of pre-employment screenings, as well as how to implement them into your hiring process so that you can ensure that every employee is a good fit for your company culture.

    What Is Pre-Employment Screening?

    Pre-employment screening is an assessment of a potential employee’s background. This typically includes information including their personal history and education level but can also include criminal record checks or drug tests. The goal of employee background screening is to make sure that you’re hiring someone who will be a good fit for your organization. They can also help you avoid lawsuits, prevent employee theft, and protect your brand’s reputation.

    Employee screening is an essential part of hiring a new employee, but it can be tricky to navigate. With so many options out there, it can be challenging to know where to start or what kind of testing is right for your business. That’s where GMS hopes to help!

    Why Is Pre-Employment Screening Important?

    There are many reasons why an employer would want to perform pre-employment screening on candidates before hiring them. Employers must ensure that their employees are safe at work, which means they must be confident in their abilities and behaviors. In addition, they need to make sure that their employees are not going to cause trouble for the company or otherwise disrupt operations. It’s essential that employers do not hire anyone who might bring negative attention upon them.

    In addition to checking a candidate’s criminal record, they may check their credit score and history of employment. This can help determine if they have been fired from previous jobs or if they have had any financial problems in the past.

    It’s important to keep in mind when doing pre-employment screening that it should be designed to protect both parties-the company and the applicant.

    To protect yourself, you need to make sure that you clearly understand what information you’re legally allowed to request from candidates, and how much of it they are required by law to disclose. You also want to make sure that all your questions are appropriate for an employment setting—not too personal and not too invasive—and that they conform with any laws or regulations related to confidentiality in your state.

    If you’re concerned that pre-employment screening may violate an applicant’s rights or privacy, that’s where HR professionals can step in.

    Types Of Employee Screening Tests & Methods

    Pre-employment screening includes a variety of methods, including written tests, interviews, background checks, and drug tests. They’re used when you want to find out more about an applicant’s skills and qualifications. They help you determine whether the applicant will be able to perform the job well. Pre-employment screening also gives you additional information about a candidate before making an offer. If there are any red flags in their background check or pre-employment screening report (such as criminal records), then this must be addressed before moving forward with an offer. If there are zero red flags, these tests can simply be used to tell whether a candidate will fit in with your company culture and get along well with your team.

    The following are different types of screening methods and where you can use them in the hiring process:

    Before the interview:

    Application and resume screening

    Many employers know this as the first step in the hiring process, but it’s important not to stop here. Application and resume screening allow you to weed out the right candidates through work experience and education requirements. You can also add job-related questions on applications to see how your applicant feels about the role.

    Aptitude tests

    Aptitude tests are a great way to assess whether applicants have what it takes to succeed in their roles. They can be used as a stand-alone tool or as part of a larger screening process. These tests measure a person’s ability to perform specific tasks, such as solving problems or working with numbers.

    The aptitude test typically consists of two types of questions: those related directly to the job duties and those that are more theoretical in nature. For example, if you’re applying for an administrative assistant position at a law firm, one type of question might be, “What is the difference between ‘trial’ and ‘appellate?’” Another type might be, “How many people work in our billing department?”

    Personality tests

    Personality tests are a popular pre-employment screening tool. They help employers make sure that the person they hire will be a good fit for their culture by assessing their traits and personality type. Commonly used personality tests include the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test, DISC assessment, and the Enneagram.

    During the interview:

    Phone or video interview

    Once your candidates make it through the initial stages, it’s now time for the official interview. Depending on your process, you may wish to conduct several interview rounds. Some, if not all, of these can be conducted over the phone or via video. This is especially useful if your candidate lives in another state or is being considered for a remote position. 

    In-person interview

    While in-person interviews aren’t always necessary, they can be useful if your candidate will be working in a set location or office. In-person interviews give you an opportunity to observe a candidate’s communication skills, personality traits, and behavior in social situations. In addition to these observations, you can also ask questions about previous employment experiences and future career aspirations during an interview. This can also be a great opportunity to give a tour of the office location.

    Interview methods

    In today’s economy, it’s more important than ever for companies to make sure that their employees are happy in their roles. That means that you need to be able to interview effectively and make sure your potential hires will be a good fit.

    If you’re looking for help with the interviewing process, here are some tips on how to ensure you’re attracting the right people:

    1. Start by asking questions that are relevant to the position they’re applying for

    2. Ask open-ended questions (“What do you think about this?” or, “How would you handle this situation?”, rather than yes and no questions)

    3. Make sure there’s time in your interview schedule for both parties to ask each other questions—this gives everyone a chance to gain a better understanding of each other and how well they’d work together.

    4. Find out about their experience. What did they do at their last job? What did they like about it? What could they have done better?

    5. Make sure your applicants know what kind of company culture you have (if there are any specific perks or benefits), so they can decide whether it suits them before accepting an offer from you. 

    After the interview

    Verifications

    As much as we’d like to take someone’s word for their background and experience, it can be beneficial to verify just in case. A few different types of verifications you can perform are:

    • Reference checks
    • Employment verification
    • Education/degree verification
    • Licensing and professional certification verification
    • Military services records

    Background checks

    If you’re hiring someone, it’s important to know if they have any criminal history. This will help you decide whether they are suitable for the role. A criminal background check can also reveal if they have a history of drug use and alcohol abuse, as well as other personal issues that could affect their performance at work.

    Legal Considerations During Pre-Employment Screening

    The legal considerations of pre-employment screening are important to consider when conducting the process. There are various industries that require extensive screening and background checks, such as careers in healthcare, government positions, education fields, and working with children.

    The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the federal agency that oversees compliance with federal discrimination laws, but many states also have their own laws that must be followed. As employers, you may be responsible for any damages awarded due to a lawsuit brought against your company by an employee who feels they have been treated unfairly in the hiring process.

    It’s also important that employers know what they can legally ask during pre-employment screening. For example, if an applicant has been arrested but has never been charged with or convicted of any crime, employers should not ask about their arrest record on an application form—but they do have the right to ask about convictions (and even arrests) during in-person interviews.

    Pre-Employment Screening Tools

    There are various tools and programs that can make the screening process much easier, including assessment programs and tests. You can also use free methods for pre-employment screening. This can include double-checking the candidate’s professional LinkedIn account for experience and awards and asking for a portfolio of their work.

    Assistance With Pre-Employment Screening

    The results of your employee screening process should give you a good idea of whether this is the right candidate for the job. If they check all the boxes, then you can feel confident that they will contribute positively to your company. If not, you’ll know that you need to look elsewhere for someone who is more qualified for the position.

    Does all of this sound overwhelming? What if you don’t know where to start in the employee background screening process? GMS can help. Our human resources experts work closely with you to offer guidance on hiring and training, along with supporting the administrative burdens associated with all aspects of the employee life cycle. You retain complete control over hiring decisions, we just simplify the process. Contact us for more information!

  • Unfortunately, discrimination in the workforce is still relevant and makes the workplace uncomfortable, unsafe, and unsustainable for those affected. Discrimination in the workplace happens when an individual or a group of people is treated unfairly or unequally because of these specific characteristics:

    • Race
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender identity
    • Age
    • Disability
    • Sexual orientation
    • Religious beliefs
    • National origin

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for protecting you from these specific characteristics. The laws enforced by EEOC protect individuals from employment discrimination when it involves the following:

    • Unfair treatment
    • Harassment
    • Denial of a reasonable workplace change
    • Improper questions about or disclosure of your genetic or medical information
    • Retaliation

    While the EEOC is responsible for protecting individuals from these factors, individual states enforce laws that help combat discrimination in the workplace.

    Additional Steps Georgia Is Taking 

    An ordinance passed by the Atlanta City Council amends its existing anti-discrimination law to include protections based on criminal history status and gender identity, which is effective immediately. Gender expression is the way individuals manifest masculinity or femininity through their clothes, hair, makeup, overall appearance, speech, or other behavior or form of personal presentation. The law amends existing law to include gender expression as an additional protected characteristic.

    In addition, the law makes it unlawful to discriminate based on the criminal history of applicants and employees. However, the ordinance allows employment decisions based on criminal records as long as the employer considers specified factors in certain decisions. The ordinance provides an exclusion that states, “Adverse employment decisions based on criminal history status shall not be considered a violation of the law if the criminal history is related to the position’s responsibilities.” This is determined by the following factors:

    • Whether the individual committed the offense
    • The nature and gravity of the offense
    • The amount of time since the offense
    • The nature of the job

    Additional Factors Of The Ordinance

    As stated in the Atlanta ordinance, employers can continue to follow state or federal laws barring employment in certain positions based on criminal convictions or violations. In addition, the ordinance adds gender expression and criminal history status to pre-existing prohibitions on “printing or publication of notices or advertisements indicating prohibited preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination in employment.”

    Stay Compliant With GMS’

    When you partner with GMS, our team of experts ensures you remain compliant. We’ve got you covered regarding anti-discrimination laws in the workplace. You must consider reviewing background check policies and procedures to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws. However, we understand how challenging that can be. At GMS, we take on the administrative burdens associated with hiring and recruiting. Contact us today to learn more.

  • In the current economic climate, businesses face major challenges in retaining and attracting top talent. The talent war has made recruiting practices uncertain for all companies, regardless of size or industry. Employees have a wider range of career options than they’ve ever had. With remote and hybrid work options becoming more popular, employees are no longer constrained by where, when, or how they work. You might be wondering, what led to the talent war? Continue reading to learn more.

    Talent War

    The demand for greater workplace flexibility has continued to rise. There are 10 million jobs in the United States; however, only half the talent is qualified for the positions. In conjunction with rising wages, there has been a major talent shortage. The balance of power seems to have shifted away from the employer and toward the employee. Are you ready to combat the talent war?

    Promote Employee Value Proposition 

    Businesses should consider implementing an employee value proposition to win over the employees during the complex job market. An employee value proposition is a statement that shows what an employer or organization is willing to do to support its employees. Your employer brand is what attracts and retains employees for the long term.

    Clarify Recruiting Messages

    As a result of the pandemic, employees realized they needed a job that would not only fulfill them but also accommodate their needs. Employees have begun:

    • Shifting their own priorities
    • Pursuing more desirable salaries, benefits, and flexibility
    • Changing professional or educational paths

    Throughout the hiring process, recruiting is no longer about the job itself. Employees are looking to find a position that fits their specific needs.

    Align Your Marketing

    As a business, sharing a consistent message across all channels and platforms is important. This can begin on the careers page of your company website and reach across all social media sites.

    Social media allows your candidates to dive into your company culture, events, and more, to ensure they are the right fit. The following are major topics to consider when posting:

    • Culture and values
    • Employee spotlights
    • Client interactions or successes
    • Volunteerism and other community or philanthropic initiatives

    Break Geographical Barriers

    Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were often geographical barriers within the hiring processes. Since hybrid and remote work schedules became increasingly popular, there has been a break in that barrier. The recruiting process is not limited to one local area. This simplifies the process by finding quality candidates nationally or even internationally without expecting candidates to relocate.

    Make Everyone A Recruiter

    Recruiters are still responsible for finding top talent; however, it is no longer the expectation that recruiters are the only ones to engage in the hiring process to find qualified candidates. Push everyone at your company to share their experiences. Anyone can leverage their individual connections to refer to a potential candidate.

    Organizations often fear using platforms such as Glassdoor or Google My Business due to poor reviews with the opportunity to tarnish a company’s brand. Although these websites can cause uncertainty, they can create a major benefit. As an employer, it’s important to consider recruiting efforts that focus on the following:

    • Employee experience 
    • Company culture
    • Organizational values

    Focusing on these three key features will allow employers to feel at ease on review platforms. If the time comes that there is a negative review, be sure to work on addressing candidate or employee concerns. This allows job candidates to see your company’s professionalism while handling adversity.

    Uncertainty And Retention

    Throughout times of uncertainty, recruiting efforts shouldn’t stop. No matter what’s going on, you should still promote your employer brand to potential candidates. Focusing on your employer brand is more critical than ever. Employer branding is how your company is portrayed to potential job seekers. This can be shown through the values your business brings to the table.

    Recruiting is a continuous process. After seeing success, employers must consider employee retention. Unfortunately, not all employees stay for the long haul. To continue in your retention efforts, you must vocalize the following:

    • Why they’re here
    • Why their work matters
    • Potential opportunities
    • What they love about the company

    Don’t fall behind in the talent war, focus your efforts on your employee value proposition. Focus on building an employer brand based on experience, culture, and values. Ensure that your social platforms and website share a glimpse into your company culture. Push your employees to become brand advocates. It’s essential to never give up on these recruiting efforts, even when you’re not hiring.

    Your Hiring Hero 

    What makes your business stand out from others? Partnering with GMS allows you to boost your typical hiring practices and build plans to increase employee retention. If that’s not enough, we will assist you with the recruiting process, from hire to retirement. With GMS, you can say goodbye to the tedious hiring process and focus on your business. Contact us today to learn more.

  • On October 12th, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published the final rule, “Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in the United States,” effective on November 14th, 2022. This final rule amends the Department’s regulations governing the H-2A program to improve worker protection and enhance enforcement against fraud. In addition, it modernizes the H-2A application and temporary labor certification process. The final rule ultimately does the following:

    • Strengthens protections for U.S. workers and H-2A workers
    • Enhances program integrity and enforcement capabilities of the Office of Foreign Labor Certification and the Wage and Hour Division
    • Modernizes the prevailing wage determination process
    • Provides clarity to employers and other stakeholders

    Understanding The H-2A Agricultural Program

    Through the H-2A temporary agricultural program, agricultural employers can hire nonimmigrant foreign workers to perform temporary or seasonal agricultural labor or services in the U.S. Employment is determined to be seasonal nature when the job is tied to a specific time of year by an event or pattern such as a short annual growing cycle. Temporary employment is when the employer needs to fill a position with a temporary worker who won’t last longer than one year.

    In addition, the DOL must determine that:

    • There are not sufficient able, willing, and qualified U.S. workers available to perform the temporary and seasonal agricultural employment for which nonimmigrant workers are being requested,
    • Employment of H-2A workers will not adversely affect similarly employed U.S. workers’ wages and working conditions. The statute and Departmental regulations provide worker protections and employer requirements concerning wages and working conditions.

    Deep Dive Into The Provisions

    In the final rule issued by the Biden administration, all provisions intended to improve the program’s flexibility and effectiveness were removed except for the electronic filing requirement. The final rule shows that the DOL focuses on worker treatment, protecting the U.S. workforce, and increasing enforcement, but several measures that would have benefited employers are missing.

    The following are key provisions of the final rule:

    • Mandatory e-filing
    • Joint employment
    • Housing standards and inspections
    • Expanded prevailing wage surveys

    What This Means For Small Business Owners

    When you partner with GMS, we ensure you stay ahead of any legislative changes that may impact your business operations. We understand how challenging it can be to wear multiple hats at once. The last thing you need is to receive a hefty fine for something that could have been avoided. Allow GMS to take on the administrative functions of your business that you don’t have the time or expertise to handle. Contact us today. 

  • The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released the new ‘Know Your Rights’ poster on October 19th, 2022. The poster summarizes federal laws prohibiting job discrimination based on the following:

    • Race
    • Color
    • Sec
    • National origin
    • Religion
    • Age (40 and older)
    • Equal pay
    • Disability
    • Genetic information

    In addition, the poster explains how employees and job applicants can file a complaint if they believe they have experienced prohibited discrimination or retaliation. As the poster may share similarities to the previous poster released by the EEOC, the new version includes the following changes:

    • It uses straightforward language and formatting
    • It notes that harassment is a prohibited form of discrimination 
    • It clarifies that sex discrimination includes discrimination based on pregnancy and related conditions, sexual orientation, or gender identity 
    • It adds a QR code for digital access to the “how to file a charge” webpage
    • It provides information about equal pay discrimination for federal contractors

    Ultimately, the new version makes it easier for employers to understand their legal responsibilities and for employees to understand their rights and how to get in touch with the EEOC.

    All covered employers are required by federal law to prominently display the poster at their work sites immediately. It must be placed where the employer and employee can see it. In addition, employers are encouraged to post a notice digitally on their websites. Covered employers are subject to fines for noncompliance.

    Ensure You Comply With Rules And Regulations 

    Complying with ever-changing rules and regulations is vital for the growth of your business. The last thing you need is an expensive fine for not complying with the laws and regulations you must follow as a business owner. When you partner with GMS, we take on that burden, so you don’t have to. Our experts work diligently with you to ensure you and your employees are safe and aware of all rules. Contact us today to learn more.

  • While the COVID-19 pandemic is winding down, the talent shortage is still the number one challenge businesses face. According to a study, 55% of business owners and recruiters struggle to find qualified applicants for open positions. In addition, it’s said that the U.S. is facing one of the most alarming labor crunches it has ever seen.

    Alongside the shortage of quality talent, Glassdoor conducted a study showing that the average cost of hiring an employee is around $4,000. On top of that, the average time it takes to hire a new employee is 42 days. As a business owner, you don’t have time to deal with such challenges and the amount it costs to hire one employee. Continue reading to see what HR professionals say about automated recruiting software.

    The Importance Of Automated Recruiting Software

    Businesses are rapidly adopting recruiting automation tools to help streamline their hiring process. One of the most significant benefits of using recruiting automation software is that it saves you time by automating tedious tasks, which include screening resumes, scheduling and conducting interviews, and engaging with the candidates through the entire hiring process.

    As a business owner, there is only so much time to handle these tasks in one day. Make it easier for yourself and utilize recruiting automation software. Once you have automation tools in place, you can quickly identify top talent, which leads to hiring candidates faster than ever.

    The following are reasons why you should leverage recruiting automation tools:

    • Increases productivity 
    • Improves quality of hire
    • Bias-free hiring
    • Assesses candidate skills effectively 
    • Reduces the time to hire
    • Reduces the cost per hire
    • Enhances the candidate’s experience 
    • Increases diversity 
    • Creates a more straightforward onboarding process

    Recruiting automation tools ultimately help you attract and engage candidates by giving them a positive experience. In today’s competitive market, ensuring you’re providing an excellent candidate experience is essential. While there are many recruiting tools available to you, it’s vital that you conduct your research and understand the goals you want out of the software to make your job easier.

    Let’s Find The Candidates You Want And Need

    While the right candidate is out there, it’s up to you to wow them from start to finish. With GMS as a partner, you can find the candidates you want and need. We understand that between the ongoing training and employee recruitment services, it takes extensive time and effort to find, hire, and develop the right people for your business. GMS provides the necessary tools and resources to take on these responsibilities while improving your recruiting, hiring, and training efforts. We work with you to create enticing job descriptions that will attract top talent, conduct the initial interview with candidates, and provide you with employee training software that will set your employees up from the beginning. Stop wasting valuable time in areas that GMS specializes in. Contact us today!

  • In today’s world, technology is ever-changing. As a business owner, it’s vital to stay on top of these changes to ensure your business runs efficiently. For HR professionals, technology is utilized to attract, hire, retain top talent, support workforce administration, and optimize workforce management. Technology allows individuals to gather, collect, deliver information, and communicate effectively with their employees.

    Continue reading to learn five important steps to simplify your HR technology buying process. 

    Step One: Determine What’s Missing

    If you’re currently utilizing technology, you need to dive deeply into the software and determine what’s not working for you and what is. In addition, is there anything else you wish the software could do to make your job easier?

    If you have no technology system in place, you must start by writing down what you want the technology to assist you with. Do you want it to retain and attract top talent? Perhaps, you want to ensure your job descriptions reach the right candidates. Almost 60% of HR teams state that finding, attracting, and retaining talent is the main reason for using HR technology.

    Step Two: Do Your Research

    As soon as you determine what’s missing and what you’re looking for, it’s time to do your research. There are many types of HR software available to you that will address the specific needs you determined in step one. Whether it’s recruiting or simplifying your automation process, there’s a solution out there for you. Ensure you demo every software presented to determine if it meets all your needs. The goal of HR technology is to make your job simpler.

    Step Three: Involve Employees In The Selection Process

    Business owners make the common mistake of not including their employees in this selection process. Whichever software you decide to choose, your employees will be your change champions, using it daily, so their feedback and buy-in are essential. Have your employees sit in during the demo process, whatever that may look like. When deciding what software features should be implemented, their involvement can be extremely valuable. You want software that’s easy to learn to solve your pain points and aids in the growth of your business. Listen to your employees!

    Step Four: Reach Out To Other Users

    Once you determine what technology you want to begin implementing in your business, reach out to other users who have been utilizing the same software. Hear their success stories. What do they like about it? Is it missing any pain points that you want to be solved? Every software vendor should provide you with a list of references if their product has been valuable to other businesses. If not, that’s your sign to move in another direction.

    Step Five: Determine The Right Price

    Once you’ve completed the above steps, you’ve made it to the most important step, price. As a business owner, the last thing you want to do is our money into your business, while lacking growth. However, the implementation of HR technology is vital for the growth of your business. Reach out to other business owners you know who are utilizing HR technology in their business and ask what they’re paying for it. The size of your business also impacts the price. Doing your research will help determine if you’re paying too much or too little for what you’re looking for.

    GMS’ Technology Drives Your Efficiencies 

    HR technology is an essential aspect of your business as it provides you with a decision-making tool to manage costs and enables you to reduce the time spent on administrative functions. One of the most important value propositions GMS offers our clients is the accessibility to cutting-edge technology. This type of technology is typically out of reach for small to mid-sized businesses. When you partner with GMS, you gain access to GMS Connect, a fully integrated, cloud-based human resources information system (HRIS) that enables your services and drives your efficiencies. Our software enables world-class payroll, benefits, HR, recruiting, performance management, and more – covering the entire HR spectrum from hire to retire. To demo our HRIS, contact us today!

  • On October 13th, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. This will assist employers and workers to determine whether a worker is classified as an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA established minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards that affect employees in the private sector and Federal, State, and local governments.

    An independent contractor is a self-employed individual or entity contracted to perform work for or provides services to, another entity as a non-employee. Independent contractors are not entitled to such benefits because they typically have more flexibility to create their own schedules and work for several different companies at once.

    The proposed rule will provide guidance on classifying workers, and seeks to combat employee misclassification. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), employee misclassification is the practice of labeling workers as independent contractors, rather than employees. It allows employers to avoid paying unemployment and additional taxes on workers, and from covering them on workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance. Misclassifying a worker can cause the following issues:

    • Denies workers’ rights and protections under federal labor standards
    • Promotes wage theft
    • Allows certain employers to gain an unfair advantage over law-abiding businesses
    • Hurts the economy as a whole

    Understanding The Proposed Rule

    The new rule will ultimately preserve essential worker rights and provide consistency for regulated entities. In addition, employers are directed to consider exclusivity under the permanent factor, but it acknowledges that simply having multiple jobs does not necessarily make you an independent contractor. The following are factors that could be considered:

    • The amount of skill required for the job
    • The degree of performance associated with the working relationship
    • The worker’s investment in equipment or material required for daily tasks
    • Service rendered is integral to the employer’s operations

    The Impact A PEO Has On Your Business

    Are you wondering whether your employees are considered independent contractors or not? When you outsource HR functions to a PEO like GMS, you gain resources that help you figure out these decisions. HR outsourcing companies can manage a whole range of responsibilities for your business including payroll, benefits, risk management, and HR. At GMS, we have HR experts to ensure you are staying compliant with the Department of Labor. Contact us today to learn more.

  • California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on September 27th, 2022, stating that all businesses with 15 or more employees must include pay ranges in all their job postings. This bill will take effect on January 1st, 2023. Other states have implemented similar laws including Washington, Colorado, and Connecticut.

    A Deeper Understanding Of California’s New Bill

    In addition to providing applicants with the pay range on the job posting, employers with 100 or more employees must submit a pay data report to the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The report must include the number of employees in the following job categories based on race, ethnicity, and gender:

    • Executive or senior-level officials and managers
    • First of mid-level officials and managers
    • Professionals 
    • Technicians 
    • Sales workers
    • Administrative support workers
    • Craft workers
    • Operatives
    • Laborers and helpers
    • Service workers

    Failure to provide a report each year could result in a fine of $100 per employee. The purpose of record-keeping is to prevent discrimination. 

    The Benefits Of Including Salary Range On Job Postings

    HR professionals often question whether they should include the salary range on a job posting. A vast majority of employers advocate for leaving the salary range off a job application. However, salary information is important to the applicant. So, sharing salary ranges can help attract workers. A survey conducted by LinkedIn showed that 70% of professionals want to hear about salary in the first conversation with the recruiter. So, cut out the middleman, and include it in the job posting. It ultimately saves you time while simultaneously giving vital information to potential candidates.

    Did you know that only 12% of postings from U.S. online job sites include salary ranges? While more and more businesses are beginning to add job pay on their postings, the number of businesses that don’t provide the pay range is still significantly higher than those that already do it. Stand out from your competition. Being upfront and honest about your positions, which means including the compensation, ultimately gives you a competitive advantage in a saturated market.

    Outsource Human Resources Today!

    With ever-changing rules and regulations, it’s vital to ensure you stay compliant. When you partner with GMS, we keep you up to date to ensure compliance. In addition, our HR experts work with you to write eye-catching job descriptions that set you apart from your competition. We conduct market analyses to provide the best pay range for your open positions. Focus on what you do best and allow GMS to handle the rest. Partner with us today!

  • The California legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 2188, which prohibits employers from discriminating against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment based on the individual’s use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace. This bill passed the Senate in late August, gave a concurrence vote in the Assembly, and was finally approved by California Governor Gavin Newsom on September 18th. Governor Newsom signed this bill to strengthen California’s cannabis law, expand the legal cannabis market, and redress the harms of cannabis prohibition. This law will take effect in January 2024.

    Marijuana Laws In California 

    California was the first state to allow medicinal cannabis use when voters passed the Compassionate Use Act in 1996. Medical marijuana refers to using marijuana to treat certain medical conditions, including:

    • Easing pain
    • Controlling nausea and vomiting 
    • Making a person feel like eating
    • Relieving symptoms in people who have multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and epilepsy

    Today, cannabis is legal in California for medicinal and adult recreational use. Recreational marijuana refers to marijuana that is grown and sold recreationally to adults over the age of 21. The cannabis industry is strictly regulated to ensure:

    • Businesses operate safely
    • Products are contaminant-free and labeled to inform purchasers
    • Cannabis is kept away from children

    Although California has made significant progress since the legalization of cannabis, local opposition, rigid bureaucracy, and federal prohibition continue to pose challenges to the industry and consumers.

    Understanding AB 2188

    Bill AB 2188 prevents employers from discriminating against an applicant or employee who fails a drug test that detects non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites in their urine, blood, hair, or bodily fluids. It’s vital for employers to understand the new law and what the test is evaluating at a high level. Tests that are currently available don’t accurately indicate a level of intoxication from marijuana as they would for alcohol. It can be challenging for employers to determine whether someone is impaired and when the substance might have been consumed when a test returns positive.

    As an employer, you can begin implementing practices under the new law, including:

    • Ensuring you have updated policies for drug testing
    • Focusing on the person’s conduct while performing their job duties to determine if they have reasonable suspicion
    • Using the proper drug tests

    How GMS Comes Into Play

    With ever-changing rules and regulations, it’s vital as the business owner to stay up to date with changes. When you partner with GMS, our experts ensure you stay on top of the evolving legislation, so your business remains compliant with state laws. Although marijuana has been legal in California, implementing new rules and policies in the workplace can still be challenging. We work with you to create a simpler, safer, and stronger workplace for you and your employees. Contact us today to start your partnership with GMS.