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  • As you may expect, conflict in the workplace can be a severe issue for a small business. Unresolved conflicts among workers can create a challenging working environment for those involved and those witnessing the dispute. These issues also have a direct impact on the financial well-being of your business. However, certain types of conflict can facilitate growth. It allows us to explore new perspectives and understand different points of view. Of course, resolving the issue quickly is essential so productivity can continue uninterrupted.

    According to a report published by the University of New Mexico, the collective cost of unresolved conflicts can be as high as $300 billion annually for businesses across the country. Other analyses peg the figure at approximately $359 billion in lost revenue.

    Without a way to resolve contentious relationships, you’re inadvertently increasing the risk of developing a dysfunctional workforce that hurts your business in the long run. It’s time to break down the root causes of employee conflicts and how your business can resolve them.

    What Causes Workplace Conflicts?

    Conflict in the workplace can originate from any number of sources. It could be something as simple as a department manager being rude to a new hire or an employee who feels like they’re not treated fairly by their colleagues. At its worst, the root of the conflict can be something such as blatant harassment or inappropriate, lewd behavior.

    Hot-button topics are also notorious for creating unnecessary conflicts at work. The crux of the problem could be anything from political opinions to which sports franchise has more clout. The trick is to have a strategic conflict resolution plan to solve the problem.

    Conflict in the workplace is inevitable, and it can have a serious impact on your business. Here are some of the most common causes of conflict in the workplace:

    • Conflicting goals or expectations that aren’t communicated clearly
    • Lack of communication between employees
    • Poor management skills or leadership style
    • Distrust between employees
    • Mistakes made by individual members of a team

    Five Steps To Resolving Workplace Conflicts

    First, knowing what kind of conflict you’re dealing with is important. There are many different types of conflict that can happen at work or in any other situation where people interact regularly. Some conflicts may be a mere misunderstanding, while others can result in a culture of bullying and harassment. Neither should be taken lightly, but it’s safe to say the latter should be met with a swift response.

    It’s important to have a plan that helps you handle conflict and help everyone work towards a common goal – growing the company and furthering its success. Use the following steps to address conflicts before it’s too late.

    1. Meet with the conflicting parties

      Defining the root cause of the conflict is the first, and arguably most difficult, step. It’s critical to discover how the issue got to this point in the first place. Meeting with the conflicting parties can help you get both sides of the story and identify if the problem is easy to address or will require a more detailed response.

      These meetings should happen in a private, neutral setting. Both parties need to have their voices heard so that each of them acknowledges the other’s perspective. You’ll also want to play the role of an active listener. Ensure both parties know you’re paying attention and obtain as much information as possible to help them come to a reasonable solution.

    2. Investigate the conflict following the meeting

      Following the meeting, it’s always wise to investigate the integrity and the validity of each party’s explanation of how the conflict started in the first place. Often, you’ll discover that the root of the problem is nothing more than a usual misunderstanding between two dedicated, passionate, and career-minded professionals.

    3. Determine ways to truly resolve the conflict and meet a common goal for all parties

      The next step involves a fair amount of creativity on your part. You have to think outside of the box and brainstorm ways to manage and ultimately resolve the issue once and for all.

      This process may require additional communication, investigation, and planning. Don’t be afraid to sit down with both individuals again to openly discuss ways to manage and resolve the conflict. Use this brainstorming session to come up with ideas to de-escalate the situation and come to a conclusion that benefits everyone.

    4. Develop a conclusion

      Once you gather all the information, you can finally decide on the extent of the issue, how the conflict began, how it escalated, and what everyone can do today to put the negativity to rest finally.

      The idea is to lay out a clear plan of action to find common ground and focus on the task at hand: working towards the same goal and furthering the company’s success as an efficient team of skilled professionals. Once this plan is in place, communicate it with the individuals so that they can put an end to the ordeal.

    5. Decide on preventative strategies for the future

      The last step is ensuring this particular conflict doesn’t happen again. Evaluate the situation to see if this conflict can rear its ugly head again. If so, create an action plan to not only avoid conflicts but also quickly address them in the future if they do occur.

    Tips For Approaching Workplace Conflict

    Conflicts in the workplace are inevitable. It’s just a matter of when, where, and how they will occur. Here are some tips to help you manage conflict resolution in the workplace:

    • Understand where the conflict came from: Is it between you and another employee? With your manager? Or did it come from a customer or client? The key is knowing who is involved in having an effective resolution process.
    • Figure out what kind of conflict it is: Are you dealing with a disagreement over ideas or resources? This can help determine how best to resolve the issue at hand.
    • Find out if there are any other issues at stake here: This might include financial issues or personal concerns that need to be addressed as part of solving this problem together and any other factors that may affect its outcome, such as company policy.
    • Develop a conflict resolution plan: If you don’t already have a system in place to resolve conflicts, now is the time to develop one. That plan should detail who should be included (HR, managers…etc.) in the resolution process and the steps you’ll take based on the severity of the conflict.
    • Look for common ground: You don’t want to get caught up in small details when resolving your issue because it can lead to even more problems later. If not addressed effectively, things could escalate further!
    • Don’t make assumptions: When emotions are running high, it’s easy for things to get out of hand quickly—and before you know it, someone has said something regrettable. Don’t make assumptions when it comes to conflict.
    • Hear out all parties involved: Nothing ignites a conflict more than feeling like you’re not heard. Regardless of who may be at fault, listen to all parties with compassion and understanding.
    • Work together: Brainstorm solutions and ways to avoid conflicts like this in the future. This will help create a positive environment for discussion and help prevent things from escalating too quickly into an argument.

    Six Ways Small Businesses Can Minimize Conflict

    While some conflict is inevitable, there are ways to minimize the likelihood of workplace disputes. There are a variety of strategies small businesses can utilize to protect themselves and their employees from these issues.

    Establish written rules and clearly defined company policies

    A good policy will make the conflict resolution process smoother when issues arise. Use your employee handbook to lay out clear guidelines about employee conduct and expectations for individuals within your company. These ground rules will help set the tone for what is and isn’t acceptable and clearly describe the consequences and next steps for misbehavior.

    Hire the right people

    The right employees will be less likely to create conflict. It’s important to not only hire people with the right skills but also a good temperament for your business. You can also conduct background checks to try and identify any red flags that may cause problems in the future. Spend some time to properly vet each prospective employee to minimize the chances of conflict in the future.

    Provide management training

    Another way to minimize the impacts of conflict is better management training. You can’t be everywhere at once throughout the day, so you entrust your management team to be your eyes and ears. Training managers and other appropriate personnel on established policies and identifying brewing conflicts can help your business quell minor issues before they grow into severe problems.

    Create a fair grievance process

    Poor communication is a problem. A fair grievance process is an effective problem-solving tool that allows employees to feel heard and managers to identify the source of conflict before it becomes a bigger issue.

    No matter what policies you put in place, the process needs to be transparent and equitable. The same standards should apply to management and workers. This process will keep everyone accountable to each other and quickly soothe exasperated employees.

    Feedback

    Feedback is what brings the resolution process back to the beginning. You may spend a tremendous amount of time making written procedures and policies – and for good reason – but there’s still plenty to overlook.

    Give employees a way to provide feedback so that they share ideas on how to make the workplace a better place, whether that’s an anonymous tip line or a company email address. This feedback loop can help you fine-tune your policies for your workforce and, hopefully, put petty fights and arguments to rest.

    Protect Your Business From Conflict

    Workplace tension is a recipe for lost productivity and heated arguments. However, it’s not always easy to put conflict resolution strategies into place by yourself. GMS has the human resource experts to provide you with the tools and support you need to manage employee relationships.

    Ready to make your business simpler, safer, and stronger? Contact GMS today about how we can support your business through dedicated service and support.

  • If you’re currently running a business, one of the most important aspects to consider is what your rules, policies, and expectations are. You wear many hats, and setting expectations through word-of-mouth or meetings simply doesn’t cut it when managing employees effectively. The likelihood of your employees remembering these various policies is slim and may lead to misunderstandings or confusion. For this to work, you need a solid system in place to deliver such information. That’s where an effective employee handbook steps in.

    You may think you don’t have time to create an employee handbook, however, creating one is essential to the success of your small business. An employee handbook is a set of guidelines for your employees and a great tool to help maintain company culture and keep expectations in check.

    Why Your Small Business Needs An Employee Handbook

    An employee handbook is a living, breathing document and a foundation for your employee relations efforts. It should be a carefully considered compilation of policies and procedures to help managers guide employees in their daily tasks. This handbook serves as a hub of information that your employees can reference at any time, be it allotted time off, your company dress code, or workplace safety policies. It not only protects your business, but it protects your employees, provides valuable resources to your team, and may even serve as a legal document in case of litigation.

    Writing an employee handbook might seem like something that only occurs at large corporations with many employees, but it’s a good place for any business to start. Employee handbooks are beneficial for any company as they establish your company’s core values and culture.

    If you have been operating your small business for a while, chances are you’ve experienced turnover. This could be due to a myriad of reasons, such as budget constraints, family commitments, or simply personal choice. No matter the reason employees may leave, it’s critical that you document your business policies in the event that they will need retraining in the future.

    Elements Of An Effective Small Business Employee Handbook

    Your small business is an extension of yourself, so it makes sense to consider how you would like it to be represented by your employees. When discussing your employee handbook, you’ll want to think about what kind of language you’re comfortable with. What tone will you take? Will deadlines for different tasks be made explicit? The elements of an effective employee handbook include the following:

    Good organization

    You want your document to be easy to read, easy to understand, and laid out for success. A well-organized handbook is going to be key in these areas. A table of contents at the beginning of this document will help with navigation and ensure that you don’t miss any key components. Adding headers, bullet points, and well-defined sections is key when creating a lengthy document.

    Thoroughness

    Another crucial component: covering all your bases. Your handbook shouldn’t leave anything to the imagination. You’ll want to be concise and clear, especially when it comes to policies and legalities.

    A proper representation of your brand or business

    Your handbook should be an accurate representation of who and what your company is. This includes company values, culture, and mission. A handbook is a place to ensure that rules are being followed, sure. But it’s also a place where you can talk about how you reward your employees and include exciting information. For example, if your business offers unique perks such as seasonal sports tickets or a home office stipend, you can mention these more in-depth in your handbook.

    Inclusion of your brand tone and voice

    Lastly, your handbook should sound like you. Not sure what we mean? Every business or brand has a tone of voice. For some, that may mean a very professional-sounding document, but for others, casual may be the way to go. Any important document is an extension of your business, and because of that, it should be branded! Even if it will only be used for internal purposes.

    What To Include In Your Employee Handbook

    Creating a clear and concise handbook for your employees, that’s easy to read and understand can keep them motivated, focused, and engaged. The first time many employees will read your handbook is when they are hired — so your handbook may be one of their first impressions of your business as an employee. But what should this document include? Some handbook contents may be optional, while others are non-negotiable.

    Employment at-will

    Employment at-will is a legal understanding that allows an employer to dismiss an employee at any time, for any reason, or for no reason at all. It also means the employee is free to leave at any time as well. Typically, at-will employment exists for a 90-day period. This way, either the employee or employer can part ways if the role isn’t a good fit. Employment laws in some states and countries allow this kind of employment, and your business may be one of them. If that’s the case, this should be included in your employee handbook.

    Harassment and bullying

    If you want a happy and motivated workforce, harassment and bullying will not be tolerated. Many companies think their employees know their behavior is inappropriate, but that isn’t true. In fact, an estimated 48.6 million Americans are bullied at work. Effective organizations should have a clearly defined and communicated employee code of conduct that distinguishes unacceptable from acceptable workplace conduct.

    Equal employment practices

    The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin in companies that have at least fifteen employees and work for the Federal government. There are separate laws with similar objectives at the state level. In all countries, there are also laws to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the workplace. A company’s employee handbook can be used to keep track of all rules, regulations, policies, and procedures regarding Equal Employment Opportunities.

    Compensation and benefits

    Your employee handbook is the perfect place to break down how compensation works at your company and what benefits you offer to your team. Even if all your employees are paid different wages, knowing where they can access compensation information or whom they can speak to about these matters is a priority.

    Pay period and payroll

    Every business does payroll differently. You may be on a biweekly schedule, weekly, or even monthly, so it’s important to distinguish these details in your handbook. Here you can also provide information on how employees are paid and whom to contact if there are payroll issues.

    Dress code

    Dress code may not matter for all industries, but for some, it’s a major touchpoint. Being clear about your dress code clears up any confusion and informs your employees on what wardrobe they’ll need to be successful at work.

    Performance evaluations

    Performance evaluations are a key component of a job; however, it can be easy to forget about them amidst the hustle and bustle of work tasks. Be sure to include your evaluation schedules in your handbook, whether they’re twice a year, quarterly, or yearly. This will help your employees be prepared and set reasonable expectations from day one.

    Work hours, breaks, and scheduling

    For some roles, tasks may need to be performed outside regular business hours due to the nature of the job and/or deadlines. In these cases, overtime may be required. In addition, employees are entitled to scheduled break periods in addition to lunch breaks. Breaks will not be unreasonably withheld or delayed and must last at least five minutes under federal law. Meal breaks are typically an hour long, with a 30-minute minimum allowed by law (unless otherwise negotiated with the employee). These details are best presented in your handbook, where employees can access this information at any time.

    Vacation time, sick days, and leaves of absence

    Similar to work hours and breaks, clarifying how much vacation time and sick days your employees are allotted helps with planning purposes. If you have a system where hours are accrued over the course of a pay period, be sure to mention this in your handbook. Leaves of absence can also be a tricky subject with its own set of stipulations, so explaining how to begin this process can aid your employees in the event of health emergencies and life circumstances.

    Workplace safety policies

    The dangers of the workplace, and more specifically, employee safety, are significant issues that help employees, employers, and society as a whole. For any company, it’s important to ensure your employees are properly trained in safety procedures and informed on how to correctly protect themselves from workplace injuries and the policies in place to protect them.

    Employee discipline and termination policies

    There are many reasons why employers need to have policies in place that address employee discipline and termination. However, human resources can be a difficult area to navigate. Making your policies known in your handbook protects you in these cases.

    How To Get Started

    You may have all your policies and work regulations in place but may not know how to get started with making your own employee handbook. Plus, you may not have a dedicated HR department in place, which means that you must take the lead when it comes to setting it up. Appointing who will have a role in the creation process is a major first step. Once that’s settled, here’s a rough outline of what to do next:

    • Meet with your employees and HR: Your employees can be the best way to receive feedback. Ask them questions about what they’d love to see included in your handbook, what’s confusing about your policies, and more. Then meet with your HR department to review ideas and get their input. If you don’t have an HR department, decide who will oversee this project or whether you will contract out this work.
    • Ask yourself what you need to include: By now, you should have a good idea of what to include in your handbook. Asking professionals and researching will also play a big part in this step.
    • Create the handbook outline: Once you’ve decided what to include, it’s time to create an outline. This will serve as a guide for whoever writes your handbook.
    • Write and edit your handbook: This may be something you decide to do on your own or contract out. Regardless of what you decide, this process will take some time, and you will need several revisions to ensure your handbook is written clearly and grammatically.
    • Get the legal stuff handled: Once your handbook looks good, it’s best to have a legal team do a final review. This will help you catch any final policy errors or inconsistencies.
    • Get the handbook to your employees: Now that your handbook is ready, it’s time to get it in front of your employees and add it to your onboarding process.

    Overall, an employee handbook is often a very important aspect of running a successful company. A handbook tells your employees what their basic rights are and what they should expect from their workplace environment. This resource can offer benefits to the entire staff in the form of policies that protect them, educate them, or simply save them time. It’s a crucial document for businesses of any size.

    GMS Can Help You Build A Quality Employee Handbook

    If you’re unsure where to start or have employees who weren’t around when your handbook was last updated, consider partnering with GMS. We can help you design a comprehensive employee handbook that addresses your unique needs and concerns while guiding employees from their first day of work to their last. Contact us today to get started!

  • As we all began to have high hopes that COVID-19 could be over, a new variant has become prominent in the United States. XBB. 1.5. variant, or the so-called “Kraken” variant, has been circulating in many countries and has quickly become the newest dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S. Experts have reported that this variant is more contagious than many of its predecessors, going from 4% of sequences to 40% in just a few weeks. Similar to every other variant we’ve experienced, employers must take steps to ensure that their employees are protected and feel safe coming to work.

    Steps To Take As A Small Business Owner

    Luckily, we’ve all been taking steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workforce. Business owners need to re-evaluate their current pandemic plans to ensure they’re taking the necessary steps to prevent the spread. The following are additional steps you can take:

    • Ensure employees are washing their hands frequently
    • Place hand sanitizer in easy-to-find places for your employees
    • Offer your employees a remote option if they feel uncomfortable coming to work
    • Be mask friendly
    • Offer paid time off to allow those who aren’t feeling well to stay home and prevent infecting other employees

    Unfortunately, COVID-19 doesn’t seem to be going away. While there are many ways to prevent the spread within your workplace, you can’t necessarily keep it from coming in. As a business owner, you need to stay up to speed with the latest news and different procedures other businesses are implementing to protect their employees.

    For more information on how you can protect your employees, click here.

    Partner With GMS

    When you partner with GMS, we help you update your employee handbook to ensure everyone’s on the same page. Whether there’s a new COVID variant or not, you should be updating your handbook at least once per year. Our HR experts work with you to ensure your procedures and processes are up to date and are exactly what you want for your business. Contact us today to learn more.

  • Burnout. The feeling we’ve all experienced. As we wrap up 2022, we all get in the holiday spirit and get distracted from our jobs. Oftentimes, this time of year is a time when we get that burnt-out feeling of not wanting to give it our all. 48% of employees and 53% of managers report that they’re burned out at work. Job burnout is a type of work-related stress – a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. The following are common characteristics of burnout:

    • Frequent illness
    • Disengagement and detachment
    • Feelings of frustration or helplessness
    • Loss of motivation

    What Causes Burnout?

    Even though burnout has become simply “part of the job” for many workers across the world, the organizational cost of burnout is substantial. Burned-out employees are 63% more likely to take sick days and 2.6 times as likely to be actively looking for a different job. Your job as a business owner is to ensure your employees don’t have these feelings before they choose to look elsewhere. The first step in doing so is understanding what can cause your employees to feel burned out. It may come as a surprise that the main factors driving employee burnout have less to do with expectations for hard work and performance and more to do with how someone is managed.

    The main factors that cause burnout include the following:

    • Unmanageable workload
    • Challenging to find a work/life balance
    • Feelings of having little or no control over your work
    • Pressure
    • Disconnect in values
    • Lack of support from managers, feedback, fairness and equity, participation in decision making

    How To Prevent Burnout

    Fortunately, you can prevent burnout from happening. You need to start by addressing the true causes of employee burnout. Perhaps you enforce weekly or bi-weekly meetings with your employees to check in on them. This will create a workplace environment that empowers employees to feel and perform their best, eliminating that feeling of burnout. Additional steps you can take as a leader for your employees is by considering the following:

    • Hold meetings in a different setting
    • Promote work/life balance
    • Monitor workloads and schedules
    • Encourage employees to use vacation time
    • Provide work-from-home options
    • Prioritize workplace wellness
    • Enforce management wellness
    • Create goals and career paths
    • Practice open communication
    • Lead by example
    • Welcome employee feedback

    The list is never-ending. You have to determine what works best for each employee, which you won’t know until you meet with them one-on-one. This is a time for you to get creative. Perhaps you create a contest with prizes to add a new dynamic to everyone’s daily routine, or maybe you do an exercise break once a day.

    Wondering Where To Start?

    Engaged employees drive concrete business results. When employees aren’t experiencing burnout, they’re more energized, enthusiastic, and focused. Step out of your normal work style and change it up a bit. Not sure where to start? GMS has you covered. Our performance review systems provide you with resources to provide your employees with consistent feedback, develop employees’ careers, goal setting, and so much more. In addition, our benefits department works with you to develop a benefits package your employees want and need. Whether you provide them with personal days or additional benefits they can use when they do reach that feeling of burnout, we help you every step of the way. We’re in this together. Contact us today to learn more.

  • Human resources (HR) outsourcing is an essential aspect of HR management. The hectic schedule of managing a company makes it nearly impossible for a manager to handle all the duties connected with HR. That’s where HR outsourcing comes in handy. It allows a business leader to focus on the day-to-day activities that are falling behind due to HR tasks.

    In today’s competitive market, finding the right partner for HR outsourcing can be challenging. Firms need to determine what they are looking for in a partner and what they need to focus on when evaluating them. You want to work with a company that will make your life easier, not harder. Similar to anything else, it requires the right research and knowledge beforehand so you can identify which firms best fit the job.

    Your Needs

    The first part of this process is asking yourself, “What do I want to gain from this partner?” “What are our needs?” This is not only a big step in identifying what needs to happen, but the HR consulting partner will want to know this too.

    Recruitment and payroll are two big services that you should consider outsourcing. These services take an extensive amount of time, focus, and resources. However, an HR consulting firm can easily handle this for you. The following are additional aspects to consider on your end:

    • Budget and costs
    • Who will be the key point of contact
    • Who will help vet this new partner
    • Who will assist with onboarding this new partner

    Specific Area Of Expertise And Experience 

    There is a whole market of HR consulting firms, but not all of them are alike. Some may specialize in specific services, while others are not niche enough. Choosing this partner will be dependent on what your needs are and whether their services align with these needs.

    Take a look at their knowledge, portfolio, and experience to gain a better understanding of what companies they have serviced in the past. Are these companies similar to yours? Did they have the same needs? What solutions did they offer? These are all important factors to consider when choosing the right partner.

    The best way to determine whether a provider is a good fit for your business is by interviewing them and asking questions about their experience and expertise with similar clients. This will also help you understand how well they will work with your team and handle specific challenges related to your industry or company culture.

    Proof Of Trustworthiness

    An important trait for anyone who wants to work closely with clients is integrity, a quality that can only be achieved through experience and hard work. The best partners are those who know how important it is for them to maintain their reputation. Not to mention, honesty and trustworthiness are a priority in HR, so you want to make sure your partner exhibits these qualities before you sign on the dotted line. Asking for proof of results and case studies for the firm is not only okay but it’s encouraged. This is a great time for the firm to discuss its skills and accomplishments with other clients.

    You need to find a service provider with a good reputation in the industry and one who can meet your needs and expectations. If you still don’t know where to start, ask around or look at their website for testimonials from past clients.

    Understanding Changes And Delivering Results

    A cookie-cutter approach is not the way to go with an HR partner. You want a firm that will tailor their approach to best fit your needs. Because of this, services will ultimately change and evolve over time to continue delivering great results. Trust your partner in this and talk through it accordingly. The goal is for them to provide solutions, and change is a key sign that it’s working.

    Communication Is Set In Stone

    Communication in HR is one of the most important factors. How does this firm communicate with your employees? Do they listen to their needs? These details could make or break a business partnership. Take good note of how responsive they are at the start and how regularly they touch base with you. Are you consistently talking about goals and deadlines you agreed to? You should be speaking regularly with your partner and have frequent reporting calls.

    Updated On The Latest Trends

    The right partner will be well-versed in the latest trends in the field of HR. They should be able to keep up with new laws and regulations, which may affect your business. A good partner will also have access to industry news and information, which they can use to help you make decisions regarding your company. The ability to adapt quickly is critical for any business that wants to succeed in today’s economy.

    A good candidate will not only know all the latest legislation, but they’ll also be able to provide ideas on how these changes may affect your company — and what steps you should take now to prepare yourself for what’s coming down the pike.

    Good Organizational Skills

    An experienced HR consultant should be able to organize all the information you give them into a coherent report that outlines what needs to be fixed and how best to address these issues going forward. A good sense of organization means that they will be able to manage their time, prioritize tasks, and work with you to create a realistic plan of action. They should be able to communicate effectively and clearly and be able to answer your questions in a timely manner.

    Your Goals Align 

    An HR partner should understand what matters most to you and what goals you have for your organization. They should be able to provide insights into how they can help move those goals forward while also offering recommendations. They’ll be able to provide you with insights into what you need to do in order to attract and retain top talent, and they’ll also be able to help you develop strategies for building employee engagement.

    If you want to find an HR partner who will add value to your business, keep an eye out for the following:

    • They have experience working with startups
    • They understand your industry 
    • They have worked with other companies like yours
    • They are familiar with your specific challenges

    The Price Is Right

    Budget is another consideration when choosing an HR consulting partner. With any business relationship, you don’t want to get yourself into something that could cost more than expected or take longer than expected. However, it’s also important to have realistic expectations here, too. A good quality partner will not come cheap. If a vendor is charging less than average for their services, then it’s possible that they’re cutting corners in other areas, such as quality of service or experience level. This is definitely something to steer away from.

    While it’s tempting to go for the cheapest option, this may not be the best decision. It’s important to look at the total cost of ownership and see how much time and money each option will save you in the long run.

    New Year, New HR Partner!

    Now is the best time to consider your business efforts and find ways to improve next year. This might mean improving your HR solutions, too. GMS is here to help you. Whether you want to revamp your benefits offerings to provide more paid time off (PTO) or begin implementing a shorter workweek, our experts are here every step of the way. Ready to get started? Contact us now.

  • We are all aware of performance views by now and what they entail. Your organization’s goals, team members’ development, and the leader themselves are all fair game in an effective review. But your organization is constantly growing, changing, and evolving — it’s not practical to create the same plan every 90 or 60 days. As a leader, how can you help others succeed and develop while impacting the culture of your organization?

    Review planning is often overlooked in organizations as leaders, managers, and supervisors are busy focusing on the work that’s most essential to their success. It doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, ongoing review planning for your leaders is essential to organizational productivity and growth. When you implement an investment plan for reviewing your leaders’ future potential, you will see a positive impact on your team’s efficiency and performance throughout the organization.

    What Is A Review Plan?

    According to recent findings from a study conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership, 88% of leaders fail in their first 18 months. That’s a scary statistic and should be enough to convince most leaders that before they assume their new roles, they need a structured review plan.

    Review plans help new leaders in your organization understand what behaviors you want them to achieve and how you want them to achieve them. By writing out a review plan, you can help:

    • Give clear expectations upfront
    • Ensure all employees are reviewed consistently 
    • Ensure that your review plan includes all the key areas of a performance review

    What To Cover In Review Plans

    I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” That is especially true in the business world. Review plans guide leaders and managers through the critical process of providing feedback to employees on their job performance and accomplishments. Feedback, setting goals, and providing resources are all key to creating an effective leader. But what does an effective review plan even look like? What should get covered?

    It’s a good practice to establish a formal, documented plan for conducting performance reviews for both supervisory and non-supervisory employees. It can be beneficial for managers and employees to have a standard process with set timelines and expectations. The following are key characteristics of a solid review plan:

    • Document it: A review should be well-documented whether you use current software or create your own filing system. This makes it easy to look back on in the future and assess growth and development.
    • Set a timeline: Reviews don’t have to be an annual thing. When bringing on new hires, 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day reviews can be crucial to the success and onboarding of an employee. This allows them to present challenges or discuss expectations. After that, feel free to switch to a six-month or annual review cadence. 
    • Create room for discussion: Apart from anything, a review should be a time to have a safe and honest discussion. This creates a space where the employee can ask questions and bring up circumstances that they can learn from. 
    • Allow feedback: Some companies opt for peer reviewing for reviews, and others choose to have higher-ups give the feedback. Whatever you choose, make sure it fits your company culture and the goals you hope to reach through a solid review plan. If you opt for peer review, make sure it’s anonymous.
    • Set goals: Reviews are an ideal time to set goals to reach by the next review. Perhaps this employee wants to become a manager or learn a new skill. Whatever these goals might be, discuss them honestly and plan to have follow-up discussions to check in on progress.
    • Express needs: Whether you have requests for this employee or they have requests for you, a review allows space to make those needs known. Perhaps they need a better workspace or want to change their schedule. Creating room to speak about these things only leads to a better work culture.
    • Discuss accomplishments and challenges: Lastly, talk about wins and fails. It’s ok not to have it all figured out, and as humans, we all make mistakes. What’s important is that we learn from them while also remembering to celebrate our accomplishments.

    Everyone wants to be a better leader, and review plans certainly help. It’s not an easy role, and it takes time, practice, and discipline. That’s why most leaders will have mentors, coaches, and other resources they can lean on during this time of growth. One of the best ways to do this is by going a step beyond and creating a leadership development program.

    What Is A Leadership Development Program?

    There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all leadership development program. Effective and productive leadership development programs are designed according to the individual needs of each leader in your organization. However, it can be helpful to structure your leader training sessions with a well-thought-out structured approach.

    Leadership development programs cover everything from goals, performance reviews, professional growth and development, ratings, learning opportunities, check-ins, and more. It gives leadership a tangible way to assess how they’re doing and what they could improve while also consistently learning.

    Why Should You Create A Leadership Development Program?

    With the right tools, your leadership development program can help you change or refine your approach to leadership roles. It can also provide a framework for building a personal brand within the company. Creating a leadership development program will give your employees the tools they need to succeed and an opportunity to feel seen and heard.

    These programs also give peers the opportunity to review each other anonymously, which creates a judgment-free and honest work environment. This feedback can be instrumental in setting communication goals and strengthening work relationships. Some of the benefits of leadership development programs are that it:

    • Sharpens everyone’s communication skills so that individuals have a better understanding of how to work as a team, boosting teamwork, and collaboration
    • Helps guide a business toward success and growth opportunities 
    • Helps manage change and demonstrates what adaptability looks like
    • Demonstrates confidence and authority in project leadership
    • Promotes an educating, empowering, and encouraging company culture
    • Helps with employee retention

    How To Create A Leadership Development Program

    There is not a one-size-fits-all to a good leadership development plan. However, there are several methods you can use when building one out. It’s important to ask yourself what you want to gain from it. Here are some questions to consider:

    • What does our leadership currently look like? 
    • What are common problems we’d like to solve?
    • Do our leaders feel set up for success?
    • Do we have a culture of feedback and transparency?

    Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, now it’s time to develop a program. It’s critical to remember that, as a leader, your role is to develop future leaders in the organization. All new hires will eventually join your team as managers, so this program can be used for any employee, regardless of their title. Leadership development methods can include:

    • Leadership workshops: This is the most common way of going through leadership training, focusing on one topic at a time. Workshops usually involve hands-on activities or example scenarios. This gives a real-life approach to situations.
    • Leadership seminars: Seminars are for larger groups of people and offer an interactive way for teams to learn together and network with other professionals.
    • Online courses: If you’re looking to learn at your own pace, an online leadership course can be a great option. Not only does this work great for being a better manager, but they also are handy in learning or brushing up on new skills.
    • Leadership conferences: Conferences help those already in leadership positions strengthen existing skills. It’s also a great opportunity to learn from other great leaders and share that knowledge.
    • Review plans: While we already covered this, review plans are a huge part of a healthy leadership development plan. Without reviews, it’s difficult to determine what needs improvement and what you’re doing well.
    • Consistent coaching and one-on-ones: You already have great leaders within your organization. Having your current employees shadow them and meet with them creates an environment of coaching. Consistent one-on-ones with managers allow leaders to create ongoing goals and opportunities to ask for advice.

    Putting Leadership Development Into Practice

    You might be thinking to yourself, “This all sounds like a lot of work.” And it is. However, if you want to retain good quality leaders, investing in them is key. Leadership development isn’t just extra tasks and things to do – it’s a culture. To truly put this into practice, you must create an environment that is development friendly. You can do this by:

    • Setting expectations: Let current employees know that this is happening. Meet with them to introduce them to this new program and how review plans work. This is a time when they can ask questions.
    • Enforce this plan: A plan only works if people are filling out the reviews and attending the one-on-ones. While things happen and meetings may need moved, be sure to follow up and express the importance of the leadership development plan.
    • Incorporate it into your onboarding: When onboarding new leadership, enforce and discuss this program from the start. Inform them of your review cycles and create training resources that are focused on development.

    Your company will benefit greatly from putting leadership and feedback at the forefront. Doing so weeds out leaders who may not be a good fit for your company and rewards leaders who do a great job. Not only that, but this plan can build up those qualities in all of your employees, which means better work and happier employees.

    Create Leadership Programs And Review Plans With Ease

    Review plans allow you the opportunity to grow leaders and talent in your organization but creating and managing them can be daunting. Recruiting, hiring, and training staff is time-consuming and costly. See how GMS can assist with training and recruiting for your company by reaching out today! Contact us to learn more.

  • For businesses located in areas affected by winter storms, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with wage and hour rules. There can be severe winter storms that prevent employees from coming to work. As a business owner, you may question if and when you need to pay employees affected by weather-related disruptions. Whether your employees are late for work due to road conditions, having to shovel their driveways, kids’ schools being closed, or even the business being closed, it’s critical that you understand your responsibility in all situations. However, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and other state laws don’t stop, even during a blizzard.

    What You Must Know

    Employee pay ultimately comes down to the following factors:

    • Non-exempt status
    • Exempt status
    • State and Federal laws
    • Company policies

    Non-exempt status

    Pay for non-exempt, hourly employees is straightforward, with a few exceptions. Non-exempt workers are entitled to minimum wage and overtime pay when working more than 40 hours per week. These workers are to be paid for the hours they work. If the employer closes the business early or the employee is late due to road conditions, they only need to be paid for the time they work.

    However, in some states, there are laws in place for “reporting time pay” or “show-up pay” that requires non-exempt employees to be paid for a certain number of hours whenever the employees report to work as scheduled, even if work isn’t available. In addition, state and city laws could affect an employee’s pay, which requires an employer to allow an employee to use paid leave for an absence related to a snow emergency or school closing. As laws vary from state to state, you must stay on top of the ever-changing rules and regulations.

    Exempt status

    Exempt employees do not receive overtime pay and don’t qualify for minimum wage as they are typically paid a salary rather than by the hour. During the winter months, when roads are dangerous, and businesses shut down, it matters whether the employer is closed for business, or the employee is unable or unwilling to come to work because of the weather. For example, if a business is closed because of weather conditions, exempt employees must be paid their normal salary for the week if they’ve worked at least one day throughout that week.

    However, if the business is open but the employee chooses not to come in due to a storm, then the FLSA permits the employer to treat that as personal time off. Should an employee arrive late or leave early due to poor driving conditions, the FLSA does not permit employers to deduct partial days from these workers’ wages. Depending on state or local laws, it could require more from an employer than federal law does.

    Let’s Have A Compliant Winter Season

    Any business owner who has experienced winter storms understands it can have a drastic effect on one’s business. From having to shut your business down for the day to employees not coming to work due to dangerous driving conditions, you’ve been there. It’s time to have a safe and compliant winter season and partner with GMS. Our experts can help you navigate the intricacies of wage and hour laws. Megan Wagner, PHR, GMS’ Client Services Manager, emphasizes, “One of the biggest ways employers can prepare for winter is to develop handbook policies addressing inclement weather. These policies should include details on how employees will be notified if the business closes, whom they should notify if they are unable to make it to work, and who is eligible to work remotely when conditions preclude commuting into the office. You also must consider if your non-exempt employees can work remotely for part of the day, and how a later commute should be noted on their timesheet. Companies are required to comply with FLSA guidelines regardless of weather conditions, so employers need to understand how to manage exempt versus non-exempt time.”

    Contact us today to learn more.

  • As 2022 comes to an end, it’s an excellent time to start thinking about your year-end performance reviews. During these annual performance reviews, managers usually evaluate and discuss an employee’s overall performance. It’s typically a formal conversation about an employee’s:

    • Achievements
    • Goals
    • Opportunities
    • Areas to improve on
    • Responsibilities 
    • Strengths

    As a business owner, you’ve probably conducted many of these before; however, having a strategic plan is vital for a prosperous new year. In addition, the Great Resignation and the effects of inflation forced employees to quit their jobs and go elsewhere, which provides them with better benefits and flexibility. These reviews can be an excellent time for your employees to discuss their concerns and allow you to address them before it’s too late.

    How To Make The Most Out Of Year-End Reviews

    Conducting performance reviews multiple times throughout the year helps you understand how well your employees are performing and how satisfied they are. 92% of employees want feedback more often than just once a year. However, focusing on your business takes up the majority of your time and can take away from being able to conduct these reviews more frequently. So, if you’re only conducting a year-end review, we’re here to provide insights on how you can make the most out of them.

    Let’s start with the basics. Performance reviews should include the following steps:

    1. Set clear goals for the process

    Alongside the standard goals of measuring and evaluating employee performance, consider the company-specific objectives you might want to include throughout all reviews. You should have a process in place that all managers in your organization use to ensure you’re consistent.

    2. Create structure and tools 

    Determine what tools you’ll be utilizing in the reviews or, if applicable, what structure you’ll use. For example, the most common tools used in businesses include an evaluation rubric, a pre-meeting and post-meeting reflection sheet, a goal-setting template, and an agenda. Whichever tools you decide to use, it’s essential that you have a digital copy and a place to store them for the duration of the employee’s tenure with the organization. You want to be able to look back at these reviews every time you conduct a new one to examine how the employee has improved over time.

    3. Clarify employer and employee roles and responsibilities 

    Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of both parties makes for a more prepared and engaging conversation. Explaining your responsibilities as their leader shows them that you’re there to help them succeed and provide employees with the necessary resources. Refreshing your employees of their roles and responsibilities is also an excellent way to make for a more impactful review

    4. Seek employee feedback

    If you conduct one annual review, it’s essential that you listen to your employees and allow them to provide feedback. Positive and negative employee feedback is essential as it helps break bad habits, reinforces positive behavior, and enables teams to work more effectively toward their goals. When employees feel confident enough to share feedback with their manager, it creates a better work environment.

    5. Evaluate the process periodically

    Once you have a year-end review that works for you and your employees, consider evaluating it periodically. Monitor the progress of your performance review process against the established goals. Are there areas in which you can improve upon? Are your employees taking something useful out of these? Are they helping you grow your business?

    Best Practices For Your Business

    We all understand how much time it can take to conduct performance reviews. Nonetheless, you understand the importance of these reviews and how it makes for a more productive workforce. As a business owner, performance management is critical to making training, career development, compensation, and promotion decisions. It allows you to set clear goals and expectations for each employee and provide feedback about their performance related to these goals. Joe Wenger, GMS’ Senior HR Generalist stated, “Annual performance reviews are essential. However, it’s necessary for management to meet with employees on a more frequent and informal basis to review goals and progress throughout the year. This approach allows for any necessary adjustments to be made as needed if any significant changes within the company have occurred. It keeps employees on track and reinforces the value of everyone’s role in achieving team and individual goals alike.”

    In addition, performance management is valued by employees as it can offer opportunities for them to grow within your organization and, ultimately, advance their careers. Partnering with a professional employer organization (PEO) like GMS makes your job much easier. GMS provides you with a performance review system that provides you with the following:

    • Consistent feedback
    • Employee development
    • Goal setting
    • Tracking and documentation
    • Reporting
    • Customizable email templates and calendar invites
    • Training and implementation

    Want to make the most out of your performance reviews? Contact us today to get started. 

  • As a business owner, training your employees is essential to growing your business. Training your employees allows them to expand their knowledge base and improve their skill set to become more effective. While this process can be costly, the return on investment is greater when you’re consistent. Companies that invest in training experience 24% higher profit margins. When you implement a strong training program, fewer employees will leave, translating to significant cost savings.

    The following are reasons why you should implement training programs for your employees:

    • Improves skills and knowledge
    • Prepares employees for higher responsibilities 
    • Shows your employees they are valued
    • Satisfies the recommendations of performance appraisals

    Developing a great work culture relies heavily on providing your employees with resources to learn and grow. How will you ensure your employee receives the training they desire?

    Train The Trainer

    While having an internal training program is a powerful way to ensure your employees are enhancing their skills and knowledge, other approaches exist. The train-the-trainer model is a framework for training employees into experts on a subject to enable them to then train other individuals within your business. For example, a group of employees with excellent leadership skills receives leadership training. Once they learn how to be an excellent leader, they will then teach this content to future employees.

    The effectiveness of this technique lies in its ability to teach new skills to a wide range of individuals by using internal resources to scale up the delivery of training. The following are the benefits of this training technique:

    • A tailored experience
    • A cost-effective practice
    • Development of an internal training team
    • Allows new employees to ask follow-up questions once the training has concluded
    • Internal trainers understand your business better than any external trainer could, allowing them to better tailor their training

    Alyse Kimble, Training and Development Coordinator at GMS expresses, “Developing the next generation of leaders is the top challenge for 5% of CEOs. Only 63% of millennials believe that they are being fully developed as a leader by their employers for management positions. This not only causes a problem with employee retention, but it’s also causing headaches for HR departments as they struggle to build strong benches for leadership openings within their organization. Having a leadership development plan for your organization is key to your business’s success.”

    How To Get Started

    Determining the best option for you and your business might take time. However, at the end of the day, you need to do what’s best for your employees. Your employees want training programs and a path to career advancement opportunities within your business. According to a survey, 76% of employees seek career growth opportunities and training programs. If you’re interested in implementing a train-the-trainer model, follow the steps below to receive the best results to improve your bottom line.

    1. Define your goals – You must determine what you want your train-the-trainer course to achieve. Do you want to train them to onboard new employees? Do you want to build a core team of trainers who will train the entire organization when a new product is released? How often do you want them to train other employees?

    2. Define how you measure progress – How will you track progress towards these goals in the above step?

    3. Design your train-the-trainer course

    4. Create training materials

    GMS Has Your Back

    Training employees, whether they are current or new, takes an extensive amount of time; however, if you do it right, it’s worth it in the long run. When you partner with GMS, we ensure it’s done right. You’ll gain access to online employee training programs targeted to your employees’ specific job functions. The software allows you to streamline job training, improve employee performance, and reduce learning costs for learning platforms and in-person training. Contact our experts today to learn more.

  • The thought of working fewer hours and having more days off each week sounds great, doesn’t it? Many businesses have implemented shorter workweeks already, such as Basecamp, Bolt, and Panasonic, and have experienced significant benefits. Researchers found that businesses that adopted a four-day workweek found that 78% of their employees were happier, 70% were less stressed, and 62% took fewer days off.

    Background Of The Traditional Workweek

    Before we dive into what it means to implement a four-day workweek, let’s recall how the 40-hour workweek came to life. Almost 100 years ago, the U.S. revolutionized the way we worked by introducing a 40-hour “typical” workweek. The Industrial Revolution was a chaotic time forcing labor laws and practices to be tested.

    Henry Ford, an American industrialist who founded the Ford Motor Company, was the first to examine productivity and found that the more individuals worked, the less productive they were. This was the start of the standard 40-hour workweek. From there, the Fair Labor Standards Act was implemented in 1938, providing overtime pay for those who worked more than 40 hours within a week. This forced employers to create schedules so employees weren’t working overtime.

    Deep Dive Into A Four-Day Workweek

    Since COVID-19 and the Great Resignation, the typical 40-hour workweek has been a hot topic. It’s forced a new level of flexibility as remote work has become increasingly popular, encouraging employees to find more flexible careers. With work-life balance perks becoming more favored, businesses have begun testing and implementing the four-day workweek.

    A shorter work week usually means employees are in the office four days per week instead of five. While businesses have already implemented the four-day workweek, others have their employees complete four, 10-hour days. The truly shortened workweek reduces hours worked, usually 32 hours per week. You might be thinking that having your employees work fewer hours might not seem like the best idea. However, we’re here to tell you that it benefits you, your employees, and your business.

    The following are the benefits of implementing a shorter workweek:

    • Reduces company costs
    • Reduces employee costs
    • Greater work-life balance
    • Happier employees
    • Improved employee well-being
    • Increased productivity 
    • Attracts more job applicants

    A Guide To Implementing The Four-Day Workweek

    All of these benefits sound perfect, don’t they? You may wonder where to begin or test it to see if it’s a good fit for your business. We will start with the bad news. Moving to a four-day workweek will require serious task reprioritization and workload reorganization. Now the good news. Implementing a shorter workweek can be done through the following steps:

    • Set clear guidelines
    • Use automation and artificial intelligence
    • Free up your and your employees’ to-do lists
    • Reduce the time spent on meetings
    • Inform your clients about the switch
    • Keep track of your key performance indicators (KPIs)

    With businesses already implementing this shortened schedule for their workers, the results are overwhelmingly positive. Companies have reported a 40% increase in productivity.

    New Year, New Schedule!

    As the new year approaches, it’s a great time to analyze your business efforts and find ways to improve next year. While this may seem stressful and challenging to jump into, GMS is here to help you. Whether you want to revamp your benefits offerings to provide more paid time off (PTO) or begin implementing a shorter workweek, our experts are here every step of the way. Our goal is to help you and your employees succeed by simplifying your business. Contact us now.