January 8, 2019

[HR] 2018 Learnings & Best Practice Focus for 2019

January 8, 2019

It's been a week into the New Year already! Talk about "Time Flies"! We wanted to share a quick statistical recap for the 2018 year from the complimentary Beneplan XAP HR consulting service for our clients and suggest key areas of focus for your business in 2019.We ended 2018 with a total of 377 cases from 95 clients. Comparatively, for 2017, we had 210 cases from 70 clients.The top four categories of client cases were the following:

  • Employee Relations - 28%
  • Benefits & Disability Issues - 23%
  • Termination & Separations - 17%
  • Compliance & Legal items - 17%

As a business operating in a dynamic environment and often caught at the confluence of dealing with Legislative changes, Industry challenges and Human obligations, here are the top 5 top of mind things to focus on and implement in your organization that'll go a long way in creating a robust foundation for your team and business sucesses:DocumentationEnsuring that you've "dotted your i's and crossed your t's" when it comes to all forms of documentation in the employee life cycle, beginning with robust employment contracts, clearly documented and communicated , un-ambiguous company policies, objective directives & work processes and fair, compassionate treatment of employees throughout the year.CoachingA focus on continuous improvement for your most valuable resource - your employees. Coach, motivate, and train your team in a timely and appropriate manner. Remember to document all of your interactions even if it is with a simple email or note, dated and appropriately acknowledged by both parties at the discussion table. These should be maintained in the employee file.Performance ManagementWorking hand in hand with the previous point, ensure that you are bringing undesirable behaviors or performance issues to the attention of the employee concerned, in a timely but respectful manner. Never shy away from providing corrective actions for the issue addressed and if necessary, for repeated infractions, issue a documented performance improvement plan (PIP) to be operated over a period of time and with clear consequences for not being successful. Again, remember to document all of your interactions, dated and appropriately acknowledged by both parties at the discussion table. These should be maintained in the employee file. The most important thing about this point is follow-up. Close off the issue with a follow-up, every time.Legislative ComplianceEnsure that you are on top of any compliance changes including Health & Safety and Employment Standards. Review your knowledge resources and be aware of changes in legislation that might impact your business or your employee interactions. You should never be caught flatfooted with a "I didn't know!" especially when it comes to changes impacting employee issues. A good resource to follow, is the Beneplan Blog for clients which will assist in keeping your business up to date on any changes.Employee RelationsIn all your employee interactions be understanding, compassionate and fair. "To Err is Human" goes the saying, so where possible, give people the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to be better. Working in partnership with employees builds loyalty and creates an invaluable resource for the organization. As necessary, document any temporary agreements or short term accomodations that you may put in place to help manage work, life and the balance, for your employee(s). And if things don't work as it sometimes happens, you can rely on coaching and perfromance management as covered above, before you invoke the process of termination of employment.If you're a Beneplan client, please call or email us to get help with these or any other organizational HR issue that you may face. Also, dont forget the HR Toolkit section of your client login, for document resources.If you're not yet a Beneplan client, check out our value proposition and let us help you build a better group benefits plan for your organization. Ask about our free, no obligations quote.We wish everyone a very successful 2019!

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