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Human Resources News

HR News You Can Use – MAY 2017

In This Issue:

HR Updates & Reminders

  • April 24: President Trump appointed Philip Miscimarra as Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). A member of the NLRB since 2013, he has been serving as the Acting Chairman since President Trump took office in January. President Trump will also be appointing two new members to the NLRB.
  • April 27: The Senate confirmed Alexander Acosta as the Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL). It will be interesting to see how the overtime rules proposed by the Obama administration will ultimately be resolved.
  • May 2: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and change the private sector “comp time” rules. Not clear whether this will pass the U.S. Senate, but there’s a glimmer of hope that the private sector may have similar opportunity that the public sector enjoys today, to offer comp time to non-exempt employees in limited circumstances. This is one to watch, too.
  • May 4: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka “Obamacare”. This will likely look very different when it emerges from the U.S. Senate. House Speaker Paul Ryan said he thinks it will take the Senate a “month or two” to work through their form of the bill. In the meantime, it is pretty much business as usual for employers in regards to ACA employer requirements.

 

 

What Makes Good People Quit??

I’ve written in this HR newsletter about the importance of offering competitive pay, and benefits employees want, as means to attract the skill sets your company needs. But perhaps you have heard the phrase: people don’t leave jobs; they leave managers.

 

A recent Corporate Leadership Council study of over 50,000 people revealed that motivated employees are 87% less likely to quit their job, and Gallup research shows that 70% of an employee’s motivation is influenced by his or her manager. So: how good are your managers at motivating their best and brightest employees? Here are some manager attributes that may send your employees to the company up the road…

  1. They overwork their best performers. They don’t mean to, but they can send a message that they’re being punished for great performance. And, new research from a Stanford study shows that productivity per hour declines sharply when the workweek exceeds 50 hours.
  2. They don’t recognize contributions and reward good work. Managers need to understand their employees to know what makes them feel good, and reward them appropriately for going the extra mile…or more.
  3. They fail to develop their employee’s skills. Most talented employees want feedback, and want to improve and expand their skill set. Good managers are paying attention, listening to their employees and giving them feedback.
  4. They don’t care about their employees. Managers need to understand the balance between being professional and being human. Celebrating employee success, empathizing when the employee is going through a tough time, and challenging them – all are important to showing your employee that you care.
  5. They don’t honor their commitments. When you uphold a commitment, you grow in the eyes of your employees because you prove you are trustworthy and honorable – qualities we all want our boss to have. Not doing so is a sign of disrespect.
  6. They hire and promote the wrong people. Good hard-working employees want to work with others with the same work ethic. It’s demotivating when the manager hires the wrong person, forcing the good employee to work alongside poor performers. What can be even worse is when the manager promotes the wrong person — by passing over the best and brightest.
  7. They fail to engage creativity. Your most talented employees want to improve everything they are involved with. Not allowing them the latitude to do that, perhaps because you don’t like change, limits them and limits the success of your organization.
  8. They don’t challenge people intellectually. Great bosses challenge their employees by setting lofty goals that push the best performers out of their comfort zone. A good manager will then do everything they can to help their employee be successful.

 

The manner in which a manager treats his or her employee can mean the difference between a great employee staying and moving your company forward, or taking their talent elsewhere. You might want to share this list at your next staff meeting, as food for thought. Remember: even in the worst economy, the best employees always have options!

 

Beware of Sodium Overload!

You probably didn’t know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend no more than 2300 milligrams/day of sodium (or only 1500 milligrams if you are over age 50). Yet, in a recent study they conducted, the average sodium intake is 3501 milligrams/day. Wow! Perhaps it isn’t surprising, though, when you consider that 71% of salt intake comes from processed foods. We are eating at more fast food restaurants, getting take-out while we’re running between all our family and work commitments, and not always stopping to think about what is in the food we’re eating. Table salt is one name for it (sodium chloride), but MSG, sodium nitrite, sodium saccharine and sodium bicarbonate are other forms of salt that might show up in everyday foods like soy sauce, garlic salt and bouillon cubes. Elevated blood pressure and kidney issues are some of the downsides of too much salt in your diet. What to do? Here are some tips:

  • Cook from scratch, so you know exactly what’s going into your food.
  • At restaurants, ask what is prepared salt free.
  • At home, instead of adding salt, substitute spices, herbs and salt free blends.
  • Eat lots of fresh fruit and produce, as they have essentially no sodium.

 

Bon appetite! Eat well and live healthier~~

 

This newsletter is not intended to provide legal guidance to you. We welcome your input on topics you would like to learn more about, and encourage you to contact the author of this newsletter, Caryl Kuchman, SHPR, SHRM-SCP at 803.729.8398 or at [email protected] if you have questions on any information presented.

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