Human Resources

By Andrew J. Sherman
Seyfarth Shaw LLP

My latest book, The Crisis of Disengagement, discusses the multifaceted workplace dilemma — disengagement. It examines how apathy and complacency effects leadership and governance, company culture, fellow peers and team members, and lastly, the individual itself.  Layer by layer, I uncover the impact disengagement has on innovation, creativity, productivity, and profitability within an organization and in our communities.

At the America’s SBDC Annual Meeting in Orlando in the Fall of 2016, I gave a “Small Talk” sponsored by American Express where I discussed the impact of our nation’s current levels of disengagement on small business, innovation and entrepreneurship.  Small companies are struggling to compete for recruitment and retention of a qualified and motivated workforce and cannot withstand the financial and productivity consequence of a small group of workers who are not engaged. They also face the challenges of the “gig economy” and “the free agent nation” where nearly a third of all U.S. workers are independent or self-employed, with no loyalty on engagement towards a particular company, creating a modified set of expectations, relationships, and workplace norms.  (more…)

It’s National Save for Retirement Week – Help Employees Save with myRA®

October 18 – 23 is National Save for Retirement Week and it’s a perfect time to help employees establish their retirement goals and take the first step toward meeting them. If you have employees who don’t have access to a retirement savings plan – including part-time, temporary, and contracted workers – you can help them start saving with myRA (my Retirement Account). 

What is myRA?

myRA is a new retirement savings account developed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to make saving for retirement easy for the millions of people who don’t have access to a retirement savings plan at work or lack other options to save. It costs nothing to open a myRA account and there are no fees. Employees can choose to save an amount that fits their budget¹, and the account carries no risk of losing money. In addition, savers can transfer or roll over their savings to a private-sector Roth IRA at any time.  (more…)

Many small business owners are masters of their industry, but when it comes to managing a company, a new and different set of skills is necessary. According to the US Census, 38% of small businesses have 5 or more employees. That’s more than two million businesses that rely on strong leadership and employee relationships to keep their companies running smoothly. This month, in honor of National Boss’s Day, we’re taking a look at what it takes to be a great leader for your small business.

Make the right hires.
Laszlo Bock, the SVP of People Operations at Google and the author of Work Rules, has said the key to a company’s success is to “hire amazing people, give them more freedom than you’re comfortable with, provide targeted real-­time coaching, and forgive failure as long as people learn.” When hiring, look for people who not only have the necessary skills but also share the same vision and values as you.

Invest time in your employees.
In our Boss’s Day Q&A last year, we talked to a manager-employee pair at Google who admitted that the biggest challenge in building a good working relationship is making time for each other. One suggestion is to schedule a weekly or bi-weekly check-in, which can be used to talk about projects but also to catch up and get to know each other as people.  (more…)

By Cindy Bates –

Your employees have the potential to be the greatest asset to your business. Developing loyal, skilled employees with a passion for the business doesn’t happen on its own and requires a concerted effort. Here are four ways you can start investing in what could be your business’ greatest asset:

1. Create champions. Identify areas of the business that employees are passionate about, like marketing or customer service, and let employees “champion” that part of the business. Have them take responsibility for developing ways to improve their respective areas, and empower champions by providing opportunities to work together across teams. Make sure champions set quantifiable goals – that way you can track success.

2. Get flexible.If the nature of your business allows it, consider allowing employees to work remotely. Research shows that when workers have more flexibility, they’re happier, better able to perform and more likely to stay at a job for longer periods. Job satisfaction is also improved by eliminating the anxiety caused by traffic and daily commutes. This could be a regular occurrence, such as “Work from Home Fridays,” or something that’s permitted on an as-needed basis. Leverage a tool like Office 365 so employees can maintain productivity and collaboration from anywhere.  (more…)