September 26, 2023
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on September 26, 2023
Stephanie Ramsey on September 26, 2023Scenario: Jacob and Cathy Thomas own a thriving funeral business in the Southeast that consists of multiple funeral homes, a crematory, a pet crematory and a cemetery. Jacob and Cathy employ a large staff who are assigned to work at a specific business, each with their own employee handbooks and standard operating procedures based on the nature of the business. Through the various businesses, they and their team successfully serve approximately 100 families each year. Jacob and Cathy are very proud of what they have accomplished. While dealing with employees can be challenging, they feel they have a strong and talented team that provides exceptional care to their families. Recently, they faced a unique employee situation they were unsure how to address. They had an employee, Gerald, who had been hired and assigned to work at the pet crematory, apply […]
March 20, 2023
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on March 20, 2023
Stephanie Ramsey on March 20, 2023Scenario: David Sully has a thriving funeral business in the southern United States comprised of three locations serving more than 700 families. Recently he decided to create a multidenominational funeral home as well as building his own cemetery, crematory and pet cremation business. Given the success of his existing businesses, the current staff did not have the capacity to take on the added responsibilities that would be associated with the new development. Further, they did not have experience in the cemetery, crematory and pet crematory segments. As part of his expansion plans, David anticipated that he would be locating and hiring an entirely new staff to handle the new business enterprise. He carefully thought about the various positions and interviewed cemetery, crematory and pet crematory owners to understand the number of employees and the positions that he would need to […]
September 29, 2022
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on September 29, 2022
Stephanie Ramsey on September 29, 2022Scenario: Troy and Tammy Lexington run Lexington Funeral Home & Cemetery, a generational funeral home/cemetery combo in the southern United States that has served their community for almost 100 years. Currently they serve more than 600 families a year with case count on an upward trend. Troy and Tammy bought the business from Troy’s father and uncle 10 years ago. They are both licensed funeral directors but find a significant portion of their time is spent managing the business. However, they still roll up their shirt sleeves to help with daily tasks as needed. Several of their employees were inherited when they purchased the business and have many years of experience in the funeral industry in various positions throughout the operation. Their business has grown steadily over the years, leading them to increase their staff. A few of the “original” […]
March 29, 2022
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on March 29, 2022
Stephanie Ramsey on March 29, 2022Scenario: Remember Sally and Steve Mooney from HR Case Study #22? They own Weacrematieu Cremation and Funeral Services located in the Southeastern United States. The Mooney’s have a thriving business in an area that is experiencing a growth in population as it is very attractive to both new businesses and potential employees. Weacrematieu case volume has been increasing year over year. Long-term employee retention has been a key focus for Sally and Steve which has led them to develop very attractive benefits and compensation packages. As part of their initiatives, they created an employee handbook and specific policies related to various benefits offered to employees. These policies include health, dental, and vision insurance, paid sick leave, vacation leave and a retirement plan. Within the employee handbook, the policies specifically outline how each benefit is provided or where to seek more […]
September 29, 2021
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on September 29, 2021
Stephanie Ramsey on September 29, 2021Scenario: Sally and Steve Mooney started Weacrematieu Cremation and Funeral Services 25 years ago. Located in the heart of a popular tourist area in the Southeastern United States, the local population continues to expand as jobs are readily available and the cost of living reasonable. Weacrematieu has experienced significant growth each year in the number of families it serves, which has created challenges for Sally and Steve in terms of hiring licensed qualified staff and creating attractive benefit programs to retain them. It has been difficult to find employees who see working at Weacrematieu as a “calling” rather than just a “paycheck.” To encourage employees to have long-term vision, some of the benefits require employees to be employed for extended periods prior to qualification, such as the retirement plan. Sally has created an employee handbook that provides a summary of […]