November 22, 2019
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on November 22, 2019
Stephanie Ramsey on November 22, 2019HR Case Study #16 Scenario: Rossi Funeral Service is a single location business owned by Adrian Rossi serving 250 families a year. The business employs more than twenty-five full-time and part-time employees. Currently, they have several full-time licensed funeral directors who are all male and one female apprentice, Janice. Adrian is very pleased with Janice and sings her praises. Recently a post was made on social media that was ultimately identified as belonging to Janice. Although Janice did not identify who she worked for, she provided many details about her work situation. While she claimed she was working her dream job, she complained that she was paid a low hourly wage. Further, she stated that she was required to work most of the removals both day and night, meet with families, and handle family services more than the licensed funeral […]
July 24, 2019
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on July 24, 2019
Stephanie Ramsey on July 24, 2019By Stephanie Ramsey; The Foresight Companies, LLC Many people believe that the funeral business work environment is something like the classic TV show The Brady Bunch. A mixed family that all got along and worked together in perfect harmony. Instead the reality is much more like the current show Modern Family— lots of sniping, gossiping, and taking sides with one group or another. While the daily work is ultimately accomplished, some employees may not be talking to each other and the atmosphere around the office is often frigid. Does this sound familiar? While the public may see a united team, behind the curtain there may be tension, frustration, and chaos that is on the verge of erupting at any moment. Managing funeral employees can be challenging on many different levels. One of the most difficult issues is addressing employee conflict. […]
April 19, 2019
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on April 19, 2019
Stephanie Ramsey on April 19, 2019There is much talk through all US industries about the difficulties encountered in employing Millennials and Generation Z’s. It is perceived that they have a much different approach to the work environment than Generation X’s and Baby Boomers. Some businesses tend to attract and hire within just a couple generations. For example, Facebook and Google are well known for their trendsetting work environments and are highly attractive to the Millennial crowd. Funeral service is challenged on how to integrate the new generations into a historically based business model. The reality is that funeral businesses always had and likely always will have multiple generations within the business working toward the common goal of serving the families in their communities. For funeral businesses today, the question is how to create an effective work environment that is hospitable to multiple generations so they […]
March 11, 2019
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on March 11, 2019
Stephanie Ramsey on March 11, 2019Scenario: Jackson-Smith Funeral Service, owned by Bill Smith Jr., is a three-location funeral business in the Midwest. Between the three locations, the business serves more than 350 families per year. Currently the business has five licensed funeral directors, three licensed embalmers and several funeral assistants, some of which are part-timers. All full-time employees are paid by salary and part-time employees are paid hourly. Rather than using a third-party service to perform removal services and embalming after normal work hours, JSFS has created a schedule for its own staff to cover this need. A schedule is posted each month for the employees to follow. Employees are paid each time they perform a removal or embalming after hours regardless of their full-time or part-time status. This is $25 per event (it is anticipated that a removal and an embalming take approximately two […]
February 13, 2019
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on February 13, 2019
Stephanie Ramsey on February 13, 2019A Conversation with Stephanie Ramsey By Jennifer Padilla Sexual harassment has been a problem that continues to plague workplaces across industries – and funeral homes are no exception. The #MeToo movement spiraled in late 2017 in an attempt to break the stigma and promote dialogue of unwelcome sexual behavior – with prominent men in entertainment, media and politics bearing the brunt of the scrutiny. A Pew Research Center study conducted in early 2018 found that when it comes to sexual harassment in the workplace, 50 percent of respondents are concerned about men getting away with sexual harassment; 46 percent are concerned with women not being believed; 34 percent are concerned about employers firing accused men before finding out all the facts; and 31 percent are concerned with women making false accusations. The survey also revealed that 51 percent of respondents […]