April 20, 2017
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on April 20, 2017
Stephanie Ramsey on April 20, 2017HR Reality Check: Yep, the Stories are True! By Stephanie Ramsey HR Case Study #5 Scenario: Millennial Funeral Services, owned by Mark and Margaret Millennial, is a funeral business in a Midwestern state that recognizes at-will employment. Including the two owners, they have 15 employees. While neither of Mark and Margaret’s children is active in the business, they do have a quality key employee, John James. In fact, they have spoken to John about how the business could potentially transfer to him when Mark and Margaret are ready to retire in about 10 years. About two years ago, John began dating a woman and they were married within six months. Mark and Margaret were happy for John and still interested in selling him the business. However, last year they hit a snag in their plans. It started simply with John […]
January 15, 2017
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on January 15, 2017
Stephanie Ramsey on January 15, 2017Determining if or when to give an employee a raise is a question funeral business owners/managers frequently struggle to answer. This year funeral business owners/managers are challenged to address this issue in a very direct and specific manner as a result of the impending new overtime rules. Currently, due to a Texas Judge issuing an injunction, the implementation of this rule is on hold and may or may not ever be put into effect. This leaves owners and managers uncertain about how they should or if they should address raises for their employees. Given the complexity of the overtime rules and the current focus on retaining quality employees in the funeral industry it is wise to consider the four following components when addressing raises: Company Budget/Profitability Market Rate of Position Employee’s Job Performance Future Expectations of Employee and the Business […]
December 1, 2016
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on December 1, 2016
Stephanie Ramsey on December 1, 2016Ban the Box Status Report Momentum for the policy has grown exponentially, particularly in recent years. There are a total of 17 states representing nearly every region of the country that have adopted the policies: California (2013, 2010) Colorado (2012) Connecticut (2010) Delaware (2014) Georgia (2015) Hawaii (1998) Illinois (2014, 2013) Maryland (2013) Massachusetts (2010) Minnesota (2013, 2009) Nebraska (2014) New Jersey (2014) New Mexico (2010) Ohio (2015) Rhode Island (2013) Vermont (2015) Virginia (2015) Six states have removed the conviction history question on job applications for private employers, which advocates embrace as the next step in the evolution of these policies. Hawaii Illinois Massachusetts Minnesota New Jersey Rhode Island Numerous cities and counties have implemented ban the box practices: Arizona – Tucson California – Alameda County, Berkeley, Carson, Compton, East Palo Alto, Oakland, Pasadena, Richman, San Francisco, Santa Clara […]
December 1, 2016
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on December 1, 2016
Stephanie Ramsey on December 1, 2016hr-newsletter-3q2014
November 3, 2016
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on November 3, 2016
Stephanie Ramsey on November 3, 2016T here are a wide array of guidelines, articles, books, and workshops on ways to effectively train employees. In fact, there are some very common catch phrases found in reference to training such as: Identify resources for your training Develop a training program Evaluate the effectiveness of training materials Strive for continuous improvement What these catch phrases really mean is open to interpretation. Rather than define these terms, it is more productive to approach training from the “who”, “what”, “when” and “how” perspective. Stop and consider the main intent of providing training to anyone for any position. Are you not sure what that is? Training intends to pass knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) from one individual to another. The real key to success for training employees is the sharing of these elements. There are many reasons for sharing KSAs among […]