Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Human Resources

We know HR. Read our Human Resources blog archives for stories and best practices from our work with real clients and personal experiences in the world of HR.

  • My Six-Week Soul Sabbath

    My Six-Week Soul Sabbath

    When you think of a sabbatical from work, what comes to mind? I took a few minutes to write the first words that came to my mind. They were: breather, time off, soul rest, work-life balance and creative restoration.  As the newest member of the Horizon Point team, I was not as familiar with the term sabbatical like the rest of the ladies. 

    Rumor has it that in 2021 everyone was on Mary Ila’s back porch in a Monthly Mingle meeting, distracted, busy and burned out. A couple of our team members had been to the hospital with chest pains, and it was tangible how deeply everyone needed a “soul sabbath”. The next item on the agenda was sabbaticals for everyone. That meant 6 weeks of paid time off for mental, physical and spiritual restoration. The idea was that when everyone was full, they would be able to dedicate their best selves to the mission. Thus, the Horizon Point sabbatical was born.

    This year, for our second quarterly planning meeting, “Sabbaticals” was on the agenda. Apparently, everyone on the team had been busy juggling too many balls and the subject was brought up before we even got to it. Not being familiar with the art of sabbaticals, I had loads of questions. “So, we get paid for 6 weeks? You don’t check your emails? What about Insighlty-the CRM we use for our tasks? Are you sure?” Everyone on the team assured me that it was a wonderful experience and that it would be well worth it. So, I blocked off November 1-December 16th and as if I could read my own fortune, forecasted the most timely sabbatical I didn’t even know that I needed.

    You see, 8 weeks ago, I found out that I am expecting my second child. My husband and I had prayed for this baby, but I knew before trying that historically, pregnancy has not always been the easiest experience for me. Add in coming off anti depressants in July and the beginning of the perfect hormonal storm was brewed. Things that normally are a challenge or are exciting for me have invoked fear, and I could feel deep inside that I needed to be still. The next quote is from Mary Ila’s blog, The Surgeon General’s Warning and Professional Development.

    A week or so after the conversation with the pregnancy announcement, we have our monthly one-on-one. We talk through a lot of client work and potential work. It is kind of hectic. We have to call another team member in at one point to talk through an execution plan for a new client. 

    And as we usually do in one-on-ones, we spend some time talking about her professional development within the context of her needs and the company’s needs. 

    I can tell she is concerned about taking on too much during this season of her life where a new child will enter and in her current state where she just doesn’t feel good and she never knows when that may or may not hit. Thus are the joys of growing a human being inside you. 

    I think out loud and I can tell my thinking out loud may be overwhelming her. I even sometimes overwhelm myself with it.  

    So, I stop. I ask her to think about one thing she wants to grow in professionally. Just one.  I can tell she doesn’t want to stall her learning and growth, and she says as much, but she also wants some grace as she navigates what looks like a very different season coming up for her.  

    I don’t want her to stop learning and growing. I want her to continue to grow in her confidence and skills where she can continue to add value to the organization.  But I know she won’t do either of these things if she is overwhelmed. 

    I don’t think Mary Ila knew the impact that reading that in black and white had on me. During that meeting we discussed juggling too many balls but also the fact that there are bouncy balls and there are glass balls. Bouncy balls like professional development will do that just-bounce, but the glass balls like mental health are a little less resilient. So on my six week “Soul Sabbath” I plan to rest. Not to lay down (although that may be on the agenda too) but to rest my mind. To be still and to know. After all, God’s track record in my life is GOOD.

    If you are interested in learning more about how to create organizations where people thrive, please visit our Illuminate website at: https://horizonpointconsulting.com/illuminate/

  • Identifying the Stages of Workplace Violence

    Identifying the Stages of Workplace Violence

    I was recently asked to speak at the Alabama SHRM Employment Law & Compliance Conference on the topic of violence in the workplace. A 2022 joint study by the Department of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and OSHA showed that while occurrences of workplace decreased 58% between 1994 and 2014, it is once again on the rise. And data published in February 2024 by Valentis, shows that 68% of workers feel unsafe at work. So what can employers do to ensure the safety of their people? 

    First, it’s important to understand what workplace violence looks like. It’s much more than assaulting a co-worker or walking into a workplace with a firearm in hand. Research shows that there are five stages of violence in the workplace. 

    Stage 1 – Anxiety: The employee shows signs of distress or agitation. This may be fidgeting, drumming their fingers, bouncing their knees, or even sweating. 

    Stage 2 – Argumentative/Defensive: The employee becomes verbally hostile. This may include raising their voice, arguing with others or becoming defensive when addressed. It may include interrupting others and not allowing them to speak. 

    Stage 3-4 – Verbally/Physically Threatening: In stages 3-4 the employee may begin with verbal threats. These may be very direct or veiled statements. From this the employee may move to physical threats, such as threatening physical harm or using physical movements as a form of intimidation (such as getting up into another employee’s face). 

    Stage 5 – Assaultive: The employee physically touches another person with the intent to harm. Or the employee physically destroys company property (I once had an employee assault an MRI machine!). 

    So how can employers use this information to protect against workplace violence? 

    Safety starts at the top. Ensure your leaders are trained on what to look for and how to address behavior at each stage. And make sure that they are trained on safety plans, such as what to do if an assailant enters the building or an employee becomes physically aggressive. And then make sure that information is shared with all staff at least annually. Take reported concerns seriously and investigate them promptly. Too often employees see a failure to act on concerns from leadership and this leads to employees opting not to report concerns. 

    How are you ensuring that your leaders and staff are trained to identify workplace violence risks and what to do if they witness concerning behavior? 

  • What To Know About Shopping For an HRM

    What To Know About Shopping For an HRM

    What To Know About Shopping For an HRM

    Over the past few years Horizon Point has helped multiple clients vet and implement a Human Resources Management System. Each client had very different wants and needs, and each implementation was unique. So what do companies need to know about vetting an HRM?

    1)      Understand what an HRM can offer your organization. Not every HRM system is created equally. Some systems are all-or-nothing, meaning that you cannot customize the functions you want or need, you pay for full functionality whether you use it all or not. Many vendors offer systems that are modular, meaning that you can pick and choose which functions you want built into your system and you pay based on the modules you select. HRMs have some or all of the functions below:

    a.       Data storage
    b.      Payroll
    c.       Timekeeping
    d.      Benefits administration
    e.       Applicant Tracking
    f.        Onboarding and offboarding
    g.       Performance Management
    h.      Compensation
    i.        Training
    j.        Asset Management
    k.       Employee Self-Service

    2)      Understand what you need from an HRM. Just because an HRM offers a vast array of functions doesn’t mean that your organization needs them all. Many organizations already have systems in place to manage some functions, such as payroll, timekeeping, or applicant tracking. In order to determine if these functions should be moved to a new system, you have to consider factors such as cost to convert the processes over, if the data can be imported from the old system to the new or will it have to be manually entered, or if the new HRM can work with the current systems you have in place.

    3)      Don’t just consider what your organization needs now, but what it may need in the future. Do the systems you’re considering not only meet your organization’s needs today, but will they grow with your organization and still be the right system for you in five or even ten years? Some systems are great for small businesses but as companies grow the system can no longer meet their needs and they find themselves needing to go through the vetting and implementation process all over again in just a few years. Some systems are great for large companies, but the expansive functionality is not needed for small businesses and the cost is too high. Be sure to consider if a month-to-month payment plan or a long-term contract is right for your organization as well.

    4)      What does implementation look like? As I mentioned above, I have implemented multiple systems for clients, and each vendor manages implementation differently. Generally, your company is assigned to a dedicated implementation specialist who walks you through the process of collecting and importing data. Depending on the system selected and the functions being implemented, the process can be fairly easy and take a few weeks, or can be extremely complicated and take a few months to fully set up and roll out.

    When vetting and implementing an HRM, it’s critical to understand the needs of your organization and what a system can offer you. That includes not only functionality, but growth capabilities, cost, implementation complexity, and the return on investment.

    To learn more about HRM vetting, read our blog post Selecting an HRIS that’s Right for You. If you’re interested in how Horizon Point can help you vet an HRM, ATS, you can read more about how We Help You Hire Right.

  • AI Isn’t Replacing Jobs, Rather, It’s Writing Them

    AI Isn’t Replacing Jobs, Rather, It’s Writing Them

    This week we continue our exploration of AI. I must admit, I’ve been hesitant to give AI a chance. Given the ethical and legal concerns with its use and my own personal worries about whether it can perform for my needs, I saw no reason to engage with it. These past few weeks however, I’ve been testing its applications within the work place for HR-related tasks.

    Recently, I’ve been working on a compensation project that involved pulling market data, and reviewing job descriptions. I felt it would be a good opportunity to test AI and its research and writing capabilities. In recent months, ChatGPT, a Large Language Model AI developed by OpenAI, has undergone several updates providing it with new capabilities outside of just writing. One such new feature includes doing internet research, but how accurate is it?

    To test this, I enlisted my tech-savvy kids to ask ChatGPT for market data at the 25th Percentile in Huntsville, AL for a Market Assistant. Below I’ve attached screenshots of their results.

    When asking the same question, they both get slightly different answers. And when double checking their results, it seems that ChatGPT provided inaccurate information. Visiting the link it provided, it tells us that the range for the position as a whole is actually $46,530 to $58,286. See here for yourself: https://www.salary.com/research/salary/listing/administrative-assistant-salary/huntsville-al

    Comparing the ChatGPT results to CompAnalyst (Salary.com’s paid wage database) I found that the average salary for an Administrative Assistant for the 25th percentile in Huntsville is about $35,000, which aligns with the result one of my kids got, however, it doesn’t align with the source provided, so we’re unsure where this information is coming from. The results my other son got, $39,502 aligns with the median rate provided on CompAnalyst, which was $39,900. 

    Next, I decided to see how well ChatGPT wrote job descriptions. So, I asked ChatGPT to write a job description for an entry level GIS Analyst. The results were actually pretty decent. The job description had a well written summary of the role, accurately outlined key responsibilities, and specific qualifications including the requirement to know specific GIS software including ArcGIS and QGIS. ChatGPT also included the benefits offered by the employer and outlined the application process. My favorite part though is that ChatGPT even included an EEO statement. What it lacked was information on the physical requirements of the job and the work environment, so I decided to test it out on a job that requires more physical ability – a police officer. But once again, ChatGPT didn’t include any information on the physical requirements or work environment of the role. 

    These were just two simple tests of ChatGPT and how it could benefit HR professionals. Having given it a try, I do believe that AI can be beneficial to HR and help create a starting point for many HR tasks. However, the key takeaway for me is that AI is a starting point, it’s a tool to help aide you but you still have to do work – research the data you obtain through AI, review that document you have AI create for you for accuracy, compliance, and best practices, and remember that you are still responsible for the liability that using AI can create. 

  • Legal Update

    Legal Update

    We are only in May and already we have seen a number of employment law updates this year that have a huge impact on employers. Johnson, Paseur, & Medley, LLC shared the info in the images below with us:

     

    Fair Labor Standards Act

    The #1 change everyone is talking about and preparing for is the recent update to FLSA. Effective July 1, 2024, the salary threshold for a position to be eligible for exempt status will increase to $43,888 ($844 per week) and will increase again effective January 1, 2025 to $58,656 ($1,128 per week). This is almost a 65% increase in the threshold and will have a significant impact on many employers and employees. In addition, the highly comped threshold will increase from $132,964 to $151,164 effective January 1, 2025. 

    As the first deadline is quickly approaching, employers should be reviewing the current salaries of all exempt staff to determine how many employees this will impact and how to proceed with each position. Below are a few things to consider:

    • If an employee’s current salary is close to the new January 2025 threshold, would it be more beneficial to increase their salary to meet the new requirement. 
    • If an employee’s current salary is between the July 2024 and January 2025 thresholds, when should you move them to a non-exempt status and how far in advance should you communicate that change to the affected employees? 
    • For those employees that you will need to convert to non-exempt, is moving them to a salary non-exempt position the right option for your organization? This means that you guarantee an employee their full salary for hours worked up to 40, but would still be required to pay them overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 per work week. 
    • When do you need to have these converted employees set up in your timekeeping system so that they can begin to track their hours, and do you need to schedule training for these employees on how to use the timekeeping system? 
    • Does your organization have highly comped employees who will be impacted by the threshold increase and if so, what is the best way to navigate that impact? 
    • And the biggest question employers must ask is what financial impact will this change have on your organization and how can you mitigate that impact? 

    Also, employers need to be prepared for the long-term effects of the most recent FLSA changes, as it also includes an increase every three years, with the next increase going into effect July 1, 2027. The rate of change has not been determined and will be calculated every three years based on current calculation methods, so the full impact of future increases is still unknown. 

    To assist employers with understanding the new FLSA rules, the Department of Labor has scheduled two webinars that employers can sign up to attend for free. 

    Non-Compete Agreements

    In April, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a ruling banning most non-competes effective September 4, 2024. This ban includes non-competes for all employees, including senior executives. Current non-competes become null and void for most employees, with the exception of senior executives. If senior executives have a current non-compete, they can remain in force if those individuals earn at least $151,164 and are policy makers. However, effective September 4th, no new non-competes can be entered into with senior executives. 

    As part of this ruling, companies who have current non-competes in place will be required to notify all employees, excluding those current senior executives, that the non-competes will be null and void effective September 4, 2024. To aid in this effort, the FTC has provided sample language employers can use. 

    While employers can no longer utilize non-compete agreements, there are alternatives to help protect proprietary information, such as a non-disclosure agreement or confidentiality agreement. In addition, Federal Trade Laws provide a great deal of protection to employers. 

    EEOC Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace

    A few weeks ago, the EEOC released final guidance for employers on the legal standards and employer liability that apply to harassment claims. This new issuance was designed to update and consolidate the previous five guidance documents issued between 1987 and 1999. Since the last guidance was issued, there have been significant changes to discrimination laws, including the landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) in which the Supreme Court ruled that sexual orientation and gender identity were protected under Title VII. 

    The newly issued guidance includes a significant number of examples to illustrate various forms of harassment and discrimination, not only from coworkers, but also from vendors, customers, and other third parties. It also addresses the changes in the workforce, such as remote work, increased use and modernization of technology, and social media harassment. 

    In addition to these changes, there have been some significant guidance documents released recently, as well as a significant decision by the Supreme Court that impacts discrimination claims. 

    What to Watch For

    In addition to the updates above, there are a number of items that HR professionals and business leaders should keep on their radar this year. 

    If you like to learn about Employment Law, you might enjoy these blogs too: