As the Human Resources Manager, I live and breathe the contents of the employee handbook. It's one of the most important documents you can create for your organization. It can say a lot about your culture and your brand, especially to new employees. It lays out how the employer wants employees to be treated and how they are expected to behave.
Employee handbooks can include a lot of information, which can be overwhelming at times. But, it does not need to include every detail of an employer's policies or every provision of the laws impacting the workplace. For instance, it's best to leave out the details of a severance policy (if you have one) and avoid speculating on future changes to overtime pay rules.
In order to give your employees an effective handbook, you need to:
Be Concise – If you want your employees to read the handbook, don’t fill it with legal jargon they can’t understand.
Be Original – Use your own language and don’t borrow the wording for policies and procedures from other organizations.
Be Careful – Before you distribute it to your employees, ask your legal counsel to review it. This protects your company and your employees.
If you have multiple locations in different states, there are several options for you. You can publish a single handbook that includes all state and local variations in topical sections. You can tailor multiple versions to each company location. Or finally, you can take a back-end approach and have state-specific addenda in the back of the handbook.
Whatever option you choose, keep in mind the handbook is a living document that needs to be updated constantly. As new laws and work trends change, you need to make sure your handbook is current with the times.
This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.
I recently read an article on entrepreneur.com called, "The 10 biggest productivity killers and how to overcome them," and it listed cellphone use as the number one productivity killer. Are you surprised? I'm not! Researchers have actually found that people get legitimately anxious if they are away from their phones for too long. It's no wonder that this one tops the list. Since July is “National Cellphone Courtesy Month,” let’s see if we can become a little more respectful and aware of our surroundings when using our cellphones. Here are just a few tips to get started:
Be in the now. Anytime you are expected to participate or simply listen to someone, silence your phone. There’s no need to look at your phone every time someone sends you a text or comments on a Facebook post.
Keep confidential information private. Be aware of your surroundings. You never know who might overhear part, or all, of your conversation. If you need privacy, find an empty room or quiet corner to have your conversation.
Avoid “cell yell.” Always use your regular conversational voice when speaking on your cell phone. Be mindful of your volume in busy places where people tend to speak more loudly.
Be a responsible driver. Don’t answer your phone if you’re in heavy traffic or hazardous driving conditions. Wait until you come to a stop or arrive at your destination before taking the opportunity to return the call. Always use a hands-free device so you can focus on your driving. And, please remember to NEVER TEXT AND DRIVE.
Get unplugged occasionally. Leave your phone in another room and try not to check it more than two or three times a day. Give yourself a smartphone break once and awhile. You should be in control of your phone, not the other way around.
This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.
I'll bet you've seen the commercial with the cute kids who encourage us to take one more day of vacation - with some help from MasterCard. After hearing that more than 400 million vacation days go unused in America each year, one kid says, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
So, is this a credit card marketing ploy to get us all to run up debt, or does taking a vacation offer real advantages for you and your business?
Four in ten U.S. workers are leaving paid time off days on the table at the end of the year. At Trigard, every November/December presents a challenge to get the vacation hours whittled down below the “rollover” number. Some organizations don’t allow rollover and employees have to “use it or lose it, making the end of the year even more critical.”
As it turns out, taking a vacation can actually help your physical health. The stress of working any job can take a serious toll on your heart. Taking a vacation every two years compared to every six will lessen the risk of coronary heart disease or heart attacks.
Count on being more productive upon returning from vacation. Human beings aren’t designed to expend energy continuously. Rather, we’re meant to pulse between spending and recovering energy.
One of the biggest benefits of taking vacation is how much it affects familial relationships. Family vacations increase family bonding, especially when a lot of the activities have to do with talking about memories or even sharing stressful moments together.
When you step away from the problems and stresses you’re facing, you’re bound to get a better perspective and come out with a more satisfying answer. Working all the time and getting things done might make you think you’re the king of the world, but your brain is feeling something different. Vacations can help you reset your mind.
Starting to feel a little burned out? That’s a perfect reason to take a vacation – especially because slowing down and stepping away will actually help reignite your passion and dedication. Workers who take regular time to relax are less likely to experience burnout, making them more creative and productive than their overworked, under-rested counterparts.
One of the main benefits of vacation time is that it can improve your mental health. Feelings of calm arise and relieve the stress, which allow the body and mind to heal in ways that couldn’t if it were under pressure.
So, as the chorus of adorable, heart-string-tugging children say in the commercial, “We’re not asking for much, we just want one more day.” Be sure you're taking it - and encouraging your employees to do the same!
This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.
Having just returned from vacation to see our son and his family in Texas, the thought of retiring there, when the time comes, is pretty appealing. However, retirement doesn’t just happen. It takes planning and commitment and, yes, money.
Have you calculated how much you will need for retirement? The average American spends twenty years in retirement. Putting money away for retirement is a habit we can all live with. Remember, saving matters.
If you are not saving, it’s time to get started. Start small if you have to and increase the amount you save each quarter. The sooner you start, the more time your money has to grow.
If your employer offers a retirement plan, such as a 401k, sign up and contribute as much as you can. Your taxes will be lower, and some companies offer matching funds. Learn about investment options and ask questions. Put your savings in different types of funds to reduce your risk and improve your return. Your investment mix may change over time depending on a number of factors, including your age, goals and financial circumstances. Financial security and knowledge go hand-in-hand.
Once you begin putting money into a retirement plan, don’t touch it. If you withdraw your retirement savings at any time, you’ll lose principal and interest. You may even lose tax benefits or have to pay withdrawal penalties. If you change jobs, leave your savings invested in your current plan or roll them over to an IRA or your new employer’s plan.
It’s never too late or too early to save. Any funds you can put away will benefit you in retirement. This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.
With the next generation of funeral professionals slowly working their way into our offices, it can be difficult to work with the many differences in age groups. In the November issue of HR Magazine, I read an interesting article by Susan Milligan, a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C. called, “Wisdom of the Ages.” In this article, she asks us to acknowledge the different styles of learning to help ease tensions among different age groups in our workplace by identifying the four generations of employees.
Traditionalists (born 1922-1945) – These individuals have lived through the Great Depression and World War II. They have strong ideas about loyalty and hard work. They prefer a structured environment and dislike “being singled out.” They link learning with overall goals.
Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) – They were shaped by the Vietnam War, a time of great social change and uncertainty. Loyalty among this group is to the team, not the organization or manager. They prefer interactive and/or group learning, and need time to practice applying new skills.
Generation X (born 1965-1980) – This generation were often growing up in homes where both parents worked or were divorced. They fended for themselves, which made them used to working independently. They prefer just-in-time learning using technology and learn by doing or getting involved.
Millennials (born 1981-2000) – These individuals were lavishly praised. Parents went from “my children are the most important thing in my life” to “my children are the only thing in my life.” As a result, many have their first job ever right out of college. They prefer teamwork and technology with “edutainment” or any content designed to educate as well as entertain.
Even though these are generalizations, they can help us tailor our way of understanding our differences, and ways of learning. Perhaps if we have a better understanding of each other, we will be able to better tolerate each other and possibly defuse conflicts in the future.
This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.
As your business grows, communication within your organization becomes a crucial component to your success. No matter the size of your company, you need everyone to be motivated and well informed about your business and your products.
There are many different ways to keep in touch with employees, but one way we do it at Trigard Memorials is by sending out a weekly employee newsletter. It has become an effective tool to highlight employee accomplishments, new products, human resource announcements and even to celebrate employee birthdays.
I encourage you to explore different communication strategies to help your employees stay informed. Keeping them connected generates pride for your business and unites your staff.
This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.
