The business world was turned upside down after the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year. Scratch that – the entire world was turned upside down. One full year later and things are still not back to “normal.” But time goes on and the work still needs to get done. If you’re like us and ready to look to the future in your business, it may feel daunting to know where to even start.

We have found that it is easier to take that first step towards tackling everything when you stop and consider what everything actually is. We have come up with the five areas that we feel are the most important “first step” areas to work on in your business in the coming months.

Employee Handbook

This is a business requirement that we cannot stress enough. If your company is using an outdated employee handbook, or if your company lacks an employee handbook all together, you may be at risk for fines, fees, and lawsuits. Updating your employee handbook may feel like a tedious and extremely time-consuming task. And to be honest, if you’re doing this manually, it absolutely can be. One of the ways you can help your business avoid potential fines, fees, and lawsuits is to adopt a Living Handbook. This type of handbook will automatically update when there are policy changes at the Federal and State levels. And after a year like 2020, we know how quickly laws, rules, and regulations can change.

Training

Having your employees receive up-to-date training can be the cost-effective, catch-all way to effectively improve employee motivation, reduce employee turnover, boost morale, enhance your company image, and reduce your company’s risk. Training can be conducted in all sorts of areas, such as compliance/legal, environmental, workplace safety, human resources, IT, customer service, and professional development. Not only that, but more and more training on topics covering harassment, diversity, and unconscious bias is becoming mandatory. And, with everything being virtual these days, training is no different. Offering online training to your employees allows for more flexibility and customization while remaining compliant. It is a great way to improve the efficiency of your employees and ensure that your company remains compliant.

Compliance

While many of these areas that we are discussing in this blog post surround keeping your company in compliance, this is definitely something we think employers should be on the lookout for in the near future. The HR world predicts a potential disaster coming – there is a possible Employment Liability explosion on the horizon. We’re seeing that an employer’s risk is heightened by public intolerance (as it should be) on the issues such as racial bias, COVID-19 vaccines, disability discrimination, gender inequality, and wrongful termination. This, coupled with the instant impact of social media to spread the news of a problem, proves that employers most definitely should have plans, policies, and procedures in place to proactively address and handle these types of instances. One important policy for your company to consider is Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI). EPLI can help your company defend or respond when issues arise.

Change with the Times

Last year, when COVID-19 first hit what was one of the most searched terms for business leaders? Telecommuting. This term quickly became a plan which quickly became the new norm for eligible businesses all over the course of one month. Years before this, social media marketing was all foreign territory. Yet now it almost seems like a requirement for business growth and credibility. The business world works in trends, and it is important to stay on top of those trends. Another newer trend that we are seeing in the business world is the position on marijuana use/possession and the legal ramifications. This is creating some confusion with business leaders on how they should handle things like Drug Screening and Background Checks. Like we said, things are always changing. The best thing you can do for your business is to have a dedicated team responsible for tracking these trends and making sure your company has a plan and procedure in place before something catastrophic happens.

Make Sure Your HR Needs Are COVERED

Human resources management and strategies are complex, and it could save or sink your business. It can be controversial, or it can be cutting edge. However, make no mistake, if you do not have a great Human Resource Strategy, you are walking through a minefield of laws, rules and regulations that could blow-up on you, your employees, and your business. Our best advice is to make sure you have some professional, trained, experienced, and certified professional human resources support.

If you or your business is struggling or lacking in any of the areas above, contact us today! With services like HR Gold, Training Programs, Background Checks and Drug Screening, ACA Reporting, FMLA Tracking, Employee Management Systems, and more, we are here to help you with all of your HR needs.