Inclement Weather or Emergency Business Closing Practices

Inclement Weather or Emergency Business Closing PracticesInclement Weather or Emergency Business Closing PracticesNational tragedies such as Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, earthquakes, serious fires, and any other event that destroys the homes and livelihood of employees require an appropriate response from employers. Even more minor issues like a foot or two of snow, the loss of electricity, or flooding can make the actual physical presence of employees at work difficult or impossible, sometimes for days. Beyond the effect of behauptung events on employees, they are also likely to affect the ability of the business or organization to remain open and serving customers. Finally, inclement weather or other business emergencies affect not just the employee but the employees family members, too. In most weather emergencies schools, daycare, nursing, and other services employees use become unavailable as well. What Employers Need to Think About in an Emergency Situation Consequently, e mployers need to think through the possible emergency events that could disrupt their ability to open. They need to formulate policies about what employees can expect when inclement weather makes it impossible to get to work. It is much better to be prepared than to try to set policy on the fly in the event of an emergency. Employers have legal obligations to employees, and they have a relationship, moral, and ethical obligationsto employees, too. Many employees believe that, in the event of an emergency, the employer should cover all related costs. This is not always feasible. Specific Examples of Emergencies and badeanstalt Weather Closings For example, if an employee misses three weeks of work because his home was flooded and without power, is it fair to assume that the employer will pay the employee for the extended time off? Of course, not. The employee will need to use paid time off, vacation time, or apply for extended unpaid leave. On the other hand, in situations where the employer cannot open the business, it is reasonable to ask employers to shoulder some of the costs to maintain their relationships with their employees? Absolutely. But even in this circumstance, the employer will not be able to afford to pay non-working employees for an extended period. Balance Paying Employees With Ensuring Employee Job Security The employer needs to balance paying employees with the need to ensure that said employees will still have a job when the business reopens if the business is not taking in money from customers. So, the inclement weather policy must set expectations, present a balanced approach to employee compensation, mitigate risks for both the employers and the employees, and present a fair solution for emergencies. The inclement weather and other emergency policy should be researched, created, communicated, and signed in advance of any inclement weather or other emergency events. When employees know what to expect, they can plan and feel confid ent about the employers predicted actions. This promotes an environment of trust. Earlier recommendations coveredwhat employers need to do about pay legally when a snow day, rain day or another emergency affects their employees ability to work. Youll want to make sure that you are fulfilling the legal obligations that you have about paying your employees. Implement an Inclement Weather and Other Emergency Policy These recommendations constitute an inclement weather policy that informs employees about what they can expect from their employer in response to an emergency. The policy focuses on the areas that a weatheremergency or other emergency will most frequently affect. Company ClosurePart-Day ClosureWhen an employee cannot physically get to work When an employee needs time to repair damages and problems caused by an emergency, bad weather, or other situation. You may adapt this bad weather policy for your organization and your organizations culture, but keep in mind the potent ial disasters in your region as you write your policy. You will want to customize this sample inclement weather policy for your organization.

How to Plan Office Holiday Parties in Lean Years

How to Plan Office Holiday Parties in Lean YearsHow to Plan Office Holiday Parties in Lean YearsEven if your company can afford a fabulous Christmas party, if you are leid giving out bonuses, your employees are likely to resent extravagant party expenses, especially if you have given out holiday bonuses in the past and your employees have come to expect them. Whatever you do, do leid make the mistake of overspending on a holiday partyas a substitute for bonuses. Here are some office party planning tips to keep your employees from becoming disgruntled if they are not getting cash bonuses this year. No Substitutions If you decide to have an office party instead of giving bonuses, promote the party as a way of acknowledging appreciation for the contributions of employees during the past year- not as a substitute for bonuses. Instead, send out an announcement well in advance that your company will not be giving out bonuses this year. Do not relate the party to any communications abou t bonuses. As soon as you connect the two, employees will feel short-changed, particularly because many employees do not even attend holiday office parties, so they may feel like they received nothing at all. Focus on the Future It is fine to state your company cannot afford bonuses this year due to the economy, but never tell employees how lucky they are to even have a job. Instead of focusing on a year in review lamenting losses and downsizing operations, use the party as a positive platform to usher in a new, mora lucrative year. Talk about hopeful things, new prospects for growth, and a brighter future. Focusing on past hardships will only remind your employees of all the reasons why they are not getting bonuses. Get Employees Involved Rather than trying to make up for a lack of bonuses with a lavish holiday or year-end party, have a smaller scale party. Your goal is to get employees excited about the party itself and keep their minds off the fact they are not getting a bonus. Over-the-top spending on an office party sends you employees the message that you had excess cash they did not get. Plan a Potluck Break from traditions and have employees bring some of the food. Make it fun and offer a contest for the best cookie recipe. If you cannot offer a prize, give the winner a work-related perk, an extra paid vacation day.Find Free Entertainment Invite local church or youth groups to sing or perform- many will do so for free. Even better, if you have musical employees, invite them to perform live music or offer a karaoke machine. Employees will get a bigger kick out of seeing their coworkers band perform than they will if you hire a professional DJ. Include Families Let families bring the children this year. Many office parties traditionally exclude children, but struggling families may appreciate being allowed to bring their children to your Christmas party. Offer a few holiday activities for kids, like a coloring, cookie decorating, or ornament tabl e so they will have something to take home with them. Acknowledging that your employees have lives outside the workplace by including their families is a great way to help them feel better about your business. Forego Alcohol It is often advisable to keep office parties alcohol-free, but if you do allow alcoholic beverages, use an outside service and have a cash bar. If your business cannot afford bonuses, offering an open bar to employees is not a good idea. Additionally, people who have to pay for their own alcohol may drink more responsibly. To avoid legal exposure, have a professional bartender prepare and serve drinks- do not have the company purchase or serve alcohol to employees and never ask or allow employees to bring their own beer, wine, or liquor. The Bottom Line The more you involve your employees the more they will appreciate an office party. If the party really is for their benefit, cater to them, not to management.

Other than salary, benefits top reason someone would jump ship

Other than salary, benefits top reason someone would jump shipOther than salary, benefits top reason someone would jump shipNew research from international talent and outsourcing company Yohshows that other than getting a bigger paycheck, the biggest factor that would cause an American worker to jump ship for a new job is better benefits at 50%, meaning, paid time off, healthcare options, 401(k). Digging a little bit deeper, 49%of men, 50% of women and 53% of those ages 18-34 chose this option in particular.The Harris Poll surveyed mora than 800 American adult employees. Here are some of the points that stood out.Other reasons why people would leave their jobsThe research found that a flexible work environment took second place at 42%, a higher-level sttte took third place at 35%, and a less stressful job claimed 32%. A field of work Im more interested in was also at 32%. Thirty-one percent chose a better company culture, 27% chose more perks like an onsite gym, daycare, dry-cleaning . Surprisingly, a better commute, meaning one thats shorter, closer to home, less costly came in lastat 24%. Just 3% chose other.Mark Masterson, a Vice President atYoh, told Ladders about the significance of this specific data point.At Yoh, what weve found is that as the proliferation of remote work has grown, workers may be more open to accepting a job where the companys office is further from home with the possibility of working remotely, he said. While there are some larger companies that have returned to more traditional office work, trends indicate that an increasing amount of jobs are able to be done either fully or partially from home. Not only does this trend expand the pool of potential candidates for employers to choose from, but it can also decrease overhead and the cost of leasing office space.Still, 15% said they wouldnt jump ship for anything.Heres where people with $100k+ salaries standAmong those earning a minimum yearly income of $100,000, 43% chose better benefits, 39% chose a flexible work environment, 28% chose a higher-level position and 30% chose a position that wouldnt stress them out as much.A field of work Im more interested in pulled in 22%, while a better company culture pulled in 27%, improved perks came in at 25% and a better commute claimed 26%.But while research has found that 3% of Americans say they would quit their jobs via text message, what it would take to make them leave - besides more money, of course - is a very different story. Keeping this in mind, here are some tips on how to jump ship the right way.