UPCOMING EVENTS

Compass Consulting Group's HR Challenges Workshop

Mark your calendar.

Tuesday, November
1st from 7:30 to Noon
Suite 370, Roger Main Building
(behind St. Luke's
Hospital)
4201 Belfort Road Jacksonville, FL 32216

Bob McKenzie will be making a presentation entitled,

"Big Brother is Now a
Bully – Aggressive Enforcement Tactics by Government Agencies" Worth 2 HRCI Credits.

Contact
Pamela Schoeppel
At Compass Consulting Group for more
information

904-596-0348


Entrepreneur Growth Summit

Sponsored by The Small Business Resources Network Center

Wednesday, November 2
At the University Center
at UNF.

Click here for more information


Our Services Include:

  • Full HR Outsourcing
  • Customized handbooks
  • Resolution of harassment and discrimination complaints
  • Unemployment hearings
  • Outplacement services
  • HR audits
  • Compliant recordkeeping
  • New employee orientation
  • Safety programs
  • Training and development
  • Implementation of Human Resources Information Systems
  • Mergers and acquisitions due diligence
  • Benefits administration
  • Recruitment assistance
  • Compensation administration
  • Discipline and termination
  • Coaching and counseling
  • Performance management
  • Employee surveys

Contact Bob McKenzie or
go to www.mckenziehr.com
for more information

ASK BOB

For no charge you have the opportunity to ask human resources related questions of Bob McKenzie, President of McKenzieHR

To ASK Bob click here

 

Contact Information

4237 Salisbury Rd, Bld 1, Suite 112
Jacksonville, FL 32216

Phone: (904) 861-2903
Toll-Free: (888) 861-2903


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UH OH!! Turnover is Starting to Rear Its Ugly Head Again

It's happening. Turnover is baaaaaack. Good employees are starting to leave their companies when another opportunity presents itself. Turnover hurts. It causes confusion and turmoil internally and can also cause consternation with your clients and customers. The cost of turnover in cases in which employees have a strong relationship with your customers and clients is impossible to measure.

We have seen it ourselves. McKenzieHR had two very talented people who left the fold in the last few months. Losing one is not so bad and recoverable. Losing two in that time frame is downright embarrassing especially since we are a human resources management firm.

Not that I can blame either of them for leaving, as both were given the proverbial "offer they could not refuse". No – this was not Vito Corleone style as nobody put a gun to their head. Neither of them was actively looking for another job. Both received offers from their former employers out of the blue. Both of the companies are members of the Fortune 500 list.

As a small and developing company, there is no way we can compete against corporate behemoths. Then again, it also tells me that I hired good people (which is just my way for me to justify losing talent).

Ramifications

Aside from the obvious problems with client relations, there were a number of things that had to be put on hold.

  • This is the first newsletter we have published since May. I vowed to get it out every month a long time ago.  I just did not have a lot of time to concentrate on it. The McKenzie Mailer has always been a good way to stay in touch with our clients, potential clients, friends and business partners.  I cannot tell you the number of times over the years, this newsletter reminded clients to call us.    
  • A badly needed website update did not happen and is currently on hold as we enter our busiest sales time.
  • Another client initiative has been put on hold until 2012.
  • I got just plain tired.

Lessons Learned?

Can you learn from our misfortunes? Absolutely.

The first lesson is that good people are always in demand. We have also seen turnover with our clients recently. Most of the people left because of the economic conditions of the company. They were not confident that their organization was going to make it. Changing jobs was a move for self-preservation.

Others left to pursue a career direction they wanted to go after for a long time, but kept the job because they had to make money. This is a sign that the job market is loosening up a little. Even more reason to make sure that great employees stay with you.

Money is not the answer as most of these people were given special salary increases in an effort to keep them. But, the reason they started looking for another job is there was no plan communicated to them on what the company was doing to get out of the mess. Top management was so focused on the near term profitability that they were not informing their employees of longer term plans and the lines of communication stopped. Companies that were very good about communication with employees during the good times, stopped communicating during the bad times. In these cases, no news is definitely NOT good news. No news causes doubts and rumors of doom and gloom.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

The human part of Human Resources is very fickle. Do not assume that employees just know what is going on– because they don't. Employees want to know that their livelihoods are not in jeopardy. And when things start to get quiet, the doubt gets bigger.

Your People are your Competitive Advantage

The strategic part of human resources is taking charge of the talent in the organization. Even if your organization does not have a human resources department, your organization is made up of people. Your only competitive advantage is the people you employ. So take care of the good ones and replace the not so good ones with better people.

COMMUNICATE - Let these people know what is happening with your business, where they can help and what they can do to help. You may be surprised by the response. I know I have said this before, but there is nothing more important to your business than taking good care of your competitive advantage.

Good luck and stay positive.

 

   
 
   
 

A Few Tidbits of Information

Better Check Your EPLI Policy

In a recent court case, (Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. v. Cincinatti Insurance Co., 3:07-cv-00303 (M.D. TN 8/11/11).  The company was left footing the entire bill for a settlement award because of the language in the policy.  The policy stated that coverage would be for employees and former employees who filed charges of discrimination.

In this case, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the charge on behalf of the employee. Since the EEOC was not mentioned in the policy, the insurance company got out of paying the claim.

If you are the employer, that's a big ouch.

Two Jacksonville, Fla., restaurants and owners ordered to pay more than $934,000 to 30 workers following US Labor Department investigation.

Two La Nopalera restaurants in Jacksonville and their owners have been ordered to pay 30 employees $934,425 in back wages and liquidated damages under the terms of consent judgments. The agreements resolve a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit based on an investigation by its Wage and Hour Division that alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage, overtime pay and record-keeping provisions.

Investigators found that kitchen employees were improperly classified as exempt from Fair Labor Standards Act overtime pay provisions and consequently paid salaries that did not include compensation for hours worked over 40 in a week. Additionally, every week, tipped employees would receive their tips plus a paycheck that together equaled the minimum wage; however, management required the employees to sign and return the paychecks, and would then cash the checks and put the money back into the restaurant. Through this process, while it appeared that the owners were paying wages, the employees actually were allowed to keep only their tips. Finally, the employers did not maintain accurate records of the hours worked by employees.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY – Don't be stupid and greedy when paying employees correctly and in compliance with the law. These employees got over $31,000.

 

   
 
   
 

Let us know if there is anything we can do to help and have a great October.


   
 

Bob McKenzie, President
McKenzieHR

potential@mckenziehr.com

 

October 2011
UH OH!! Turnover is Starting to Rear Its Ugly Head Again.
May 2011
Small Business Week and Government Agencies are Being a Grinch
April 2011
I Want it All and I Want it Now!!
March 2011
Leadership Essentials
February 2011
Where's the Leadership Fad?
January 2011
Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action, Diversity. Where does it end???
December 2010
It is That Time of The Year
November 2010
The Department of Labor is on a Mission You have to be Careful Out There
September 2010
Following the Crowd is a Good Way to get Lost in it
August 2010
Customer Service Is Your Competitive Advantage
June 2010
Social Networking – Be Careful out There
April 2010
Is That a Light in The Tunnel?
January 2010
What's Your Theme Song?
December 2009
2009 Was Definitely a Murphy Year
August 2009
Swine Flu Preparations - Knowledge of Risk is the Best Course of Action
July 2009
Are Rising Healthcare Costs Making You Sick?
June 2009
Diversity – Who Cares?
May 2009
Why the Huge Increase in Discrimination Charges?
April 2009
EEOC Charges at a Record High
March 2009
Eaten Any Brains Lately??
February 2009
Just Trying to Keep Up with All of the Changes
January 2009
Compliance Update Handbooks Need Updating Too
December 2008
Employee Free Choice Act – Not a Free Choice at All
November 2008
The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act Clarified
October 2008
Effective Handbooks Save Time and Money
September 2008
Negating the Nattering Nabobs of Negativism
August 2008
What's Your People Plan
July 2008
Human Resources Strange But True People Stories
June 2008
HR Compliance Issues at the Forefront
May 2008
Performance Management Never Stops
April 2008
Don’t Make Tough Times Tougher
March 2008
What Ever Happened to the Personal Touch?
December 2007
It's That Time of Year Again
November 2007
HR Hot Topic #3 - Immigration
September 2007 -
HR Hot Topic #2 - Controlling the Cost of Medical Benefits
August 2007 -
HR Hot Topic #1 Recruitment and Retention
June 2007 -
Strategic Human Resources is Not an Oxymoron
May 2007 -
Is It Really a Hostile Work Environment?
April 2007 -
What happens after a new employee is hired?
March 2007 -
SHIFT HAPPENS
February 2007 -
Imagine
January 2007 -
Discrimination & Harassment
December 2006 -
IT'S BEEN A HECK OF A YEAR
October 2006 -
The Why Label Generation Y?
September 2006 -
The World of Recruitment Has Changed
August 2006 -
Keep Your "A" Players
July 2006 -
Traits of a High Performance Workplace
June 2006 -
Is a Mediocre Employee Better Than No Employee?
May 2006 -
The Compliance Vultures are Circling – Are You Prepared?
April 2006 -
Is Administrivia Keeping HR from Getting a Seat at the Table?
March 2006 -
Agreeing to Disagree or Avoiding the Subject
February 2006 -
Happy Valentine's Day
January 2006 -
Be a Talent Magnet and a Talent Utilizer