http://wgarnett.com Human Capital Management Solutions For The REAL World Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The Form I-9 will pose additional problems in 2012, are you ready? In the last few years, the federal government has initiated I-9 audits with increased vigor as a result of both substantially increased funding and public debate about illegal immigration. The audits continue to include companies of all sizes ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/i-9-compliance-in-2012-what-companies-need-to-know/ 2012 will pose extreme issues for employers and employees.  As we close the books on 2011, many businesses are looking at strategies and tactics for the new year. Given recent waves of market uncertainty, this year poses a unique challenge for decision-makers and C-level executives. While there are numerous financial ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/what-hr-topics-will-you-be-watching-in-2012/ Employees injured at work can be a problem for business owners.  December 29, 2011  Getting injured on the job is not a pleasant experience for anyone involved. It puts an employee temporarily or permanently out of work and creates paperwork and costs for employers. These inconveniences, however, never justify an ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/are-employers-aware-of-injuries-at-the-workplace/ Restaurant workers are being affected by labor laws.  If you’ve ever worked as a server at a restaurant, then you know what a slow shift is like. After eight hours on the floor, you only help a handful of tables, and some are inevitably bad tippers. Your base hourly wage ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/labor-law-violations-affecting-restaurant-workers/ Company's should not separate employees from the organization without good reasons.  If you are terminating someone and they feel dis-respected they will feel angry. If they feel like they have been mistreated they will look for something to file a lawsuit on. And if you have not been incompliance in ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/has-your-company-adopted-a-formal-separation-process-with-employees/ How compliant is your company with the Form I-9 requirements?  Since 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) has mandated the use of a Form I-9 by all U.S. employers. This form is used for employment eligibility verification of all newly hired employees – both citizen and non-citizen – ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/what-is-form-i-9-and-what-is-the-importance-of-i-9-compliance/ Does your company have an internal process for speaking with employees leaving the organization?  Those exit interviews are diamonds in the rough for Human Resources. They're your best–and last–chance to capture actionable, honest and critical feedback from a departing employee. In this article, I’ll present an argument for this undervalued ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/human-resources-diamond-in-the-rough-exit-interviews/ There are significant changes to employment practices for 2012, are you ready?  The Wage and Hour Division expects to conduct an additional 3,250 investigations in 2012, which will mainly target industries with higher rates of violations. These industries are construction, child care, home health care, grocery stores, janitorial businesses, poultry ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/have-you-scheduled-a-review-of-your-employment-practices-for-2012/ Company's should audit their agreements on exempt employees and independent contractors to address any misclassification issues.  On December 5, 2011, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) and the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the improper classification of employees ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/the-dol-has-recruited-allied-states-to-reduce-worker-misclassification/ Company's should take a hard look before their offer departing employees severance agreements.  Some employers pay employees a lump sum at the end of their tenure in order to tide them over until they find a new job, and never enter into a contractual agreement with them. This is perfectly ... http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-severance-agreements/