How to Interview and Hire in a Virtual Environment

In order to adapt during the last year, many businesses had to quickly pivot from normal operations to adhere to changing state and federal safety guidelines to keep their staff and workplace safe. These business owners also had to create ways to keep their businesses...

We’ve recently learned that one of our employees is planning to leave the company and has been applying for positions elsewhere. Can we terminate them?

Answer from Kelley, PHR: Terminating employment because an employee is looking for work elsewhere isn’t expressly prohibited by law, but we wouldn’t recommend it. You might be surprised by how many of your employees are looking for other opportunities—either actively...

An employee says that the stress of the job is affecting their mental health. How should we handle this?

Answer from Kyle, PHR:   This employee may just need to talk through their concerns and get your help prioritizing or delegating. They may, for example, feel like every single thing on their to-do list is life-or-death by Friday at close of business, when that’s...

Can I require employees to turn on their cameras during meetings?

Answer from Marisa, SPHR: Yes, generally, you can require employees to have their webcam on during meetings. You may, however, want to take things like low internet bandwidth, equipment failure, software incompatibility, mental health, environmental circumstances,...

How Important is an Updated Employee Handbook?

Does your employee handbook have a coating of dust on it? Was it last printed in 2008? If so, it’s probably time for an update. This important company asset is distributed to new employees during their onboarding and orientation, but it may be beneficial to you and...

Is There a Better Way to Pay Workers’ Compensation?

There is a better way to pay your workers’ compensation insurance premiums than being hit hard with a sizable one-time sum. You’ve heard murmurs around the metaphorical watercooler of a “pay-as-you-go” method of workers’ compensation payments—rumors that it can’t be...