Month: March 2022

Creating an Equal Employment Opportunity policy

Most employers are required to have an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policy. And, even if it’s not mandated for your company, it’s strongly recommended. An EEO policy illustrates that your organization is committed to creating an equitable workforce. Though job seekers and employees expect your company to have an EEO policy, you can use this policy to make a powerful statement about the organization and its culture.

We always emphasize the inclusion of the why that supports the policy, and this is truly an opportunity to help your organization shine

The Straw that Broke HR’s Back

Stress Amid the Great Resignation

Though it’s been a rough two years for everyone, HR professionals have experienced unprecedented levels of stress. In addition to the complexities of managing workplace virus protocols, HR professionals are feeling the brunt of employee turnover as the Great Resignation continues. COVID-19’s initial disruption caused widespread job losses as companies tried to stay afloat. Then, as the virus perpetuated, employees suffered from burnout, leading to voluntary resignations in record numbers.

In November of 2021, the U.S. saw its highest quit rate since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the data in December 2000. After peaking in November, the quit rate remains significantly elevated. January 2022 brought an additional 4.25 million resignations, compared to January 2021’s 3.31 million. Yikes.    

Before we go any further, let’s take a look at the sources of our information. To develop this article, we looked at two surveys conducted last year. It’s important to note that this research was conducted prior to the introduction of the Omicron variant, which complicated things further. 

Creating a Drug and Alcohol policy

Employees expect you to have a policy related to drugs and alcohol, but it needs to be more than the mere dos and don’ts. With increased awareness surrounding substance use and misuse, it’s important to provide a policy that goes well beyond the punishment piece. If your employees are struggling, the best thing you can do is provide them with the resources to recover. Though employees won’t be surprised to see a drug and alcohol policy in your handbook, it’s still important to define why the policy exists and how you may be able to help employees in need.

Creating a Paid Time Off (PTO) policy

Paid time off is a popular topic, particularly when recruiting new talent. With a growing emphasis on flexibility and work-life balance, your paid time off (PTO) policy is one of the most important — and definitely one of the most read. In our series of policy creation posts, we often stress the need to provide your employees with the why that drives the policy. However, in this case, chances are that your employees are eager to read your stance on PTO. Plus, when it comes to employee culture, your PTO policy is a good indicator of what you’re all about.

Creating an Outside Employment (Moonlighting) Policy

Now, maybe more than ever, it’s important that you create or refresh your company’s policy about outside employment (or moonlighting). As with all policies related to off-duty behavior, strict requirements will cause more harm than good. Since employees can easily — and justifiably — be turned off by a stringent outside employment policy, it’s key that you dive into why the policy is necessary.