February 2023 - Prescott HR

Kimberly Prescott
Blog
February 27, 2023

4 Wellness Tips for the Workplace

“Wellness” is one buzzword that your organization should never ignore. More companies are prioritizing employee wellness than ever before, which means to stay competitive in the marketplace, your organization needs to keep up. If you are looking for wellness tips to implement at your business, keep reading for four fresh ideas from the team at Prescott HR!

Establish a Wellness Stipend

It’s important to keep in mind that we all prefer to exercise and stay healthy in different ways. That’s why if you are considering implementing a wellness program at your office, you should instead offer a stipend for your employees to decide how they want to live better. Each month or year, present your employees with a stipend to be used for personal wellness or mental health services. Stipends can be used for different activities like gym memberships, workout classes, athletic clothes, or however your employees see fit. Your employees should also be encouraged to use their wellness stipend to seek therapeutic services, like meditation classes or personal therapy sessions.

Create Workplace Zen

A great way to boost employee morale and improve overall wellness is to incorporate more zen into the office. Research has shown that indoor plants can improve well-being and reduce stress, so consider adding some greenery to your office space. If you have the space, consider setting up comfort pods for employees to reset and recharge throughout the day. This could be a comfy spot set up in the office away from team members’ desks, so they can enjoy their lunch or a conversation with other coworkers during the workday.

Set Healthy Boundaries

As a manager or owner of a company, it’s important to set a good example with your team, and that starts with establishing healthy boundaries. Healthy boundaries can look like establishing set office hours and sticking to them. If you are sending emails out through all hours of the night, your team may feel pressured to be available 24/7, which can lead to burnout. We also encourage you to continually check in with your team to make sure that everyone is happy in their role and not feeling overwhelmed with their current workload.

Offer Team Social Events

A great way for team members to stay connected is to offer group social events. These social events can have a wellness aspect incorporated within them, too. Try offering group yoga or meditation sessions to your team. Or schedule a corporate lunch where you can all go out to celebrate your hard work and boost morale.

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need assistance to implement wellness initiatives in your workplace? We are here to help! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization evaluate your current policies and incorporate new ones, as needed. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with precisely what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online.

Kimberly Prescott
Blog
February 20, 2023

Cybersecurity Tips in the Workplace

It may surprise you to learn that HR professionals are becoming increasingly more involved in the cybersecurity measures of their organizations. From crafting cybersecurity policies to training and enforcing procedures, a human resources professional can your organization practice cyber safety in an effective manner. Keep reading to learn a few cybersecurity tips from the team at Prescott HR.

Implement a Policy

As mentioned above, every organization should have a written document or policy regarding employee cybersecurity best practices. An HR professional can help craft this policy and enforce the procedures within it effectively. All new hires should undergo cybersecurity training as is relevant to your organization. HR professionals should be aware of company best practices and any changes to the organization’s cybersecurity efforts.

Protect Employee Data

HR plays a major role in keeping private employee data safe. While all company data should be treated as a sensitive matter, there are legal repercussions to not protecting an employee’s personal data at your office. An HR professional can help companies navigate who has access to employee data, and how that data is offloaded in the event of an employee termination or new hire.

Evaluate Access

Different roles within an organization should have access to different data, but not every member of your team should have full access to company data. Your HR department can help you evaluate which team members have access to certain data and put safety measures in place to ensure that every department’s data is protected. Human resources professionals can also work with your IT department to establish and enforce access controls by department or employee job title.

Other Cybersecurity Best Practices

In addition to the active roles listed above that HR professionals can take to implement cybersecurity policies within an organization, there are several cybersecurity best practices that your organization should always follow. Here is our top list:

Use a VPN: Never allow your employees to access their work devices on a public WiFi network. Instead, have your organization set up a VPN, or Virtual Private Network, when working outside of the office.

Train for Scams: Make sure your team is regularly educated on potential phishing scams that can present through unknown emails or fake websites.

Change Passwords Regularly: Your entire team should practice changing their device passwords regularly to avoid potential hackers from learning their login info.

Use Company-Approved Devices Only: Never allow your team to log into their work programs through unauthorized or personal devices.

Try Multifactor Authentication: Your organization can set up multifactor authentication to provide an extra layer of security from potential cybersecurity threats.

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help with establishing cybersecurity policies? We are here to help! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization evaluate your current policies and incorporate new ones, as needed. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with precisely what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online.

Kimberly Prescott
Blog
February 13, 2023

Overcome Gender Bias in the Workplace

Did you know research has shown that women are more successful in upper management roles only after they have proven themselves with a long history of demonstrated loyalty? Even after years of studies and demonstrable evidence of the value of women in the workplace, gender bias still exists in most office settings. If your organization wants to take charge and learn to overcome gender bias in the workplace, keep reading for some helpful tips from the team at Prescott HR.

What is Gender Bias?

One of the most effective ways to reduce gender bias in the workplace is to recognize when it’s happening. Gender bias is the experience of a person receiving different treatment based on their gender identity. Because gender bias is so ingrained in our culture, issues involving potential bias can arise that you may not even notice. Here are some examples of gender bias in the workplace:

Pay gaps
Framing of interview questions
Role forming
Glass ceiling

How to Combat Gender Bias

Now that you understand how gender bias in the workplace can present itself, here are some tips to help your organization avoid potential bias:

Recognize the Bias: As mentioned above, the most important step to reducing gender bias in your organization is to recognize when it’s happening. Take notice of the interactions around you to help recognize patterns or potential issues.

Speak Up: When you see gender bias happening around you, whether it’s in a group setting or behind closed doors, don’t be afraid to speak up. You have to be willing to call out yourself and others when you notice a potential issue arise.

Get Transparent: Your organization should strive to be as transparent as possible when it comes to avoiding gender bias. One example would be transparency around potential pay gaps. Standardize pay within your organization to ensure that a man is not being paid more for the same role as a woman at your business.

Evaluate Your Hiring Process: One of the places you may see gender bias pop up frequently is during the hiring process. From the initial interview to the onboarding process, evaluate how your organization may potentially commit gender bias. Job descriptions are the main culprit of gender bias, especially when they include words with masculine or feminine connotations. Always have your team review a job description before the post goes live to try to avoid gender bias.
Establish a Mentorship Program: Allowing upper-level management to mentor the women at your organization is a great way to help instill confidence and improve networking skills for your team.

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help to overcome gender bias in the workplace? We are here to help! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization evaluate your current policies and incorporate new ones, as needed. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with precisely what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online.

Kimberly Prescott
Blog
February 6, 2023

The Do’s and Don’ts of Dealing with Workplace Romances

Workplace romances can be tricky, at best. Many people meet their significant other through work, but addressing a budding office romance from a manager’s perspective can be difficult to navigate. If your organization needs help with addressing a workplace romance, keep reading for a helpful list of do’s and don’ts from the team at Prescott HR.

DO Address Office Romances in Your Employee Handbook

Many companies choose to prohibit coworkers and colleagues from dating one another. If you are willing to allow office romances at your organization, then we highly suggest addressing the topic in your employee handbook or office policy document. Be sure to write in a language that is specific and clear, so there is no room for ambiguity or confusion among your staff. If your organization does not allow employees to date vendors or clients, you must explicitly state that in the handbook or office policy document, too.

DON’T Forget to Lay Out the Rules

When handling an office romance, there’s no room to be vague. To address future potential problems, you want to clearly lay out the ground rules of how your organization expects its employees to handle dating co-workers, should the occasion arise. Here are some examples of rules that your office could implement if an employee starts to date a coworker, vendor, or client:

All interoffice relationships must immediately be disclosed to human resources and documented
Supervisors may not date their subordinates
Employees may not show signs of physical displays of affection (PDA) while on company property
Employees cannot trade romantic favors for organizational advantages or goods
Employees may only ask a coworker on a date once. If the coworker’s response is “no,” then no further romantic pursuit may happen.

DO Encourage Transparency

The last thing you want as a manager is for your coworkers to date in secret and then have the rest of the office find out through the grapevine. If you are going to allow interoffice dating, then you must stress to your team that transparency is paramount. Be sure to thoroughly explain expectations for office romances during your employee onboarding process.

DON’T Ignore the Repercussions

So how will your organization handle an employee relationship that was not disclosed? Or what will you do if you find out that one of your superiors is dating a subordinate? Or worse, what happens when a workplace romance ends poorly and your employees now feel divided? These are all important considerations to keep in mind when determining if your office will allow workplace relationships.

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help to navigate a workplace romance? We are here to help! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization evaluate your current workplace policies and incorporate new ones, as needed. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with precisely what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online.