• Kimberly Prescott
  • Blog
  • January 16, 2023

Pronouns in the Workplace

Personal pronouns have become a wide topic of conversation in the world of human resources over the last several years. When your organization makes the effort to acknowledge each team member’s personal pronouns, you are conveying a message of inclusivity and equity in the workplace. Keep reading to learn about how to incorporate pronouns into the workplace from the experts at Prescott HR.

What is a personal pronoun?

Personal pronouns are an important component of a person’s identity. Individuals use pronouns to convey what they would like to be called when not using their first name. Here are some examples of personal pronouns:

  • He/him/his
  • She/her/hers
  • They/them/theirs

Why use personal pronouns?

Some individuals value personal pronouns more than others because they want to avoid the experience of being misgendered, which can lead to feeling alienated or excluded. Allowing your team members to express their personal pronouns can help avoid anxiety or stress in your organization. 

How can my organization incorporate personal pronouns?

Now that you understand how personal pronouns work and why they are important, here are a few ideas to implement them at your organization:

  • Use inclusive language: Avoid using blanket pronouns when addressing a group. Instead of saying “hey [guys, girls, ladies, etc.] when starting a meeting, try saying “hello, everyone,” to communicate with a group. 
  • Allow pronouns in email signatures: While this should not be a requirement, you should give your employees the option to express their personal pronouns in their email signatures. In addition to email signatures, you can encourage your employees to also share their preferred pronouns in their LinkedIn bios, Slack bios, or Zoom profiles.
  • Share your pronouns when you meet someone: This is a great practice, especially during the hiring process. When introducing yourself to someone new at your organization, get in the habit of also saying your preferred pronouns along with your first name.
  • Apologize when you make a mistake: Incorporating more inclusive personal pronouns in the workplace can take practice. Give yourself some grace if you make a mistake and state the wrong pronouns for a colleague or team member. Start by apologizing, then correcting the pronoun, and don’t dwell on the mistake. This can make the person feel uncomfortable or cause anxiety.
  • Keep job descriptions inclusive: If you allow online applications to open positions within your organization, then give the option for job candidates to provide their preferred personal pronouns. This conveys that you respect your team members’ preferences and how they want to be addressed by their employer.

Work with Prescott HR

Are you interested in making your organization more inclusive? 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.

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  • Kimberly Prescott
  • Blog
  • January 9, 2023

How to Create a Healthier Work Environment

Employee wellness has been a hot topic ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gone are the days of stretching your team members to their breaking point or not prioritizing employee wellness. Now, employees expect to find value in their organization through wellness initiatives and a better work-life balance. If you want to create a healthier work environment for your team in 2023, keep reading for a few expert tips from Prescott HR!

 

Why create a healthy work environment?

Investing in a healthier work environment may raise a few eyebrows with upper management, but there are many benefits to implementing these changes in the workplace. Studies have shown that a healthier workplace can increase job satisfaction and team productivity while lowering employee turnover and absenteeism. When your employees are happy, your organization can thrive.

 

How to create a healthier work environment

Now that you understand the importance of creating a healthy work environment, here are our recommendations for implementing change:

  • Establish a health and wellness program: Now that we’re in a new year, many individuals are focused on living their best and most active lifestyle. Your organization can contribute to your team’s wellness goals by establishing a program to encourage a healthier lifestyle. Health and wellness programs have a number of benefits for both the employee and your organization. Investing in your team member’s health can contribute to lower stress, improved morale, and increased productivity. Also, when your team members are living a more healthy and active lifestyle, they are less likely to miss work due to sick days. One important factor to keep in mind is that not every team member will want to exercise in the same way. Consider offering a stipend to give your teammates options on how they want to live a more healthy lifestyle.
  • Offer Mental Health Resources and Support: Whole body health is about more than just improving your physical appearance. Employees need to have a healthy mind and mental state, too. Many individuals suffer from stress or mental illness but are unlikely to approach their employer about their issues. If your organization wants to help your team achieve whole-body wellness, we recommend offering mental health resources and support to everyone on your team. This can include stipends towards counseling services to keep your employee’s personal health private.
  • Stock Your Kitchen: To feel great, you have to eat great. That’s why we recommend stocking your office kitchen with healthy and wholesome snack options to fuel your team. Rather than reach for a soda or candy from the vending machine, provide your staff with complimentary nutritious foods to nourish their bodies.

 

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help to create a more healthy work environment? Prescott HR is 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.

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  • Kimberly Prescott
  • Blog
  • January 2, 2023

Prescott HR | Re-evaluating Your Organization’s Benefits in 2023

The start of a new year is a great opportunity to re-evaluate your current employee benefits package. A competitive employee benefits package can help recruit new talent, retain your best employees, and increase office morale. If you are ready to re-evaluate your employee benefits package in 2023, keep reading for some helpful tips from the experts at Prescott HR!

 

The Importance of Employee Benefits

As briefly mentioned above, employee benefits are an incredibly powerful hiring and employee retention tool that deserves your organization’s full attention. Your organiztion should prioritize a time to re-evaluate the benefits you offer at least once per year to ensure you are remaining competitive with other companies. A strong employee benefits package can help your office run more efficiently by conveying to your employees that you value them. Without a strong employee benefits package, you may see employee retention decline, lower recruitment rates, and low employee engagement.

How Can My Organization Re-Evaluate Our Employee Benefits?

Now that you understand the importance of a strong employee benefits package, what should you do next? We recommend taking the start of the new year as an opportunity to sit down with your upper management team to discuss potential changes to your employee benefits. Here’s how: 

  1. Arrange a time to sit down and discuss only the benefits package. Do not try to fit this discussion into a meeting with several other topics. Employee benefits will require the full attention of a dedicated meeting in order to be successful.
  2. Think about what your employees want. Try to put yourself in your team members’ shoes. What sort of perks do you think that your team would benefit from?
  3. Research other organizations. In order to remain competitive in your field, be sure to research other employee benefits packages from businesses like yours. 
  4. Don’t be afraid to ask your team! Send out an anonymous survey or poll your employees. Ask them to weigh in on the kinds of employee benefits that matter to them. You may be surprised how they answer.
  5. Clearly write out your employee benefits package. In order for this to be successful, you need to clearly state your employee benefits in writing. Also, be sure to include when a new employee will start receiving benefits after being hired. 

What are Some Common Employee Benefits?

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way that employers and employees think about their benefits packages. Here are some common employee benefits that you may want to consider adopting at your organization: 

  • Extended paid-time-off
  • Flex or remote work options
  • Paid maternity and paternity leave
  • Childcare compensation
  • Employee wellness packages
  • Continuing education reimbursements
  • Student loan payment assistance
  • Retirement account contributions

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help to re-evaluate your employee benefits in 2023? 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.

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  • Kimberly Prescott
  • Blog
  • December 26, 2022

How to Handle Company Growth and Expansion

Company expansion is something every business owner looks forward to when growing their business. In the midst of expansion excitement, it’s important to remember to scale not only your business but also your human resources, too. Human resources play a pivotal role in the overall long-term success of any business. Keep reading to learn how you can set your organization up for success in the face of growth or expansion.

 

Step Up Your Hiring Game

One of the most important roles your human resources department or consulting firm can assist with is hiring more employees for your expanding business. As your company grows, HR professionals can help guide you through the process of putting the right people in the right seats. It’s essential to establish an effective hiring strategy early, so you can avoid pitfalls and headaches in the future. 

 

Invest in Proper Training

Once you find the right team members to help expand your business, it is vital that your organization invests in the proper training to help them succeed. Your HR professional should be able to walk you through considerations you may not have previously thought about. As your organization grows, new challenges will arise that could affect various departments at your business. An HR professional will be able to anticipate these upcoming challenges and provide proactive solutions to keep your operations continue to run smoothly.

 

Retain Talent

Growth and expansion will inevitably lead to change, and not all people like change. Your organization should be prepared for potential overturn with your current staff. When planning ahead for company growth, your organization should evaluate your current employee benefits to help retain your top talent. Use your company growth plans as an opportunity to gather feedback from your current employees, too! Are there things within the office that can be improved upon during this growth period? You won’t know until you ask.

 

Foster an Environment of Growth

Your current team members may be wondering where their role fits into the long-term growth plans at your company. Work with them to decide how they can best fit into the company expansion plan. This is a great opportunity to get feedback from your team members about aspects of the roles they enjoy, or responsibilities they would prefer to move away from.

 

Communicate Well and Often

In the midst of rapid company growth, it is essential to prioritize and streamline how your organization communicates. You don’t want to leave your current team members in the dark or confuse your new hires. Your HR department or consultant should help you continually craft and disseminate important communications to your team – and often. Everyone, from upper management to new hires, needs to be on the same page. This encompasses everything from the overall company vision to company policies, direction, and procedures.

 

Work with Prescott HR

Is your organization anticipating growth and expansion in the new year? 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.

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  • Kimberly Prescott
  • Blog
  • December 19, 2022

Setting Your Organization Up for HR Success in 2023

With the new year just around the corner, you may be wondering how to improve systems around the office in 2023. We recommend beginning with your HR department. A proper HR department should be a resource for trust among your employees. An effective HR department should look out for the well-being of your team and streamline the communication between upper management and employees. Keep reading to learn how to set your organization up for HR success in 2023!

 

Have a Written Handbook and Policy Document

If you haven’t already, the new year is a great opportunity to develop a written handbook or policy document that outlines important facets of your organization. A written handbook allows your organization to clearly communicate expectations to your employees. It should serve as a reference to review in times of uncertainty. Your handbook or policy document should include items like office dress code expectations, onboarding procedures, payroll information, set office hours, and more. 

 

Organize Your Employee Files Efficiently 

Start the new year off on the right foot by ensuring all employee files are organized in an efficient manner. Don’t waste your time digging through files in 2023, and instead get organized before the new year starts. All personnel files should be in alphabetical order by the department for easy access. You may even want to consider securely backing up these documents on the cloud, safely.

 

Reevaluate Your Employee Benefits Package

The start of a new year means that your employee benefits clock has reset. Now is a great time to evaluate the types of employee benefits you offer to your team. Look for ways to improve, like offering more competitive paid time off, health insurance benefits, expense stipends, wellness benefits, or educational assistance.

 

Assess Your Office Culture

Have you noticed that employee morale was slipping in 2022? Or maybe you have had to resolve multiple conflicts amongst employees over the past year? Take this time before the new year begins to assess your organization’s office culture. Think about how you can improve the work environment to create a better office for your team. At the end of the day, the kind of culture you determine for your organization should align with your business’s core values.

 

Make Sure Everyone is on the Same Page

In order to run a successful business, every team member needs to be on the same page when it comes to overall goals and visions for the organization. Take the start of a new year as an opportunity to communicate your company’s overall vision for the future. Be sure to allow your employees time to ask questions and provide suggestions for improvement, too.

 

Work with Prescott HR

Are you ready to set your organization up for HR success in 2023? We are here to help! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization evaluate your current policies,incorporate new ones, and more. 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.

 

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  • Kimberly Prescott
  • Blog
  • December 5, 2022

Give the Gift of Outsourced HR

The holiday season has arrived! Are you looking for ways to make your employees’ lives easier in the new year? Consider giving the gift of outsourced HR. Outsourcing your organization’s human resources department can keep your team happy, control company costs, maintain important compliance standards, and even help your business grow. Keep reading to learn why you should consider outsourcing your HR in 2023.

 

Stay Compliant

One of the most important reasons to consider outsourcing your HR is to remain up-to-date with all workplace compliance requirements. Human resources is constantly evolving, and you need to be sure that your company is ahead of the curve when new rules and regulations are implemented at both a federal and state level. Most organizations do not have the bandwidth or man power to stay on top of these continual HR compliance changes, but an outside HR firm will know these new updates as soon as they are announced. 

 

Remain Cost-Effective

Simply put, outsourcing your human resources can help your organization save money. Instead of hiring a staff of HR professionals to help manage your organization, you can rely on a team of human resource experts to handle all essential functions on your organization’s behalf. Outsourced HR firms can help handle many necessary factors of your business, including: 

  • Employee relations
  • Hiring efforts like writing job descriptions
  • Performance reviews
  • Employee benefits design
  • Delicate issues like difficult terminations or progressive discipline 
  • Business growth and expansion plans
  • Employee handbook and policy creation

 

Improve Employee Relations

One of the most important aspects of a successful business is empowering your employees to feel represented and valued. This is accomplished through effective communication, which should be clearly outlined in your company handbook, as well as during the hiring process and employee performance reviews. An outside HR firm can help your organization establish clear goals and set expectations for your team members, which can help avoid future employee-employer conflicts. On that note, there are times when your business will have to deal with a difficult situation, like a tough termination or employee disciplinary action. Having a professional human resources team on your side can provide the necessary guidance to navigate sensitive situations like these. 

 

Get Back to What Matters

When you alleviate time-consuming matters like human resources from your plate, that frees up more space in your schedule to focus on why you actually started your business. When you outsource your HR, you are allowing yourself more time to focus on different aspects of running and growing your company. Plus, you will have peace of mind knowing this department of your business is running smoothly by experts who are well-versed in all aspects of human resources and compliance.

Work with Prescott HR

Are you considering outsourcing your organization’s HR in the near future? 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.

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  • Kimberly Prescott
  • Blog
  • November 28, 2022

How to Show Workplace Gratitude for the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us! This time of year is a great excuse to show your employees how much they mean to your organization. Before you set out to show your team the appreciation they deserve, take a moment to read through these helpful tips from the experts at Prescott HR!

 

Send a Company Card

Your organization likely already sends a holiday card to your team members. Take this year’s card a step further and include a handwritten note of appreciation for each team member. Be sure to make it authentic and personal, so your team member feels valued when reading it. 

 

Surprise Your Team with Time Off

If your organization can handle the paid time off, a meaningful gesture of appreciation is to give your team an unexpected day off. The holidays are a busy time as employees juggle work, shopping for gifts, prepping for social events, and more. Why not show your gratitude for their hard work by rewarding them with a day off to catch up on personal tasks? 

 

Host an Office Get Together

As the holiday gets closer, consider celebrating together as a team. This could be an office party, team lunch, or employee outing that brings everyone together. One important tip: be sure that you are recognizing all holidays in December, not just Christmas. 

 

Look for Meaningful Gifts

When you are selecting a gift for your team, we recommend avoiding a branded corporate item. Instead, gift your team members with something they will actually want or that has a deeper meaning. One example is to make a monetary contribution to an organization that matters to your team, like a local charity. You could also present them with a gift card to a local coffee or smoothie shop near the office that employees can use in the New Year. 

 

Give Back Together

Along those lines, a great way to show appreciation for your team is to come together and work toward a goal that benefits your community as a whole. Consider giving your team the day off to volunteer as a group at a community charity. This could mean shopping for a local toy drive or packaging food for a free community food drive. 

 

Host a Gift Exchange

A great way to celebrate the holidays is to host an employee gift exchange. Set a spending limit and allow your team to participate in exchanging fun or silly gifts with one another. This is a great way to boost team morale. Just make sure you do not make the gift exchange a requirement for all employees to participate – it should always be optional. 

 

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help to show workplace gratitude this holiday season? 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.

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  • Kimberly Prescott
  • Blog
  • November 21, 2022

What is a Federal EEO Investigation?

Has your organization ever experienced a federal EEO investigation? Whether you’ve dealt with one in the past or you’re just receiving a notice, a federal EEO investigation is a serious matter to navigate. Don’t go forward with it alone! Read through what a typical federal EEO investigation entails and how to best handle the situation from the team at Prescott HR.

 

What is Federal EEO?

Federal EEO, or Equal Employment Opportunity, are laws that prohibit specific types of job discrimination in certain workplaces. Federal EEO laws are overseen and enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor. It is the EEO office that ensures certain businesses are complying with the laws, regulations, policies, and guidance that helps prevent discrimination in the workplace. Federal EEO ensures that federal employees or job applicants are not discriminated against based on their race, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, or other factors. 

 

What is a Federal EEO investigation?

If you’ve received a notice in the mail that an EEO complaint has been filed against your organization, here is what you can generally expect from the process. An investigator will be assigned to your case to collect relevant information and documents. This investigator will compile all relevant information into a report, which will serve as evidence in your case. It’s important to understand that the investigator on your case is a neutral party who will not make any decisions about your case: they are simply there to gather the necessary information and collect evidence. 

 

What Happens Next?

After the investigator collects all relevant information, your organization will be interviewed in person or asked to provide a written list of answers to questions. The investigation could include some back-and-forth communication with the employee or applicant who filed the EEO complaint. EEO complaints must have a completed investigation within 180 days of initial filing, however, extensions are granted on a case-by-case basis. 

 

Are You Required to Participate?

The answer is yes, your organization cannot fail to participate in a federal EEO investigation. Your organization will be required to respond to all communications and provide the necessary documentation to the agency and investigator. After the investigation is completed, your organization will receive a summary of the investigation including all statements, affidavits, and relevant documents. 

 

How Does EEO Work in Maryland?

In the state of Maryland, the Office of the Statewide Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator works to administer and enforce all federal EEO laws and policies. They promote work environments throughout our state that are free of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. 

 

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help to navigate an upcoming federal EEO investigation? We are here to help! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization deal with this kind of investigation. 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.

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  • Kimberly Prescott
  • Blog
  • November 14, 2022

Get the Right People in the Right Seats

Every successful human resources manager understands how important it is to get the right people in the right seats. An organization is most likely fighting an uphill battle when they fail to prioritize this important concept. If you are starting a new business or looking to improve on your current one, keep reading for some helpful tips from the experts at Prescott HR.

What Does “Right People in the Right Seat” Mean?

There is a metaphor from Jim Collins’ 2001 bestselling book “Good to Great” that guides leaders on how to help their organization excel. Part of Collins’ theory is that an organization has to set the right direction by getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus. It’s just as important to assemble a team that works well in their different roles as it is to let go of individuals who are “weighing down” the rest of the group.

 

Take Inventory of Your Current Team

Whether you are a startup or an established company, you should begin by taking inventory of your current team members. Ask questions about each of your team members individually: what are their strengths or areas for improvement? Are they being challenged in their role or are they just working day-to-day without a bigger goal in mind? Sometimes it may be necessary to place an employee in a new position or department if their skills are not being utilized as well as they could be. 

 

Be Willing to Delegate

As a business owner or manager, you cannot get bogged down on the day-to-day mundane tasks of office life. That’s where hiring the right people for the right positions will help improve overall company function. A successful leader knows how to delegate tasks to those who can perform them best, so be ready and willing to release some responsibility as your team grows.

 

Set Clear Expectations

As you are hiring a new candidate to fill a role within your company, it’s important to clearly communicate what is expected of them. When leaders lack clarity around their overall vision and purpose for a company, it leaves employees frustrated and unwilling to stick around. When recruiting more employees, be sure to clearly outline what is expected from each person in their new role.

 

Determine a Candidate’s Core Values

When interviewing a potential new recruit, you want to get a clear understanding of what their core values are as an employee. Finding the right employees for the right seats starts with hiring the types of individuals who align with your company’s core values. 

 

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help recruiting new talent? 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.

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