Blog

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• July 18, 2022

Financial Wellness Programs in the Workplace

In today’s competitive job market, companies are always looking for new ways to stand out and recruit top talent. One suggestion to gain a competitive advantage over other organizations is to offer financial wellness programs to your employees. If you haven’t heard of a financial wellness program, keep reading to learn how you can help your organization stand out and hire top notch talent. 

What is a Financial Wellness Program? 

Most employees do not wake up and come to work each day for the fun of it. They are there to earn an income, save for retirement, pay off debt, or other financially-motivated reasons. A financial wellness program can help empower your employees to achieve their personal financial goals. 

The Benefits of Implementing Financial Wellness Programs

There are many positive benefits to implementing a financial wellness program in the workplace. One major example is helping your employees decrease the chances of a major financial event that could affect their ability to come to work. Another important factor is that having less financial problems can alleviate individual stress. Offering financial wellness programs to your employees also sends the message that you value your team members and their contributions to your organization. 

Examples of Financial Wellness Programs

Employee financial wellness programs can include helpful training in areas like debt relief, student loan repayment options, retirement savings plans, and more. Here are some financial wellness programs your company could consider offering in the future: 

• Educational Programs: If your team members are concerned about student loan repayment or retirement savings, have an expert from that field come into the office and help educate your team. These experts can provide guidance and coaching that your team members can implement in real life.
• Benefit Matching: Many employees seek careers with organizations who are willing to match certain workplace benefits, like retirement savings. Consider offering a 401K match, a 529 match, or student loan repayment match to all employees. 
• Build Financial Awareness: There are many programs available out there to help professionals succeed. Why not offer a free lesson to your team members? We recommend a monthly lecture series that focuses on different topics that would be helpful to your team. Some examples include a health savings account specialist, a mortgage lender to discuss home loan assistance, how to avoid identity theft, or an expert in medical bill negotiations. 

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help selecting a financial wellness program to offer your employees? Hire the experts at Prescott HR to help you. Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization plan for one or more layoffs within your organization in a compassionate and authentic way. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online. 

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• July 11, 2022

How to Build Workplace Resilience

Resilience is more than just a workplace buzzword. In fact, fostering an environment of workplace resilience is something that all leaders should strive for to create a better work culture. Does your organization need some guidance on how to create resilience in the workplace? Keep reading for some helpful tips to build resilience in the workplace from the experts at Prescott HR. 

What is Resilience?

Before we begin, it’s helpful to define what exactly resilience in the workplace looks like. Generally speaking, being resilient means that an individual is able to recover or quickly adapt from a challenge or stressful event. Resilience in the workplace looks like team members who are able to rise to the challenge and handle a stressful situation with a positive outlook. Studies have shown that resilient individuals are more likely to excel at personal growth and development, too. An example of resiliency in the workplace is a team member who is faced with a challenging deadline, but meets it anyways through proper planning and problem solving.

The Benefits of Workplace Resilience

Not only does a resilient workforce encourage personal growth for individuals, but it can also contribute positively to an organization as a whole. Building a team of resilient individuals can help create leaders who are able to think quickly and adapt when faced with challenges. Resilient employees are also able to work together more efficiently to help a team member when he or she is struggling.

How to Foster Workplace Resilience 

There are many ways to help foster an environment of resilience in your workplace. Here are several suggestions from our team at Prescott HR:

• Offer Stress Relief: There are many affordable and easy options to implement that can help your team alleviate stress. Consider playing calming music or offering a group meditation in the office during the week. Offer wellness programs like exercise classes or breathing exercises to promote a stress-free work environment.  

• Ask Your Team: Rather than try to come up with new initiatives, seek out opinions from your team. What initiatives could your organization offer to make their lives and jobs easier, so that they may feel less stress in the workplace? Chances are your co-workers have already given this some thought and can provide valuable insights. 
• Hire Motivational Speakers: One interesting idea is to hire a motivational speaker to come in and discuss ways to become more resilient with your team. You will want to seek out individuals who are motivating or have experienced resiliency in their own personal life. 

Work with Prescott HR

Do you need help guiding your organization in becoming more resilient? Hire the experts at Prescott HR to help you. Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization plan for one or more layoffs within your organization in a compassionate and authentic way. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online. 

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• July 1, 2022

How to Prevent OSHA Violations

Does your organization have concerns about violating OSHA laws? OSHA violations can incur high fines and put your organization at risk for health and safety standards. Learn how you can help prevent OSHA violations from the experts at Prescott HR!

What is OSHA?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, was created in 1971 to assure that all working men and women are provided with healthy and safe working conditions. This is accomplished through set standards by the U.S. Department of Labor and requires businesses to undergo training to meet OSHA requirements. Common OSHA violations include: 

• Fall protection
• Hazard communication
• Respiratory protection
• Scaffolding
• Powered industrial trucks
• Eye and face protection

Here are some helpful tips and plans to implement so your organization can avoid costly OSHA violation penalties. 

Train Your Staff

This is probably the most important step you can take in assuring your organization avoids an OSHA violation. Every employee that is hired must be trained on their role and made away of any safety standards to avoid workplace injury. Making your employees aware of potential safety hazards can help reduce workplace injuries in the future. 

Create a Safety Plan

Take some time to evaluate your organization and any potential workplace hazards that may exist. Familiarize yourself with common OSHA violations and then conduct a “run-through” of your organization to see if you could potentially be vulnerable to one. Also, make sure that you have PPE (personal protective equipment) available to your staff wherever it’s needed.

Conduct Regular Safety Checks

It’s not enough to just evaluate your organization’s workplace safety once a year. Businesses should be regularly conducting workplace safety checks to help avoid any future injuries and identify areas of potential harm. You can even involve your employees in the process! OSHA protects employees from owner retaliation, should they report a potential safety concern at their workplace. Make sure that your employees know they can come to you or a manager to discuss and address a safety concern before they feel the need to report to OSHA.

Provide Safety Equipment

As we mentioned above, always be sure that your team has the right PPE (personal protective equipment) to perform their work safely. These can include items like goggles, hard hats, and masks. There are other safety equipment considerations you should incorporate into the workplace, too. OSHA also requires respirators to be on site when employees have to work in environments with insufficient oxygen or where harmful materials are involved, like dust, fog, smoke, fumes, gases, or vapors. 

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help with making your workplace safe? We are here to help! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization recruit new talent, including creative hiring ideas. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need.

Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online. 

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• June 20, 2022

How to Utilize Facebook for Recruiting

Did you know that Facebook has over two billion active monthly users and over one billion active monthly users? Facebook can be a treasure trove when it comes to highlighting your company culture and recruiting top talent to join your team. Does your organization want to start using Facebook to recruit new team members but you aren’t sure where to start? Keep reading for some helpful Facebook recruiting tips from the team at Prescott HR!

Step 1: Create a Company Facebook Page

If your organization does not have a company Facebook page already established, it’s time to set one up! You can set up a company Facebook page in just a few simple steps. Be sure to categorize your organization in the right industry, so as not to confuse your followers. If your organization already has a company Facebook page in place, you may want to also consider setting up an additional Facebook page strictly for hiring purposes. 

Step 2: Start Posting

Once you have your Facebook page all set up, it’s time to start posting! Facebook is a great tool to authentically highlight the perks of working for your organization. It’s also an opportunity to highlight your current team members to make them feel valued. If a potential new employee finds their way onto your Facebook page when researching your company, you’ll want to demonstrate why your organization is a great place to work. Consider posting content surrounding team events, flex-work opportunities, employee perks or benefits, and more. 

Step 3: Post Open Job Positions to Your Page

It’s important to publish posts about all open job positions within your organization. You’ll want to be sure that your job posts are inclusive and that they properly convey the responsibilities necessary for the role. Consider using eye-catching graphics to stand out to new applicants. You’ll also want to make the application process as simple as possible, so consider creating an easy fillable form for applicants to use. 

Step 4: Boost Your Job Posts

Reach a wider audience by paying to boost your job posts on Facebook. You can even target certain demographics who would be a great fit for your organization, like by region or interests.

Step 5: Get Personal

Do you work in a niche industry? Search out specific Facebook groups that fit your organization’s industry. There are tons of private Facebook groups that are geared toward specific job industries, like accounting or programming. Regularly publish enticing job posts about your organization within these groups.

Work with Prescott HR

Do you need help getting your organization set up to recruit on Facebook? We are here to help! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization recruit new talent, including creative hiring ideas. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need.

Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online. 

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• June 13, 2022

Recruitment Tips for 2022

We are almost halfway through 2022 and if we’ve seen anything over the past few years, it’s that recruiting top talent is more challenging than ever. At the start of 2021, we saw what is now being referred to as “the Great Resignation,” a movement where millions of Americans quit their jobs to seek more fulfilling work. Around one and a half years later, we are still feeling the effects of the Great Resignation. That’s why Prescott HR has compiled this helpful and updated list of recruitment tips for your organization to try in 2022. Keep reading to learn more!

Establish an Employee Referral Program

Does your organization already have a great team in place? Then why not lean on your current employees to help you recruit top talent! Establishing an employee referral program can be a win-win when it comes to recruiting new team members to your organization. Your current employees are likely to have a wide network of like-minded and talented individuals who could make a great fit at your organization. In order to make an employee referral program successful, it’s important to implement incentives that your team members actually want, like monetary bonuses. It’s also important to make this process as easy as possible for your employee. We suggest providing employees with an easily accessible online form to submit referrals.

Utilize Social Media

Social media is an incredibly powerful recruiting tool. If you aren’t already using social media platforms to recruit new team members, here is your sign to give it a try! Social media can be an effective tool to demonstrate your company culture, so make sure your posts are as authentic as possible. Be sure to always post any current job openings on your social media pages and encourage your staff to like and share the posts with their own network. It’s also important to make the application process as easy as possible with social media. We recommend creating a simple form for the employee to fill out and don’t forget to make it mobile-friendly. Also, consider sending applicants to a landing page where you can easily track which social media platforms are garnering the most responses. 

Reach Out to Previous Employees

One often overlooked aspect of recruiting can be reaching out to previous employees. Perhaps you had an excellent employee who decided to leave your organization to pursue other endeavors. When recruiting for a new position, do not hesitate to reach out to them and check-in. Do they like their new role? Are they considering a career change? Keep the door open with regular communication for your previous employee to come back to the team. On a similar note, be sure to pull older applications for professionals who you’ve interviewed in the past who did not choose to come on board. Circumstances may have changed and now could be the right time for them to join the team.

Work with Prescott HR

Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization recruit new talent, including creative hiring ideas. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online. 

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• June 6, 2022

How to Manage Layoffs With Compassion

There’s a great deal of uncertainty in the world right now and your organization may be affected by any number of unforeseen issues. One difficult decision may be to lay off one or more of your team members. If your organization has made the difficult decision to lay off an employee or a team of employees, it’s important to handle the situation with compassion and understanding. Keep reading for a few helpful tips for managing layoffs with compassion from the team at Prescott HR. 

Show Empathy

When it’s time to sit an employee down to inform them of a layoff, it’s important to remember to show empathy throughout the conversation. Recognize that this situation is going to be upsetting and difficult to process for the employee, so you will need to be empathetic for the emotions that they may experience. Acknowledge the pain that this decision has caused you as a manager or owner and that your organization did everything it possibly could before this layoff to avoid the current situation.

Be Transparent

Unless your employee saw this coming, it will probably come as a bit of a shock when they are laid off. It’s important to be as transparent as possible about why your organization has decided to implement layoffs and also answer any questions or concerns they may have about the decision-making process. Being transparent and honest with your employee can help them process and cope with the layoff in a healthier way.

Offer Additional Support

There are ways to provide your employee or employees with transition support to help them onto the next phase of their career. Some ideas include writing a letter of recommendation for their job search. Your organization can also provide a severance package for the team member or members who are being affected by the layoffs. 

Communicate with Your Current Team

Layoffs within an organization can be emotional for all members of your team. Keep in mind that your staff is losing a team member or members whom they value and respect. This can be a painful and emotional process for your team to deal with and it may affect overall company morale. You will want to be open and communicative with the rest of your team about the reasons for the layoffs. Demonstrate that you value your current team and that this was a difficult decision that had to be done. Also, be prepared to answer any questions your team may have about the layoffs in an authentic and honest way.

Work with Prescott HR

Is your organization considering layoffs in the near future? Hire the experts at Prescott HR to help you prepare. Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization plan for one or more layoffs within your organization in a compassionate and authentic way. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online. 

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• June 1, 2022

How to Deal with a Bad Boss

A bad boss… we’ve all had one. In an ideal world, only the best leaders would be steering the ship of a successful organization. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. As a business owner or manager, it’s important for you to identify a boss within your organization who needs professional development when it comes to their leadership style. Keep reading to learn the best ways to deal with a bad boss from the experts at Prescott HR.

Address the Issue Right Away

Operating in a toxic work environment can be draining. If your organization has a manager in place who is contributing to the toxic environment, you have to address the issue immediately. Make a plan with your organization’s Human Resources department to strategize how to approach him or her with steps to remedy any issues right away. If you do not have a Human Resources department at your organization, consider hiring an outside HR consultation firm to guide you through this process.

Document Everything

If you’ve had unpleasant or inappropriate interactions with a leader on your team, it’s important to document any instances as soon as they occur. This is an extremely helpful step when it comes time to approach your Human Resources team or consultant. Be sure to keep thorough records of any disputes you have as soon as they happen, so it’s fresh on your mind.

Offer Additional Training

If you have a boss on your team who needs help with their managerial skills, offer to provide leadership training. Managing people does not come naturally to everyone, so sometimes we need to offer additional training or help to those who are struggling with leading a team. 

Avoid Letting Them Affect Your Work

If you love your job and are not willing to look around for a different one because of a bad boss, then it’s important to not let their behavior affect your work. Working in a toxic environment can be draining on your emotional state, so be sure to implement self-care practices throughout the day to deal with a bad boss. This can look like taking ten minutes each day to take a walk around your building or to meditate at your desk. 

Communicate with the Bad Boss

Communication is key in all aspects of life. Maybe a bad boss or leader on your team does not realize how their actions are affecting you or the rest of the team. Most of the time, a conversation can help remedy any issues that your team is having with one manager’s leadership style. Consider setting up a one-on-one conversation to discuss any issues you are noticing.

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help with a bad boss or manager on your team? Hire the experts at Prescott HR to help you! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization recruit a diverse and talented group of professionals. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online. 

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• May 23, 2022

Writing Inclusive Job Postings and Descriptions

A well-written job description is one that welcomes professionals of all abilities and backgrounds to apply for an open position at your organization. Studies have shown that a more inclusive workplace can create a better sense of community, increase worker engagement, and promote a more positive workplace culture. That’s why it’s critical to be sure that you are writing inclusive job postings and descriptions when hiring for a new role. If you need a few tips for writing inclusive job postings and descriptions, keep reading for some expert advice from the professionals at Prescott HR!

Remove Gendered Words and Pronouns

Organizations can sometimes unknowingly assign gendered words and pronouns to their job descriptions. If your organization implies through these words that a job may be more suitable for one gender over another, then you are missing out on a pool of qualified candidates. Some examples of gendered words include using words like nurture, support, compassion, or share, which are often considered female-coded words. Whereas words like aggressive, confident, assertive, or driven can be associated with male-coded words. Removing gendered words or pronouns from your job descriptions can show that your organization is inclusive of all potential applicants. 

Avoid Racial Bias

In today’s modern world, employers should be aware of underlying racial bias that may make its way into job postings and descriptions. Pay careful attention to the words and phrases you use in your job descriptions to avoid showing racial bias. For example, never mention race or national origin in your job description. Using phrases like, “strong English-language skills” can deter non-native English speakers from applying for the job.

Welcome Disabled Workers

The rise in remote work and telework options has allowed disabled workers to apply for positions they maybe once would have avoided. There are certain keywords you can include in your job posting and descriptions that would be welcoming to disabled workers. For example, you wouldn’t want to say, “Must be able to stand for the entirety of a shift.” Instead, use more inclusive language like, “Must be able to remain in a stationary position during the entirety of a shift.” 

Avoid Ageism

Ageism is a very real issue in the modern-day workplace. It’s important to not reference age or ability in job postings and descriptions, so as not to deter older workers from applying for the position. One way to do this is to make sure your organization does not ask for GPA scores when applying, which implies that you are only looking for recent graduates. It’s also helpful to avoid using “Junior” or “Senior” as part of job titles.

Work with Prescott HR

Does your organization need help with writing inclusive job postings and descriptions? Hire the experts at Prescott HR to help you! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization recruit a diverse and talented group of professionals. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online. 

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• May 16, 2022

Minimizing Workplace Distractions

Workplace distractions are continually on the rise. From smartphones to social media, it’s becoming harder than ever for employees to sit down and concentrate on one task. Studies have found that multitasking, instead of concentrating on one task at a time, can crush employee productivity. So how can employers help their team members minimize workplace distractions? We’re sharing a few helpful considerations to keep your team focused and on track below.

Keep Workspaces Organized

One of the best ways to minimize workplace distractions is to ensure that your employees keep organized workspaces. When your team keeps their desks tidy and clean, they are more likely to focus their energy on the task in front of them. If your employees have a chaotic workstation, they can become distracted by the papers or items surrounding them.

Provide Time Management Workshops

Sometimes we all could use a helpful reminder about time management. Consider hosting a workshop for your employees that provides tips to minimize workplace distractions. You can hire a presenter to share time management and organizational advice for employees to follow.

Limit Technological Distractions

Limiting technology can be tough. We are constantly surrounded by it, from our smartphones to our desktop computers. That’s why we recommend that employees minimize technological distractions as much as possible. Encourage your team members to turn off email or text notifications, and instead time block certain hours of the day to correspond on those platforms. There are even apps that your team can download that can limit the number of distractions they pull up on their computers or phones. Also, be sure to have your employees reserve their lunch hour to conduct personal calls or scroll through social media. 

Limit Unnecessary Meetings

This is something employers don’t always think about. Not every meeting is necessary and sometimes it can lead to your employees being less productive. Instead, only call meetings when they are essential. Forcing routine meetings at the same time each week can actually drain an employee’s productivity, plus it takes away from valuable time that they could be working. 

Have Employees Timeblock Their Day

Sometimes distractions can be a good thing. You don’t want your employees working every minute of every hour, because that will lead to less productivity and eventually burnout. Instead, encourage your employees to time block their days to incorporate healthy break times. If your employee knows they can take a 10-minute walk around the building to break up their morning, it may encourage them to hunker down and knock out their work beforehand.

Work with Prescott HR

Are your employees experiencing workplace distractions? Hire the experts at Prescott HR to help you! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help mediate workplace issues like distractions. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online. 

• Kimberly Prescott
• Blog
• May 9, 2022

Evaluating Your Organization’s PTO Policy

Summer is just around the corner and some of your employees may be thinking of relaxing vacation days ahead. Major corporations like Netflix, Roku, and Grubhub offer what’s called unlimited PTO, or unlimited paid time off. Organizations that offer this “policy-that-isn’t” are making headlines across the globe for their progressive stance on employee vacation time. If you are considering reevaluating your organization’s PTO policy, keep reading for a few helpful tips from the professionals a Prescott HR. 

What is PTO?

Before we begin, it’s helpful to understand what PTO is and how it works within different organizations. PTO stands for paid-time-off and is a benefit typically offered to full-time employees. There are several options available to employers when establishing a PTO policy, including:

• Accrual PTO: This is when employees accrue a certain number of PTO days over time. For example, an employee can earn one PTO day per month, totaling 12 PTO days by the end of a calendar year. This is a beneficial PTO policy if your organization experiences high turnover. One downside to accrual PTO is that it requires attention to detail by your admin staff to keep track of days accrued per employee. 

• Frontload PTO: Frontload PTO can alleviate the burden on your administrative staff by blanket approving a full year’s worth of PTO at the beginning of each year. One downside to this kind of policy is that you have to be prepared for your employee, or employees, to take their full PTO time right away. 
• Unlimited PTO: Unlimited PTO is a growing trend in the working world. Some companies, like Netflix, believe that employees can be trusted to manage their time properly to get the job done- which does not require monitoring set hours. Unlimited PTO policies are not right for every business, but the conversation has definitely been brought to the forefront in recent years as companies try to retain top talent. 

The Benefits of Healthy PTO Policies

Your organization may want to consider restructuring its PTO policy to keep up with today’s competitive hiring market. Some benefits of offering healthy or generous PTO policies include:

• Better work-life balance
• Improved employee morale
• Prevent employee burnout
• Attract and hire top talent
• Can lead to more productive employees

What does the law say about PTO?

Laws vary from state to state, but generally speaking, an organization is required to uphold the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Technically the FLSA does not require payment for time not worked, but there are separate provisions for employers in different industries. Some states even require PTO for certain circumstances, like in California where employers are required to provide at least 24 hours of paid sick leave per year. 

Work with Prescott HR

Is it time to evaluate your organization’s PTO policy? Prescott HR wants to help! Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online.