Posted on Wed, Sep 08, 2010 @ 07:15 AM
In the spirit of keeping our readers out of trouble (a common theme of our business), we'd like to talk a bit about policy development. One of the biggest things that gets employers in trouble from an employee relations standpoint is poor use (or no use) of formal internal policies. Many companies don't even have an employee handbook, which obviously completely negates any sort of "that's our policy" defense in case of legal issues.
The development of an effective leave of absence policy in a small employer company requires many considerations. Here are the five key components of an effective leave of absence policy:
- Legal Compliance
- Organizational Culture
- Cost
- Administrative Burden
- Workforce Demographics
Legal Compliance
Ensuring the company is in legal compliance is the highest priority for any employer. Some leaves are legally required, depending on the size of the organization. For instance, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is primarily concerned with companies of 50 or more employees.
The HR professional needs a thorough understanding of required state and federal leaves before developing a leave of absence policy. Consideration should also be given to the future. For example, a company with 45 employees with solid growth may want to go ahead and implement an FMLA policy.
Organizational Culture
The desired culture of the organization is also an important piece for the HR professional to understand. This involves understanding the company’s strategic and philosophical tendencies. The company should consider how it wants to be viewed internally and externally. A proper leave of absence policy may help a company that is concerned with attraction and retention issues.
Cost
With any organization, large or small, cost is going to be a crucial consideration. A leave of absence policy can have direct and indirect costs to a company. A direct cost would be the actual cost of having an employee gone (vacation pay, for instance). An indirect cost may be the morale cost of those still at work.
Administrative Burden
Don't forget about those who are left to keep track of everything. The administrative burden of this policy needs to be considered, as this can have a significant impact on smaller companies' administrative staffs who are probably already stretched paper thin. Complex leave policies require more administrative work to keep records accurate and policies current.
Workforce Demographics
Finally, an HR professional must understand the demographics of the workforce. This allows a better understanding of what types of leaves will have the most impact.
Resources in this Post:
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Posted on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 @ 07:08 AM
Are You Losing the Unemployment Claims Battle?
It’s probably comes as no surprise that unemployment claims have risen substantially in the past eighteen months, and while hiring rates seem to be increasing gradually, there’s not yet an end in sight as benefits continue to be extended.
Understandably, the number of companies disputing claims are also increasing, as is the number of employers who take the step to appeal and overturn a unemployment benefits award.
However, judging by the relatively low number of claims and appeals being won by the employers, not many are doing a very good job of fighting unemployment claims. Here’s why, and here's how your company can do a better job.
1.) Poor or No Documentation
Many employers fail to realize that the documentation they provide regarding an employee’s work history and termination will be translated as evidence by the unemployment office. Simply put - No documentation = No evidence.
The burden of proof that the employee was fired for cause is on the employer entirely, and they must prove the termination was cause to deny benefits. While it is legal in most states to terminate an employee at will, many employers do not know that termination under at will does not deny an employee their unemployment benefits.
Included in this documentation of employment and termination needs to be verification that the employee was aware of company policies, such as signature of receipt for the employee handbook and other types of internal company training.
Additionally, if an employee is terminated for a violation not outlined in the employee handbook (give that link a look if you're not sure if all of your "policies" are documented), employers are going to have a tough time proving that a violation even took place, especially if the employee was never warned of their behavior.
Around here we like to call these expensive little mishaps "unwritten policies." Here are two extremely helpful blog posts discussing these all too common omissions and why you should avoid them.
If you need help with your employee handbook, drop us a line immediately. This is one of the most important pieces of a properly functioning small business.
2.) The Wrong Representative
Who usually handles the appeals hearings in your company? Hopefully Human Resources or an HR representative is speaking on behalf of the employer during the hearings, as it should be.
These hearings are defined by protocol and it’s important that the employer side be led by a highly experienced professional, such as the Certified HR Professionals at Integrity HR (yes, we provide this service to our clients). However, that usually is not enough.
Unless the representative witnessed first-hand the behavior that led to termination, it can be perceived as hearsay. Sure, it’s professional hearsay if HR is speaking regarding what the supervisor told them or even documented, but the hearing officer will need to hear it straight from the supervisor’s mouth for it to hold much weight.
The same is true for anyone who witnessed the behavior that led to termination – or who can attest to the employer’s consistent application of the policy in question. Having these witnesses available to provide personal testimony is key and employers must often determine if they want to invest the time to pull them away from their duties in order to participate, or if they want to risk the validity of their appeal.
If a witness absolutely cannot be present, a signed and sworn statement from the witness may be substituted (considering, of course, it is provided to the hearing officer and the claimant as required in advance of the hearing)
3.) Inaccurate Reason for Termination
This all comes down to why the employee was terminated. If the employee is terminated for attendance, this is what they are told, and this is what is provided in the unemployment fact finding interview, then that is what will be considered. Employers cannot be at the appeals stage and then add that performance was an issue, or attitude, or productivity, or anything else that was never before mentioned.
If these reasons apply, they need to be valid reasons from the beginning. No matter how many written warnings an employee may have for attendance, if they are terminated for poor work quality, proof of the poor work quality is going to be what’s required.
Remember, having a lawful reason to terminate an employee does not necessarily mean that that employee will be denied unemployment benefits. While terminating an employee lawfully should be what is of utmost concern, employers who wish to fight and deny unemployment claims must also be able to validate their reasons, and provide evidence to support them.
The Bottom Line:
The cold fact of the matter is that in this current economy with unemployment rates being what they are, odds simply are not in favor of the employer. If employers wish to fight unemployment claims now and moving forward it is up to them to raise those odds with the proper documentation, communication, and representation outlined above.
Resources From This Article:
(image provided by freedigitalphotos.net)
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Posted on Wed, May 19, 2010 @ 01:53 PM
It's Time For Summer Clothes - Did your Employee Handbook Address This?
I admit it unashamedly -- I love clothes. And I especially love summer clothes. The bright colors, the light textures and the flowing fabrics that call for sunshine, long walks, and drinks on the deck. However, I also work. Since it's unlikely that I'll be spending my summer lounging in a coastal Italian villa, it's important to remind myself that at least part of my summer wardrobe must be able to acclimate to the dress code policy of my workplace, which is hopefully in the employee handbook.
This begs the often asked question as the days turn hot and hazy, "What is an appropriate summer dress code?" In short answer, that depends on the workplace. However, maintaining some general human resources guidelines in establishing a dress code policy can help keep everyone cool as the temperature rises.
What To Do?
First, employers should communicate the goal and intent for the summer dress code to help prevent human resources problems. Is it to combat heat and humidity in the work environment, to make employees more comfortable, to allow for some summer whimsy, or a combination of all? Regardless of the approach, employers should make it clear that all employees are representatives of the company, and that they should always dress and behave as such.
Second, don't fall back on the "use common sense" argument. Without specifications to the dress code policy, employees will rely on previous experience in other work settings to determine what is appropriate. The same policy may not apply to your workplace.
The summer dress code should have definite parameters, and should supply specifics regarding what is not acceptable. For example, are shorts or capris acceptable, or shirts without collars? In a more formal environment, can employee's forgo ties or jackets? Be certain to give quantified guidelines if summer clothing has posed a problem --- dress and top straps must be three fingers wide, for example, or that sleeves are required on all summer clothing. Are t-shirts ever allowed? If you've experienced HR issues, then you probably need to update your employee handbook to address this?
Also, be sure to keep employee safety in mind when it comes to allowing sandals and open toed shoes. The key to remember is that if employers don't communicate the details of what is permitted, employees simply won't know. (Trust me -- no one wants to revisit Meredith's strapless mini dress on "The Office".) Not only can this affect the professional atmosphere of the workplace, miscommunication can also embarrass the employee who makes a fashion misstep.
Poor Dress is a Policy Violation
Third, your dress code policy needs to state the consequences for failing to adhere to the dress code, and it must be applied equally to all employees. If there are special events or circumstances that would alter the dress code, your policy should also state this and that employees will be advised accordingly. Additionally, something a lot of employers forget to address in their employee handbook is that if Friday has typically been a "dress down day", you need to address if this applies during the summer season and, if so, what is permitted for these days.
Finally, employees should know who to ask if they still have questions about what is appropriate. In turn, you need to make sure that all supervisors and managers understand the dress code and can communicate it and enforce it properly and professionally.
What's your company's dress code like? Do you have dress down days? Are you allowed to wear sandals in the warmer months? Tell us below!
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Posted on Fri, Apr 16, 2010 @ 08:41 AM
Remember when you were in school and got caught with gum? Didn't you always try to pass it off to the teacher that you just had a cough drop in your mouth? Well, social media is the new Juicy Fruit, and employees everywhere are making excuses left and right as to why they are updating their statuses on company time. "I was networking," being the most common, of course.
For most employers who have already taken steps towards social media policy development, the use of company equipment and time has been their main concern. They don't want employees wasting employer resources communicating with friends via the web when they should be working.
While most certainly understandable and very important, this really isn't the biggest concern anymore. Not only do employers have to be concerned about time spent on social media sites such as facebook, twitter, youtube and linkedin, but they have to be concerned about the content of that time, both on and off the clock.
Why, you ask? Aren't those private, you say? Well, they are sort of private, except for the fact that they are being posted online for a whole lot of people to see in a written format that can be copied and forwarded throughout cyberspace for... infinity. Many employees do not recognize the impact their workplace related comments can have when they return to the workplace. And this is exactly why social media policy development must go beyond simply preventing employees from wasting time.
It's Not Just About Reduced Productivity Anymore
In order to reduce potential liability and limit the disciplinary issues (and drama!) in the workplace, it's important that employers embark on a new exploration towards social media policy development. Managers and employees alike need to understand that, when it comes to the workplace, social networking rants, raves, and professions of love (among other things) can lead to:
• Damage to the reputation of the company or brand name image
• Distribution of confidential information or proprietary property
• Harassment or discrimination claims
Can you imagine how the following scenarios would play out?
• An employee who was passed up for a promotion makes disparaging remarks about the person who received it, who happens to be a minority; friends join in for support; derogatory comments, jokes, and epitaphs ensue
• A manager who knows of an impending layoff that has not been announced discusses his worries and concerns
• An angry employee complains about reduced benefits and complains that all the money is going to the executives for a well respected community not-for-profit organization
• An employee excitedly tells her friends about her great raise and bonus
• The marketing manager of a popular soft drink manufacturer is tagged in a photograph enjoying the competitor's product.
Also, employers need to remember that they can be found liable for failing to stop harassing behavior within social media among employees if they knew or "should have known" it was taking place.
Convinced that you need to further explore your social media policy development yet? In addition to setting forth the rules about not accessing the sites during company work time, the policy should set the expectation that all company rules apply and extend to online behavior, including the harassment policy. The policy should also make it explicitly clear that there should be no expectation of privacy when it comes to what is posted on a public social networking site.
Then once the policy is in prepared, employers should:
1. Integrate the social media policy with policies addressing all areas of technology, including internet activity, blogging, text messaging, etc.;
2. educate employees and managers on the policies and the potential consequences for violation; and
3. then actually enforce the policy.
Number 3 is definitely the hardest part, and no one is suggesting that you "friend" all of your employees to keep track of what they are doing. However, employers do need to act when they are made aware of activity that violates policy.
Speaking of "friending" employees: Do you or don't you? I have an opinion on that matter, too (look for that in the next post), but I'd love to hear what you have to say first. Do you think it's a good idea for colleagues, bosses, managers, and employees to "all be friends" in social media?
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Posted on Fri, Mar 26, 2010 @ 09:10 AM
Alright. So after our little break from the bad bosses blog series to go over some of the finer ways to deal with March Madness in your office, we bring to you today the final posting in the bad bosses blog series. The first post in the series got some very heavy exposure in the blogosphere community. Make sure you check that out along with the rest. Here are links to the first three in case you missed them.
How to Deal With Poor Management - Part 1
How to Deal With Poor Management - Part 2
How to Deal With Poor Management - Part 3
So without further adieu, here is the final post in the beating bad bosses blog series, courtesy of IntegrityHR.
So, what do you do if you are unfortunate enough to have a bad boss? It's a difficult situation, and one that you need to assess thoroughly before taking any action. However, here's the best advice that we can provide to you. The first three topics covered all the different types of bad bosses, in (we admit) quite a bit of detail. The last post is your Top 7 Tips on How to Deal With Poor Management.
1. Document accurately
Write down issues that are affecting you and your ability to meet your goals in the workplace. Be prepared to present them in a diplomatic, practical way. That is, while your feelings are important, don't rely only on hurt feelings as being the problem. You need to be able to show that the manager's behavior is negatively impacting the performance of the workplace. Also, don't accuse the manager of being one way or another - simply state the facts and how the situations are affecting you and your colleagues.
2. Remain Objective and Professional
Don't get emotional when preparing your argument, and don't get angry. You need to remain professional throughout the exercise and show that while you are looking out to be certain you are getting the respect you deserve, you are also looking out for the betterment of the company as a whole. Getting emotional and angry can cause colleagues and upper management to lose respect for you, and can reduce the credibility of your argument.
3. Talk to the Boss - i.e. Communicate
It's possible he or she is not aware of the behavior that is causing him or her to be a bad boss. Be courageous - many people are afraid to confront a boss, and justifiably so. It takes nerve to confront someone who can make your life miserable, but since they are already doing that, you have little to lose.
Ask for a meeting so that you will have time to discuss without interruptions, and have an agenda with notes prepared so that you won't get flustered when it comes time to talk. Have your documents with you. Be brave, and be respectful. If your manager is not aware of any of these things, be understanding, and offer suggestions for improvement and what you need from him or her in order to reach mutual goals. If your boss is aware of his or her behavior and doesn't see a need to change, move on to step 2.
4. Be worthy of respect and ask for it
Tell your boss that you expect to be treated respectfully in the workplace, and provide examples of ways in which he or she has treated you disrespectfully. Be careful not to be too direct. This can often come across as an attack. Be sure to make it known that you're only trying to increase the company's performance beforehand.
5. Continue to Document Problems
Maintain your list of issues that are reoccurring. Eventually, you may have to escalate the situation to someone higher in management, and you will need an accurate list of what occurred before and after your talk with the boss. Include dates.
6. Escalate to Upper Management or HR.
If the behavior continues after confronting your manager, go to Human Resources, or to upper management, according to company policy. Your employee handbook should have a policy to tell you how to report complaints (typically referred to as "conflict resolution" or "grievances"). This is when your documentation comes into play, and it's another reason why it was so important that you spoke to your manager first yourself. It shows that you were professional and mature enough to try to resolve the matter on your own at departmental level.
7. Recognize when it's time to leave.
Sometimes, you do need to just walk away. There are situations when managers are toxic because the organization itself is toxic, and that's not a situation you are likely to change on your own. There's no shame in taking the high road and walking away, rather than risk letting the negative atmosphere impact other areas of your life, such as your home and family.
Always remember that good can come of a bad situation. If you are forced to leave, learn from the experience, and apply that knowledge in potential future situations. You can beat your bad boss. If you try hard enough, maybe you can even have their job. :)
Be on the lookout next week for a new topic. We've got some interesting stuff brewing in the IntegrityHR Blog Lab.
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Posted on Wed, Feb 17, 2010 @ 08:37 AM
Today marks the start of a two part blog series full of information that has saved countless companies an extraordinary amount of time, money, and legal hassle. This series is all about those "unwritten policies" that are important and should be documented, but no one ever takes the time to write them down. Part 1 of "The Importance of Policy Development" starts now.
As you know, we at IntegrityHR are HR consultants. This means that we come into your business, do an assessment, perhaps a full compliance audit, and make recommendations that will reduce your risk of liability, make your organization more productive, and generally make your life easier and your workplace a more pleasant place to be. But don't take our word for it.
As we work with more and more organizations on their policy development, we are neither naïve, nor are we inflexible. We understand that some things in your organization are the way they are because, well, that's "just the way they are". Most often this comes into play when we are assessing your employee handbookand reviewing the policies within. Policies may be unclear, or nonexistent, and you explain that you "prefer to be flexible" or would "just rather not go there". This is usually accompanied with a wink and a nod, or a dismissive wave of hand, or occasionally a sheepish shrug. We get that.
However, understand that when it comes time to defend this unofficial policy in court (happens more often than you think), judges don't take too kindly to winks and nods or dismissive waves, and they don't carry much sympathy for sheepish shrugs. This is because they understand that the reason employers don't perform policy development is because they truly don't want to follow one, and the reasons that they don't want to follow one usually don't jive with terms such as "fair and just and equitable".
Management often likes to maintain "flexibility", but often this flexibility is just a veiled attempt to be able to maintain two different policies at the same time, or at attempt to avoid having to take a difficult action in some matter.
Other managers default to "employment at will" as evidence that they don't need policies, because they can terminate for no reason and don't need to provide policy to back it up. Not only is there a lot more to it than that (see our three part employment at will blog series starting here), but not all policies concern issues that lead to termination. There are a number of things that need to be communicated to your employees, and they need to be communicated well. Also, you can forget about fighting unemployment insurance benefits if you can not provide a clear written policy to show that an employee was aware of an infraction that would lead to termination.
We'll discuss these policies and their development in more detail on Friday. Be sure to come back and read that post. It may help to keep you out of the courtroom.
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Posted on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 @ 02:28 PM
Part 1Where's the number one spot to meet singles in your area? Chances are, it's work. And with Valentine's Day just around the corner, there are probably plenty of cases of workplace romance brewing.
While one can say that alls well that ends well for Pam and Jim in that fictional Scranton office, real life scenarios for dating and romantic relationships at work bring far more drama to the office than situational comedy. It is important that companies develop a policy and response to these situations before they arise, less they let the particular circumstances or their feelings toward employees in a particular situation develop the policy for them. Typical responses toward workplace romance relationships in the office include:
1. Prohibiting Workplace Romance: Many companies simply forbid romantic relationships among employees. However, while that works on paper, it's not a realistic solution. For one, the relationships will go on with or without company approval - all this approach will do is keep management out of the loop, and therefore are unable to manage any portion of the relationship as it relates to the work environment. Second, employees often feel that their personal lives are being dictated by management with this approach, which does not lend itself to a positive and productive work environment.
2. Ignoring the Workplace Romance: Many employers either don't want to encourage the drama, or they really don't care who is dating whom. These companies choose to remain silent on the subject, perhaps even hoping that if there is no policy at all, they can't be held responsible for anything that happens in regard to the workplace romance. However, workplace romances can cause a lot of grief for organizations. They can be distractions during the work day, whether because of the couple fawning over own another or the gossip involved. Conservative customers may not share your casual attitude and may choose to go elsewhere. An atmosphere that encourages interoffice dating must take the interoffice flirting that goes along, and some employees may not want to be a part of it - sexual harassment and sex discrimination charges will flourish without boundaries. Last but not least, when the relationships end, the tension in the office can become so severe that you risk not only losing one of the people involved in the breakup, but other employees who simply don't want to deal with the drama anymore.
3. Allowing the WorkPlace Romance, With Clear Boundaries: Obviously, neither of the first two options are the way to go. This only leaves us with a third option: Moderation. There is no doubt that workplace romances will develop - in fact, many people do meet their significant others at work. The key is not to stop what will happen naturally, but to manage workplace romance within the boundaries of your culture.
So, what rules do you establish? We'll have some suggestions in our next blog entry. Meanwhile sign up for email delivery of our blog to the left, and please, leave us a comment with your suggestions. How would you address workplace romance?
Keep an eye out for Part 2!
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Posted on Thu, Jan 21, 2010 @ 12:43 PM
A client was venting to me the other day about the irresponsibility of his office staff. Twice in the past week he had to remind them to make sure the doors were locked and the equipment was turned off before they left the office for the day. Imagine his surprise when he came into the office over the weekend and found the UPS overhead door unlocked and open for anyone to gain access to the facility! His words to me were, "My ten year old is more responsible! Why do they continually have to be told what to do?"
This brings up an important dilemma. What do you do when employees act like children? I am reminded of my son's preschool class and am still amazed at how two women can get a class of 15 two-year-olds to lay down for a nap at the same time, yet in workplace, managers are constantly struggling to get grown up employees to cooperate and follow simple directions. If this is happening in your workplace, it may be time for Workplace Nanny 101. Here are some of Nanny Mitzi's rules for handling "children" in the workplace:
1. Set clear boundaries - As children need clear boundaries of what is and is not acceptable behavior, so do adults in the workplace. Policies, work rules, etc. need to be clear, specific and unambiguous. But beware - once you set boundaries, expect those boundaries to be tested. Make sure that you are following your policies consistently and fairly at all times, no matter who the employee is.
2. Set clear expectations - Make sure employees receive a copy of their job descriptions on the first day of their employment and review it with them often. Employees, like children, need to know what good performance looks like. Provide consistent, specific performance feedback on a regular basis.
3. Set clear (and consistent) consequences - Use the Dr. Phil rule: "children (employees) need to predict with 100% accuracy what the consequences of their actions will be." Corrective action needs to be administered fairly and consistently, and the consequences need to fit the infraction.
Follow these three guidelines and your organization will be well on its way to developing a controlled and effective workplace.
Mitzi Root, PHR
Senior Consultant
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Posted on Mon, Jan 11, 2010 @ 12:32 PM
Hopefully
by now everyone has an established policy on Acceptable Internet Usage and
Social Media, and all employees understand that they have no true right to privacy
in the workplace when using Company owned electronic resources. If you haven't already addressed these
issues, it's time that you did.
Most
companies advise employees they will be monitoring internet and computer usage
to verify that the equipment is not being abused for personal or illegal
use. However, according to the National
Conference of State Legislatures, seven states so far require that employers not only monitor this usage but also report
certain activity - child pornography - if they find it in their workplace. (For
a summary of these requirements, and to see if you have these obligations,
visit the website for the National Conference of State Legislatures
It's
not surprising. According to www.healthymind.com, 25% of all search
engines are pornography related, and 70% of all internet pornography traffic
occurs during the 9am - 5pm workday. With over 100,000 websites dedicated to
child pornography, there's more than a slight chance that some of the traffic
taking place across company bandwidth is of this variety.
Arkansas,
Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and South Dakota
have each enacted laws requiring computer technicians or Internet service
providers to report child pornography if they encounter it in the scope of
their work. Failure to comply with these laws can result in legal action. Click here for state specific information.
It's
important to know that even without specific laws in place, employers can still
be held liable for what their employees are doing on their time. In the 2005 New Jersey case of Doe v. XYC Corp., the
court upheld that the employer was liable for crimes committed on their
property involving the pornographic images of an employee's 10-year old
stepdaughter. The court determined that
the employer had a legal obligation to investigate the employee's activities
and to take action to stop the activity.
So
what do you do?
1)
Create your Acceptable Internet Usage Policy, if you don't already have one. Check it to be certain it explicitly states
that the employer has the authority to monitor employee usage of all computers
and employees should have no expectation of privacy when it comes to any of the
company's electronic equipment. Be
specific as to what types of sites are forbidden, even if employees are allowed
to use the web for personal use during designated times.
2)
Communicate this policy and train employees on proper use of the Internet. Make sure that they understand the
implications that violation of the policy can have on the company.
3)
Develop a plan with IT to monitor Internet use.
Randomly monitor employees' use, and have a system in place to
specifically monitor the use of an employee suspected of violating the policy.
4)
Take action when a violation occurs. If
the violation also breaks the law, do not hesitate to contact law enforcement
officials.
Remember,
having a policy in place is not enough. An employer's strict policy regarding
Internet, email, and social networking activity provides little protection once
the employer knows of an employee's illegal behavior. If you are an employer in a state with
reporting requirements, you have immediate obligations. All employers must be
aware that turning the other way is not an option when employees break the law,
especially when it is on Company time.
Submitted by: Paula Agee, SPHR; Senior Consultant with
IntegrityHR, Inc.
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Posted on Thu, Sep 03, 2009 @ 12:02 PM
With the explosion of social networking sites, it is easier than ever to connect with family and friends. Whether posted on Facebook, MySpace or "tweeted", access to personal photos, thoughts and comments are just a click away.
But how does that play out in the corporate world? Should employers have the right to use the information posted and viewed on these public sites as a cause for disciplinary action?
A recent case regarding that very question involved two employees from a Domino's franchise in North Carolina. These two fame-seekers posted a video on YouTube that showed them doing less than palatable things to customers' pizzas. What were the reviews? These two wannabe film makers are now facing felony and civil charges.
But what about the employer who gained access to two employees' private MySpace pages and read unfavorable comments about the company. The two employees were fired, sued the company for violating federal law and won back pay and punitive damages.
What's the bottom line? Employers need to understand what is acceptable in regards to monitoring employees' and the risk associated with using information gained on social networking sites as a catalyst for disciplinary action. Having a solid policy in place will help guide your company's managers and protect your organization from possible legal action. Contact us for assistance in updating your employment policies.
Submitted by: Dawn Karrer, PHR; Human Resources Consultant, IntegrityHR, Inc.
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