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Summer Interns

It is almost summer and many organizations have plans to utilize college interns. Have you asked the question as to whether interns should be paid a minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for services that they provide to your organization? If not, please consider these suggestions first. Internships should be … more »

Progressive Disciplinary Action and Documentation

Conflict in the workplace is not something that owners, managers and supervisors seek out. However, it happens every day in organizations of all sizes. Most management-level employees do not do a great job of documenting negative subordinate behaviors, work habits, or performance, nor do they even do an okay job. Documentation for negative employee behaviors, … more »

Nonexempt Employees and Travel Pay

New Focus HR Consultants frequently receive calls from employers asking the question, “Do I need to pay nonexempt employees for travel time?” The answer is confusing to most as it is “maybe?” The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) travel-time regulations include a provision that has confused employers, leading them to mistakenly think that they … more »

Harassment in the Workplace

What is your organization’s obligation when it comes to maintaining a workplace free of harassing conduct? What are your managers and supervisors obligations when it comes to harassing conduct in the workplace? These are questions that most employers are not able to answer when asked. So, hopefully, this article will assist both organizations and … more »

IRS Alerts – Phishing Scams

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued two warnings about phishing scams that started in 2016 and are continuing into 2017. The first alert issued on 1/25/17, which was directed primarily at corporations and tax professionals, provided information about the Form W-2 scam. The second alert issued on 2/2/17, states that the scheme is not … more »

Paid Time Off (PTO) Plans

There are many things to consider when either developing or reviewing a paid time off (PTO) plan. However before doing so, employers need to understand what PTO is and how it impacts their business and employees. So, what is a PTO plan? The simple definition is that it is a flexible arrangement that gives employees … more »

Calculating the Cost of Turnover

Few executive-level employees understand how much money their organizations lose by failing to retain key employees. Here is your chance to calculate the cost of losing one of your organization’s most influential performers. Select a job that has been experiencing a high turnover rate. Calculate the full cost of that job by entering the average … more »

New Form I-9

Effective January 22, 2017, all employers are required to begin using the newly revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently revised the form, which they claim is easier to use. The new form may be found at www.uscis.gov/i-9. The USCIS enhancements to the form include drop-down lists and … more »

Employees: Assets or Liabilities?

Does your organization consider employees to be an asset or a liability? Most consider them to be liabilities. Employees cost us money, is what I generally hear from managers, executives and owners of organizations of all sizes and in all industries. Human resources is a “cost center” for our organization and does not produce … more »

OSHA’s New Recordkeeping Rule

On May 11, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a new rule and a list of new requirements in regards to the way that companies record workplace illnesses and injuries that were to become effective August 10, 2016. However, currently OSHA has delayed their enforcement until December 1st, 2016. The reasoning behind … more »

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RECENT BLOG POSTS

Proposed Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Overtime Rule

Internship Guidelines

Factors to Consider before Transitioning to an Electronic Personnel Records Management System

Nepotism in the Workplace: An Organizational Advantage or an Impediment to a Healthy Workplace Culture

Creating a Personal Appearance in the Workplace Policy

MISSION STATEMENT

New Focus HR is a human resources consulting and training company that services all organizations. Our expert team collaborates with businesses to attract, motivate, retrain and retain their biggest assets, employees. While engaged with an organization, our focus is to find solutions that improve the company’s internal HR-related practices while increasing results at the same time! Our focus. Your results.

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