 Have you ever wondered if substance abuse exists in your workforce or if some of your employees have a drug or alcohol problem? The answer to that question, unfortunately, is “most likely.” Substance abuse is common, and the costs of substance abuse are high for employers. Of all substance users, 68.9% are employed and active in the workplace, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). Because substance abuse is so prevalent among working adults, employers must understand the impact that it has on absenteeism, productivity, and efficiency at work.
Employees with substance abuse issues often:
 Like them or not, employee handbooks are an important part
of the employer/employee relationship. They outline policies and practices, set expectations, and provide employees with useful information for navigating the organization. Unfortunately, most employee handbooks are boring, difficult to understand, and sometimes read like bad instructions for prefab furniture. This discourages employees from reading them, thus rendering them useless until it’s time to hold someone accountable to work policies. Who ever said that employee handbooks had to be constructed this way? Why can’t they be more appealing, fun, creative, etc.? The answer is, they can! Employee handbooks should be a reflection of your organization, its culture, its personality, and its language. Think of them as a living document—the spokesperson of the organization. What should that person be like? What’s their tone, language choice, etc.? Whether we want to admit it or not, we are experiencing times of tremendous change. It is a time requiring us to think differently about how we lead others for the betterment of a healthier whole. Great leaders know that managing uncertainty is a matter of putting themselves in the shoes of their employees and delivering the compassionate leadership they expect. People don’t want good intentions from their leaders during times of uncertainty; they want their leaders to be not only strong, confident and decisive, but transparent and vulnerable enough in their leadership role to express a sense of genuine care and concern.
Leaders that are focused more on what a particular moment in time means to them have the tendency to unknowingly fuel tension with their employees instead of finding ways to engage them. They miss opportunities to use moments of uncertainty and change as critical experiences to propel learning and development. A leader’s role is to neutralize the uncertainty by communicating often and providing their employees with unique perspectives and knowledge. Employee engagement thrives when they are empowered with as much direction, certainty and involvement as possible—as this shows that you value and respect them. Written by Misty Resendez, Phd misty@invigoratehr.com  The unemployment rate dropped significantly from 4.9 percent to 4.6 percent in November 2016, according to the monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Dec. 2. Economists consider “full employment” the number of people seeking jobs equal to the number of job openings. That number is under 5 percent right now, compared to 10 percent during one of the worst recessions in our history. Consistent job growth is the reason that number is down. Those jobs, however, are not always full time. A growing number of jobs today need employees for part time work.
Based on an article in SHRM, the main reason the unemployment rate is down doesn’t have to do with what you might think. A large majority of Baby Boomers have retired and young people, who in the past were in the workforce, are still in school. The unemployment rate does not factor in those individuals who are “underemployed” meaning they have a part time job but want full time work. The share of people working part time because they can only get part-time hours is 44.6 percent higher than it was in 2007, according to new research from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a think tank based in Washington, D.C. Research shows that many U.S. workers feel underemployed, which could drive down productivity. They are not making good use of their skills and feeling underappreciated. That has a major effect on HR professionals who want positive employee satisfaction and engagement. Written by Katie Silvers katie@invigoratehr.com  America has made history as of early morning November 9th, 2016. Not only was this election the biggest it has ever been with more Americans voting than any other election season, it is also the first time the President Elect has no political experience whatsoever. Americans everywhere have been wondering what will change with a President Trump, we are wondering how it will impact the HR world.
Recently I read an article by Ere Media that put Trump’s policies in perspective. Trump doesn’t support minimum wage. He suggests that tax breaks will be better for American workers. Trump is likely to reverse the changes the FLSA proposed. Though we don’t know exactly where Mr. Trump stands on gender pay equity laws, we know he does not support policy action regarding pay equity laws. It is not likely that we will see any laws passed regarding this issue. Trump is wanting more time off for working mothers as he supports a 6 week paid maternity leave. His policy does not however support paternity leave or leave for adoptions. Trump will repeal and replace “Obamacare” and create his own health care insurance policy (Mykkah Herner, Ere Media). We can say that a lot of the major issues will change but not as dramatically as we once thought when he was campaigning. Trump’s policies will impact HR but the changes he wants will take time. Written by Katie Silvers katie@invigoratehr.com |
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