The purpose of an employee handbook is to provide a consistent means of communication regarding policies, best practices and resources for everyone within the organization. The handbook is a guide that allows managers as well as staff to understand the expectations of role and responsibilities. However, there are consequences to using the organization’s handbook incorrectly or ineffectively.

We’ve all heard about the high cost of hiring the wrong person. How can you prevent these costly mis-hires? When interviewing, focus on the candidates’ qualifications and fit with the organization and team. Here are five interview questions and six techniques which will help you identify top performers in your interview process.

Remember when a snow day meant no school and neighborhood snowball fights? The challenges of navigating winter weather closures can be far more difficult when you’re running a company. What if your company closes for a week between Christmas and New Year’s; are you required to pay employees? The following guidelines should help you determine your legal obligations for these common winter payroll issues.

Working in a union environment has its pros as well as its cons. The purpose of a union is to have a group of organized workers come together and use their strength to have a voice in the decision-making of their workplace. The unionized group can demand or negotiate changes in their wages, work hours, benefits, safety, job training and other issues that are concerns. There are employees and managers that have successfully worked in a unionized environment their entire career. On the other end of the spectrum, there are workers and leaders that much prefer to not to have an entity exercise a level of control and dictation within the organization. For those that prefer to remain union-free, there are a number of tactics that can help alleviate the need for employees to bring in a union as the solution.

The health of your human capital should be one of your organization’s top priorities year after year. All levels of management should be just as concerned about this issue as they are other financial objectives and goals you are trying to achieve. Studies have shown a healthy and engaged organizations lead to better customer service, increased retention and better bottom line results. As an HR Business Partner to various organizations in the DC Metro area, I find many organizations focus on the costs of healthcare and don’t focus on creating a healthy organization through strategic initiatives. This leads to programs that are incomplete and don’t accomplish what they are set out to do. The rest of this article will provide your organization with the seven steps necessary to develop the best wellness program for your firm.