Employers in the United States play a vital role in assisting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to ensure that illegal workers are not hired by our organizations. The Form I-9 is the official document in which new employees provide legal documentation that establish both identity and employment authorization. In my role at Helios HR, I often find that most organizations are not complying with the I-9 regulations which can result in hefty fines per each inaccurate document.

Change is everywhere. We see it all of the time. And let’s face it, change is scary. At Helios, our clients are constantly faced with changes. One of the biggest and scariest of these changes is a merger and acquisition. So how do you keep your employees motivated and engaged when going through such a big change as a merger and acquisition?

We often get called in by organizations have experienced a lot of growth in a quick timeframe and the CEO or VP, Finance is ready to move HR off of their plate. They want to have a solid infrastructure built and someone who their employees can go to. And, they don't want to lose the great culture they've created. They're concerned that employees won't get taken care of in the same regards if they opted for a PEO, for instance, and they aren't quite ready to hire a full-time HR leader yet. So that's usually where we come in. At Helios, our HR outsourcing consultants are more than just a tactical resource or strategic advisor who you never actually meet. We serve as an extension of your team, and can serve in foundational, operational and strategic partner capacities as needed. We partner with executive leadership to understand your business goals, current challenges, and develop a plan to approach your human capital. We meet with you and your employees on an ongoing, regular basis and are the conduit between your employees and senior management. One of the most important parts of an effective Human Resources (HR) department is the trust developed through goal alignment, proven results, regular accessibility and face-to-face interactions of the HR team members. How can trust be earned through an HR outsourcing function?

By Shawn Wilkins, Senior Recruiter & Brett Carlson, Recruiter

"What is an Affirmative Action Plan?”, “Does my company need an AAP?”, “How do we implement it?”, “What do I do if we get audited?” These are all frequently asked questions I hear just about every week as the resident Affirmative Action Plan expert at Helios. Let me first preface by sharing that Affirmative Action Plans (AAP’s) are designed to satisfy the equal-employment opportunity/affirmative action responsibilities for minorities and women under Executive Order 11246, as amended; people with disabilities under section 503 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act; and covered veterans under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Act of 1971.

Apollo Honoree, Salient Federal Solutions, shares the challenges of merging two cultures and what they do to help employees engage and embrace the change. Read more about how Salient brings cultures together in this interview with their Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resource Officer, Kay Curling, below.