At Helios HR, we are often called upon for assistance when a key player(s) exits his or her role within an organization. Many businesses do not have a succession plan in place, which means that we are stepping into an organization after the decision has been made for an executive team member to leave. It is imperative that the proper actions are taken to identify and smoothly transition the appropriate backfill into the senior role. While this can be a time filled with uncertainty, the following steps can ease the process of identifying a successor that will be the right fit for your organization.

Are you concerned about your employees' physical and mental health? Of course you are! Have you created a wellness program? Maybe not quite yet. I know, starting a new program can be challenging and seem like a lot of work initially. There's the chance that the program can fizzle if you don't stick to it, you may not have buy-in, and more importantly where on earth do you find the time to get started? But I'm here to help you on this one, so let's talk about it...

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.

Are you unsure what documents should be kept in an employee’s personnel file? Maybe you have employees who have been with you for 10, 15, 20 years? What’s important and what should you shred? As HR people, we get that sometimes those files can become a little overwhelming. We are frequently asked by our clients to conduct audits of personnel files to make sure they are in compliance and staying current with best practices.

Helios has had many clients inquire as to how they can effectively improve their talent management. While not easy, it is vitally important to attracting, retaining, and developing your employees. The solution — use a common language. Competencies, which are the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for job success, provide that common language.