“Uh oh Human Resources is in the building!” “Shhh…don’t say anything Human Resources is here!” “I better not say that because there is our HR person!” As a professional providing HR outsourcing, I believe we have all heard these statements or something similar. Now at first glance, this could provide a bit of a chuckle, but let’s take a deeper dive into the real background noise of it all.

What is an Employee Handbook and Why Do We Need One? An Employee Handbook is a guide that gives organizations a tool to communicate the expectations, role and responsibilities, as well as current policies and procedures within the organization to all employees. Legally there is no requirement for companies to provide an employee handbook; it does however, offer confirmation of processes and procedures if ever questioned legally. When a company reaches 15 employees, it's time to implement an employee handbook as a best practice. This is because at 15 employees, several federal acts apply such as the Civil Rights, Americans with Disabilities, and the Pregnancy Leave Act.

As HR professionals, one of the hardest parts of the job is communicating to an employee the decision to separate them from employment. Whether it be a performance related termination, or a financially related layoff; it is never an easy task. I find layoffs particularly difficult when it has nothing to with the employee’s actual performance, and everything to do with seniority or salary. More often than not, the delivery of bad news falls to the HR professionals with the belief that we know how to handle these situations the best, right?

The regulations covering FMLA are extensive. For employers it’s critical that the staff tasked with administering FMLA understand their responsibilities. There are features of FMLA that are easier to negotiate, such as duration and what forms to use. On the other hand, there are elements of FMLA law that can often lead to misunderstandings and missteps, landing businesses in hot water due to noncompliance. One area that is often misinterpreted are the rules applied to key employees. Below are some of the misconceptions and important distinctions in managing leave for key employees.

Cornerstones is working to ensure children in our community are prepared for the 2015-16 academic year. A concerning number of families in our neighborhoods are unable to afford backpacks, school supplies, or other essential items to help a child be fully prepared to start school. Each year, Cornerstones and their partner, Kids R First, equip thousands of K-12 children in the Reston-Herndon area (Cornerstones’ clients, as well as other local students who receive free or reduced cost school meals) with brand-new backpacks.Nearly 3,000 backpacks are needed for this year’s drive. How Can You Help? It takes a few simple steps: 1) Register here to pledge the number of backpacks you plan to donate. 2) Purchase new backpacks (no wheels or corporate logos, please): High School Size 20″ H × 14″ W × 7″ D (the age where our need is greatest) Junior High Size 18″ H × 13″ W × 6″ D Elementary Age Size 16″ H × 12″ W × 5″ D You can purchase backpacks online with free shipping to Cornerstones – visit Amazon or KitsforKidz! 3) Deliver the backpacks to Cornerstones Administrative Office at: 11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 210, Reston, Va. August 10th – 14th (Monday – Friday); 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Yesterday morning (June 30th, 2015) news hit the wire that the Department of Labor (DOL) has officially released changes to the overtime exemption as it relates to the classification of employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Back in March, here at Helios we blogged about the (at the time proposed) changes to the regulation with a call to action: