As a government contractor with 50 employees and $50,000 in government contracts, you are required to have an Affirmative Action Plan (AAP). Much of the information that goes into your AAP is collected from your applicants and employee population by providing them with an invitation to voluntarily self-identify.

When clients first come to me, I often hear these senior leaders talk about the lack of sleep at night. More often than not, they describe being fearful of what they don’t know when it comes to Human Resources compliance or an employee relations issue they fear may lead to a lawsuit. While we certainly alleviate their concerns by getting their HR department into shape, what I actually get excited to hear more is when a leader is worried about not doing enough to attract and retain top talent. They want to learn how to engage employees and develop them beyond the skills they have today to make a bigger impact.

Fairfax Chamber Announces 2014 Outstanding Corporate Citizenship Awards Winners Honors Community Leaders for Dedication & Vision that Created Vibrant Northern Virginia

With the dawn of health care reform and the increased focus on regulation and cost control, it has never been more important for employers to have a good insurance broker to help navigate the logistics and best practices surrounding benefits administration. But, not all brokers are created equal.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) turned 20 last year, celebrating two decades of providing employees with much needed job protection. For employers, the story is a little more complicated as many still struggle to understand the ever-evolving regulations and stay on top of court precedents. Compliance in small businesses can be particularly challenging as companies lack the internal expertise to interpret and comply with the law. And even when the employer does everything right, sometimes the employee still fails to meet his or her responsibilities.

Innovative benefits can strengthen employee engagement at your company by showing employees their organization cares about them as a person and not just as a number. Work-life benefits take into account an employee’s life inside and outside of work and are also a great way to attract potential employees. One of the best ways to gain the interest of potential job candidates is to offer flexibility at work and advertise your organization’s innovative and competitive benefits.