In 1924, the world saw changes that would make ripples in the pond for a long, long time. The first winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France. Texas elected its first woman governor: Miriam “Ma” Ferguson. Judy Garland made her show business debut at just 2 ½ years old. And something that hits a little closer to home happened: Northern Virginia Family Service was founded.

Recognizing Washington Employers for Growing, Developing & Engaging Employees RESTON, VA (March 6, 2015) - Helios HR, a human capital consulting and recruiting firm, proudly announces the 26 finalists for the 2015 Helios Apollo Awards. The finalists, selected from a pool of more than 200 nominations, represent organizations from the Washington, DC metropolitan area that promote employee development as part of their integral culture. (The complete list of finalists can be found at the end of this release).

January 16, 2015 (Reston, Virginia) – With temperatures dropping to the low teens this winter, the Hunter Mill Coat Closet has too many empty hangers. The Winter Coat Closet, sponsored by Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and Cornerstones, distributed approximately 5,000 donated warm coats last winter season to children and families in need. Ranked as the third wealthiest county in the United States, it’s surprising to learn that there are 1,700 children, women and men that face homelessness in Fairfax.[1] Add that to the 64,600 living in poverty in Fairfax County,[2] and the number of coats donated doesn’t seem to be nearly enough.

Studies show that a healthy work environment help lead to both the overall health and well-being of individuals and higher engagement of your employees in the workplace. A respectful workplace can be defined by a number of qualities within your organization; example qualities include:

As a government contractor, there are what seem like endless and ever changing requirements that you must comply with. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) serves as a guidebook to government contractors and outlines the rules, regulations, and processes that must be followed by government contractors throughout the acquisition planning, contract formation, and contract administration processes when the government is purchasing (acquiring) goods and services. The FAR is easy to overlook as an HR professional as many of the regulations pertain to the contracts and finance departments within your organization; however, one aspect of the FAR that pertains to the Human Resource department of government contractors is the Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct[1].

Here at Helios, I get numerous phone calls and emails each week from clients and coworkers with questions about their benefits plans. I receive questions from “Is my health insurance and HMO, PPO, or POS?” to “My employee worked a reduced schedule this month; do I have to take away their benefits?” and even as broad as “Is the recent health care legislation going to affect my organization?”. It appears as though people are increasingly confused and wary of making the wrong choice given the complications of the Affordable Care Act and the complexity of offering multiple benefit plans.