Tom Ellis

May is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth - how is your organization boosting employee morale to avoid #burnout? Using isolved data, Employee Benefit News shares how #AI could be your solution!

1

1 Comment

While discussions and debates continue about the FTC's final rule on non-competes, I want to discuss another crucial development that will impact both our team members and HR departments. On April 23, 2024, the Department of Labor unveiled a new rule aimed at significantly raising the salary thresholds required for employees to qualify for overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Effective July 1, 2024, the minimum salary level for executive, administrative, and professional employees to qualify for exemption will increase to $844 per week ($43,888 annually), with the total compensation threshold for highly compensated employees rising to $132,964 per year. Looking ahead, these thresholds are poised to increase again on January 1, 2025. The salary basis threshold will climb to $1,128 per week ($58,656 annually), while the threshold for highly compensated employees will rise to $151,164 per year. It's worth noting that these adjustments will undergo automatic increases every three years to keep pace with economic changes. While potential legal challenges are anticipated, it's crucial for employers to assess the impact of these changes on their operations and finances sooner rather than later. Delaying action could lead to avoidable disruptions or budget concerns. I'm eager to hear your insights on how you're planning to prepare for and implement these changes within your organizations. What specific strategies do you believe will be most effective in ensuring smooth compliance with the new rule? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! #FLSA #DepartmentOfLabor #EmploymentLaw #ComplianceMatters #LaborLaws #HRCommunity #CHROPerspective

7

Culture is found in all areas of the employee lifecycle, including termination. Giving the option for resignation or retirement where circumstances allow helps keep the employee's dignity in place and can serve as a recognition of their contribution. We all want choice and autonomy even in the difficult decisions. How can we respectfully remove someone from the organization in a way that shows respect for the person and displays the values of the company? https://lnkd.in/gi7biJu5

16

Navigating the delicate balance between upholding civility and respecting employee rights is crucial for employers facing derogatory remarks on social media. SHRM provides great insight here: https://lnkd.in/e3dXhsJs

6

I just finished Part 2 of SHRM ‘s HonestHR podcast on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and I can’t recommend it enough! Whether you’re a seasoned HR professional or a first-time manager, understanding FMLA is critical to creating a workplace that’s compliant, compassionate, and employee-centered. The podcast breaks down: ✅ Key requirements of FMLA and eligibility rules ✅ Best practices for managing leave requests ✅ Strategies for balancing business needs while supporting employees ✅ Common pitfalls that could lead to noncompliance FMLA isn’t just an HR issue—it’s a people management issue. Managers are often the first point of contact when employees request leave, and having the knowledge to navigate these conversations builds trust, prevents misunderstandings, and ensures a smoother process for everyone. If you haven’t tuned in yet, this episode is a great place to start! Knowledge is power, and in this case, it’s also compliance. #HonestHR #FMLA #PeopleManagement #HRCompliance #Leadership

13

2 Comments

Feeling tired? Unmotivated? Trouble sleeping? Brain fog? Struggling to feel accomplished? These are the hallmark symptoms of #burnout at work. Now what? Thank you SHRM Arizona for shining a light on how #HR can assist employees and organizations on a path out of burnout. Honored to be included with some incredible experts in the space of #mentalhealth and #employeeexperience including Tracie Sponenberg, Susan Snipes, Christopher Pappas ∴ 🌿 If you are focused on the #humanexperience (#HX) for yourself, your team, your organization, and your family, consider integrating some of these strategies. https://lnkd.in/guD6tkS3

10

1 Comment

Many HR leaders and companies are preparing to kick off open enrollment this time of year, and some of those plans contain voluntary benefits. The rise of voluntary benefits helps to attract and retain talent, fosters employee well-being and engagement, and helps employees feel valued. 5 key voluntary benefits that are becoming popular and will become more prevalent by 2025: 1. Supplemental health benefits 2. Legal plans and services 3. Identity theft and cybersecurity protection 4. Permanent life and long-term care plan 5. Pet insurance Voluntary benefits remain an important part of employee benefits packages and most will contain some of these examples. The biggest trends now are bundling life with medical or disability carriers and streamlining claims processing by integrating medical claims. Benefits do benefit everyone, the employees, and their organizations. #VoluntaryBenefits #EmployeeBenefits #HRStrategies

11

Curious what challenges #HR professionals are facing? isolved surveyed over 1,000 #HumanResource professionals to uncover their current pain points. Check out the #pressrelease to learn more.

The bare minimum is defined by The Cambridge Dictionary as “the least possible amount”. When it comes to work, the bare minimum is done by employees who are not stimulated by their jobs or are about to leave for another opportunity. I enjoyed this article from Inc. that discusses five solutions to keep employees engaged while they are at work to enhance motivation and reduce attrition. No magic here - just some very good reminders for us all. #EmployeeEngagement #WorkCulture

7

Boost retention and productivity by refining your compensation practices and embracing pay transparency wisely 🎯 https://bit.ly/3VQPPkx #compensation #totalrewards #paytransparency

4

“Pay-for-Performance is unlikely to be the road to salvation for the healthcare system, but it might be the entrance ramp to that road. In pay-for-performance, providers are paid on a fee-for-service basis, but with some portion in the payment, either through withholding or an additional incentive payment, contingent on quality- and efficiency-related performance targets…the limitations of this approach have become clear. Providers tend to focus their improvement efforts on the specific targets, with surprisingly little improvement in spillover in other areas…In order to pursue meaningful pay-for-performance incentives, providers must be organized…the relatively modest incentives that characterize most pay-for-performance programs will not be enough to motivate providers…Prospect Theory, the developers of which won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2002, argues that relatively small incentives attract disproportionate attention, particularly when framed as potential losses instead of bonuses…the annoyance of ‘leaving money on the table’ is more important than the bonuses themselves.” Thomas H. Lee

1

It’s merit increase season! Like our own little Oktoberfest, this is the time of year #HRProfessionals are budgeting for new year increases or working hard behind the scenes processing merit files. On this #HRThursday let’s see what Mercer is projecting about average raises. The Pandemic disrupted everything about the merit increase process. Thinking back to 2020 many companies put a halt on spending, freezing salaries and hiring, and laying off. While we collectively paused, in retrospect, we all turned on the hiring machine at the same time in the spring of 2021. This fueled strong wage growth with an economy adding over 16 million jobs between January 2021 and today. During this time we have seen double digit inflation as it seems the price of everything, including jobs, has risen. However, recent data shows that year-over-year inflation, as represented by the Consumer Price Index, was 2.5%, down from June 2022's peak of 8.9%. While the unemployment rate has gone down to 4%, back to pre-pandemic levels, it seems that wages have finally caught up to inflation. On average, U.S. employers are budgeting for 3.3% merit increases and 3.6% increases for their total salary budgets for nonunionized employees, according to Mercer. These numbers are the same as the actual pay increases that employers delivered in 2024. Multiple surveys suggest that although employers seem to be slowing pay increases from pandemic-era highs, salary hikes still remain fairly high when compared to pre-pandemic levels. The average salary increase in 2018, for instance, was 3%, according to WTW. The economy is cyclical, so as demand levels, so does the labor supply and prices until they reach a point where supply and demand are equal. During a downturn in the economy, typically businesses will cut back on employee pay in order to lower the price of their goods while still making a profit. Could this be what 2025 will bring? To prepare for a cooler economy, this may be the right moment for #compensation professionals to pause and reflect on the wild ride we have been on. Perhaps a modest merit increase provides the opportunity to look at salary structures, pay philosophies and unique roles that have fallen behind the market. https://lnkd.in/em4dHWgj #hrcommunity #hrlife #totalcompensation

10

One of the best statements in this article by Tricia Sciortino in Inc. Magazine yesterday, is this, "Feedback is more than just a managerial task; it's a strategic imperative.  It allows leaders to foster a culture of continuous improvement where team members feel empowered to lean in and grow by collaboratively addressing blind spots, challenging individuals to grow, and ensuring that everyone is aligned with the organization's goals" So often I encounter managers who are a bit nervous about having the critical conversations that they see as "delivering bad news". Instead, I appreciate the approach of having a "courageous feedback conversation" that allows our employees to reflect on how they can move forward, onward, and upward--which is what our employees really want to do. I am also inspired by Kim Scott's approach in Radical Candor® which allows leaders to care personally while challenging directly. It may never become easy for some...but reframing your focus can help you do the work you need to do to help your employees become the best version of themselves so they can achieve their goals and move forward. Feedback truly is a gift. When we don't provide it, we may lose not only the ability to get work done but also the possibility of a great employee!

4

My colleague Jenni highlights the critical impact that early career employees are having on the workplace. What are you doing at your company to invite a discussion about how to reimagine and reconsider how work gets done at your workplace?

12

What are your fellow #HR leaders focusing on in 2024? isolved surveyed over 1,000 to find out! 💡Learn more in this HRTech Series article.

1

These skills were important before but have been highlighted by the evolution of healthcare.

3

Yesterday, I let my SHRM-SCP expire. Three years ago, I had already disconnected myself from SHRM, but quietly decided to renew at the last minute on the last day of the extension. I rationalized that I worked hard and earned that and I needed the certification to prove I knew what I knew. This time is different. I don’t need a certification to know my worth. My experience, knowledge and talents exist with or without a piece of paper. What’s most important to me is that I’m aligning with organizations that share my values. That challenge and change me. That challenge and change the profession. Once upon a time, it was SHRM for me. Below is a pic of me speaking at SHRM National in Vegas in 2019 - I was also a blogger/influencer that year, a teacher of the SHRM certification course and a special expertise panel member. Shortly after I stopped all of those things. Now, I’ve grown and changed. But SHRM hasn’t seemed to grow along with me. Though I had already decided not to renew, the recent decision to drop the E also dropped any ounce of hesitation in me. I have friends working with SHRM. I have friends who have never had anything to do with it. I understand it’s a tough decision for many who have taken the test or gone to the conferences. I’ve been asked to a lot in the last month, and I can’t tell anyone what they should do. But I am going to tell them, and you, that you are worth more than a piece of paper. And if SHRM no longer is where you want to be, there are many other communities that are amazing like Hacking HR, PeakHR and Transform. And see many more in the community Google doc pinned to my profile. And remember, you are so much more than a certification. You are a wonderful, complicated human who deserves to be supported and challenged and changed as you work toward learning and unlearning and growing. #HRCommunity

692

119 Comments

What are the hidden insights in your 2024 hiring data? It's more than just numbers. Each stat, from offer acceptance rates to hiring manager satisfaction, sheds light on your talent acquisition health. Ready to uncover what's working, what needs adjusting, and where 2025 can take your team? Swipe through to learn the five data points that matter most! #WeAreTMF #HealthcareIndustry #HealthcareRecruitment #TalentAcquisition #WorkforceDevelopment #HiringStrategy #StrategicPlanning

7