Better Handle On Sick Leave, Inclement Weather

Affinity HR Group, Inc. is BSCAI’s endorsed HR partner, providing HR support, recruiting and employee engagement services. They recommend these three industry tips:

1. Working From Home In Inclement Weather

Flexible work arrangements, including working from home, are increasingly prevalent and can help minimize the office disruption that can occur with inclement winter weather occurrences. A couple of things to keep in mind, though — first, always require approval for ad-hoc work changes. You will need to decide if this flexibility is a right or a benefit. If the latter, it should require approval and be well managed. Second, hourly, non-exempt employees will need to be paid for all time worked — even after hours. Be sure to arrange in advance how you will track hours when working from home. Finally, you should take the time now to establish what your work from home policy is so that you are not inconsistent in your approach or management going forward. 

2. Hiring Based On More Than Just A Resume

Most hiring decisions are based on the resume and interview performance. Affinity HR encourages clients to go beyond this two-dimensional assessment and to consider the rule of thirds: 

• One-third of the decision should be based on experience, skills and documented ability;
• One-third should be based on performance on behavioral style assessment testing; and
• One-third based on the candidate’s “fit” with the culture of the company. 

If the candidate hits the mark in all three of these critical areas, it enhances the chances that this person will turn out to be highly engaged, highly productive and an overall top performer.

3. How To Handle A Sick Employee 

Employers are allowed to send home employees who show up at work sick. Having said that, it’s important to recognize there may be reasons why employees are showing up sick. This might include:

• Not wanting to use sick or paid-time-off leave;
• Not being able to afford the lost wages due to illness;
• Fear that the workload will become overwhelming if work is missed;
• Fear of disappointing the boss.
  
  

Reassure employees that you want them to take time to recover, and that you will help to ensure their work gets done. Remind them that sick leave is offered so they can stay home when they are sick. And if they are worried about lost wages, try to identify ways for them to make up the time once they return to health.  

For a link to a menu of services for BSCAI members, go to www.AffinityHRGroup.com/BSCAI