human resources

“Every company has a soul. Every company has a distinct set of values that colors its priorities and behaviors. Companies believe in different things to different degrees, including innovation, value, quality, freedom, choice, price, and so…

Job Seekers Are People Too! I’m not a movie star or an internationally known musician, but I do receive hate mail. Well, maybe I shouldn’t go so far as “hate,” but I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve opened a message or an email…

How to Survive (and Thrive) in the Midst of an Economic Crisis We are all living in unprecedented times. Life as you and I know it has been put on hold. COVID-19 and the last several weeks have redefined our view of what is…

3 questions to ask prior to hiring a new employee.

Stress can be contagious it is important that you manage your stress well in front of your employees. Editor's note: this is part one of a two part series. There are times and circumstances when experiencing stress can be…

 The best defense is to have the right policy in place here are four tips to help avoid minefields. It’s rarely easy for a small business to work around the loss of an employee who’s out on a leave of absence. But you may have to…

Be open to hearing what your employees have to say, even when how they are saying it is not easy to hear. Be prepared to demonstrate to your employees your openness to working with them to find solutions. Here are four tactics to address…

Part 2 in the New Year, New Hires series. Part 1 is entitled Kick Off The New Decade With A New Hire: A Refresher Course On Hiring Happy new year and new decade to all! As promised, I am sharing the second part in the…

3 takeaways to avoid the typical hiring mistakes. Recently, I helped a start-up client with the screening and interviewing process for a new hire. It was exciting for my client to be able to allocate for an additional…

5 Tips for Making the Right Hiring Choices Breathing is something we do unconsciously. We just breathe. And it happens automatically. But I have recently discovered the magic of conscious breathing and how important it is…

Here are five reasons why small business owners can benefit by practicing good values. Amelia has been working for a small business for two years. In her role in customer relations, she knows she is supposed to keep the…

A global look at transformational and transactional leadership styles Business today is global as so is leadership. No one can escape it; what happens on the global stage affects us all. This raises an interesting question: Are the…

8 hiring basic negotiation tips and a back up plan Editor's note: this is the second and final piece of this hiring negotiation series.  Let’s pretend you’ve been looking to fill a critical role for several…

8 vital questions small business owners need to answer before initiating a search, or starting to interview Editors note: this is part one of a two part series  Talented professionals, the right ones for your company, are…

Successful employee retention requires three things to keep in mind. We are used to reading business books about how to be great at customer service, how to engage the customer because after all, they keep the business in…

Three insight-gathering questions to help you identify leaders. What makes a good leader? There are many traits that contribute to being a good leader, because there are many different types of leaders for different types…

Hispanic small businesses must be aware of laws relating to the hiring of employees. As any Hispanic small business owner knows, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of federal, state and local laws that must be…

The best way to hire, promote and coach individuals should be by using a combination of approaches. Editor's note: this is the third part of a three part Small Business and Hartman Value Profile Assessment Tool (HVP) series. Please part…

Five Working Groups Generally Missed by Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) Leadership to be Consider in 2019 Today the Employee Assistance Program industry has evolved to meet the needs of the diverse tech-savvy virtual global workforce.…

The art of selecting and working with professionals of diverse disciplines can be daunting. Carlos Garcia shares key insights and lessons learned. Building a Hispanic business, The Accidental Entrepreneur You never run…

Whether you're the employer or an employee, you need to put meaning into work. In the developed world in the 21st century, work has a strong emotional and social purpose. We use it to connect to our personal potential and…

It's important to stay on top of who is having the dominant influence on the workplace culture You hear a lot of information about the value of workplace culture in creating success or contributing to failure in today’s…

There are many factors to consider when determining whether and how to draft an employment contract. As always, seeking the advice of legal counsel will ensure that your company does not fall into any legal traps.

When a business or work situation is frustrating, smiling can actually make you feel better. Professional challenges can be frustrating, even excruciating. From searching for a job and negotiating compensation to…

The “Me Too” movement is a wake up call for small business owners to ensure a safe and productive work environment. Human Resources: “The division of a company that is focused on activities relating to employees….…

What should small business owners do once they receive a sexual harassment complaint? As we all have seen, sexual harassment has dominated the news for months. There is no indication that the focus on…

Small business owners need awareness to stay true to your leadership ideals. A small business owner's values are never to be over-rated. Recently a partner/vendor said to me, “I am always grateful for the…

Prepare a comprehensive policy now and prevent problems later. Federal and state laws have long required employers to take steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. One crucial step is to prepare and…

Hiring a new employee is a big commitment, consider the need and prepare. 1. Hiring: a help or a hindrance? Everyone is tired and morale is low. Customers are being minimally serviced but other important tasks…

3 tips help manage hiring in today’s ever-changing world Over the past couple of years I have noticed an increase in the volume of social media networking conversations on the topic of disruptive innovation. If…

Hard work, a thirst for learning and giving back are the building blocks of success. Editor's note: This is part one of a three part series spotlighting Lily Winsaft a successful Latina entrepreneur and her successful…

Taking the time to connect with your employees can be an effective way to build your business. Editor's note: this is part two of a two part series. Here's part 1 entitled Your Employees Want To Be Valued and That Does Not…

Review this 7 item checklist before hiring a foreign national. Hiring foreign nationals is unlike hiring other categories of workers and requires the prospective employer to consider a range of issues. When…

Successful small business growth requires setting expectations for success and helping employees grow Start Up Handbook series part 4, Small business best practices after hiring the right candidate. The new employee has…

Reverse mentoring enables businesses to benefit from younger employees' expertise in the digital world and more Mentoring is changing. In and outside of the workplace, momentum is building around the concept of reverse mentoring.…

Small business owners need to emphasize positive values to improve employee performance and workplace atmosphere I met Peter Frayle, a well-known Spanish Psychologist, more than twenty-five years ago, when I was the manager of a…

...and When Best To Utilize Them At some point 22 years ago I started my career as a design assistant in the fashion industry. I then became a designer, then a senior designer. Then all of a sudden in the blink of an eye, I…

A successful first 90 days will increase employee retention and productivity Periodic inquiries will help you understand the new hire’s personality and work habits The first 90 days is often referred to as the probationary…

Social recruiting can be an effective recruiting tool but it’s more than a presence on LinkedIn Editor’s note: This article concludes a three-part series. In the first article in this series, I focused on how to leverage employee…

Small businesses need talent, recognize an opportunity and be willing to listen carefully and consider all angles and factors Life presents opportunities every day. We hear the knock on our door and rush to open it or ignore it,…

Before firing an employee make sure you have a code of standards in place to avoid wrongful discharge litigation Wrongful discharge lawsuits are an unfortunate fact of life for today’s business owners. In light of this,…

High availability is as much a function of people and process as it is the technology. It is not uncommon for companies to experience extended, annoying outages during peak periods or at critical points in time. Sometimes…

Independent workers will soon become the majority. Is it time to choose that path? I was recently laid off from my job as director of creative development at The Weather Channel. This is my second layoff since 2009. I have…

One of the first and most important lessons an Hispanic entrepreneur learns is that employees really are a small business’s most important resource. In fact, the business literally cannot succeed with out them. Their talent, skills, and…

Science leads the way to new federal antidiscrimination law. In 2008 President Bush signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which prohibits employers and insurance companies from discriminating…

Employment contract considerations, from an employer's perspective. Whether your business is in a big city or small town, there are numerous legal issues that can result from entering into an employment contract, and too…

Hispanic business owners have options to secure talent with the right skills For many small Hispanic businesses, the administrative burdens of hiring, managing and paying employees are just too much to contemplate. As a result,…