02/08/2016
For Employers
1) Working from home in the pursuit of the optimal work-life balance
Arrangements to work from home should be recorded in an agreement signed by the parties. Here are a few things you may wish to consider including:
When the employee is permitted to work from home-clearly documenting when work may be performed from home assist in establishing expectations, it will also go a long way in assisting an employer if there is ever an issue raised as to whether the employee was performing work whilst at home.
An acknowledgment by the employee as to the standards whilst the employee is working from home-The agreement should clearly set out the standards the employee is required to maintain whilst working from home.
You may wish to include a provision about the types of services the employee is required to maintain at their home such as a stable and reliable internet connection and phone service.
If the employee’s personal computer is to be used, are you comfortable that the employee has sufficient anti-virus protections etc. to protect your business assets?
Maintaining the Privilege-Given that the employee is not attending the workplace, it is likely going to be more difficult to monitor the employee’s performance and behaviour. As such, you may wish to set out clear expectations of what the employee is required to do to ensure they retain the privilege to continue to work from home.
Insurance Considerations-Prudent employers have insurance policies in place which deal with things such as public liability, workers’ compensation and property insurance. Employers should contact their relevant insurer or their insurance broker to discuss whether your insurance policies are sufficient to cover the employee working from home and if they are not, make the necessary changes to ensure that you and your employee are covered.
2) Parental leave can be a boon to your business.
For small to medium-sized businesses, the impact of adopting a paid family leave policy can be significant.The flexibility parental leave affords can lead to increased productivity when exhausted new parents have some time off to rest and organize family responsibilities. Paid leave benefits can also help employers garner employee loyalty and recruit top candidates in the global market. In fact, according to the White House’s Summit on Working Families, nearly half of parents have chosen to pass on a job that would conflict with family obligations.
3) What You Need to Do to Hire and Retain Top Performers
If you want to hire the best employees, you need to a clear vision for your company that your team constantly strives for. "It's critical to the engagement of your people," says Andre Lavoie, CEO of ClearCompany, a talent-alignment platform. "They have to believe it. And they have to know everything you do is driving toward that strategy and vision." Your vision statement, which acts as the guiding light for your team, should not be stagnant. It needs to evolve as your market evolves. A company's recruiting and retention process also needs to constantly shift. It's a cycle, Lavoie says.
"It's not just about finding A talent," he says, "but aligning that talent to a mission, vision and strategy."
4) 7 Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Interviewing a Job Candidate
You don’t know what you’re looking for in a candidate.
Before you start the interview process, it’s important to decide what qualities you are looking for in a candidate. Make sure to craft questions that will help you determine an applicant’s ability, cultural fit and previous work history instead of open-ended questions that aren’t relevant.
You ask illegal questions
By law, when interviewing a candidate you can not ask about race, creed, country of origin or religion. I often see job postings that ask at least one question prohibited by federal law.
You have no previous interviewing experience.
Interviewing is both an art and science; most people require training to be able to distinguish between excellent candidates and subpar ones with excellent interview skills.
You accept the first answer without digging any deeper.
Many leaders will ask candidates question and accept their answers at face value. a great interviewer will want to know the specific accomplishments that helped the candidate win, along with more information about the award itself, including how many people receive it each year.
You always believe a candidate’s answers
Don’t blindly accept a candidate’s answers. Instead, ask follow-up questions in an effort to determine whether they are lying. You don’t have to be accusatory -- this can be done in a professional, diplomatic and friendly way.
You don’t ask candidates to prove their skillsets.
For example, if a leader is interviewing someone for customer service position, at some point they candidate should demonstrate his or her skills by taking a fake customer service call. It is perfectly appropriate to test applicants on their listed skillsets, through role play, take-home tests or scenario-based case studies.
You talk too much
In interview is a chance for a leader to get to know the candidate. I’ve always believed that an interview should follow the 80/20 rule, which means the leader should talk 20 percent of the time and the candidate should talk 80 percent of the time. If the goal is to learn as much as possible about the interviewee, don’t waste time with chit chat about yourself.
