Sanctions Law Clearing Out Illegals in Arizona

If apartments are starting to sit vacant, this must mean that the new Arizona Immigration Sanctions Law is starting to take its toll on the illegal immigrants here in Arizona.  What will this mean for your company?   

“The sanctions law is pushing immigrants to leave the state. The law is aimed at clamping down on illegal immigration in Arizona, which has the highest share of illegal immigrants of any state, by threatening to yank the business licenses of employers caught knowingly employing such workers.

As a result, many immigrants are leaving, either to other states where they think it will be easier to get jobs, or back to Mexico, where the majority of illegal immigrants in Arizona are from.” 

So far, the law has done what it was intended to do.  How has this law affected your company?  Businesses that catered to the illegal population have seen drastic sales hits, apartments have seen a large wave of vacancies, what will be next?

Posted January 31st, 2008 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Immigration, Other, Recruiting | | 0 Comments

When you asked them, what did they say?

In meeting with some business owners lately, I started noticing a pattern that could very well be the root of many HR problems…

"I want to increase our benefits offering to our employees…" OR "We need better dental insurance" are phrases we (in the HR industry) have heard many times.  Often, these are presented as "THE SOLUTION" - So what is the ACTUAL problem? Turnover, Morale, Productivity, Recruiting, etc.?

So when sitting with these business owners, I find myself asking the same question time and time again:

"So when you [business owner] asked your employees what is the top 5 reasons you (hate, love, would leave, would stay) working here, what did your employees say?

MOST COMMON ANSWER - "Well… I didn't ask"

No matter what the problem - DON'T COME UP WITH THE SOLUTION IN A VACCUMM!!! You might just spend a LOT of money trying to fix a problem on the wrong end…

Just food for thought -

Harry Glazer

www.CBRI.com

Posted January 30th, 2008 by Harry Glazer - Posted in Benefits, Health, Human Resources, Productivity, Recruiting | | 0 Comments

Why Can’t I Check MySpace?

I'm sure you've heard it around the office.  MySpace, Facebook, and all the other social networking sites out there are being blocked at the office, and for good reason.  Many employees don't understand that there is more to risk than just a lack of employee production.  

This news story goes on to say, "Their chief concern is the potential damage from viruses or spyware, according to Barracuda. They cited the potential drain on employee productivity as a close second. What's more, employers will tell you that bandwidth issues and potential liability exposure are also convincing reasons to restrict certain Internet access by employees."

From an employers view, there are too many potential money eaters in the equation to allow employees to waste away on the internet.   If you want to be social at work, get to know a fellow employee while working on a project.

Posted January 25th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Productivity | | 3 Comments

Watercooler Ethics

There are a few issues that shouldn’t be brought up at work.

• Sex
• Money
• Religion
• Politics

When we all gather around the water cooler in the afternoon or the coffee pot in the morning, there are a few topics that should always remain off limits.  The more controversial the topic, the stronger the reasoning is to not bring it up.  More specific topics that you might want to leave out, such as…   

• Should abortion continue to be legal?
• Should same-sex marriage be legalized?
• How relevant to holding public office is a person's religion?
• How much should the wealthy be taxed?
• To what extent should the federal government be involved in social programs?

Keeping the workplace free from controversy will help keep the employees productivity levels up.  Maybe this is something to look into for your company. 

Posted January 18th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Other, Productivity | | 0 Comments

Pulled over for going 77 mph….are you a legal citizen?

I have heard the rumor.  Maybe you have heard it too.  The rumor is: Police Officers are now able to ask for proof of citizenship from anyone they pull over. 

Are our public safety officers expected to become immigration officials?  If this is true, how will the state handle complaints that only those with darker complexions are being asked their status?  Is this really happening?  If not now, will it?  Some are saying that this new practice is already in effect.  I tried to find some additional information to back this rumor up.  All I could find were various articles stating something similar to this:

PHOENIX — Police in suburban Scottsdale have begun routinely asking for proof of citizenship from every suspect they arrest and turning those who are in this country illegally over to federal immigration officials. The procedure was started Oct. 15, a result of the September killing of Phoenix police officer Nick Erfle by an illegal immigrant, Erik Jovani Martinez. Scottsdale police had arrested Martinez on a misdemeanor charge 16 months earlier but they released him then because they didn’t know he was an illegal immigrant who had been twice deported. Erfle’s killing “caused us to look at what were asking suspects,” Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said. “If we arrest someone and then find that we called ICE (Customs and Immigration Enforcement) and they put a hold on them, then we know they have been deported and are back again.”

Reading this, it makes sense that an individual who has been "arrested" be properly identified.  But is it going to far to pull people over and ask them their immigration status?

Posted January 14th, 2008 by Camille - Posted in Customer Service, Human Resources, Immigration, Other | | 1 Comments

Got the Office Blues?

There's nothing that brings a team closer together than putting in some time for a good cause.  A little community service goes a long way not just for the organization you are helping out, but for employee moral and team building.  Its a positive experience all the way around.  Getting beyond those doors and windows, even just for an hour, brightens the spirits and mends the office blues.  

Here are a few activities for building up your employees:

·  Painting & Clay Sculpture

·  Community Service

·  Group Luncheon

·  Creative Thinking / Brainstorming  

·  Magician Show

·  Salsa Dancing, Belly Dancing, Jazz Performers, and DJ's

·  Storytelling

·  Team Building & Theatre Sports– (Team Games)

Posted January 11th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Health, Human Resources, Productivity | | 0 Comments

Wasting time at work – think you are not “one of those employees” – well think again!

I will start by saying that I AM GUILTY and am trying to break some bad habits.  Now that I got that out of the way, here is an exercise that could prove helpful when dealing with this problem.

Now be careful!!! If your corporate culture is not "right" this might backfire on you - so be careful of those unintended consequences. Have your company, department, etc. do this exercise for one day: (by the way, do it yourself before you have others do it to see what you come up with)…and if you are brave, share your results with the team prior to them doing it – might bring down some defenses-

It is simple… For one day - Document and hourly log of what you actually did that day.  Print out an hourly log sheet (like a daily calendar) and have it on your desk.  Here is the key - Fill it out every hour on the hour.  This way we can prevent our imaginations from making us more productive than we really are…. 

Also - Be BRUTALLY honest.  If from 8-9 all you got accomplished was making coffee, saying hi to Susie, and using the restroom - then put that down on paper.  If you stay honest and true to the system, I think you will find out how much time we spend doing "stuff" that doesn't make any money!

Now if you are as lucky as I am to work for a great employer and be managed by a great boss – share it with your boss and have him/her help you (not judge you) on how to make your time more productive.

Here is an interesting study that applies.  I found it on http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2005/07/11/wastingtime.TMP

Top Time-Wasting Activities (%)

1 Surfing Internet (personal use) 44.7%

2 Socializing with co-workers 23.4%

3 Conducting personal business 6.8%

4 Spacing out 3.9%

5 Running errands off-premises 3.1%

6 Making personal phone calls 2.3%

7 Applying for other jobs 1.3%

8 Planning personal events 1.0%

9 Arriving late / Leaving early 1.0%

10 Other 12.5%

Maybe this year instead of just making a resolution you will forget about in one week, developing awareness to a bad habit might be a good way for you to take yourself to the next level.

You can also download CBR’s special FREE Report: Why Employees Waste Time (and How to Resolve it) for additional tips!

Harry

Posted January 11th, 2008 by Harry Glazer - Posted in Human Resources, Productivity | | 0 Comments

A Puff A Day Keeps The Boss Angry

Is there an answer to the question of if an employee that smokes is less productive than a non-smoking employee? 

With the amount of smoking breaks taken throughout a day, it’s hard to think otherwise.  I’ve also heard the other side of the story where the smoker says the non-smokers spend just as much time complaining about the smoker being on break, so they must be even.    

Take a look at this graph, you can decide for yourself.

Posted January 4th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Health, Human Resources, Productivity, Workers' Comp | | 1 Comments

HazCom…a Hazard in Itself!

Hazard Communication…it always shows up on OSHA's "Top 10" list of violations.  Gee, I wonder why!  Do you know of any company who has an MSDS sheet for every single chemical in their building or on their jobsite?  Okay…raise your hand if your company has the MSDS for white out!  (Guilty as charged!)  Or how about that fancy 8-pack of colored highlighters that your co-worker has on his/her desk?  Well, how about one for the emissions from the truck that backs up to your loading dock?  (I didn't think so!)  All are chemicals that have some sort of inherent danger if ingested accidentally or used in some other moronic way!  Is anyone EVER fully compliant with this OSHA standard?

So what is the appropriate attitude and action a company should take?  It is obvious that "letter of the law" will not happen, even by companies with the best intentions.  I say, "Major on the majors!"  Do your best to be compliant with the OSHA regulation, but put the focus on chemicals that are most likely to cause harm.  Take a walk around your facility.  Do you see commonly used items such as paint thinner, amonia, or other chemicals that could easily come in contact with skin or be accidentally ingested?  Also, keep in mind that chemicals come in more than liquid form.  The exhaust from a vehicle truly does pose a potential hazard when it contaminates the air you breathe!  Commit to obtain MSDS for these chemicals.  (There are various places - such as this one - you can get MSDS, but perhaps the best resource is the manufacturer of the product.  They are required by law to develop an MSDS for their products.)

Finally, the easiest way to manage MSDS is to implement a procedure within your shipping/receiving department whereby someone is responsible for checking to see that MSDS sheets are supplied with every product containing chemicals that is received.  If not, that person should contact the manufacturer immediately for a copy of the MSDS (before that product leaves the shipping/receiving area).

Hazard Communication…it's enough to give anyone a headache!  Just thinking about it is hazardous!

Posted January 3rd, 2008 by Kym - Posted in Health, Safety | | 0 Comments

HB 2779….EFFECTIVE NOW!!

First day back at the office in 2008….and we have a new added (required) task we have to follow for all new hires….verify their eligibility to work utilizing the Federal E-Verify program.  Have you registered??

There were concerns that the system will be "bogged" down with all of the last minute registrations.  We registered on Friday, Dec. 28th and had NO problems completing the application and passing the tutorial.  That, I think, is the easy part.  The hard part is going to be working with our clients to have this process run as smoothly as possible. 

Posted January 2nd, 2008 by Camille - Posted in Immigration | | 1 Comments