11 years ago
·
by
Shawna Kreis ·
Comments Off on Employee Advocacy: Strategies to boost employee participation
It is no secret that your employees are you most valuable asset, but do they know that? As the lines between professional and personal life become even blurrier with each passing day — thanks in large part to social media — it is crucial to your business’s success to harness the power and knowledge of your happy employees. Here are some ideas to get them more involved in the process.
1. Encourage your employees to own your company. Employees who feel like they are part of the success of a business are more likely to engage in positive social media interactions about that company. Position your employees as thought leaders within your business as well as the industry.
2. Trust your employees. When you use your employees to engage on social media platforms about your business, you are handing over a certain amount of trust to them. While that can be difficult to do — and, yes, sometimes it does backfire — because they are your employees, encouraging them to be advocates for your brand brings an increase in respectability as well as trust from those who are reading their postings.
3. Allow employees to have free reign. When people post about a company, it has a different feel than when the owners do so. There is a more intimate feeling involved when one of your employees posts to their friend’s timeline, for example, about how her employer — your business — offers the exact services he finds himself in need of. This casual and friendly interaction helps your business name and brand reach a larger audience, a methodology that has proven to increase sales and profits.
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Given the ever expanded concept of what constitutes a disability, employers will continue to face an ever growing compliance challenge. Here are some basics to be remembered:
- Knowledge of the need to accommodate an employee can come from numerous sources including a work comp claims manager, a company supervisor or manager, HR, the employee themselves, a union rep, a doctor, poor performance, simple observation, or some kind of hotline call.
- To have a good process, it must be laid out step-by-step with supporting documentation.
- Be interactive. Remember the rule that the first to give up on the dialogue process generally loses.
- Have appropriate education and training. For example, HR could create a simple video to help employees with the accommodation process.
- Allow managers to engage in simple, easy and quick accommodations.
- Proper documentation of all steps in the process.
- Ongoing communication, monitoring, feedback, and improvement.
The accommodation process begins with a needs assessment. This means a thorough review of the job description and duties and a clear understanding of the employee’s limitations including potential absences etc. Remember you can accommodate an employee by the following means:
- Changing facilities or equipment
- Job restrictions
- Modifying schedules
- Modifying a test, training, or policies
- Offering vacant positions within their skill range
- Offering temporary positions (the ADA does not require you to create a new position for an employee)
- Support including readers, interpreters, or even dogs
- A leave of absence
- Any other idea that would generate a reasonable accommodation
Proper documentation of any undue burden
One of the biggest mistakes an employer makes is to assume in advance that an accommodation would create an undue burden. If the request is reasonable, the best approach is to let them try it and to be clear about performance standards. Document any shortcomings their accommodations may be causing and continue to communicate about ways to elevate them.
There is extensive material on the ADA on HR That Works including flow charts, checklists, forms, and policies to use. There is also training you can provide your managers (a good idea). Also remember if you have over 50 employees the FMLA may allow an employee who has serious medical condition up to 12 weeks of leave which they may use instead of accepting an accommodation.
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According to the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973, every employer in the state is legally obligated to provide a safe workplace that is free of hazards. As part of that regulation, each employer is also required to have an Injury and Illness Prevention program. The following are practical tips that can be implemented to help reach the above goals.
Use Personal Protective Equipment
Depending on the job, there are different types of personal protective equipment that are a necessity to keep employees safe. Goggles are a must in any workplace environment that involves dust, chemicals or other objects that could injure the eyes. In workplaces where heavy objects could fall on the heads of employees, hard hats must be provided. Steel-toe shoes are also mandatory if the environment includes hazardous and heavy materials that could injure the feet.
It should be noted that simply making the equipment available is not enough. Employees must be properly trained on its use and must not be cleared for work in areas where such equipment is needed until they are fully trained.
Keep the Workplace Tidy
Clutter and debris can seem like the norm for a workplace but they can increase the chances of an accident. Employers need to ensure that there are an adequate amount of space to store items neatly. Spills should be cleaned up immediately to help prevent falls or reported to the right person so that they are taken care of as soon as possible.
Ensure Company Vehicles are in Good Working Order
Many people are injured while driving company vehicles each year. Each month, a visual inspection, as well as one that test the working order of items such as turn signals, should be completed. If repairs are needed, they should be taken care of as soon as possible.
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Most states demand that businesses, regardless of size, take every reasonable action to keep their premises safe for employees and visitors. The definition of visitors is fairly loose. Basically, it is anyone not employed by the business and covered by its workmen’s compensation insurance policy.
This means that clients, customers, delivery persons, repair persons, outside maintenance contractors and anyone who comes to the business premises needs protection from foreseeable dangers.
There are different types of people who come into a business and each has a different level of required care for its class of visitors.
Invitee
This is a person whose invitation is explicit (by appointment, for example) or implicit (a customer looks at the goods and services for sale in a shop). A business owner’s duty to an invitee is to exercise ordinary care and make the property generally safe without any dangerous conditions.
Licensee
A licensee in not an invitee or trespasser. An example of a licensee is a party who enters the premises for their own convenience or gratification. Think of a person ducking into your entryway to avoid the rain. The duty of care is far less than for an invitee, and the business is only liable to a licensee for willful and malicious harm.
Trespasser
This group of people enter the premises lacking an implicit or explicit invitation. They come on the business property for their own enjoyment or benefit. The only duty of a business owner is a negative one – the business cannot build any mantraps the willfully and maliciously causes a trespasser harm. Many states have an exception to this limited responsibility; if the business anticipates, suspects or knows of the presence of a trespasser it must exercise ordinary care and avoid inflicting injury on a trespasser through any kind of active negligence.
Common Workplace Visitor’s Injuries
Slip and Fall Accidents
These are the largest cause of visitor injuries. Injuries happen when a visitor trips, slips or falls and suffer injuries. These accidents often stem from things such as uneven floorboards, electrical extension cords crossing aisles or doorways, spills or liquids on the floor, and poorly installed carpet or carpeting that has tears or rips.
Negligent Security
It is normal that businesses have a duty to their invitees to make sure they are safe from foreseeable. A business is liable for the criminal acts of a non-employee when the business fails to keep the premises safe from criminal activity. Usually claims of negligent security stem from places such as:
- Hotels
- Motels
- Parking garages
- Apartment complexes
Businesses in high-crime areas (a parking garage in such an area needs adequate lighting, video cameras and warning signs that video surveillance is ongoing, and other security measure as needed.
Attractive Nuisance
This is a legal doctrine that applied mostly to children, even if they are trespassers. Hotels with outdoor pools need adequate fencing, a pool cover, locks and lighting, as the pool is attractive for kids to try to use after trespassing.
Defective Property Conditions
Businesses are often liable for dangerous or defective conditions. These include faulty elevators, faulty escalators, crumbling stairways and more.
Speak with your business insurance advisor about these risks and how to protect yourself, your business and employees from legal liability for them.
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The insurance that you chose for your business is designed to cover some of life’s potential obstacles that could stand in the way of your success. In addition, it is made to offer you solutions that allow you to meet the requirements of any laws that are pertinent to your particular situation at the time when you purchase the policy. What happens if such a law changes and, as a result, brings a change to your liability as well?
In most cases, laws are not passed and implemented right away. This lag in time is built in so that those affected can make the necessary changes in order to remain compliant with the new regulations. For this reason, any insurance policy that you purchase will have the necessary provisions to comply with upcoming laws already built in so you can rest assured that you and your business are covered.
Many insurance companies communicate freely with their clients. Business accounts that might be affected by a law that is set to go into effect are typically notified long before the change is implemented. This notification typically involves a brief outline of the applicable law as well as any changes to premiums or any further actions that the client must take.
The beginning of the new year is the optimal time for a business to make an appointment with their insurance provider to go over their policy. Updates to the policy can be implemented to protect the business if any pending laws will affect them. In addition, such reviews often reveal other ways for businesses to save while also providing them with better protection.
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Ringing in the new year often means that it is a great time to take an inventory of your business. Far beyond simply an inventory of any supplies that you might possess though, a thorough inventory of your business practices could bring to light some weak spots that could stand to be shored up. Periodic examinations such as these can help make your business both stronger and more successful.
As April 15th, Tax Day, quickly approaches, many businesses spend a great deal more time scrutinizing their financial records. While this is a job that can certainly be overseen by you, for the most objective view of your financial situation, enlist in the help of an outside agency. The company that you entrust with completing your taxes each year can be a good resource for this type of review.
The business insurance policy you have in place is a crucial element of its success. Not only does it protect you in the event that something unexpected happens, it also ensures that your employees are treated well, giving your company the reputation of being a great place to work. Each year, though, it is a good idea to make an appointment with your insurance carrier.
At this appointment, you and the representative from your insurance company can go over your business insurance policy to ensure that it is still providing the type of coverage that meets the needs of your business. New regulations regarding the insurance industry as well as laws that could potentially affect you are often implemented at the beginning of the year. Working with your insurance agent to customize a policy to meet the growing needs of your business will help get the year off to a good start and ensure your continued success.
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