Presented by: LAHRA Lakes Area Human Resources Association

1
Presented byLAHRALakes Area Human Resources
Association
When Business Decisions Affect Your Employees
The information presented today is a general
summary of procedures and practices and does not
constitute legal advice. Consult your legal
counsel on final decisions and practices you
choose to put in place.
2

• Steve Lackner LAHRA Past President HR Manager,
  Lakeland Mold Company Steve.Lackner_at_laklandmold.
  com
• Stephanie Ferguson LAHRA Membership Committee
  Chair HR Manager, Wausau Paper
  sferguson_at_wausauapaper.com
• Dave Bergin LAHRA Vice-President Partner at
  Fiducia Benefits david_at_thefiducia.com
• Cindy Brey LAHRA Program Committee Chair
• MN Dept. of Economic Development (DEED)
  cindy.brey_at_state.mn.us

3

• Topics
• Tactics to Manage Labor Costs
• Tactics to Manage Employee Morale and Community
  Perception
• Tactics to Manage Benefit Expense
• Services Available to Businesses and Displaced
  Workers
• Questions and Answers

4

• Long Term Labor Cost Control
• Steve Lackner

5

• Do More With Less
• Hire for Attitude Train for Skill
• When you make an initial hire select the person
  with the can do attitude.
• When in doubt dont hire.
• You cannot train someone to have a good attitude.
• Your culture controls your attitudes.

6

• You Get What you Pay For
• Dont be afraid to pay a little more for good
  talent.
• When you pay more you expect more.
• Dont forget that money isnt everything, make
  work fun.

7

• Get the Right People on the Bus
• Make sure that you have the best available people
  in the right spot in your company.
• Now is a great time to cull the herd.
• Dont be afraid to move your people around until
  they find their niche.

8

• Get Your Employees Involved
• Get your employees to behave like owners.
• Teach your employees to make their own decisions.
• Encourage risk taking.
• Use mistakes as training opportunities.

9

• Do Your Employees Know
• What their Jobs Are?
• How clear are you with your expectations for
  their performance?
• Create job descriptions that clearly outline
  their duties and what outcomes are expected.
• Job descriptions should not only include what
  employees do but why they do it.

10

• Run Lean
• Lean Enterprise techniques work in all sizes and
  types of businesses.
• Remove wasteful business practices from your
  company.
• Utilize your employees to find them.
• Why do we do this?

11

• Run a Safe and Clean Workplace
• A safe workplace helps reduce workers
  compensation costs.
• A safe, clean workplace increases employee morale
  and reduces turnover.
• One serious injury can devastate work comp
  premiums in a small business.

12

• Now What?
• Stephanie Ferguson

13

• Youve made progress,
• Youve got the right people for the job, with
  clear expectations set
• You maintain a safe, clean workplace
• Youre running lean and mean
• But what if its not enough?

14

• What Else Can We Do?
• Communication is Key
• Share information with employees.
• Be honest and tell it like it is.
• Let employees become part of the solution.

15

• Reduced Hours
• Plan ahead will this work for your company?
• Maintain flexibility to meet customers
  requirements
• Let employees be part of the process

16

• Reduced Pay
• May lose valuable employees.
• If its necessary, let employees know you will
  review this at a later date.
• If possible, keep current pay rates, but forego
  increases.
• Reduce 401(K) contributions

17

• Lay - Offs
• Determine your business needs.
• Consider the high cost of turn-over if you lose
  and employee due to lay-off
• Lay-off as needed.
• Large lay-off requires advance notice to
  employees (WARN Act).

18

• Tactics To Control
• Benefit Cost
• David Bergin

19

• Employee Benefits
• An Employers Point of View
• Wages
• Safe Work Environment
• Job Security and Satisfaction
• Ancillary Benefits
• Health Insurance
• Retirement
• Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance, Supplemental Plans, Voluntary
  Plans etc.

20

• As Employees See them
• Job Security and Satisfaction
• Safe Work Environment
• Wages
• Ancillary Benefits
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Retirement
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Vision Insurance, Supplemental Plans, Voluntary
  Plans etc.

21

• Benefit Assessment
• Ask yourself who is benefiting?
• Benefits dont need to be Lush
• Benefit Statements
• Carve Out
• Employee Awareness/Orientation/Follow Up
• 80/20 Rule
• lt1000 Year
• Wellness and incentives www.welcoa.org
• What Really Matters to Employees?

22

• Must Haves
• Section 125 Cafeteria P.O.P.
• Health Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• H.S.A. consumer driven
• H.R.A.
• Voluntary Products
• Deferred Compensation vs. traditional 401K
• Relationship with an Agency

23

• Where Employers Trip Up
• Ignorance, Join LAHRA!
• COBRA/ARRA
• Eligibility
• Waiting Periods
• No Employee Buy In
• Benefits that are too lush
• Trying to do it themselves
• Not surveying their employees
• No worksite wellness, EAPs

24

• Final Solutions
• Shop for value
• Make Small Changes
• Have someone else deliver the message
• Balance compensation with benefits
• Easier to add then to take
• Voluntary
• Be creative
• Take advantage of tax savings
• ASK FOR HELP!

25
EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE RESOURCESCindy Brey
26

• MN Department of Employment Economic
  Development (DEED)
• WorkForce Centers
• 47 Statewide http//www.mnwfc.org/field/
• Brainerd 204 Laurel St., Ste 21
• Partnership http//www.mnwfc.org/partners.htm
• Workforce Development
• Job Service
• State Services for the Blind
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Veterans Program
• Employment Service Providers

27

• Partnerships (cont.)
• Business Services Specialists http//www.deed.stat
  e.mn.us/bizdev/bss/
• Provide resources and assistance to meet business
  needs
• Job Service
• Supports the labor exchange system including
  Unemployment Insurance
• Shared Work Program

28

• Partnerships (cont.)
• Shared Work Program http//www.deed.state.mn.us/sh
  aredwork/
• An option for employers faced with a layoff. It
  allows an employer to divide available hours of
  work among a group of employees instead of a full
  layoff.
• Affected employees may then receive partial
  unemployment insurance benefits while working
  reduced hours.

29

• Partnerships (cont.)
• State Services for the Blind
• provides programs and services for Minnesotans of
  any age who have a vision loss that creates a
  barrier to their vocational or personal
  independence
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• helps people with disabilities to achieve their
  employment and independent living goals.
• Veterans Program
• assist businesses and veterans with their
  employment needs http//www.deed.state.mn.us/veter
  ans/list.htm

30

• Partnership (cont.)
• Employment Service Providers
• Career planning and personal counseling
• career decision making, developing job goals, and
  personal planning
• Training and retraining resources
• update skills or acquire skills in a new field
• Job-seeking skills workshops
• preparing resumes and cover letters, learning and
  practicing interviewing skills, and networking

31

• Job clubs
• meet with other job seekers to network, check
  current job openings, and discuss issues
• Placement services,
• including leads developed by counselors and
  agencies
• Support services
• in certain cases are available for expenses such
  as child care and transportation, to enable
  participants to achieve their employment or
  training goals.

32

• Dislocated Worker Program Services
  http//www.deed.state.mn.us/dw/
• Training and employment services for those who
  are or about to be unemployed due to layoffs
  and plant closings
• On-The-Job-Training (OJT)
• Reimbursement (for the employer) of extraordinary
  costs of training and decreased productivity
  associated with training a new employee, i.e., up
  to 50 of hourly wages for up to 6 months and/or
  classroom training costs.