2011 HR challenges

At the end of the 2010 a survey of HR professionals was taken to determine what the top challenges facing employers in the area of human resources in the new year of 2011.

Of course, with the U.S. Supreme Court considering a number of employment related cases this year, the list of challenges may change, but it appears that there is a consistency in what will be keeping HR professionals awake at night, and those same issues will serve to trip up the unprepared business owner.

Some of the top items that showed up on the list are not generally under the control of business leaders.

The number on issue on the minds of top level HR professionals: Healthcare Costs and Regulations. While the regulations are still being understood, businesses are struggling to comply with regulations which are confusing and sometimes contradictory. Health benefits are raising the cost of business operations or forcing employers to reduce or even eliminate benefits for their employees. When trying to increase employee engagement and loyalty, such moves can damage the employee/employer relationship.

Second: FMLA and leave administration. More and more cases are being filed in court over leave policies and practices. As the law becomes more confused and court decisions continue to confound HR practitioners, mistakes leading to expensive lawsuits are becoming even more prevalent.

Third: Increasing administrative investigations into complaints by the EEOC, Dept of Labor, OSHA and the IRS.

Fourth: Social media and blogging use by employees. Last week, I discussed this issue in more detail. http://gjconsultants.blogspot.com/2011/01/social-networking-and-business-part-ii.html

And…fifth: FLSA and wage and hour issues, including the classification of employees.

The list is really not a surprise. We have been seeing these issues continue to confound businesses and show up in numerous court cases. With the exception of Healthcare laws and regulations, each of the issues is either controlled by the employer, or mitigated by proactive actions by the business leadership.

I am continually amazed that smaller business owners tend to stick their heads in the sand and hope that employee issues will go away. If anything, ignoring employee issues causes the most employment litigation. If the employees don’t get fed up and attempt to right the “injustice” they believe they have been subjected to, invariably the government will find something during an investigation.

2011 is the year to face the top HR issues head on and not only improve your employee relationship and productivity, armor yourself and your business against preventable fines and penalties being assessed by the government. If you need help, hire professional assistance…assistance which includes HR experience as well as understanding of the legal issues. Your business deserves it, your employees deserve it and most of all you deserve the peace of mind of knowing that your business can withstand any employment challenge.

Glenn Brown is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board and Chief Legal Officer of G & J Consultants, LLC. In addition to having directed the HR Department of a health care services company, Glenn is an attorney with 15 years experience assisting businesses of all sizes and industries in complying with employment and labor legal issues. G & J Consultants specializes in providing small and medium sized businesses with traditional HR services as well as compliance with employment laws and regulations.