HR Pieces: October News 2024

HR Pieces: October 2024 News

Dear Lynette,

Greetings from the HR Advantage team! Thank you for subscribing to our monthly newsletter. Each month, we intend to provide timely and valuable tips for maintaining best practices in Human Resources.

We are truly grateful to serve our clients, candidates, and colleagues and want you to know we appreciate working with you!

As you assess your needs for 2024, please keep us in mind as your go-to resource for all things HR!

Sincerely,

The HRA Team-

Lynette, Camille, Karla, Dana, Liz, Seth, Sarah, Erinn, Anita, Sharon, and Michelle

Lynette Weatherford MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, President

Email Lynette

877.894.0202 ext 4

Camille Knowles PHR,

SHRM-CP HR Advisor

Email Camille

877.894.0202 ext 3

Karla Callaway BS

HR Advisor

Email Karla

877.894.0202 ext 2

Dana Baldwin BS, SPHR,

SHRM-SCP, HR Advisor

Email Dana

877.894.0202 ext 1

Elizabeth Hurst MBA

Business Development Director

Email Elizabeth

877.894.0202 ext 5

Seth Bunn BS

Recruitment Advisor

Email Seth

877.894.0202 ext 6

Sarah Matthews BA

Business Development Manager

Email Sarah

(877) 894-0202 ext 8

Erinn Johnson

HR Advisor Assistant

Email Erinn

Anita King MA, SHRM-CRP

Learning and Development Advisor

Email Anita

877.894.0202 ext 7

Sharon McElwrath BA

Administrative Support

Email Sharon

Michelle Courtney

HR Advisor Assistant

Email Michelle

HR Hotline | Email | 877-894-0202 ext. 8

October HR News

Time Off to Vote
Political Discussion at Work
Order Now: 2025 Labor Posters
Inflation Dropped to 2.5% in August
Thank You for Attending our Webinar
Career Opportunities

Time Off to Vote

Did you know that the voting leave policy differentiates by state? Though we are coming up on the presidential election, the state laws rule will apply not only to local elections but national as well.

Some states may allow paid leave to vote, while others only require time off to vote if the polls are closed before and after your shift. In some states if you take time off to vote, but don’t actually vote, your employer can dock your pay for the time you took.

As for Missouri, employers are required to give up to three hours of paid voting leave as long as the requirements of the Missouri statute are met, including a request by the employee for voting leave prior to Election Day. However, this is not a requirement if the “employee’s shift begins at least three hours after the polls open or ends at least three hours before the polls close, or if the employee otherwise has three hours when not required to report for work while the polls are open”.

To find out what the requirements are in your state, visit workplacefairness.org.

Source: Workplace Fairness & e-LawLines

Political Discussion at Work

With elections right around the corner, this topic bears some weight to discuss once again. In February of this year, nearly half of U.S. workers stated that they had discussed political issues with a coworker, and more likely than not, these numbers have increased as November draws near.

Certain industries seemed to be more likely to discuss politics at work, but this doesn’t mean there are areas in which political discussions do not come up at all. While these discussions can bring some employees together, it can also do more harm than good, especially if an employee is already disengaged.

According to Gallup polls, employee engagement has hit an 11-year low and people are less likely to feel cared about at work than they were in 2016 and 2020. This means that leaders need to make sure they are doing what they can to buffer any potential negative effects these conversations may bring about.

We touched on managing political expressions at work in our August newsletter and talked about it during our webinar on Hot Topics in the Workplace, but we believe the polarized views during this election warrant another look at what you can do as leaders:

Emphasize a culture of respect and inclusion – Model healthy communication strategies and help employees understand how the values of the organization help to create an empathetic workplace atmosphere.
Foster trust and understanding between colleagues – Encourage coworkers to know one another personally outside of political viewpoints, this may help to alleviate the negative effects of differing opinions.
Set expectations for how conversations should be managed – With well-communicated guidelines in place, behavior is expected to be respectful and polite.

Source: Gallup Image Source: VectorStock

A word of encouragement from

HR Advisor, Camille Knowles as we approach November elections...

🚨 **Don’t Miss Out!** 🚨

Pre-order your exclusive 2025 Employment Federal & State ALL-In-One laminated Poster today!

Supplies are limited, and once they're sold out, they won’t be restocked! ⏳

**Pre-order now!**

$67 per poster

(Shipping Included)

Order Deadline: Friday, November 22, 2024

*HR Advantage retainer clients receive one free poster.

Please submit your total poster order via the link or QR code below.

Click here to reserve your 2025 All-In-One Federal & State Poster

Why Are Employment Posters Important?

Employers are required to display labor law posters for the benefit of both employees and customers, informing them of key provisions in the law. Posters should be displayed in an area that is accessible to all employees, or made available for remote workers.

A new year is almost here!

Your 2025 poster will include important updates such as:

Changes to State Department of Labor, Wage & Hour, Unemployment, & Workers’ Compensation
Federal updates such as OSHA, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Order Deadline - November 22nd

Estimated Delivery - January 2023

Inflation Dropped to 2.5% in August

New data is showing that inflation dropped on an annual basis in August. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is not only down from the 2.9% year-over-year increase in July but also from the 9.1% increase in 2022. This should mean that inflation is trending toward the Federal Reserve’s target level and providing the motivation to begin lowering interest rates once again.

The policy of raising interest rates and maintaining that high rate for a prolonged period was made possible because the labor market and overall economy remained resilient through inflation over the past several years. With lowered interest rates, employers should have a reprieve from the struggle with their financial wellness as the labor market cools.

Source & Image Source: SHRM

Thank you!

Our Learning and Development Advisor, Anita King, worked hard to bring us our latest webinar. She discussed hot topics such as politics, DEI, PWFA legislation, and addressing conflicts in the workplace.

We want to thank those of you who were able to attend this webinar and can't wait to see you all at our next webinar! If you would like us to touch on anything in particular, please don't hesitate to get in contact with us. We would love to hear from you and to consider your requests for our next training!

Email Anita

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