Chesapeake Chamber Connect
Business After Hours
Thursday, May 15th
Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: BECO; 609 Independence Parkway, Suite 200, Chesapeake, VA 23320
Join the Chamber and Cox Business Services at BECO's Corporate Office for one of the Chamber's most popular networking functions. This is the premier networking event for professionals, giving individuals the opportunity to share ideas while learning about local business. Cost to attend is $5 for Chamber members, $15 for prospective members, and FREE for Sync757 members. Advance registration is not required. Cash bar available. For exhibitor or event information, call Molly Chiaverotti at (757) 664-2518.
Portsmouth Chamber Connect
Date: Tuesday, May, 20th
Time: 10:00 am-11:00am
Location: Suffolk Division Office; 127 E. Washington Street Suite 100 2nd floor, Suffolk, VA 23434
Come participate in this opportunity to meet with fellow business owners! In one hour, you can pick up half a dozen new customers for FREE! (Limited Registrations) You will be allowed 2 minutes to give an introduction and overview of the services your business provides. If you are interested in sponsoring a Chamber Connect meeting or participating, please contact Lisa Johnson at (757) 664-2561 or LJohnson@hrccva.com.
Virginia Beach Chamber Connect
Date: Tuesday, May, 20th
Time: 8:30 am-9:30 am Location: Virginia Beach Division Office, 222 Central Park Ave. Ste. 1010, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Come participate in this opportunity to meet with fellow business owners! In one hour, you can pick up half a dozen new customers for FREE! (Limited Registrations) You will be allowed 2 minutes to give an introduction and overview of the services your business provides. If you are interested in sponsoring a Chamber Connect meeting or participating, please contact Jan Burton at (757) 664-2575 or JBurton@hrccva.com.
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Featured Associates
Candidate 1 - Project Manager:
MBA, Averette University
BSBA, JMU
Experience:
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Human Resource Development
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Preparation of Proposals w/budget requirements
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Vendor research, selection and coordination
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Management Reports and Business Analysis
Employment:
Candidate 2 - Senior Manager:
BSEE, Michigan State University
Experience:
Employment:
Interested? Call Michelle at 757-873-6644. |
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The Hampton Roads economy has an impact on all who work and live in the region. With the United States and world market in a constant state of change, it's nice to keep a pulse on the local market. This monthly newsletter should prove to be helpful and informative regarding employment in the Hampton Roads area. |
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Reliance Staffing becomes SWaM Certified
As of May 2008, Reliance Staffing Services is SWaM (Small, Women and Minority) certified!
The SWaM certification program is administered by the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise ("DMBE") and is the Commonwealth of Virginia's effort to help small, women- and minority-owned businesses with doing business with state government entities.
Small, Women-Owned and Minority-Owned businesses contribute to the economy of Virginia. These businesses pay taxes, create jobs, and directly, or indirectly through larger businesses, support the needs of the Commonwealth. It is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to have a strong SWAM Program to strengthen and support SWAM businesses.
If your firm needs to hold a certain amount of SWaM business, give Reliance a call! |
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Employees Cry Out - Please Tell Me How I'm Doing
My neighbor's 22-year-old son started a job this year at a consumer advocacy group in Chicago. It's his first real job since graduating college. He provides research support for five different senior researchers. His immediate supervisor is one of the administrators of the firm, but he actually does not work for her.
After about eight weeks on the job, my neighbor's son shared with his parents his concern that he wasn't receiving any feedback about his performance. He was feeling anxious and concerned. He thought he was doing well and meeting everyone's expectations, but he wasn't sure. He said to his parents, "I really need to know how I'm doing but my boss has very little direct knowledge of my work."
Our surveys over the years have found that only 46 percent of employees say they receive frequent and ongoing feedback on their performance. Furthermore, only about half say their annual performance reviews are conducted on time, and fewer than half say these reviews are useful.
Feedback is very important to employees, especially younger employees just entering the work world (i.e., the Millennials). Employees need direction and guidance. But more importantly, they thirst for positive feedback, a pat on the back, personal validation, and assurance that they are doing good work. Some desire this feedback because they worry about losing their jobs or want to make sure they receive pay increases or promotions. But most desire feedback so that they know they are on the right path and can feel good about themselves and their work.
When employees don't receive regular performance feedback, they:
* Become less confident in their work activities;
* Feel less free to offer suggestions; and
* Grow anxious and insecure.
Also, if employees are not receiving sufficient feedback, they may lack the direction they need to make certain they are:
* Working on the right activities;
* Setting the appropriate priorities; and
* Doing their work properly.
More importantly, if employees feel they are being ignored, their:
* Enthusiasm for their work will decline; and
* They will become less committed to your organization.
Supervisors fail to provide feedback for a number of reasons:
* They don't realize how important it is to their employees;
* They think that their employees don't need constant feedback because they already know that they are doing a good job;
* They lack confidence in themselves because they are not receiving feedback from their boss;
* They lack the people skills and emotional intelligence to provide appropriate feedback; and
* They are fearful of upsetting employees, facing conflict, or dealing with a difficult situation.
WHAT TO DO
1. Make "Provide Ongoing Feedback" your management mantra. Those who supervise others should come to work every day with this mantra on their mind. They should be constantly seeking opportunities to provide feedback to their employees about their job performance (i.e., what they are doing well and what can be improved.)
2. Provide constructive, as well as positive, feedback. There is always room for employees to improve their job performance. Constantly telling someone that they are doing a good job is not enough. Also tell them how they can continue to improve and develop. Be specific so that they can translate your words into actual improvements.
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Take a Close Look at Your Payroll Before Someone Else Does: FLSA Litigation Gains in Popularity at Employers' Expense
Many employers do not realize that one of their greatest risks for liability lurks in their payroll, owing to a minefield of federal and state legislation governing how and when employees are paid. The most significant and far-reaching of these laws is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In recent years, FLSA suits have become increasingly popular because for employees, they are easy to bring, easy to win, and lucrative. In order to avoid being swept up in this trend, employers need to take a close look at how they pay their employees.
Aside from restricting child labor and mandating equal pay for men and women, the FLSA sets the federal minimum wage and requires overtime pay of one and a half times the regular hourly rate for hours worked in excess of forty per week. The minimum wage and overtime requirements do not apply to all employees, but it's up to the employer to determine which employees are exempt. Owing to the complexity of the federal regulations, misclassifying non-exempt employees as exempt is a common FLSA mistake. An employer cannot assume that because an employee is salaried, he or she is exempt. Other common FLSA blunders are failing to pay overtime, requiring an employee to work off-the-clock, and docking an exempt employee's salary when he or she works less than a full week.
A simple mistake under the FLSA can be costly. The employer may be held liable for double the unpaid wages, going back two or three years, plus interest, attorney's fees, and litigation costs. Because the FLSA allows collective actions, where a large group of employees sue at once, the potential exposure can be devastating for employers.
To make sure that employees are properly classified and properly paid, employers should audit their payroll practices. Good payroll records are critical. Not only does the FLSA require recordkeeping, but an employer needs complete records to disprove an FLSA claim. Finally, because employers are required to inform employees of their FLSA rights, employers should double check that they have displayed an FLSA poster, available at http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/posters/flsa.htm, in the workplace.
- Anne Graham Bibeau, Esq.
Anne Graham Bibeau, Esq. is an attorney with Vandeventer Black LLP and can be reached at abibeau@vanblk.com or by phone 757-446-8517. |
| Need Help Hiring?
Reliance Staffing provides a highly selective matching of qualified temporary, temp-to-hire and permanent employees to businesses throughout the Hampton Roads area. Contact Reliance Staffing Services today.
- 873-6644 Newport News
- 490-1700 Virginia Beach
- 382-7222 Chesapeake
- 925-0400 Suffolk
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