No NDAs or Non-Competes: Massive Workplace Changes Afoot as Employees Have All the Power

Employco USA

Employment trends expert says that Microsoft is not the only company trying to enhance the employee experience

Employee Experience

Microsoft just made international headlines after they revealed four new workplace initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining talent. The tech giant says they will no longer require employees to sign non-disclosure agreements or non-competes. In addition, Microsoft is committing to pay transparency for new hires and to confidentiality agreements in dispute resolution, aimed at making sure that employees feel safer coming forward about misconduct.

“What we are seeing is a complete shift in the way companies like Microsoft are approaching their staff and the traditional workplace hierarchy,” says Rob Wilson, employment trends expert and President of Employco USA, a national employment solutions firm with locations around the country. “Employers have lost a lot of their upper hand in the last 2 years. Employees have options, and they are making it very clear that they realize this.”

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Cocktail Reception RSVP

Employco USA

Cocktail Reception

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The Importance of Good Onboarding

Employco USA

Welcome to the Team

Onboarding is a vital part of your hiring activities, helping new hires acclimate to their role, their coworkers, and the company culture. It also helps with retention, as a company with good onboarding processes can see a retention rate of 69% in the first three years.

But 22% of companies have no formal onboarding program, and only 49% have some onboarding processes in place. That can leave new hires feeling less equipped to do their job and make it harder to feel like a part of the team and the company.

Onboarding is a process of integrating new employees into your organization. It starts as soon as a candidate accepts your job offer. Let’s talk about the steps of onboarding and why they’re essential.

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No Zoom for You! Elon Musk Says “Get Back to Work”

Employco USA

Employment trends expert talks about getting employees back in the office and dealing with COVID exposures

Back to the Office

Elon Musk made a big announcement on Tuesday: He ordered all of his executive staff to spend at least 40 hours in the office every week, or risk losing their positions. “This is less than we ask of factory workers,” said Musk, in the employee memo which was leaked to the press.

Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employment trends expert, says that Elon Musk’s message is aligned with what he is hearing from his clients across the country.

“Employers want their staff back at work,” says Wilson. “Despite the fact that many employees are happy being hybrid or even fully remote, many companies want to get their productivity back on track after a rough couple of years. And since culture-leaders like Musk and other tech giants like Microsoft are pushing employees back to the office, I think this will set a precedent that smaller firms will also follow.”

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The HR Side of Scaling Your Business

Employco USA

The HR Side of Scaling Your Business

In today’s market, every company has aggressive goals for growth, whether growing the business internally or through a merger. Typically, business owners approach scaling as solely revenue-based. That can mean that HR becomes an afterthought in your strategic plan. But the truth is that having a plan for scaling your HR as your business grows is vital to the success of growth overall. Here are some HR things to consider when creating your strategic growth plan.

Company Culture
One of the keys to growing your business is a plan to increase the number of employees, whether through recruiting or through merging with another business. Strong company culture helps you attract better talent and retain the great talent you already have. But if you haven’t paid attention to your company culture or considered how the culture of merging businesses may differ, that can hurt both retention and recruiting. Continue reading →

Inflation’s Effects on Wages and Benefits

Employco USA

Rising Inflation

With inflation at a 40-year high, businesses are seeing inflation erode their purchasing power, adding to the higher prices already created by supply shortages. Companies are also experiencing inflation’s effects on wages and benefits, which affects their ability to compete and negotiate with existing and potential employees.

With the “great resignation,” businesses were already having difficulty attracting and retaining top talent. Many increased their wages to remain competitive. Still, even though wages are rising, inflation makes them worth less. And employees are starting to ask for more frequent adjustments to their wages. Evaluating your job market vulnerability is vital to determining how much your workforce is affected by inflation. Employco can help you assess the effect of inflation on your business and your employees and make recommendations for how best to manage inflation’s effects.

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Podcast: The HR Side of Scaling Your Business

Employco USA

Revenue growth and advertising are most often major concerns when scaling a business, but what about the HR and employment aspects? On this month’s HR podcast Rob, Scott, and Jason cover the HR side of scaling your business. They discuss different state regulations and compliance issues, the importance of your company culture, employee engagement, communication, retaining your top talent, taking a look at your benefit plans in advance, developing the next generation, and more!

Podcast: The HR Side of Scaling Your Business

Contact us with any questions you may have, we’re here to help: hr@employco.com

Delta 8, CBD Lead to False Positives on Employee Drug Tests: What Employers Need to Know as Employee Drug Use Hits Record High

Employco USA

Rob Wilson explains how popular products like CBD and Delta 8 can complicate an employer’s ability to accurately monitor employee drug use

What Employers Need to Know as Employee Drug Use Hits Record HighNew data released from Quest Diagnostics reveals that employee drug use has increased in the last few years, with an increase of over 30% since 2011. Notably, marijuana use has led the trend, with positive test results for marijuana increasing by 50% in the last 5 years alone.

“In 2020, the rates of positive drug tests among employees climbed to their highest level since 2001,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employment trends expert. “Ten years ago, we were looking at an all-time low since Quest first began testing and tracking employee drugs, but now we have dramatically increased.”

Wilson says the legalization of marijuana has driven the trend, as well as the popular use of marijuana derivatives like CBD.

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