# Top 10 HR Mistakes to Avoid Jessica Johnson, Colorado League of Charter Schools Tiffany Kallevik, Colorado League of Charter Schools Alyse Hsu, Team Lead Customer Success October 29, 2015 Todays Agenda 2 Introduction Successful charter school leadership teams understand that not only must they provide a quality education for students, they must also be a great employer. Our Partnership Colorado League of Charter Schools is a membership organization representing 95% of Colorados 223 charter schools. PeopleAdmin is and has been a trusted partner with the League for three years. Questions and Answers Top 10 HR Mistakes to Avoid Everything you need to know about what not to do to ensure success Your Presenters Jessica Johnson, Esq. Director of Policy and Legal Initiatives Colorado League of Charter Schools 3 Tiffany Kallevik Director, Member Business Services Colorado League of Charter Schools # Our Partnership 5 The Colorado League of Charter Schools is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to supporting the charter schools in the state. The League is committed to helping schools: Reach higher levels of student performance and overall success by providing information and resources, including technical support, advocacy, public relations assistance, and much more. PeopleAdmin represents 30% of all students in America K-20 # Mistake #1: Failing to Formalize the Recruitment Process Develop a recruitment strategy that aligns with the schools strategic goals Create a complete and detailed job description for each position Identify targeted recruiting sources for each position Develop a process for managing application submissions Provide consistent answers - assign a point person to respond to inquires 7 How do I find great applicants? # Mistake #2: Ineffective Interviewing Understand legal obligations Avoid unintentional bias towards individuals that may be members of similar affinity groups Prepare the interview team (practice!) Formulate appropriate and relevant interview questions in advance Be prepared, professional, respectful and avoid bad interview behavior Minimize turnover by being transparent during the interview Share a timeline with candidates Follow up with candidates 9 How do I build the right team for success? # Mistake #3: Failing to properly Onboard new Employees Mistake #3: Failing to Properly Onboard New Employees Inform staff of new hire and encourage all staff to come introduce themselves. Develop a list of all required forms and documents that new hire must complete. Determine what staff member is responsible for onboarding. Develop and share a schedule with the new hire so they know what to expect for their first week. Allow time for the new hire to meet their colleagues and members of the management team. Identify the formal and informal job training that needs to take place and schedule accordingly. Provide and review employment policies with new hire. Obtain and file acknowledgment form 11 The candidate has accepted the position, now what? # Mistake #4: Employee Handbook Mistakes Use clear and concise language Customize to fit your organization Should include, but not limited to: At-will statement and EEO statement Policies related to anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, social media, technology, privacy issues, work place safety, work place violence, relevant state and federal laws Leave policies including FMLA Drug/alcohol free zone Intellectual property Standards of conduct ADA Review annually and update when necessary Understand the handbook: train HR team and management Legal review Obtain completed acknowledgement 13 What do all employees need to know? # Mistake #5: Failure to Keep Proper Records Effective documentation serves as an aid to future managers and HR professionals for historical perspective, audits, and legal claims. Goal: Create accurate record of employment Understand legal requirements on how long to keep each type of record Be aware of what records you must have on file for each employee Maintain secure record keeping Dont keep all records in the same file, separate as necessary Have a document retention policy 15 What do I do with all this paperwork? # Mistake #6: Lack of Motivation and Retention Tools 5 Ways Employees are motivated: Feeling involved and engaged Feeling valued Having a sense of competency Having growth opportunities Compensation and benefits Properly train and continue to mentor/coach employees Create programs that recognize, reward and reinforce desired behavior Have a structure that develops skills and potential Create a positive work culture, including work/life balance Charters are employers of choice, be competitive in the job market 17 How do we grow and keep great staff? # Mistake #7: Ineffective Harassment & Discrimination Policies and Procedures Unessential behavior can lead to discrimination or harassment claims Administration must know state and federal protected classes/characteristics Be aware of the different forms discrimination can take Train administration how to: Recognize a complaint; respond appropriate to a complaint and recognize and take appropriate action even without a complaint Take preventative measures: Train, adopt appropriate polices and procedures, make sure complaint process is effective, document, be consistent, think about precedent Administration must set a good example Seek help and use your resources If in doubt, take a moment and get guidance before taking action 19 Does Administration understand legal obligations? # Mistake #8: Lack of Communication Communication breakdowns can lead to disgruntled employees, high turnover, unproductive time and costly lawsuits Explain policy and procedure changes, dont rely onor bulletin boards Communicate outcomes of investigations/discipline issues, or unsatisfactory behavior or work quality Avoid information trickle down: Slow distribution, misplaced data, and lost information Establish regular meetings and encourage staff to drop in with concerns, issues, updates, etc. Be consistent, repeat often Assume nothing Effective communication is a two-way process: Ask for feedback and respond accordingly 21 Does Administration foster open and timely communication? # Mistake #9: Terrible Terminations Preparation is Key: talk to legal counsel and HR Be certain the decision to discharge the employee is not related to a protected class/characteristic Bring another supervisor to act as witness Write a memo right after the meeting summarizing what was said on both sides Avoid surprises Prepare for potential conflict Dont be too kind. You may feel compassion for the person, but your overly kind comments about a person being fired for substandard work could backfire Dont discuss the reasons for terminations with other employees. A simple Kevin wont be working here any longer will suffice Have a termination checklist that includes: Retrieving company equipment, relaying benefit information and last paycheck, changing passwords, notification 23 Separation is difficult, what to do to reduce the pain? # Mistake #10: Absent or Poorly executed Evaluation system Seek out an evaluation system that fits your school Be clear and transparent about employee expectations and how those will be evaluated Share evaluation timeline with employees Give enough time to properly complete evaluations Disregard irrelevant factors Evaluator skills: Objective, analytical, decisive Discussion without documentation equals misunderstandings. Discuss and document only the facts Dont be a people-pleasure: Timely address issues, evaluate objectively and document Dont forget the high performers: Evaluations should incentivize and reward 25 Do we have systems in place to evaluate, coach and reward employees? # Questions? Please feel free to contact us! Jessica Johnson, Esq. Director of Policy and Legal Initiatives Colorado League of Charter Schools 27 Tiffany Kallevik Director, Member Business Services Colorado League of Charter Schools