Question: Can we require remote employees to have childcare?

Answer: We do not recommend having a policy that stipulates childcare is necessary. For one thing, in practice, it often isn’t necessary. Lots of employees are able to do their jobs just fine while supervising children in the home. Imposing this requirement (and a huge financial burden) won’t solve any problems, but it may encourage remote employees to start looking for a new job. Even in cases where supervising children does negatively affect job performance, requiring childcare as a solution could be seen as crossing a line into your employees’ personal lives.

Instead of requiring childcare, we recommend setting clear expectations for attendance, availability, performance, and productivity. You can then discipline employees who don’t meet these expectations without giving the impression that you’re micromanaging their personal lives.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that employee expectations around remote work have changed. People choose remote work with the idea that they’ll have more flexibility during the day to attend to their personal responsibilities. If that flexibility isn’t an option, it’s important to make that clear so employees know what to expect.

Q&A provided by Mineral, powering the UST HR Workplace for nonprofit HR teams. Have HR questions? Sign your nonprofit up for a free 60-day trial here. As a UST member, simply log into yourMineralportal to access live HR certified consultants, 300+ on-demand training courses, an extensive compliance library, and more.

One of the biggest challenges nonprofits are faced with is the “great resignation” sparked by the pandemic—where employees are burnt out and pursuing new jobs that better align with their evolving priorities. In order to stay competitive in today’s job market, nonprofit leaders must reinvent their recruitment tactics, work-life balance initiatives and employee engagement strategies.

Don’t miss your chance to download a free copy of UST’s latest eBook, Workforce Management Tactics that Strengthen Nonprofit Brands, to discover 3 key strategies that can help your nonprofit create (and sustain) a resilient workforce.

In this eBook, you’ll discover:

• The importance of refreshing your hiring & onboarding strategies
• Tips for building creative and competitive employee benefit packages
• Innovative processes that help combat preventable terminations

This eBook will help you uncover new strategies that will encourage your current (and future) workforce to carry out your mission for years to come.

Question: Do OSHA’s regulations and standards apply to the home office? Are there any other federal laws employers need to consider when employees work from home?

Answer: The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have any regulations regarding telework in home offices. The agency issued a directive in February 2000 stating that the agency will not conduct inspections of employees’ home offices, will not hold employers liable for employees’ home offices, and does not expect employers to inspect the home offices of their employees.

If OSHA receives a complaint about a home office, the complainant will be advised of OSHA’s policy. If an employee makes a specific request, OSHA may informally let employers know of complaints about home office conditions but will not follow-up with the employer or employee.

Employers who are required to keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses will continue to be responsible for keeping such records for injuries and illnesses occurring in a home office.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and its implementing regulations do not prevent employers from implementing telework or other flexible work arrangements allowing employees to work from home. Employers would still be required to maintain an accurate record of hours worked for all employees, including those participating in telework or other flexible work arrangements; and to pay no less than the minimum wage for all hours worked and to pay at least one and one-half times the employee’s regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek to nonexempt employees.

Employers are encouraged to work with their employees to establish hours of work for employees who telework and a mechanism for recording each teleworking employee’s hours of work. Nonexempt employees must receive the required minimum wage and overtime pay free and clear. This means that when a covered employee is required to provide the tools and equipment (e.g., computer, Internet connection, facsimile machine, etc.) needed for telework, the cost of providing the tools and equipment may not reduce the employee’s pay below that required by the FLSA.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), telework could be a reasonable accommodation the employer would need to provide to a qualified individual with a disability, barring any undue hardship. However, an employer may instead offer alternative accommodations as long as they would be effective.

Q&A provided by Mineral, powering the UST HR Workplace for nonprofit HR teams. Have HR questions? Sign your nonprofit up for a free 60-day trial here.

Turnover is a natural part of any nonprofit organization’s life cycle, and employee offboarding should be handled with the same degree of importance as onboarding a new employee. An offboarding plan offers an opportunity for communication and manage change, to help preserve and improve your employer brand and to generate good faith with the departing employee. There can be many moving pieces involved with a termed employee and clear offboarding procedures help manage the expectations of all parties involved.

When done correctly, the employee offboarding process can offer key management insights and reveal hidden internal issues. From a management point of view, the focus is to address issues at an organization level. Whereas, employees are faced with small issues that aren’t always noticed by managers or the executive team. Not giving attention and time to these small and recurring issues can lead to larger issues which could then impact the productivity of the organization.

Here are some best practices when creating an efficient and smooth employee offboarding process:

1) Learn why the employee is leaving: Maybe the employee wasn’t a long-term fit for your company culture, perhaps they came across a career-changing opportunity, or they weren’t a fit to handle growth gracefully. Regardless of the reason, organizations need to first understand the reason why an employee wants to leave and have a clear plan in place to handle each type of exit. Having the appropriate policies and procedures in place to handle any and all offboarding reasons are key for orchestrating a smooth departure.

2) Conduct a smooth offboarding: A crucial aspect of a good employee offboarding process is to treat employees warmly, regardless of the reason behind their departure. Creating a positive farewell will encourage employees to speak to others positively about their experience which in turn, increases the organization’s brand value. Taking the opportunity to engage departed employees will help with talent acquisition and managing the reputation of the organization’s brand.

3) Ask for feedback: When an employee leaves, it can be a valuable opportunity to collect insightful turnover data. During the exit interview, the employee can offer honest feedback about the organization since they are no longer reliant on this job for financial means. When an employee expresses their desire to leave, sending them an exit interview survey can help organizations uncover areas of opportunities that need to be addressed to improve employee engagement and productivity.  

4) Avoid decreases in productivity: When an employee departs, day-to-day activities overseen by this employee will be interrupted or possibly put on pause—resulting in a decrease in productivity. Cross training with current employees can prevent a dip in productivity, such as, transferring process knowledge, document procedures and responsibilities, and login credentials for business tools.

Depending on the reason for the employee’s departure, exit interviews are an opportunity to collect important insights to improve your current offboarding strategy. The complexities involved in offboarding make saying “goodbye” to employees a challenging task—which is why consistency is the key to a successful exit interview. With the right tools in place, organizations have the ability to standardize the complexities involved in employee offboarding and help you part ways in the most efficient way.

Question: As we begin to return to work, if an employee is out of the office due to sickness, can we ask them about their symptoms?

Answer:Yes, but there’s a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. In non-pandemic circumstances, employers shouldn’t ask about an employee’s symptoms, as that could be construed as a disability-related inquiry. Under the circumstances, however — and in line with an employer’s responsibility to provide a safe workplace — it is recommended that employers ask specifically about the symptoms of COVID-19.

Here is a suggested communication: “Thank you for staying home while sick. In the interest of keeping all employees as safe as possible, we’d like to know if you are having any of the symptoms of COVID-19. Are you experiencing a fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or a new loss of taste or smell?”

Remember that medical information must be kept confidential as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If the employee does reveal that they have symptoms of COVID-19, or has a confirmed case, the CDC recommends informing the employee’s co-workers of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace (but not naming the employee who has or might have it) and directing them to self-monitor for symptoms. Employers should also follow CDC guidance for cleaning and disinfecting.

Q&A provided by ThinkHR, powering the UST HR Workplace for nonprofit HR teams. Have HR questions? Sign your nonprofit up for a free 60-day trial here.

Recruiting and retaining top performers is crucial to the success of any nonprofit and when done right, reaps the best reward—employees that support and strengthen your mission-driven work. To help nonprofit employers strengthen their recruiting and retention practices—while focusing on the employee’s entire journey with the organization—we created the 2021 Recruitment and Retention Toolkit .

This free toolkit includes a recruiting checklist, workplace flexibility fundamentals, interview best practice tips, and more:

1. Recruitment Checklist
2. Recruitment Sources
3. Creating and Managing Job Descriptions
4. Interviewing 101
5. Pre-Employment Inquiry Do’s and Don’ts
6. Essential Employee Training Topics
7. Creative Workplace Benefits
8. Workplace Flexibility Fundamentals
9. Webinar Recording: Enhance Your Nonprofit Brand
10. Webinar Recording: Employee Development and Training

Would you like access to more HR-specific articles, templates and checklists? Sign up for a FREE 60-Day Trial of UST HR Workplace today! You’ll also gain access to live, certified HR consultants, 300+ on-demand training courses, an extensive compliance library, and more.

As states begin to loosen their social distancing restrictions, nonprofit employers are beginning to strategize a return-to-work plan while staying compliant with state, local and federal guidelines. To equip nonprofit leaders with the resources they need to safely re-enter the workplace, we compiled the Workforce Re-Entry Toolkit . 

While the decision to reopen will vary from employer to employer, having a thoughtful strategy in place will help minimize employee concern and solidify any new policies well in advance of re-entry. This free toolkit includes essential checklists, letter templates, sample policies and response plans:

• Return to Work Employer Checklist
• COVID-19 Employer FAQs
• Checklist: Preparing the Workspace for Re-Entry
• Survey: Employee Readiness to Return to Work
• Employer Guide: Deciding Who Returns
• COVID-19 Workplace Safety Policies
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) Poster
• Sample Welcome Back Letter
• Quick Response Plan for Infected Employees
• Sample Communication Regarding Infection in the Workplace
• Webinar Recording: Preparing to Re-Entry to the Workplace

Would you like access to more HR-specific articles, templates and checklists? Sign up for a free 60-day Trial of UST HR Workplace today! You’ll also gain access to live, certified HR consultants, 300+ on-demand training courses, and extensive compliance library and more.

People-related risks within an organization can range from bad hires and misconduct to harassment and lack of diversity in the workplace. To help nonprofit employers strengthen their employee risk management practices—and mitigate the risks that can ultimately affect your bottom line—we created the 2021 People Risk Management Toolkit.

This free toolkit includes a performance improvement plan, a risk audit questionnaire, risk management best practice tips and more:

1. Essential People Risk Management Practices
2. People Risk Management Audit Questionnaire
3. The People Risk Management Scorecard
4. The Cost of People Related Risks Tool
5. EEO Self-Identification Form
6. Anti-Harassment Policy Checklist
7. Whitepaper: Emergency Preparedness Plan
8. The Importance of New Hire Assessments
9. Performance Improvement Plan
10. Webinar Recording: Supporting Nonprofit Sustainability During a Crisis

Want access to more HR-specific articles, templates and checklists? Sign up for a FREE 60-Day Trial of UST HR Workplace today! You’ll also gain access to live HR certified consultants, 300+ on-demand training courses and an extensive compliance library.

When looking at the current work environment, we can see that it requires flexibility, being open to new skills and navigating new ways of working. And depending on where your nonprofit organization is in the digital transformation, there may be a lot to do in preparing your employees for the future of work. More and more organizations have been forced to transition from the manual, hands-on legacy systems to using the cloud—moving employees toward a data-driven culture, embracing machine learning and a number of other technologies.

Here are five tips to help guide your nonprofit organization towards a greater digital transformation in an ever-evolving work and business environment:

1) Recruit for the future: At least a portion of your current workforce will have moved on to other employment in the next 5 to 10 years, so think about succession planning now. Knowing the realities of modern business—it pays to think about how you’ll fill certain positions moving forward—you’ll likely want to focus on recruiting employees who have the skill sets that you need for future roles.

2) Offer upskill, re-skilling and transfer skill opportunities: When employees demonstrate strong aptitude and interest in certain technology, it would be smart to encourage and develop that skill set. Along with offering training for all employees, it’s important to consider the employees that have been loyal to your company may need some re-skilling. Also, don’t forget that employees who will be retiring can offer valuable skills to pass on the next generation. While we live in a world where technology is increasingly required for every aspect of work, soft skills like communication, time management and professionalism will always be needed in the workforce.

3) Become more flexible: Technology isn’t just there to draw you closer to your customer, although that’s a big part of why we’ve embraced it. Being open to other ways that technology can allow for a more flexible work environment, including a new concept of the “workplace” itself, can be very beneficial for your workforce. Let your employees know that these benefits are coming due to the latest technology your organization is adopting.

4) Set guidelines: As we develop larger online footprints, creating content and being active on social channels, it’s important to consider and define where your company stands on personal expression and social media. The line between your employee’s online activity and physical world is continuing to blur. A comment left on Twitter could easily get back to your employer and it may not be received well or taken lightly, based on the context. Take time to think about how you encourage personal expression in the digital world and how it could potentially impact your organization’s brand.

5) Prepare a path for employees to follow: Guide your employees, be a leader. Employees may already have reservations or concerns about how new technology could impact their place in the organization. Your employees need your empathy and support—talk to them about changes to come and listen to their concerns. 

While it’s impossible to know every aspect of what the future of work will look like at your organization, the above tips can be helpful in offering guidance on how to prepare your employees for staying skilled and to maintain a productive work environment. Business leaders can take the time to plan for the future in which training and learning will be the focus however, no one knows exactly what the future of the workforce will hold.

Question: An employee has reported that another employee made a racially insensitive comment in the break room in front of several people. What course of action should we take?

Answer:It is your duty as an employer to immediately stop any behavior that could constitute unlawful harassment, bullying, or workplace violence. Begin by investigating the incident and collect statements where applicable. Acting in good faith, and documenting these efforts, may provide the company with protection against complaints from involved employees. Document all conversations that are part of the investigation. If an investigation finds that comments were made that are against company policy, you should discipline that employee in a manner consistent with how you have disciplined other employees for infractions of a similar severity. Often, a written warning is appropriate in a circumstance such as this.

Q&A provided by ThinkHR, powering the UST HR Workplace for nonprofit HR teams. Have HR questions? Sign your nonprofit up for a free 60-day trial here.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of UST’s Quarterly Nonprofit Digest, a bite-sized overview of the employer strategies, sector statistics, and resources that UST shared throughout the most recent months.

This quick 4-step reference guide—highlighting key findings from Q1—will provide you with the innovative employee engagement strategies you (and your staff) need to succeed. In this rendition of the quarterly digest, discover strategies for:

• Streamlining your onboarding processes
• Creatively engaging your dedicated staff
• Crafting a positive, vibrant company culture

You’ll also gain access to helpful checklists, survey templates and best practice tips for developing both new and existing employees.

Sign up for UST’s eNewsletter to get nonprofit-exclusive content, webinar invitations, and sector insights delivered straight to your inbox.

Question: We are looking to hire millennials in an effort to create a more dynamic workforce. What are other companies doing in terms of workforce standards, benefits, policies, etc. to attract this age group?

Answer: The first step in attracting the best and brightest candidates of any age, including millennials, is to ensure that your employer brand is compelling. Tell your company’s story and show applicants your unique value proposition. Studies show that millennials want to learn about the company’s culture prior to applying and expect an application process that is simple and fast. These employees also expect an employment experience that includes opportunities to learn, balance work/personal life and contribute quickly to the business.

Additionally, take an objective look at your workplace policies that may help in attracting and retaining millennials:

• Learning and development opportunities.
• Goal-setting and performance processes.
• Coaching, feedback, and recognition/reward systems (including training company leaders as coaches and mentors).
• Unlimited PTO policies (draft with legal counsel due to state and municipal laws regarding vacation and sick leave).
• Flexible work schedules.
• Telecommuting or off-site work.
• On-site fitness and other wellness programs.
• Off-site teambuilding activities.
• Social media policies (create these with legal counsel to avoid National Labor Relations Act and privacy violations).

Interestingly, according to a recent study entitled “The Millennial Leadership Study,” 91 percent of millennials aspire to be a leader and out of that, 52 percent were women. Almost half of millennials define leadership as “empowering others to succeed,” and when asked what their biggest motivator was to be a leader, 43 percent said “empowering others,” while only 5 percent said money and 1 percent said power. When asked about the type of leader they aspire to be, 63 percent chose “transformational,” which means they seek to challenge and inspire their followers with a sense of purpose and excitement. The study also found that millennials are known to seek companies that offer flexible work schedules and telecommuting, even if they make less money. Finally, the study found that 28 percent of millennials said that work/life balance was their biggest reservation about being a leader.

Q&A provided by ThinkHR, powering the UST HR Workplace for nonprofit HR teams. Have HR questions? Sign your nonprofit up for a free 60-day trial here.

In the latest rendition of UST Live we welcomed reputable nonprofit leaders from across the U.S. with expertise in employee engagement best practices. In this session, the panel discussed innovative strategies for keeping their dedicated staff engaged (and productive), while emphasizing work-life balance and creating employee development opportunities.  

Watch now to discover:

• Common hurdles nonprofits are facing with keeping their staff engaged
• Ideas on how to reimagine the employee experience
• Methods for measuring engagement within your workforce
• Tips for maintaining a focus on developing your talent

Upcoming UST Live Webinars: This webinar series was designed to equip nonprofits with the strategies and resources they need to survive (and thrive) in a constantly evolving environment. Be on the lookout for our next UST Live sessions—scheduled for June, September, and December—where we’ll discuss strategies surrounding nonprofit sustainability, HR and compliance and leadership development. 

The employee experience is how employees feel about what they encounter and observe over the course of their employee journey at a nonprofit organization—involving many different interactions and touch points across your organization. When looking at the journey of an employee—from the first day on the job, to the day of their exit interview—take into consideration their needs and how they evolve over time. 

From an HR perspective, viewing the employee experience as a whole can be overwhelming. By identifying the various stages and assigning a point person to each stage of the employee journey can make it easier to adjust or apply new processes.

The employee experience can be broken down into four main stages, each stage identifying a shift in what the employee needs, from the application process to when the employee leaves the organization.

Application Process

Think of applicants as a customer, create a simple and straightforward application process. A complicated, time-consuming process could put you at risk of losing potential candidates due to a rigorous application process. Responding to all candidates, regardless if they make it to the interview stage, should be a part of your process. Unsuccessful candidates may re-apply down the line for a role they’re better suited for or could be a potential customer one day. Treating each applicant with respect goes a long way as this is a representation of your brand.

Onboarding Process

Ensuring that you successfully onboard a new employee is critical. How do you know if your current processes are right for the journey of the employee? Be willing to ask and listen for feedback from the moment an employee joins your team. Utilize technology that makes it easier to collect their views, questions, and feedback through out the employee journey. For instance, onboarding surveys are a great way to collect and act on the feedback provided. With new employees, they can provide a fresh perspective on how your company operates and even offer insight on experiences with previous employers. Taking advantage of the opportunity to listen to employees during this stage, can help prevent minor issues from becoming bigger problems down the line. A smooth onboarding process can result in immediate productivity and long-term sustainability.  

Create a Sense of Belonging

Once an employee is established and has found their footing within their role, they need new challenges to continue their learning and development. These challenges motivate them, creates a boost in both engagement and productivity—a win-win for the employee and the organization. A lack of progression can lead to a decrease in productivity and/or employees looking elsewhere for new employment. It’s also important to gather feedback on a consistent basis, this shows you’re actively listening and taking action on their insight to help develop your staff.

The Departure of the Employee

When an employee decides to leave, it’s important to have an exit strategy in place to create a smooth departure. This is a vital part of the employee journey as the exit interview is an opportunity to gather honest feedback. This insight could help your organization make improvements to increase your employee retention and improve your employer brand.

Nonprofit organizations need to ensure they are focusing on the employee experience—aligning and understanding the stages of the employee journey. Employees can provide different types of feedback, all depending on their stage in the employee experience, so be sure to listen and have the tools in place to gather their feedback. Use their insights to improve how your organization operates, this offers an opportunity to better engage your staff and retain them for a longer duration.

As long as companies are doing business, employee performance and productivity conversations will not go away—regardless of where employees are physically working from. Work has changed dramatically in the last year and so has the performance review. Many nonprofits are still overseeing a remote workforce which means they’ve had to conduct performance reviews remotely as well—one of the more challenging meetings to conduct virtually.

Employees already tend to be nervous when the time comes for evaluation but with a thoughtful approach and the right structure, leaders can make the processes productive (and comfortable). While you may be able to comment on goal achievements, with limited in-person interactions properly evaluating your staff can be challenging and becomes even tougher when you’re delivering feedback while dealing with technical issues, screaming kids, or barking dogs. You want to make sure employees feel at ease by reminding them that it is a two-way conversation simply meant to help recognize accomplishments, identify strengths and weaknesses and to establish future goals. It’s also important to remember that employees have been under extreme and unusual circumstances since the global pandemic presented itself nearly a year ago. By taking into consideration the elements over which your employees had no control and making scoring adjustments, leaders can show both fairness and appreciation for their efforts and dedication to the organization.

Consider these tips when conducting a remote performance review to help make the process more efficient and effective—even in a virtual environment:

1. Provide feedback beforehand – this allows the employee time to review and process your remarks so they can ask more thoughtful questions during your call.
2. Connect via video Chat – for these kinds of conversations video is the only way to go. It not only provides the opportunity to personally engage but can also provide further insight into an employee’s reactions.
3. Be kind and show compassion – bear in mind the vastly different and varying circumstances your employees are operating under and provide a little more compassion, flexibility, and leniency.
4. Allow for small talk – many people are still craving social interaction so before diving into the performance review itself start off by talking about anything that’s unrelated to work.
5. Set the tone – performance reviews can be uncomfortable enough when done in-person and maybe even more so virtually. Be open and pay close attention to body language—both yours and theirs.
6. Use screen sharing –
7. Gather a variety of data – working remote with decreased visibility into everything that might be going on, direct input through self-evaluation and peer feedback can help round out review conversations.
8. Don’t forget to mention COVID – recognizing your employees’ ability to adapt and overcome obstacles caused by the pandemic are worth mention—they not only had to establish home offices, navigate virtual meetings, and adjust their processes but they also had to overcome the isolation of remote work while finding work-life balance.
9. Listen carefully and with intent – make sure you pause to give them time to respond or ask questions without interjection and pay special attention to the words they chose to use
10. Speak compassionately – when discussing areas for improvement keep in mind that everyone is human and susceptible to hurt egos. Offer helpful advice, thoughtful recommendations, and constructive criticism.
11. Solicit feedback – a great performance review should be a two-way conversation. If you’re dealing with an employee who is uncomfortable being honest ask open-ended questions that encourage a response.
12. Provide details for any high or low ratings – it’s important for employees to know what they are doing well and the areas where they can improve, and specifics are critical to their success.
13. Establish attainable goals – employees still need to know they can grow within an organization, even during a pandemic. Create specific goals for career development and provide specific details on how to achieve them.
14. End on an upbeat note – ending on a positive note is imperative to boosting employee self-esteem, performance, and engagement. Make sure you take the opportunity to recognize and show appreciation for your employees.
15. Follow up in writing – as soon as possible after the conclusion of your meeting, forward documentation of the call to your employee. A lot can get lost in translation so ensure everyone is on the same page especially when sensitive topics like low scores or salary were involved.

Going forward it can be helpful to implement stronger tracking systems such as utilizing online project management tools like Monday.com or Microsoft Teams and scheduling regular check-in meetings to discuss workload, accomplishments, and frustrations.

Performance reviews give employees the feedback they need to improve job performance while also enabling them to work with their managers on career development plans. When done properly, virtual reviews can be highly beneficial to both the employee and the organization—increasing productivity and engagement.

What is inclusion in the workplace? Inclusion is defined as a proactive approach in the recruiting and engaging of people with different perspectives, backgrounds, and demographic identities. Nonprofit leaders see the importance of building a more inclusive workplace as it helps employees feel more comfortable, valued, and productive. Creating a workplace that is welcoming and inclusive, encourages employees to be innovative while also cultivating a culture of accountability.

Having a workplace with a diverse mixture of people who all feel valued within a unified, positive culture can be essential to unlocking an organization’s full potential. Employees have the ability to flourish in a diverse workplace and organizations can benefit from new ideas, new skill sets and employee engagement.

Here’s four strategies to help create and cultivate an inclusive working environment:

1) Applaud Differences Amongst Your Employees: An important way to show employees that you embrace and respect their backgrounds and traditions is to encourage inclusiveness in the workplace. For example, offering a separate space or private room for prayer or meditation. Employees with certain religious backgrounds can use this space to practice daily religious rituals without being disturbed.

2) Train & Support Leadership Team: Leaders play an essential role is encouraging inclusion strategies and efforts. Offering mandatory training and discussion groups to your leadership team is vital as they are acting role models to your employees. These types of trainings can help leaders learn how to better manage a diverse team. Also, it can help leaders become aware of certain biases, teach them how to be an active listener and to actively encourage different viewpoints.

3) Take Time to Listen to Your Employees: To have a better understanding of the needs and wants of your employees, conducting a survey can help highlight where the inclusion and engagement issues currently exist. Taking the time to complete an assessment of an organization’s current demographics and processes can be a great starting point to learn where to apply new strategies that promote inclusiveness.  

4) Create a Productive Meeting Protocol: Meetings should be designed to allow everyone in the meeting to feel comfortable to share ideas and contribute feedback. Consider distributing meeting materials in advance and listing out questions and topics to be discussed during the meeting. For workers in different time zones, consider rotating meeting times. This shows consideration to those employees having to start their workday earlier or later in order to attend the meeting.  

While introducing these strategies may vary from business to business, the most important thing is that every employee is on the path towards a more inclusive work environment. The potential for positive outcomes when striving for inclusion can be significant, often resulting in new ideas, fresh perspectives and helping employees perform at a higher level.

Question: We are going to hire remote employees in several different states. What must we consider from a tax and employment law perspective?

Answer: Generally, employers must comply with the labor law of the state in which the employee will be regularly performing services and where wages are paid to that employee. There is a common rule of thumb called “boots on the ground,” which implies the regulations would apply to the state where the employee is physically working, including wage and labor regulations for hours worked and overtime, as well as general fair employment practices, termination/final pay rules, and recordkeeping. From an employee perspective, income tax for the state where the employee works (as well as lives) falls under each individual state as well. Note too, that the state where the employee works is generally where the employer should be paying unemployment insurance tax and workers’ compensation coverage.

We recommend additional research with tax and legal experts when expanding into a new state, even with remote workers. The following information offers more details about unemployment taxes and new hire reporting.

Unemployment Taxes (UI)

In many cases, employers should apply the standards of the state where the employee works and resides (where their “boots” rest). However, an employer could also choose to select the requirements of the most generous state in which the business operates or follow the requirements of a more generous internal policy, and apply those rules consistently across all company locations.

Most states will allow a multistate company to pay UI taxes from one location, though this does still require registering with each state and getting approval.

In most states, UI taxes can be paid for all employees under a Reciprocal Coverage Agreement (RCA) in which UI is paid to only one state (i.e. the company’s headquarters) when an employer has employees in multiple states. It appears approval must be sought by each state for each employee for this to occur; however, it can at least provide the company the avenue of paying the unemployment taxes only from one state for all employees working from home in other states.

New Hire Reporting

An employer with employees in more than one state has two options in fulfilling new-hire reporting requirements. Multistate employers may choose either of the following:

• Abide by the new-hire reporting program of each state and report newly hired employees to the various states in which employees are working.
• Select one state where employees are working and report all new hires to that state’s designated new-hire reporting office.

Multistate employers who opt to report to only one state must submit new-hire reports electronically or magnetically. These employers must also notify the federal Department of Health and Human Services as to which state they have designated to receive all their new-hire information. The National Directory of New Hires then maintains a list of multistate employers who have elected to use single-state notification.

When notifying the department, the multistate employer must include all generally required reporting information along with the following:

• The specific state selected for reporting purposes.
• Other states in which the company has employees.
• A corporate contact person.
• A list of the names, Employer Identification Numbers (EINs), and the states where the employees are located if the company is reporting new hires on behalf of subsidiaries operating under different names and EINs. 

Q&A provided by ThinkHR, powering the UST HR Workplace for nonprofit HR teams. Have HR questions? Sign your nonprofit up for a free 60-day trial today.

Virtual work trends were on the rise even before the Coronavirus outbreak last year. Many employers, however, have been reluctant to offer remote work for a number of reasons—technology setup, company culture, employee morale and management structure to name a few. When the pandemic hit last year, employers were forced to shift gears if they wanted to keep their businesses operating and many transitioned their workforce to work from home almost overnight. The unexpected change left organizations without a plan in place and no time to prepare.

As businesses got back on their feet, many were able to start hiring which meant they had to figure out how to onboard new employees in a virtual environment. Onboarding helps your new hire get familiar with your nonprofit and provides the tools and training they need to start working towards making an impact on the company’s mission. The only difference between in-person onboarding and virtual onboarding is that it’s done mainly through video and email—the goal is still the same.

In a normal environment, the process is often long and tedious—more so when done virtually. There is equipment to ship, software to install, documents to be signed, materials to provide, the list goes on and on. Here are some ways to instantly improve your virtual onboarding strategy:

1. New Hire Paperwork. Consider using an e-signature tool so new employees can view, edit, and sign the various documents necessary to onboard someone such as tax documents, employment contracts, and direct deposit forms.
2. Work Equipment. Ship any necessary technology (laptop, keyboard, mouse, monitor, headset, etc.) ahead of time to ensure the employee is set up and ready to go on their first day. Make sure to have any company-specific software installed beforehand and provide setup and login instructions at the same time.
3. The Onboarding Packet. Create a detailed onboarding plan suited for the role that includes: a timeline with specific performance goals for the first 30, 60, or 90 days of employment, a checklist of tasks to be completed such as setting up voice mail and reviewing the company website, a company overview with your vision and mission statements, organizational charts, and details on information technology.
4. Training and Development. Provide a list of “self-study” tasks that include online assessments, essential articles, training documents, competitors’ information and eLearning opportunities. It’s also beneficial to allow employees to take advantage of a variety of training topics, not just those that are required.
5. Documentation and Procedures. It’s critical to the success of your new employee to have written documentation of job-specific procedures. This will help eliminate time wasted trying to figure out a process or waiting for someone to assist.
6. Internal Announcements. Inform your current team of the new hire by sending a new employee announcement and copy the new hire so they can see any welcome messages from the team. This is also a good time to add them to any relevant communication channels such as Microsoft Teams or Slack.
7. Welcome Package. You have one shot to make a good first impression. Send a Welcome Kit that includes some company swag, a welcome letter, a gift card for coffee and a personal invite to a virtual lunch with the team—this is a great way to get everyone familiar with each other.
8. Introductions. Schedule some video introductions and have current employees go around and briefly explain what they do. You can also have everyone share a fun fact about themselves or craft a few starter questions to get break the ice. Make sure you include any other leaders the employee might work with so they too can put a face to a name.
9. A Work Buddy. Working remotely can be isolating, assigning a go-to person who can guide the new team member through their first few weeks or months can help to make the transition easier. A welcome buddy can answer questions, share insights, and provide tips while helping the new hire settle in.
10. The Social Side of Onboarding. Have your managers come up with creative ways to connect their team. Things such as challenging employees with trivia questions on a business communication platform like Slack, scheduling virtual team building activities or luncheons to celebrate work anniversaries or birthdays can bring the team together on a personal level.

Virtual onboarding might seem daunting challenging at first, but with thoughtful consideration and a solid plan in place, you can create a successful onboarding plan that guarantees a positive outcome for both the organization and the employee.