Considering a COVID-19 Vaccinate or Test Requirement?

The state of California is the first in the nation to mandate vaccinations for health care workers and state employees. Many private companies and several large health care systems have already implemented compliance measures to vaccinate or get tested on a regular basis. Does your company need to consider these measures? Have you already developed a policy? Here are trends and points to consider.

As COVID-19 variants and the current spike in positive cases and hospitalizations prolong the pandemic, employers are contemplating additional measures to keep employees healthy. To date, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 53.2% of the population is fully vaccinated, with 62.5% having received at least one dose.  Medical professionals are in agreement that vaccinations are an important step in a long battle our nation and the world are facing.

From an employer standpoint, the question remains whether there is enough from a legal standpoint to develop and enforce a policy. And what if employees are unionized? Will unions embrace or oppose vaccination or test requirements? Is a vaccinate or COVID-19 test requirement legal? Daryl Landy, an attorney with Morgan Lewis in Costa Mesa, Calif., said, “there is substantial legal support in California and under federal law, for private employers to make vaccination a condition of hiring or continued employment, and the state’s (Calif.) recent actions should provide additional support for employers that are considering a vaccine mandate. Employers still need to consider reasonable accommodations for employees that have religious and disability-related objections.

Resources For Employers Considering Policies

In Summary

Whatever your company decides to do, employment law experts suggest giving workers a seat at the table as policies are discussed. For California, attorneys are offering these steps that can help all employers in the future.

Mini Kapoor, an attorney with Haynes and Boone in Houston, Texas, said the California order essentially requires covered employers to:[1]

  • Track and verify employee vaccination status.
  • Establish testing requirements for employees who are not fully vaccinated.
  • Comply with current masking guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which requires mask-wearing for everyone in health care and other high-risk settings and recommends that unvaccinated people in high-risk settings use respirators if they aren’t otherwise required to do so under state law. The CDPH also updated its recommendations for fully vaccinated people to resume wearing masks in public indoor settings.

Landy recommends that covered employers:[2]

  • Immediately explain the new requirements to employees.
  • Ensure the HR department is ready to evaluate and respond to accommodation requests.
  • Develop a standard process for collecting vaccination status information and maintaining the confidentiality of that information.
  • Provide information to unvaccinated workers on where and how to obtain regular testing for COVID-19.

 

[1] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/pages/many-california-workers-must-get-vaccines-or-routinely-test-for-covid-19.aspx

[2] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/pages/many-california-workers-must-get-vaccines-or-routinely-test-for-covid-19.aspx

 

4 Tips for Adopting a Hybrid Work Model

With coronavirus numbers continuing to change, more employers are looking for ways to bring staff back to the office while maintaining their safety. Although many employees look forward to being back at their desks and interacting with coworkers, others are not ready to return to the office. This is why many employers are creating a hybrid work model. This requires staff to work onsite at certain times while having the option to work remotely otherwise. If your organization is adopting this work style, you may need help getting started.

Use these four tips to implement a hybrid work model for your company.

1. Prioritize Mental Health

Ensure your team members stay connected while working remotely. For instance, schedule regular check-ins to see how your employees are doing and whether they have any questions or concerns. Be sure to address any issues as they come up. Also, encourage everyone to use messaging platforms to stay connected throughout the day. This promotes team cohesion and company culture. Additionally, encourage your staff members to reach out to you when they are struggling. Listen to their concerns and provide support. Refer them to the appropriate resources when needed.

2. Provide Structure with Flexibility

Determine which days of the week your team needs to be in the office. The other days can be onsite or remote. This way, you can schedule meetings when everyone is in the office. Also, your team can receive company information and be included in in-person discussions. Additionally, your employees will benefit from socialization during their breaks and lunch hour.

3. Clarify Your Expectations

Let your team know exactly what your performance standards are and how success will be measured. This includes the days and hours they are expected to be in the office and the hours during which they should be available when working remotely. Also, clarify the key performance indicators (KPIs) you will use to determine whether your employees are staying productive when not at the office. For instance, communication may be measured by response time. Learning might be measured by the number of completed e-learning courses.

4. Gather Employee Feedback

Regularly check in with your team to see how they feel about the hybrid work model. You may want to do this through casual in-person conversations or a virtual coffee meeting. Find out what your employees like and dislike and specific ways to improve. Then, discuss your findings with leadership. Determine which ideas can be developed and implemented. Keep your team informed about the process.

Hire Hybrid Employees

Moving to a hybrid work model can be an effective solution for bringing your employees back to the office. Be sure to emphasize the importance of mental health, structure, and flexibility when creating your setup. Also, share your individual and team expectations for work performance. Additionally, find out how your team members feel about the work model. Make improvements when possible.

When you need to add hybrid employees to your team, involve Casey Accounting & Finance Resources in the process. Get more information today.

Ways to Push Employees Outside Their Comfort Zone and Set Them Up for Success

Everyone needs to step out of their comfort zone to be successful. The more education, skills, and experience we gain, the more value we have to give employers. As an accounting manager, this is one reason why you should encourage your team members to regularly take on new challenges. The more progress they make, the more your company benefits.

Follow these guidelines to encourage your accounting staff to continuously expand their comfort zone and reach their full potential.

Get to Know Your Team

Have ongoing conversations to learn all you can about your employees on a personal level. Find out their work styles, communication preferences, professional goals, strengths, and interests. Use this information to determine which tasks to delegate to each team member, who should lead a project, and specific ways to help each employee earn a promotion. Showing commitment to your team’s professional growth helps them advance in their careers.

Provide Stretch Assignments

Give your team stretch assignments and other challenges that promote growth. Provide guidance and advice as they work to solve problems and overcome obstacles. Having space and responsibility to work independently and collaboratively develops independence and self-reliance. These skills are important for career development.

Offer Support

Demonstrate confidence in your team’s ability to independently handle their work. Your staff members need to know they can accomplish their tasks using their knowledge and skills with little oversight. This promotes the belief that they can build on their strengths and abilities to get the desired results. Being available to provide support when needed increases team trust and cohesion.

Provide Feedback

Give feedback in real-time to enhance your employees’ performance. Share what they are doing well, what can be improved, and specific ways to do so. Understanding what, how, and why change is needed encourages your team to continue to do better.

Recognize Achievements

Point out when your employees attain success on their way to reaching individual or team goals. Because reaching each milestone is important, privately and publicly acknowledge what the team member accomplished and how their results benefitted the organization. Be sure to provide bonuses, raises, and promotions when appropriate. The more you praise and reward your team, the more likely they are to continue to add value to the company.

Hire Top Performers

Encouraging your accounting team to continuously move beyond their comfort zone helps set them up for success. Getting to personally know your employees, providing stretch assignments, and offering support show you trust them to be self-reliant in solving problems and overcoming obstacles. Giving feedback and recognizing accomplishments encourages your team to continue to improve their performance.

When the time comes to add top finance professionals to your team, get in touch with Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. Contact us for more information today.

Tips for Reducing Employee Conflict on Your Team

As a manager, you are responsible for overseeing the work and interactions of your employees. Because your staff members have different personalities, they will not always agree on everything. This is why you need a plan to help them listen to and learn from each other. Such actions can lead to greater productivity and team cohesion.

Implement these tips to lower the amount of conflict on your accounting and finance team.

Talk About Conflict Resolution

Let your team know they are expected to professionally resolve their disagreements. For instance, clarify how you will and will not get involved with conflicts. Also, explain that you are available to coach your employees through a disagreement, but they need to resolve it together. Further, encourage discussion about your staff members’ working styles and communication preferences. Understanding and respecting these characteristics can resolve potential problems in the future.

Encourage Independent Discussions

Let your employees resolve their issues as much as possible. Otherwise, they will expect you to step in as a referee. If a conflict becomes noticeable but is not being recognized or solved by the involved staff members, you should step in. For instance, separately and privately let them know their conflict is noticeable and affects the workplace. Then, think about how you can serve as a source of support and coaching without becoming overly involved in the resolution. This may involve helping both employees develop empathy for each other. For instance, consider asking what they think could be going on with their teammate and what they might want from the situation. Then, help each staff member brainstorm potential solutions to the problem. Keep in mind that if harassment, lying about work, or another inappropriate action is involved, you must discuss why the behavior cannot recur.

Hire Solution-Oriented Employees

Bringing aboard diverse staff members who focus on resolving problems helps keep the peace among your team. During interviews, you may want to ask candidates to describe a conflict they had with a coworker and how they resolved it. This provides insight into how potential hires think about conflict and move past it.

Partner with a Recruiter

Because conflicts will happen among your team members, you need a plan to resolve them. Although it is best for the involved parties to resolve the issues, you may have to step in at times to coach them through the process. Setting expectations for professional conflict resolution is an effective way to reduce the number of disagreements among your team.

When you need help hiring solution-oriented accounting and finance professionals, turn to Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. Get started with us today.

Must Reads and Podcasts on Managing Yourself and Your Career

Looking for some ideas on how to better manage your life and/or change, advance, or manage your career? We wanted to offer our list of books or podcasts to consider. Hopefully, you’ll find ideas, action items, tips, and hints that you can put into practice.

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin

Podcasts

Check out these podcasts compiled by Alexandra Nemeth, Senior Manager, Content Marketing & Storytelling at MovingWorlds. Add a favorite to your playlist.

  1. Squiggly Careers is a weekly podcast to help you take control of your career development. Hosts Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper cover all things work: from how to manage stress and overcome your confidence gremlins to micro-aggressions and discovering your strengths.
  2. Happen To Your Career is a podcast for anyone thinking, “there has to be something out there that’s better.” Host Scott Anthony Barlow provides the inspiration, tools, and roadmaps to move from where you are to work that matters to you and uniquely fits your strengths and talents.
  3. Pivot with Jenny Blake, author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One, you’ll learn how to embrace fear, insecurity, imperfection, and intuition as the superpowers they are while pivoting.
  4. The Career Warrior Podcast’s goal is to help job seekers land their dream jobs and to help them live their best life.
  5. In Career Talk, host Stephanie Dennis is on a mission to empower people to take control of their careers by offering holistic career advice. Topics include job hunting, career development, dealing with a bad day, perfecting your resume, preparing for an interview, and more.
  6. In The Marie Forleo Podcast, Marie and her guests share actionable strategies for greater happiness, success, motivation, creativity, productivity, love, health, contribution, and fulfillment — often with a lot of laughs.
  7. In Switch, Pivot, or Quit, host Ahyiana Angel offers an intimate look at navigating career transitions on your own terms, with candid conversations for when you’re deciding if you need to Switch, Pivot, or Quit.
  8. Hosted by Mel Savage, former senior Fortune 500 Executive turned Founder and CEO of The Career Reset, this podcast is your one-stop shop for creating a career that gives you meaning and purpose and still pays the bills.
  9. The Evolved Career is a podcast meant to inspire, entertain, teach and motivate you to move forward powerfully and confidently to get the career and the life you want.
  10. The Career Change Maker podcast helps you answer questions like: How do I find my dream job? How do I change careers? How can I pivot without taking a pay cut? Is now really the right time for a career change? Each week, host Janine Esbrand brings you career change tips, strategies, and inspirational stories that can help you to get unstuck and transition into work that you love.

And here is a bonus podcast, Women @ Work. Hosts Amy Bernstein and Amy Gallo have conversations on where we’re at and how we move forward.

Books

In a Forbes article, Laura Garnett, author of Find Your Zone of Genius and The Genius Habit, shares her top reads for navigating challenging times.

  1. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building A Business When There Are No Easy Answers By Ben Horowitz
  2. Grit: The Power Of Passion and Perseverance By Angela Duckworth
  3. More Than Enough: Claiming Space For Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) By Elaine Welteroth
  4. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self To Your Biggest Challenges By Amy Cuddy
  5. How We Make Stuff Now: Turn Ideas Into Products That Build Successful Businesses By Jules Pieri
  6. The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results By Gary Kelly And Jay Papasan
  7. The Third Door: The Wild Quest To Uncover How The World’s Most Successful People Launched Their Careers By Alex Banayan
  8. Barking Up The Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong By Eric Barker
  9. Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers—And Seize Success By Dr. Dawn Graham
  10. Go Put Your Strengths To Work: 6 Powerful Steps To Achieve Outstanding Performance By Marcus Buckingham
  11. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) By Seth Godin

A bonus book is from Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Get Even More Successful.

Career and life inspirations come in many forms. Perhaps there is something in these lists that inspires you or helps you inspire others. Enjoy!

3 Old-School Ways That Still Yield Recruiting Results

As recruiters, we utilize many recruiting sources to match the right candidate to our clients’ job order requests. Even though the economy is improving and more people are going back to work, we can have difficulty in finding the best candidate. With our years of experience, we have used a number of tactics to break through recruiting challenges. While job boards are helpful, we thought we would share some of the older methods that are still very effective.

Discover three old-school methods that still generate strong candidates.

Build Relationships

Create and expand on your connections. The more people in your sphere of influence, the more folks you can seek out when you are recruiting for your next open position.

Ask for Referrals

Our current clients are a top source for future clients and job orders. We ask for referrals from the clients who trust us to exceed their expectations. We often find commonalities with the referrals who may operate in the same industry, are the same size or need similar roles filled. You can use your existing professional relationships to help with candidate referrals.

Monitor Your Ratios

Your recruiting primary ratio shows how many candidate presentations you must give to obtain a quality candidate. Your goal should be no higher than 3:1. You may want to invest time in researching and planning to find the types of candidates you need. Additionally, match your primary ratio of quality candidates to send-outs. The lower the ratio, the better you are at matching what your hiring managers are looking for with qualified candidates. Pay attention to the job requirements, a fit to your company culture, and hiring goals and objectives to keep this ratio at 2:1 or better.

Work with a Staffing Leader

Enhancing client relationships and asking for referrals are two ways to widen the pool of potential candidates. Paying attention to your ratios and working to improve them also is effective.

When you need your accounting and finance job orders filled, reach out to Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. We ranked on the Forbes 2020 top 250 Best Professional Recruiting Firms in America. Learn more about our services today.

Will Relocation Packages Be Obsolete in the New Remote World?

With many relocation packages costing $25,000 – $100,000 per employee, employers are reevaluating whether remote work options make the packages necessary. In fact, some companies now are offering de-location packages for employees who want to move from an expensive city to an area with a lower cost of living and work remotely. Paying staff members to move away from their offices can provide significant benefits for both the organization and its workers.

Find out why employers are starting to offer employees de-location packages and why they can be a win for both parties.

Financial Savings

A de-location package offers substantial savings for employers and employees. Companies that have a mostly/completely remote workforce have significantly reduced/eliminated expenses related to real estate and overhead. They also have substantially lower operating costs and a greater ability to scale their workforce. All of this frees up money to pay down company debt, expand the organization, or fulfill other business objectives. Similarly, staff may be able to save thousands of dollars a month by working remotely from a less expensive location. They can pay down debt and put away more money for vacations, retirement, or other needs. This increases job satisfaction, engagement, and retention.

Competitive Edge

Offering employees a de-location package is an attractive addition to remote work policies. Although many staff enjoy living in major cities such as New York or San Francisco, the cost of living is high, and the area does not suit everyone’s lifestyle. Many employees would be happy to work for a top employer without having to live in a high-cost area. Likewise, many employers are happy not to provide the salary adjustments, housing allowances, moving expenses, real estate commissions, orientation programs, and family and spousal support involved with relocation packages. With a de-location package, they write a check for a set amount of money, such as $10,000, and let the employee handle the rest. Because this may be 10-50% of the cost of a typical relocation package, HR could de-locate 10 employees for the price of one relocation and potentially have a higher recruiting success rate.

Government Advocacy

Many local and state economic development councils offer incentives to attract remote employees. This may include compensation in the form of a tax credit, housing allowance, cash payment, coworking allowance, grant, or relocation support. This shows that many remote staff are willing to relocate under the right conditions.

Hire Accounting and Finance Professionals

The rise of remote work is shifting the need to offer relocation packages. Instead, employers are beginning to pay employees to move to lower-cost areas and work remotely. These de-location packages save the companies and their staff significant amounts of money that can be used for other purposes.

When you need to add accounting and finance members to your team, partner with Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. We have been consistently recognized for client satisfaction, winning ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing award.  Find out more about our services today.

chicago-accounting-staffing

2021 Mid-Year Accounting and Finance Salary Survey Available!

The labor market remains to be very tight across the board! It is just not direct-hire but contract-to-hire and contract roles.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources has compiled its July 2021 salary data for the fields of accounting and finance. Recruitment is really heating up, and job postings are plentiful. The war for talent is on so, having the most up-to-date information is vital!

With compensation trends changing on a monthly basis, both sides can benefit from having this information during job negotiations.

Casey Accounting & Finance Resources can help financial professionals who want to learn more about what salary expectations should be. We have compiled our salary survey list with updated facts and figures, including job descriptions for more than 110 accounting and finance positions for the Chicago metropolitan area.

Email us today at FinancialSalarySurvey@caseyresources.com, and we will be happy to share this with you.  In the “YOUR MESSAGE” section, please enter “2021 Accounting & Finance Salary Survey”.

Why Communication Is Essential to Generating and Maintaining Job Orders

As a leading accounting and finance staffing agency, our clients sometimes ask how we consistently generate and maintain so many job orders. One of the biggest reasons is our emphasis on open communication. When everyone stays informed, and on the same page, we are able to provide the top level of service that our clients expect.

Here are five ways communication enhances how we create and carry out job orders.

Clarification 

Each recruiter verifies the pertinent information for a job order before working on it. This includes the urgency of the order, clear expectations for the candidate, a timetable for completion, and a firm commitment to proceed. Without these details, the recruiter does not have enough to go on.

Updates  

Because the contents of a job order often change, we ask that the recruiter be kept in the loop at all times. This may include alterations in the time frame for hiring, the people involved, and whether the order no longer exists because the position was filled internally.

Time Savings

When updates on a job order are efficiently communicated to the recruiter, they are able to spend their time wisely. Otherwise, the recruiter may work on a job order, then discover the job description changed, the time frame for hiring increased, or the role was filled internally.

Feedback

Since the recruiter needs to know how a candidate or placement is performing, regular feedback from our clients is essential. For instance, knowledge of where a candidate is in the interview process and the initial impression of them give the recruiter an idea of how successful the candidate may be in securing a job offer. Also, input on a placement’s job performance and fit with company culture provides insight into whether the recruiter made a good match or could have improved in specific ways. The recruiter uses this information to improve their performance and results.

Referrals

Our recruiters always are looking for referrals from satisfied clients. Because they go out of their way to provide the best possible service, our recruiters appreciate having their results talked about with other companies. Sharing client experiences through testimonials and word of mouth encourages our recruiters to continue placing the best talent.

Fill Your Job Orders

Communication is one key to how we generate and maintain job orders. Providing clarification and updates helps our recruiters make the most of their time and maximize results for you. Sharing feedback and referrals keeps them performing their best to benefit your company.

When your job orders require accounting and finance professionals, turn to Casey Accounting & Finance Resources. See how we can help you today.

June Is National Safety Month: How to Improve Cyber Security

National Safety Month is a perfect time to focus on the importance of increasing your company’s cybersecurity on an ongoing basis. Because hackers continue to refine their attempts at accessing vulnerabilities in your system, everyone in your organization must remain vigilant in protecting against cyber threats.

Be sure your office is following these five tips to enhance cybersecurity.

Require the Use of Virtual Private Networks  

Make it mandatory for employees to use virtual private networks (VPNs) for all connections. Because a VPN blocks your IP address and encrypts the data you send over the internet, hackers cannot tell your location or access the information. VPNs also block malicious websites, ads, and popups that can download malware and trackers on your device.

Enforce Password Rules and a Password Management Tool

Make sure your employees create strong passwords and regularly change them. Establishing new passwords increases the odds of keeping hackers away from your system. Using a password management tool can create secure passwords for every site and keep them confidential while allowing employees to log into accounts.

Make Two-Factor or Multi-Factor Authentication Mandatory

Two-factor or multi-factor authentication adds layers of security to the password method of identification. In addition to entering a username and password, a personal identification code, second password, fingerprint, or other authentication method is needed to access the account.

Use Anti-Virus Protection and a Firewall

Anti-virus protection software blocks malware and other malicious viruses from entering your device and compromising your data. A firewall helps screen out hackers, viruses, and other malicious activity that determines which traffic is allowed to enter your device. Windows and Mac OS X come with their own firewalls, as your router should too.

Keep Your Connections Updated

Every connection to the internet needs to be regularly updated. Implementing software and system security updates adds patches and enhancements to your operating system and applications. This limits potential exposure to vulnerabilities that hackers can try to exploit.

Hire Top Accounting and Finance Professionals

Maintenance of your cybersecurity should be a top priority at all times, especially within accounting and finance departments. Consistently changing and protecting passwords, running updates, and watching for suspicious emails help protect your company from hackers.

When you need to add accounting and finance professionals to your team, let Casey Accounting & Finance Resources help. Reach out to learn more today.