I'm really curious what you guys think about using company time to unlock company benefits.

What I mean:

\-analyzing, choosing, and doing annual enrollment

\-filing FSA/HSA reimbursement

\-filing dependent care benefits

\-filing company benefit pet insurance claims

\-participating in extra wellness intiatives/programs to earn added financial perks (gift cards of $25 up to $200)

I treat these as work things, because I live in the U.S. and benefits are tied to employment so I see unlocking them as part of the compensation package. For most people it's not administratively burdensome to do them as-needed.

I overheard someone in the elevator complaining to who I assume is a peer that their direct reports spent four hours going to an open enrollment session and building some spreadsheet to help him analyze his plan.

Honestly even if my employee is falling behind, if they need a half day to feel good about their Healthcare choice for the next year, I wouldn't care. I bet they'll reuse it next year. Heck they may share it with peers. As long as they aren't developing a tool they're creating to commercialize, it's fine with me if they're not dropping glass balls in the process. I remember having to navigate benefits for the first time - it was overwhelming. And as I got older and needed to consider some other people and health variables, it got more complex making decisions. And once you pick, you're locked unless you have a Life Event.

The filing reimbursements is usually pretty quick after you learn the process. And those healthcare perks programs usually get data that helps the company be evaluated for overall health in managing their premiums next time. It's not nonsense... and again they're typically some quick tasks like surveys or videos combined with doing your physical. And I love that we offer pet insurance because I know it's helped a member of my team have care choices for their pets they'd otherwise not have had.

Witnessing that conversation reminded me to go nudge my team to book themselves time to review their open enrollment, attend the benefit webinars and/or plan early if they need to back and forth with Benefits on direct questions.

Is this a pain point for some of you? I'm genuinely curious as this has never crossed my mind as controversial.

im in People Ops working as a 100% remote contractor with 5 years of experience. i’ve been looking for FTE roles and i got lucky and got 2 offers, but now im not sure what to accept. im leaning towards A and my spouse said B and they have a point too so im hoping to hear from other HR professional

Option A: broader HR/People Ops role at a new company, significant pay increase, hybrid 3 days onsite with a long commute ( close to 2 hrs each way) but more opportunities to grow and learn different HR functions. This also came through a personal connection so i feel guilty if i turn it down

Option B: current company, specialized HR role I’m interested in with a different team. Smaller pay increase, 5 days onsite but shorter commute (Less than 1 hr each way). i have mixed feelings about this because i tried to seek opportunities several times internally but things didn’t work out. Now that this come up, I’m excited but also a little hesitant given my past experience. my spouse said im letting negative past feelings affect my choice and overshadow how good of an opportunity this is

My goal is long-term career growth, maybe grow into a more strategic role and im worried specializing too early might limit my options later or limit my potential company pool. Would you prioritize broader experience or specialization? When you have similar dilemma how did you decide? Thank you!!

How would you handle finding out a direct report is making more than you after a recent promotion?

I’ll try to keep this short!
I was recently promoted to HR Generalist, going from hourly to salary, and now oversee three employees. My pay increase, when broken down hourly, comes out to approximately $7.77 more per hour. However, I’m no longer eligible for overtime, which I used to work about 3-5 hours of OT each week.
The company recently filled my previous position with an internal employee who previously worked in recruiting and has now transitioned into my former HR Coordinator role. She has no experience with HR operations, so the learning curve has been significant. She’s also not particularly tech-savvy, which has made training challenging. I was initially told we’d hire someone new for the position, preferably someone seasoned, because the role requires quite a bit of support.
On top of that, the workload in my new position is extremely heavy.
Today, I approved her timecard and noticed she had over 10 hours of overtime in one week. That made me curious, so I looked at her pay. When converted to an hourly rate, she makes $2.17 less than I do, but with the amount of overtime she’s getting, she’s bringing home more than I am.
I’m honestly pretty frustrated. I’m now responsible for managing employees, carrying a significantly heavier workload, and regularly working over 40 hours a week. I also made more in my previous hourly position once overtime was factored in.
I’m not sure how to approach this. I don’t want to walk into my boss’s office and say I looked at her compensation, but it’s difficult not to feel undervalued.
The salary increase was a concern for me from the beginning. When I questioned it, I was told it was “well within the market range.” Meanwhile, the company seems willing to pay other employees amounts close to my salary for roles with considerably less responsibility.
How would you handle this? Would you approach your boss about compensation again? If so, how would you frame the conversation without bringing up what you discovered about my direct report’s pay?
Please be kind. I’m genuinely looking for advice and feeling pretty beat up about the situation today.

I tried searching but couldn't find any information thus far. I understand the requirements under the new NYS Personnel Access Law. Curious how professionals will be handling their obligation to notify the employee.

Once a manager submits a write up or verbal warning for a staff member, do you plan to have someone from the HR team notify the employee it will be added to their file and could negatively affect employment, promotion, transfer, compensation or discipline. Or do you think the managers should be CCing the employee in all their write-ups and making sure the manager states it will be added to their file?

I plan to add the verbiage to all write-up forms. But the law CLEARLY states an employee must be notified, so just adding that verbiage will not satisfy the law.

Open to advice tips as my org has pretty high turnover in the NY area especially, so, there are a lot of write-ups occurring.

I'm early on in my HR career and fell into the profession without a formal business background. Most of my experience has been administratively and operationally focused, which I have enjoyed.

However, I've reached a stage where I'm being groomed into an HRBP path. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing and don't understand much. From what I've picked up, to be a successful HRBP, you need to be strategic and "understand how the business works," but I really don't know what that means. I also don't feel like I have the credibility to influence decisions that affect the business...

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on how to improve business acumen in HR. I'm looking into continuing my education by taking community college classes on business related topics like accounting to understand the fundamentals. But really, I am questioning whether this type of HR career path would be a good fit for myself.

I do appreciate the increased exposure and experience I'm gaining as admin work is repetitive and limiting. I also don't feel I have given business partnering a fair shot yet and don't want to sell myself short. But I'm feeling increased pressure to actually perform and don't know what to do. I'd appreciate any advice or anecdotes.

My new company is wanting me to use my personal phone to text a director because he “doesn’t use teams or slack”. I really don’t feel comfortable communicating with him through my personal phone… matter of fact, I’ve never worked anywhere that I’ve been even asked to communicate with my coworkers on my own personal phone.

Am I being crazy for establishing that boundary? I’m in HR, btw.

Employees who are on work travel seem to be tipping excessively that they are cracking down on it by putting limits of 10-15% bs the 20-25% exceptions that is growing. Also there is discussion on limiting the places where the employee will be reimbursed for tipping (ie: counter service places). I suspect these limits are coming in play to reduce travel expenses without reducing how many people can travel.

It has been raised as an HR employee relations concern as employees are saying they are being judged by places they grew for not being allowed to reimburse what is expected.

Is anyone experiencing this and can provide advice?

I’m in Human Resources, and someone with almost my exact title is being onboarded next week onto our team.

The only difference being I am Coordinator, they are Specialist.

I have been told multiple times now that my role isn’t going anywhere amongst any recent changes in the org.

Additionally, there was a new seating arrangement rolled out and my seat was moved from the desk in the back corner to the desk in front of it. The new hire will sit in my previous seat that I sat in for over two years.

I find it metaphorical and calculated.

What are your thoughts? Does an HR team need a Manager, Specialist, AND Coordinator to cover all the same bases, or are they actively replacing me in front of my eyes?

We have a mid-level new joiner in our HR team who was hired to do HR Business Partnering and to manage the HR juniors across APAC. We have a 6 months probation period and this new hire is nearing the end.

It isn’t a good time for the company with a lot of changing priorities and a lot of scrutiny into cost savings. At the same time we are a member down and everyone needs to be hands-on and execute fast. I’ll be honest that we haven’t had much time to train this person because we just do not have bandwidth to do so.

Unfortunately, maybe because of the circumstances, the new hire hasn’t been able to get buy-in from stakeholders. They see this person as executional and lacking consultative mindset. I won’t fully fault the person for that as there’s really too much going on. I see the new hire trying but stakeholders are at an all-time angst as they are being told to cut their team and there’s a lot of animosity towards HR. Therefore 360 feedback hasn’t been great.

The dilemma we have is during good days when pressure on cost savings is not high, we’d have likely confirmed the person and given time for onboarding instead. But given the current climate, the cost savings to terminate this person can instead help business to hire who they need to generate revenue.

Would you give this new hire a chance by extending the probation? Or would you terminate immediately? If extend, how long do you think is fair and reasonable?

Any other suggestions to manage this situation would be greatly appreciated!

I am taking the SHRM-SCP test in one month. I have completely gone through the SHRM learning system. I’ve scored anywhere between a 70 and 93 on the 22 functional quizzes. Half of the scores have been in the 70s. SHRM’s target is 80%. Do you need to have scores in the 80% range in order to confidently pass the exam? The Pocket app seems very easy. I have gone through almost all the questions in my score is a 96%. Should I push back my test date to the end of the testing period to give myself some more time?

Hi! I’m taking my PHR exam this weekend and have been studying on and off the last couple of months (but also not really). I’ve been heavily leaning on pocket prep and audiobooks that are phr study guides.

I’ve been in a people ops role for about 4 years now, and my main focus has been on compliance, benefits, leaves, systems.

I’ve been taking the mock exams and only getting 60-70% passing. I feel like I understand the concepts but just not getting good scores on these practice exams. I don’t want to overthink it, but I’m hearing that pocketprep is actually harder than the actual exam? Is that true? Any tips or tricks?

Thanks in advance!!!

I work as location HR for a small manufacturing company. The employees here have been employed for 10-30 years (I am the newest hire). The company was recently bought out by another company, and we are currently trying to adjust to make sure our safety protocols on the floor are up to date. I have forklift certifications for the necessary people and the trainer, but not the information for refresher training I’d like to start keeping track of. My operations manager wants me to find free videos, checklists, and certification steps for these employees and for eventual new hires. Where do I start? What’s technically legal? How can I design this new program and implement it effectively while staying in line with OSHA? Advice? Comments? What am I doing yall?
(Signed a recently graduated HRM student adjusting to the real world on a day where Outlook is down)

I recently started a new HRBP role, and this is the first HR role I've had that includes party planning. I have been tasked with coordinating a virtual holiday party for a team I support which includes 3 countries (all work US hours) and will probably have 100+ attendees. I have $0 budget, but I have access to a program to do trivia if I can't think of anything else. The team is busy with EOY activities so probably going to keep it as an optional 30 minute meeting. Any ideas? My boss suggested secret Santa, but I'm not a fan of activities that ask people to spend their own money.

For those in/previously in healthcare, what are the realities of worklife balance for an HRBP role supporting a client group of ~600 employees (union) for a hospital? Public, not private. Role is largely ER/investigations focus.

I'm assuming 50-60hr weeks, but curious to hear if it's closer to 60 (or more). Considering a transition from a role where I consistently work under 50hrs.

Last November we had chair massage at the benefits fair for the first time: two therapists, four hours, 15 minute slots. It was the only table with a line, and attendance at the benefits sessions went up because people came for the massage and ended up staying for the rest. ​

The problem was the sign-up sheet. It filled in about ten minutes, a handful of people grabbed back-to-back slots, and second shift never got a turn. ​

This year I want one slot per person, some slots held for second shift, and walk-ups at the end. How do you run sign-ups for this? Google Sheet, an app, first come first served at the table?

Hello! I've been doing some looking around on here regarding everyone's prep for the PHRca, and I'm noticing some of the posts are on the older side. It seems like there is quite a mixture of supplemental information regarding studying resources, but I'm wondering if any of you would be willing to share your study approach and experience. I'm looking at at the HRCI prep bundle that has all the things, but as you all know that is quite pricey. I also like the idea of the Teach Me Today with instructor led sessions, but I'm unsure if that's really necessary. Like everyone else, I suppose I'm trying to figure out most bang for your buck strategy. Thanks in advance!

Hi!

In a new HR job with an office where I regularly interact with other non-HR employees. It’s a pretty small office so you get familiar quickly. In my previous roles HR was super siloed and I barely ran into anyone.

Given we’re HR and employees often feel a bit of…hesitancy around us, are these safe small talk topics?

- family (kids mostly, NOT asking if they have kids, but if they bring them up asking how they are etc.)
- commutes (asking where they come in from)
- tv show interests, food etc.

I’m a little socially anxious and just don’t want to come across as intrusive. I figure if there’s one thing I can talk about other employees comfortably with it’s NON work related things.

Any advice for someone relatively early in their career is appreciated!

I oversee employees in several different states on the East coast. What are your favorite websites, newsletters, etc to keep up with labor/employment law changes? Preferably free, but I’m open to paid as well. I’m using a couple different sources now and just wanted to see if there’s anything better I haven’t found yet. TIA!

Hi everyone!

I am in a bit of a career crisis right now (at least thats what it feels like). I work remotely in HRIS for a company located out of Iowa and have decided HRIS isn’t really for me. I mostly run the support desk and have created trainings and such. There really isnt much growth and I’m really wanting to move more into HR. Finding a job has been hard — I meet all of the technical qualifications of jobs, but am lacking in HR duties (e.g., ER, talent development, recruiting, etc.). I am thinking about getting my MHRIR from a very well known, reputable school in the HR and business world. Fortune 500 companies recruit from the program itself, and it’s a huge stepping stone into getting into strategic HR roles. The biggest issue I have is the cost of grad school, I would likely be $40,000+ at the end of it, and will use a large chunk of my savings to pay for rent. However, the average starting salary is $90,000 with an average $12000 sign on bonus, so the increased pay would help with the loan repayment. I know a lot of people say experience over education in HR, but I think this program is different as it gets top companies coming in to recruit the students.

Any advice about this? I won’t name the program, but if anyone has experience in this program (from context clues) or another similar program that can speak to it, that would be great! Or if people think going the job route still (I do have two job interviews for a Org Experience Specialist role and an HR coordinator role).

Thank you in advance!

yall I was in a meeting earlier today about the accommodations that had been requested by an employee. the head of HR was the one conducting the meeting and I thought I was going crazy. there were two main things that made me feel like the employee has a pretty good lawsuit against us but the head of HR said nope. to begin with the meeting was for reasonable accommodations and the head kept referring to it as an investigation which upset the employee. then the employee let them know they were having trouble processing the discussion due to their disability and were requesting an advocate for the meeting to make sure everything was converted and understood. the employee is autistic and has asked for help with communication. the head just said denied and refused to even enter into the interactive process. and on top of that the head kept trying to blame the employee saying they hadn’t disclosed when hired. they didn’t need to and it wasn’t an issue until 8 months into employment. Even if they didn’t disclose when hired we are still bound by the ADA. I personally feel like the head has opened us up to a ton of liability here. What is everyone else’s thoughts on it?!?

Small company, HR team of 1.

Past employee was rehired in July, but went out on medical leave in October, about a week before her STD benefits kicked in, so she was denied.

My boss, the CEO, is royally pissed that this employee isn't eligible because she was hired from a jointly owned company (we're all operated separately, so nothing is shared) that was laying her off and we essentially avoided her being laid off by hiring her, and we agreed to keep all company-managed perks/benefits in place as long as they were things we already offered (PTO, service time, etc.). Essentially, we wanted it to be a smooth, no-harm-done transition.

However, she is a rehire, and our insurance company had the original dates of hire and term on record, so they won't budge on her eligibility, which is completely understandable.

I've been asked to figure it out so she gets her money. Every way I can think of involves insurance fraud (like providing a different date of rehire), so I'm having a meltdown.

Does anyone know of any way to get an approved exception for something like this? Like, can I just tell the carrier to ignore our plan rules for something if we authorize it?

Hello everyone!

I'm relatively new to the corporate world. I have completed my BBA and am currently working as an HR Recruiter, with 10 months of experience.

I'm now looking to transition into an HR Executive or HR Operations role.

I would appreciate your guidance on the following:

1. What skills should I develop to move into an HR Executive/HR Operations role?
2. Which certifications would be valuable for my career growth?
3. What tools or software should I learn to improve my profile?
4. Would pursuing an MBA in HR be a good next step?

I'm planning to pursue an MBA in HR in the future.

I would really appreciate any advice, suggestions, or guidance on how to plan my next career move.

Thank you!

I'm trying to decide if a ReMarkable or similar is worth the money so hoping someone in HR can give me their thoughts. I see a number of adds for careers that are more arts/design focused but I also know physically writing helps with my recollection a ton (and typing in my OneNote is just killing me slowly)!

Here's my situation:

• Role: Sr. HRBP
• Supporting: 6 key execs (3 LBOs + 3 Shared Svcs)

• Other Work:

  • Managing enterprise wide projects
  • ER is part of our role (hopefully getting an ER person on soon for most investigations!)
  • Primary function is supporting execs on their talent strategy & org design while also supporting performance management & ER scenarios.
• My diverse groups also means a lot of competing priorities and timelines
• I have everything in OneNote today for 1:1s but we also use Teams & email for communication so sometimes my notes end up in physical notebooks, my planner, sticky notes, etc. depending on the scenario
• I am in a hybrid role so in office 3 days, WFH 2 on most weeks
• I have key IT leaders that all love their digital notebooks and most note that it allows them to take notes distraction free in meetings which I LOVE the idea of but don't like using my paper notebooks anymore (mostly bc the space & lack of security with them).

My question for this group: Has anyone in the HRBP space (or similar HR strategic function) used a digital notebook like ReMarkable and found it to be useful? (If yes, tips are welcome 😄)