Growing up, the concept of "doing good works," for our neighbors and community was often discussed and practiced alongside my grandmother.   So now, years later, it's thoroughly a part of who I am, so much so, that when opportunities to help comes along, the answer is, "YES!"

Just recently, this past August, I was honored to present to a group of would-be business owners at the San Diego Continuing Education campus - and, BOY, was it fun! There isn't anything much better for a presenter when you and your audience completely gel.

And, here 'we' are 6 weeks later, and getting ready to support Beyond the Sky Solutions and their 4th Annual Conference - Strengthening the Hearts, Minds & Bodies of Female Caregivers (click on the picture to get there!)

Thank you in advance for your support of this event, and, if you're a charitable or educational group - let me know how I can continue to be in THE SPIRIT OF GIVING, HR STYLE!

TMI - we've all heard it, used it, reacted to it - an unnecessary sharing of very personal information.  As in, "I really didn't need to know that!"

TMI in the HR world is different because it IS about HR Information overload.

Even if you've been in the HR world a while, the abundance, no, AVALANCHE of available material of do's, don'ts, policy/procedure/people/regulations, and a healthy dose of acronyms for different laws, will make your head spin - and yes, you will be overloaded!

What happens when people get overloaded?  
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​They turn off.

Or they run!




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​The ultimate rhetorical question to the business owner or super office manager:
How do you start setting up your HR and not be terrified and overwhelmed?

And, that, my friend, is WHY I do what I do.

Let's sit down, have a chat, and figure it out together!

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Holy bad-business-fines batman!  Yup, this is what came down for a local Chula Vista restaurant for under paying employees, under reporting employees, and NOT having adequate worker's comp insurance.

I can only imagine the business owner is saying, "If only I had listened to (insert expert here)"

I'd love to be your expert, Miss/Mrs/Mr Business Owner - and it won't cost you $274,000.00

Here's the article (just hover for the link)
www.businessinsurance.com/article/20170817/NEWS08/912315257/California-restaurant-La-Querencia-Chula-Vista-cited-for-wage-theft-workers-comp

Parental Leave

​SB 63 just passed a hurdle in Sacramento, and you need to pay attention if you own a small business.

"SB 63 prohibits an employer from refusing to allow an employee with more than 12 months of service with the employer, who has at least 1,250 hours of service with the employer during the previous 12-month period, and who works at a worksite in which the employer employs at least 20 employees within 75 miles, to take up to 12 weeks of parental leave to bond with a new child within one year of the child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement. The bill also prohibits an employer from refusing to maintain and pay for coverage under a group health plan for an employee who takes this leave.
CalChamber has identified SB 63 as a job killer because the legislation targets and could significantly harm small employers in California with as few as 20 employees by adding to the existing burden under which they already struggle. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. vetoed a similar, but narrower, proposal just last year."

More simply, if you have 20 employees, you may be required to give up to 7 months off for their parental leave....

Can you afford this?

​Read the rest below

​Forbes is an excellent resource for business - and, thank goodness we are not trying to invent the interview "wheel"! (click on the picture for the link to their article)

Below are 25 questions that you can try out in your next job interview (just ask a few of them that really hit HOME for you) - or if you are the interviewer, practice them on yourself.  
How would you answer these?

25 Great Questions To Ask At The Job Interview
1. What is the history of this role? Is it a new position, or was there someone in the job before?
2. What would you say is the overall purpose of the job?
3. How does this position help your department achieve its goals?
4. How does your department fit into the organization overall?
5. Who are the other members of the department (by position) and how would we all interact?
6. Who are the internal customers for this position (by job title) and how would I support them if I were in this role?
7. What are the major metrics or yardsticks for the person in this position?
8. What are you hoping for your new hire to accomplish in the first three months on the job?
9. How do you envision your new hire stepping into the role? Will they jump in and ask a lot of questions to learn the job, or do you expect them to follow a week-by-week or day-by-day training plan, or something else?
10. What do you see as the major goals for the person in this role over the next year?
11. How do you anticipate interacting with your new hire -- do you have a weekly one-on-one meeting, or do you mostly rely on email, or something else?
12. How does your department communicate? Do you meet as a group, or communicate another way?
13. What are the working hours, and your expectations for overtime?
14. What sorts of technology will your new employee use in the job?
15. What kinds of writing will your new person do?
16. You are interviewing me, an external candidate. Often job openings are filled from within the company. What made you think about interviewing external candidates like me this time?
17. What are the items you'd most like to see your new employee take care of and check off your list right away?
18. How will the arrival of your new employee make your life easier?
19. How do people typically dress for work in your department? Does that vary depending on their level of customer contact, or other factors?
20. What are your thoughts on working from home -- for example when there's bad weather, or in general?
21. What are your expectations around arrival and departure times, and taking work home?
22. What would you say is the most fun or creative part of the job?
23. How did you get to the company, and to your current position?
24. What are the company's senior leaders like? What do they care about and talk about most?
25. When are you hoping for your new hire to start?

Whichever side of the table you're on, be ready, and enjoy the process as best you can.

Cinco de Mayo was celebrated on Friday at the Unity Luncheon for the Chicano Federation of San Diego at the Wyndham Bayside Hotel in San Diego- a picturesque background for a wide array of the best of San Diego business, local & national leadership, and a multitude of community partners.

Who to watch: Marcela Celorio

She is the consul general, and NEW Mexican ambassador to the US.  Her address to the collection was concise, eloquent, intelligent and warm...read this SDUT piece about this remarkable woman.

Oh, and how did Clear HR Solutions celebrate the day?  

​By becoming a monthly Friend of the Chicano Federation!!! 

Excuse me?

Sexual Harassment - are your supervisors trained to deal with this? 

Drugs - do you have a written policy clarifying the 'pot law'?

​Rock 'n Roll - finish the trifecta - are you breakin' the law?

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We're paying close attention to 2 different bills in Sacramento that have been strongly labeled as, "Job Killers" by CalChamber.

AB5  would create the Opportunity to Work Act and would require employers with 10 or fewer employees to offer additional hours to existing employees before hiring anyone new or using an Independent Contractor.  In addition, there are provisions for employees to SUE the employer if they don't do this...what??

Pay Attention:

​It's called SB 63, and in the button link below to CalChamber's article, you'll read about the plan to increase the time off for maternity/paternity an additional 12 weeks while expanding the law to include businesses with as few as 20 employees (currently 50) 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE family, I LOVE babies & bonding, but will this really help our small businesses stay staffed and efficient?  What say you?

Thanks for clicking and reading through - these Bills are relevant to everyone, don't let them slide past your radar!

Iceland Has Become the First Country to Officially Require Gender Pay Equality

Yup, That's all folks!  Here's the full article:​

A recent article shared by the Los Angeles Times, originally from the Washington Post, leads off with this provocative title:

           Bill would let employers penalize workers who say no to genetic testing

Yes, it's time to put on your #sci-fi reading glasses and delve into this succinct and eye opening piece about the consequences of saying 'NO' to compliance with your businesses Wellness Program.

Did you know...
That your employer can legally extend discounted #health insurance premiums to you for your participation in their Wellness Program, yet, this Bill, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act, HR 1313, was introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), (who chairs the House Committee on Education and the Workforce), would take away those discounts if you chose NOT to participate....


Eyes open? Ready to read?  Here you go:​