Cybersecurity is Everyone’s Business

  Cybersecurity plays a crucial role in every aspect of an organization, including the Human Resources department.  As HR departments handle sensitive employee data, it is crucial to ensure the protection of this information from cyber threats and maintain the privacy and confidentiality of employees. Employee Data Protection HR departments maintain a huge amount of … Continued

ESC’s Compliance Blog Series – Part 5

To remain compliant in New York State, it is crucial to maintain accurate and organized employee records. These records can range from Employee applications to employee medical records and everything in between. Storing these confidential records in a secure and safe place is crucial to ensure the security and confidentiality of employee information. Keeping detailed … Continued

ESC’s Compliance Blog Series – Part 4

Keeping track of multiple employees on leave can become a challenging and disorganized task. Employers and managers have full schedules, and adding the additional task of leave management can become overwhelming. Creating a standardized process will help employers and managers efficiently track employee sick leave, PFL, and other applicable leaves. Leave Management When offering leave … Continued

ESC’s Compliance Blog Series – Part 3

  Hiring new employees brings some considerations for employers. Having a well-defined onboarding process helps employers and hiring managers navigate the process with ease, and ensures new hires are effectively integrated into their new roles. During this phase, employee handbooks are crucial to the new hire to understand company policies and expectations.   Employee Onboarding … Continued

Summer Hours in the Workplace

  A newer trend for employers is to offer employees summer hours on Fridays. Usually, these new hours begin after Memorial Day and End before Labor Day. Summer is a time of barbeques, vacations, and spending time with friends and family. Employers have recognized that employees would enjoy some time back on Fridays and have … Continued

Legalized Cannabis Use- What Employers Need to Know

This is a guest blog post authored by Hugh Carlin, Member Attorney  at Gross Shuman P.C.  It has been more than two years since New York passed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), which legalized recreational use and possession of cannabis by residents over the age of 21.  Still, we regularly receive questions from … Continued

Recreational Cannabis and Its Impact on the Workplace

Liz Warren Featured in WIVB Interview on Cannabis and the Workplace The legalization of recreational cannabis in New York State has brought up a number of questions for area employers.  Reasonable suspicion, potential policy updates, and state vs. federal requirements are just a few of the topics that employers are asking our HR experts here … Continued

Surviving the Holidays Starts with Self-Care

This is a guest blog post authored by Carol Doggett, Senior Director of Marketing Communications and Outreach at Mental Health Advocates of WNY Tis the Season! SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS STARTS WITH SELF-CARE   Self-care is something we should prioritize year-round, but it is especially important during the holiday season when things become more hectic and … Continued

HR Tips for an Impending Recession

Are we headed for a recession?  Most indices point in that direction. An economic recession is defined as “significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy lasting more than two quarters, normally visible in GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales.” This translates to an unstable economic environment that affects business owners, … Continued

Fair Chance Hiring – An Untapped Talent Pool

The Great Resignation marches on, adding to hiring headaches for employers looking for qualified candidates to fill jobs. There may be one talent pool being overlooked. More than 70 million Americans — about one-third of the total adult population — face unnecessary barriers to entering the workforce because of old criminal records. Fair Chance Hiring … Continued