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Choosing the Best HR Expert for Your Business

Every month, we aim to bring employers the best advice from our wonderful, in-house specialists at ClearPath Benefits. In this installation of CenterStage, we asked our HR expert, Denise Kestner, to relay the common challenges and compliance issues, as well as the differences between having/not having a local HR specialist. All three of these things are critical for employers to be aware of, to keep their business functioning to the best of its ability. Denise not only supports the advisors of ClearPath Benefits when they have HR questions, but she also works with several outside clients from micro to large companies. Along with teaching at the university level, Denise is the best person to give us the run-down on these three employer concerns.

The Common Challenges Employers Face

Most certainly, the first common challenge among all employers is keeping up with the changes to legal compliance issues. For Denise, there have been a variety of compliance issues that have been constantly brought to her attention in the last five months, all of which employers should be keeping up-to-date with:

  • ACA and Benefit Compliance
  • Tracking & Measuring
  • Client Communication regarding Exempt versus Non-exempt Employees
  • Intermittent Versus Continuous FMLA Utilization
  • Discriminatory and Harassment Issues

The second most common challenge is utilizing the newest, best technology and communication platforms. As people become more and more used to communicating through their electronic devices, it’s never been more critical to make sure your technology is keeping up with the times. Denise mentions that finding a great, multi-device “payroll platform” can make a huge difference for employers, eliminating a lot of the stress that comes with older payroll options. She also mentioned applications like “Slack” that are great for “communicating to employees and sending out push notifications on new employee benefit information”.

The third most common challenge for employers is deciding what type of HR support is needed for the organization. When asked which way an employer should go, Denise replied for them to try and have a local HR specialist if they can. Why? A local HR practitioner is going to know the labor market and knows what’s available/not available. They can adjust accordingly for your business. It’s great for employers to have person-to-person contact and have the opportunity to put a face to a name. A local HR specialist will know an employer’s competition within the area, too, and be able to provide them with recommendations to gain a competitive advantage.

All in all, being an HR specialist comes down to helping an employer do better by their business:

“At ClearPath, we ensure – based on size and industry – that we are engaging and notifying employers in best practices when there is a compliance update. We watch their growth too, to [help] keep them compliant. They rely on ClearPath HR advisors to keep their company on track with the latest [and greatest],” Denise said. “Our goal is to always lift the burden from the employers’ shoulders, so they can focus primarily on the management of their organization. We try to find their pain point and help lessen the stress of it.”

Choosing the best HR expert truly comes down to how they handle advice on these three common issues. A great HR specialist will understand the compliance regulations for your area and which technology can help elevate your employer-to-employee relationship. If you’re looking for further advice on these three topics or would like to simply speak with an HR expert, please contact Denise Kestner at 614.754.1853 or dkestner@clearpathbenefits.com.

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