Lawsuits targeting unwanted texts are on the rise. Statutory damages can stack up quickly in class actions. To complicate things, state-by-state rules continue to evolve.

For HR, recruiting, and operations teams running national hiring campaigns, this creates a complex, high-stakes compliance environment.

Below is a practical, Applicant Tracking System (ATS)-focused guide to the key risks and action steps to help Paypro readers understand where texting can go wrong and how to reduce exposure.

How does Applicant Texting Draw SMS Compliance Lawsuits?

Lack of valid consent

Simply collecting a mobile number on an application is not enough for marketing or outreach texts. You must be able to prove the person clearly agreed to receive the specific types of texts you’re sending.

Opt-ins with the wrong scope

Candidates may agree to receive transactional updates (for example, “your interview is scheduled”) but not recruiting promotions or job alerts. Ambiguous or bundled consent creates disputes. Mistyped numbers can also lead to complaints from unintended recipients.

Autodialer uncertainty

Restrictions on texts sent with an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) continue to be litigated. Because guidance is unsettled, automation and bulk messaging tools can increase risk if you don’t have the right level of consent.

Wrong or reassigned numbers: Liability often turns on the person who actually received the text, not who you intended to reach. If a number was reassigned, you may still be on the hook.

Top 10 steps to reduce risk in your recruiting texts

1. Get clear, conspicuous, specific consent

Use standalone language that a reasonable person can understand (don’t bury consent in terms or bundle it with other permissions).

Spell out who is texting (the specific employer) and what categories (application updates, interview reminders, job alerts, etc.).

Make sure consent for marketing or promotional recruiting messages is separate from consent for transactional updates.

2. Capture electronic consent in an E-SIGN–compliant way

Use affirmative actions (for example, a checkbox the applicant must actively click).

Store time/date, IP, page or screen where consent was captured, and the exact language shown.

3. Never use pre-checked boxes or opt-out-by-default

Pre-checked boxes and “silence equals consent” approaches are high-risk. The candidate must take a clear, affirmative step to agree.

4. Keep consent “sender-specific”

Consent generally does not transfer between entities. Name the exact employer (and each brand/division if applicable). Avoid vague references to “partners” or “affiliates.”

5. Be ready to prove consent

The burden is on you to show valid consent. Keep auditable records of opt-ins, message categories, and any changes to consent over time.

6. Formalize your TCPA/SMS compliance program

Review current federal and state rules and update policies accordingly.

Involve counsel familiar with TCPA and state “mini-TCPA” laws to assess your use cases (marketing vs. transactional, automation, quiet hours, etc.).

7. Use a consent and preference management system

Centralize consent flags, link them to each phone number, and sync across your ATS, CRM, and texting tools.

Log revocations and scope changes in real time and block messages systemwide when consent is withdrawn.

8. Scrub against Do-Not-Call (DNC) lists where applicable

Automate DNC scrubs for telemarketing/promotional outreach to reduce accidental violations.

Maintain an internal DNC/Do-Not-Text list and honor it across all systems.

9. Make opting out effortless and immediate

Include a simple opt-out (for example, “Reply STOP to opt out”) in your message flows.

Process opt-outs instantly and propagate them to all connected systems to prevent further sends.

10. Train your teams

Educate recruiters, HR, and marketing on consent standards, DNC rules, message categories, and how to process opt-outs.

Refresh training as laws and your workflows change.

Practical tips for ATS-driven recruiting programs

Separate message categories: Distinguish transactional (application status, interview logistics) from promotional (job alerts, talent community outreach) in your consent language and system flags.

Verify numbers and reduce wrong-party texts: Consider number verification at capture and confirmation texts that require an affirmative response before starting a message cadence.

Limit automation risk: Map which campaigns use automated or bulk sends and ensure the consent level matches the tool and purpose.

Track reassigned numbers: Establish processes to detect and suppress texts to numbers that bounce, never engage, or trigger “wrong number” responses.

Standardize content: Avoid ambiguous language; include your brand name, purpose, and opt-out instructions. Keep a library of approved templates.

Questions to Ask Any Applicant Tracking System or Texting Vendor

• How do you capture and store E-SIGN–compliant consent and the exact disclosure presented?
• Can you separate and enforce consent by message category (transactional vs. promotional)?
• How are STOP/UNSUBSCRIBE requests handled and synchronized across all campaigns and integrations?
• Do you provide DNC scrubbing options and internal DNC/Do-Not-Text list management?
• What safeguards exist to prevent messages to reassigned or invalid numbers?
• Can you easily export consent and messaging logs for audits or litigation?

Bottom line

Texting can speed hiring and improve candidate experience, but it brings real legal exposure if not managed carefully. Build explicit, auditable consent into every step of your recruiting workflow, keep your policies current with evolving federal and state rules, and ensure your ATS and messaging tools operationalize opt-ins, opt-outs, and recordkeeping.

This information is for general awareness and is not legal advice. Consult your legal counsel to tailor a compliance program to your organization and jurisdictions.

There are many ways of going about it, but the important thing is that you do it. Here are five advantages to both you and your employees, from regular performance appraisals.

1. Clarification of Expectations and Roles

Regular appraisals help employees gain a clear understanding of their job responsibilities and how their roles contribute to the company’s overall success. Misunderstandings about expectations can lead to frustration and decreased productivity, but consistent feedback eliminates ambiguity.

According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 90% of HR professionals agree that ongoing feedback provides a more accurate appraisal of an employee’s work compared to annual reviews.

This clarity empowers employees to focus on what matters most, helping them align their efforts with organizational priorities and achieve better results.

2. Pinpointing Problem Areas.

This is a twofold benefit.

First is the obvious: What are the areas where individual employees need work? What can they improve on? What’s keeping them from fulfilling their potential, and how can you help them get better?

But there’s another aspect to this: Are there any areas where all of your employees are lacking, or in which everyone needs work? This can indicate a problem not with them, but with your training process. By evaluating employee performance, you can see if there are areas you need to address, both individually and en masse, and improve your training methods going forward.

3. Facilitate Career Development and Training Opportunities

Performance reviews are a valuable tool for identifying skill gaps and areas for improvement. By analyzing an employee’s strengths and weaknesses, you can create personalized development plans that address their unique needs.

These plans might include targeted training programs, mentorship opportunities, or resources for acquiring new skills. This approach not only benefits the individual but also strengthens the overall capabilities of your workforce.

Research indicates that 60% of performance management leaders experienced better employee development in 2023, highlighting the importance of regular evaluations in fostering growth.

4. Creating Communication.

A performance evaluation gives you a chance to sit down with your employees individually and get to know them better, at regular intervals. You can give them feedback on how they’re doing in your company, but also talk to them about their goals for the future and how they can best achieve them. That way, you can go beyond just their numbers and scores and find ways to help them improve individually. They can also voice to you any concerns or suggestions they may have for how their job could be made more efficient, or how they can train others better going forward.

5. Building Better Teams.

Not only can you use performance evaluations to find each individual’s strengths and weaknesses, you can also determine how best they fit in with your company’s overall dynamic. Will the talents of one employee complement the talents of another if they work together? Will one person’s strengths balance out someone else’s weaknesses, and vice versa? By evaluating your employees, both individually and as a whole, you can build teams that will increase efficiency and productivity.

6. Improve Communication Between Employees and Management

One of the key benefits of performance appraisals is the opportunity they create for open, honest communication. Employees can provide feedback on their experiences, share challenges, and voice ideas, while managers can offer constructive responses and actionable guidance.

This two-way dialogue builds trust, fosters understanding, and strengthens the relationship between employees and management.

7. Enhance Employee Engagement and Retention

Performance evaluations play a vital role in fostering employee engagement. Recognizing individual accomplishments during reviews shows employees that their efforts are valued, increasing morale and job satisfaction.

Additionally, aligning employee goals with company objectives gives them a sense of purpose and direction.

Engaged employees are more likely to remain loyal to your organization, reducing turnover rates and creating a more stable, productive workforce.

8. Identifying Candidates for Promotion.

A performance evaluation can show you who needs to improve and what areas need work, but it can also go the opposite way. It can shed light on which employees have a solid grasp on what they do and might be best suited for promotion, when the time comes. Maybe someone wasn’t on your list for advancement last quarter, but in the last few months they’ve improved considerably, developed new skills, or otherwise proven themselves in new ways. Performance evaluations can help you see who stands out above the rest, and who might best benefit your company if you move them forward. At minimum, it can give you an idea of which employees to look at more closely in that regard, or perhaps begin grooming for a better position.

9. Improving Employee Motivation.

Performance appraisals can often feel daunting for employees, as they may worry about not measuring up or facing disciplinary action due to areas in need of improvement. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Rather than focusing solely on shortcomings, performance appraisals can be an opportunity to motivate employees and inspire them to reach their full potential. Provide some special recognition for those who do well in evaluations, and/or for those who have improved the most since the last one. This way, instead of being afraid of the consequences of a performance appraisal, they’ll be motivated to improve and do better on the next one.

10. Align Individual and Organizational Goals

Performance evaluations help bridge the gap between individual aspirations and organizational objectives. By discussing goals during reviews, you can ensure that employees’ efforts align with the company’s vision and mission.

This alignment motivates employees and ensures that everyone is working toward the same outcomes.

11. Provide Documentation for Legal and Administrative Purposes

Accurate records of performance evaluations serve an important legal and administrative documentation. They can be essential for making HR decisions, handling disputes, or ensuring compliance with labor laws.

For example, if an employee is terminated for poor performance, documented appraisals provide a clear history of the issues and the steps taken to address them. This documentation protects your company and ensures fair, transparent processes.

Performance Appraisal Styles

Companies use various methods for performance appraisals, each with unique strengths depending on the company’s size, type, and whether it operates in the public or private sector.

Standard appraisals

This is the most familiar type of performance evaluation. Employees are assessed against custom criteria set by the company, often using SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely) or qualitative feedback. This approach works well for companies with clear, quantifiable objectives. However, it often overlooks soft skills, such as interpersonal abilities and personal commitment, which can be harder to measure but equally important.

Self-assessment appraisals

Self-assessments empower employees by giving them a voice in their own performance reviews. Employees have the opportunity to highlight their achievements and identify areas for improvement.

While it’s commonly assumed that employees may overrate themselves, many tend to be self-critical to avoid appearing overconfident. This method fosters openness to feedback and allows managers to align their input with the employee’s self-identified goals.

Self-assessments are most effective as part of a broader review process, as they can introduce bias if used as the sole appraisal method.

360-degree feedback

Increasingly popular in team-oriented workplaces, 360-degree feedback provides a comprehensive view of an employee’s performance. It combines evaluations from the employee, their peers, supervisors, and, where applicable, subordinates. This method captures both the employee’s ability to achieve company goals and their collaboration skills.

While this holistic approach can be highly effective, it may also be affected by biases, cultural differences, or dishonest feedback in competitive environments.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the benefits and styles of performance evaluations in your company. How and how often you implement these appraisals is up to you, based on what will be most beneficial and fit in best with your office dynamic.

Whatever approach you choose, it’s important to remember that improvement is an ongoing process. There are always opportunities for both individual employees and the company as a whole to become more productive and efficient.

Remember, the better equipped you are to find those ways, the better your company will be.

Paypro is happy to share an exclusive interview with Patrick Sayers, president of Newcastle Research, a research and advisory company focused on the Human Capital Management market. Patrick has multiple decades of HR industry experience and was kind enough to provide his take on the future of our industry.

Take it away, Patrick!

Paypro: Hi Patrick. It nearly seems as if 2020 and 2021 were one-in-the-same. Before we know it, 2022 will have arrived. With this in mind, what is your general take heading into 2022? Now that the pandemic has changed the way many organizations operate, do you anticipate further changes or will we all have a chance to catch our collection HCM breaths?

Patrick Sayers: Hopefully we’ll continue to see progress towards getting the pandemic under control, and assuming that’s the case, I think what we’ll see in 2022 is that businesses are able to take a more proactive stance toward evaluating the tools that they use to operate their business.  And what I mean by that is businesses were forced to be reactive in 2020 and that continued into 2021.  The pandemic was a stress test for every moving part within businesses across every industry, and what we saw was that many of those essential moving parts simply couldn’t handle a disruption of that scale.  So you’re right, the pandemic has changed the way many organizations operate, likely forever.  The good news, I think, is that businesses are now more prepared.  I think organizations have a different perspective on how critical tools like an HCM solution are in supporting their workforce.

Paypro: Recruitment and Talent Retention remain a hot-button issue across many organizations. Do you see AI playing an increasingly important role in employee onboarding, development and retention?

Patrick: AI is a big buzz word in the industry right now, but practically speaking, what helps users most is more common sense automation to reduce friction when they need something and making processes simpler and more user friendly, not necessarily super advanced features like AI.  So for recruiting and retention, specifically, what helps the employee experience most is just having a product that just works well.  And ideally is available on their own devices with an app so they can have all their info accessible in their own hands when they need. If an employee is trying to fill out a loan and needs copies of their pay stubs they want to be able to simply go into a system and pull a PDF. All of that starts from the basics – a strong software platform built on single database to eliminate errors and frustration with excess data entry, and with the features to streamline the employee experience.

Paypro: Remote Workforce Management remains a hurdle many organizations have struggled to fully deploy. How do you envision HR better supporting the remote workforce during 2022 and beyond?

Patrick: I think it’s a big undertaking and like most big undertakings organizations will start to prioritize the must haves relative to things that are nice to have, or maybe that they thought they needed but then ended up not using so much as they expected when they were forced remote by C19. One common theme I see in a lot of cases is the importance of strong architecture at the core of the software platforms. The majority of the marketplace thinks they are buying a single platform cohesive software solution but a lot of the back end architecture is not clean. They are multiple different products bolted together on the back end from M/A activity or just poor construction made to look cohesive on the front end – which they will during a demo. The impact on the end user comes down stream in a variety of ways because those are the products that are the hardest to maintain for the software engineers and thus have the most errors, are the least intuitive, and hardest for customer service departments to support. So as an example from my recent projects, organizations aren’t getting as lured in by flashy looks any more. They are a little more focused on getting a stable platform that will work and won’t let them down when something unexpected happens.

Paypro: As Q4 nears its closure, many organizations will be evaluating budgets, consolidating vendors and looking to make changes during the coming year. Do you have any advice for those seeking a new HCM partner?

Patrick: I talk to customers about this a lot, and the #1 piece of advice I can give is to weight customer service very heavily.  Organizations tend to gravitate towards features and functionality when they evaluate vendors, and don’t get me wrong, that’s certainly important, but it’s much easier for an HCM provider to improve the functionality of their product than it is for them to improve the quality of their customer service organization.  It’s very, very difficult for an HCM provider to go from providing below average customer service to average customer service, or to go from providing average customer service to providing exceptional customer service.  That takes more than dollars.  It takes a fundamental shift in culture.  It’s very easy to sit through a demo and fall in love with some bell and whistle, but don’t lose sight of how important customer service is.

The obvious follow-up question is ‘What’s the best way to evaluate customer service?’  Customer retention is the purest metric to evaluate how happy an HCM provider’s customers are with whatever product or service they’re selling.  There’s a very high correlation between customer retention and the quality of customer service.  Customers vote with their dollars.  Happy customers stay and unhappy customers leave and look for another HCM provider.  I know this seems really obvious, but it’s amazing how often customers lose sight of the importance of this metric during their search.  I encourage the customers I’m advising to think of this metric as the foundation of their evaluation.  In some cases, I’ll even encourage customers to weight this above functionality.

Paypro: Thanks so much for your time, Patrick. Are you able to share any parting words of wisdom, optimism or perspective for those seeking to create a better workforce experience?

Patrick: I want to circle back on the reactive vs. proactive idea from the first question.  I talk to hundreds of HR professionals throughout the year, and typically, if they find their way to me it means they don’t love their current HCM solution.  And what I’ve noticed is that the most common roadblock between them and a better HCM solution isn’t budget, or getting buy-in from different parts of the organization, or even time.  It’s just taking that first step.  Many organizations recognize that they’re not happy with the system they’re using, but they just don’t know how or where to begin to find a better solution.  I talk to HR professionals all the time who are unhappy with the system they’re using and I ask them how long they’ve been dealing with the issues and often it’s years.  This will sound self-serving because Newcastle Research helps organizations evaluate HCM solutions, but really, even if an organization doesn’t engage with Newcastle formally, I still like to chat with them and get them moving in the right direction.  I like to see companies start to take steps to improving their situation.  So my last piece of advice is be proactive.  I know it’s daunting, but if you’ve recognized that your current system no longer works for your organization, start to take steps toward finding something better.

Many employers during the current health crisis have updated their work-from-home policies to allow employees additional opportunities to work off-site. Changes in work-from-home policies have also allowed employers the freedom to consider hiring employees not just locally, but across the country. With these changes, it is important that all employers review their employees’ payroll taxation setup if there are multiple states involved.

Employees are generally taxed in the state in which their work is performed. The situation becomes more complicated when an employee lives in a different state from where they work, as the employee may also owe income tax to their resident state.

Employees living in a different state than the main work location can create a taxable “nexus” for your business. Nexus is the notion that a physical presence has been established in another state, to which your business can become subject to that state’s tax laws. Additionally, some states have reciprocity agreements with other states that allow residents to only withhold income tax where they live, and not where they work. Further, certain states have income tax rules on work-from-home situations that they have deemed as a convenience versus a necessity for the employee and employer. Lastly, employees working in a different state than your main office location can have an impact on employer payroll tax obligations such as Unemployment Insurance Tax.

It is important that you review any out-of-state employee’s income tax withholding and unemployment tax state with your organization’s Accountants and Tax Advisors. Applicable multi-state employees should also review their situations with the personal Accountants and/or Tax Preparers. Paypro can provide a multitude of options for out-of-state employees to withhold amounts for their resident state and/or work state depending on each employee’s unique situation. Paypro can also set up any employer-related tax code(s) based on your organization’s multi-state payroll requirements.

If you have a new hire working remotely, review if you are already registered in that employee’s resident state for income tax withholding and/or unemployment insurance tax. You can contact the Tax Department for confirmation of this fact. This should be done as soon as the employee is hired, so we can ensure any necessary new tax codes are added to our system as to not delay payroll processing.

If any new states are required to be added to your company to process payroll, or if you have questions about multi-state taxation, please do not hesitate to contact Paypro’s Tax Department at tax@payprocorp.com.

Employers may be considered eligible if they fully or partially suspended operations during any calendar quarter in 2020 due to a governmental authority limiting commerce, travel, or group meetings due to COVID-19 or if the employer experienced a significant decline in gross receipts (more than 50%) compared to the same quarter in 2019.

The payroll tax credit is based on qualified wages paid to employees for the first $10,000 in compensation paid to eligible employees (including employer health expenses). If an employer received a PPP loan in 2020 and used employee wages to obtain PPP loan forgiveness, those wages cannot be used towards Employee Retention Credit qualified wages. The maximum tax credit for 2020 is $5,000 per employee.

For employers with 100 or fewer full-time employees in 2019, all employee wages are eligible for the 2020 credit. For employers more than 100 full-time employees in 2019, qualified wages are those paid to employees when they are not providing services to the employer.

We recommend you consult with your accountant and/or tax advisor to confirm if you are eligible to request the Employee Retention Credits for 2020. If, after consulting with your accountant and/or tax advisor, you have determined you are eligible for 2020 Employee Retention Credits, we can compute the credit and prepare the appropriate amended tax returns.

Here is how the process works:

1. Once we receive your request about employee retention credit, we will send a form that must be fully reviewed.
2. Please note that this form will advise your company to seek the advice of their accountant and/or tax advisors to determine eligibility for the credits.
3. Should you decide to move forward, you will then have two service options to choose from on the form and the form must be returned to the Tax Department at tax@payprocorp.com.

Please let us know ​​​if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Kenneth R. Porcelli, CPA, President and COO

Workshops

The first step in financial stability is education. Hold workshops that show your employees how to manage their money wisely, including budgeting for ongoing expenses, preparing for
emergencies, investing for the future, and more.

Experts from local financial institutions will often be willing to come speak to your employees for a fairly low cost. Make the speakers aware of how much your employees make, so they can provide realistic advice that’s specific to their situation.

Most importantly, encourage employees to come with questions and issues that the experts can help them with. Providing financial advice in theory is one thing, but situations can be very different in practice, when it comes to how much you spend on different things. Workshops should be able to provide viable, real world solutions for real world problems.

Financial Planning

Managing your current budget is the first step. But the ultimate goal is to be able to move up the financial ladder. Employees who rent apartments may want to be able to own their own homes. Newly married employees may have enough for themselves, but in a few years they might need to support children as well—and one day send those children to college.

Goals like this require more than an occasional workshop. They require ongoing financial planning. There are a number of financial institutions your company can partner with to help employees with this. Give them the opportunity to enroll in programs designed to help them build their savings with these goals in mind.

Perks and Benefits

With workshops and financial planning partnerships, you’re helping employees to help themselves. But if you really want to show them that their financial wellness matters to you, you should invest some of your own resources into it.

There are any number of perks you can provide that are designed to aid your employees’ financial stability. One of the best benefits you can provide is help to relieve debt. The average college graduate from the class of 2016 had a student loan debt of nearly $38,000. By allocating a certain amount of money above an employee’s monthly salary, to be paid directly to their lender on their behalf, you can reduce the financial burden on them and help them get out of debt much sooner.

Of course, student loans aren’t the only major expense that can burden your employees. Other perks you can provide include fertility treatments or adoption expenses for workers looking to start a family. You can offer protection against identity theft, to keep a stolen password or credit card from ruining them. You can even prepay for legal services, to guard against expensive court proceedings. Talk to your employees and find out what their most pressing financial obligations are. Then see if there’s a way that your company can foot some or all of the bill, in order to ease the burden and help make them more financially solvent.

Taking an active interest in your employees’ financial well-being shows that you care about them, not just as cogs in a machine, but as valued members of your company’s family. These options for attaining stability can make great perks to bring new talent into your company, or incentives to help retain your existing employees for longer and reduce turnover. By investing a little bit now in their financial wellness, you can reap the rewards for years to come.

It may seem like a hassle, but these rules are in place to protect your workers, making sure they receive fair treatment and aren’t exploited. Therefore, it’s essential that you know what the rules are and what you need to do in order to ensure compliance within your organization at all times.

A Corporate Compliance Program

So how do you ensure compliance within your organization? The best way to make sure you cover all areas adequately is to establish a corporate compliance program within your company. Such a program would handle training and education in a variety of capacities, so that all employees know their rights and responsibilities under the law.

By training your employees to know what to look for, it makes it more likely that they’ll recognize and report instances of non-compliance, so that your company can deal with it quickly. This helps avoid a variety of potential problems, from fraud and abuse to corporate waste to discriminating and more.

To implement such a program, first you need someone to run it: typically a HR manager or committee who knows the various facets of compliance as they apply to your organization and can oversee it day to day. They will create a comprehensive list of all important areas and how to make your company compliant within them.

It’s important that the person or group in charge of the program have ultimate authority in compliance matters. If the CEO, a board member, or another high ranking executive is non-compliant in some way, they need to be held accountable, without fear of repercussions. That’s the only way such a program works.

Areas of Compliance

So what are some of the areas in which your organization needs to implement measures of compliance, and what do some of these measures entail? Here’s a very brief overview of some of the most important ones.

• ACA. Companies with more than 50 full-time employees must provide those employees with access to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. Employees need to be educated on their options, and the cost of the plan must be reported to the IRS.
• EEOC Reporting. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against anyone based on race, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or a variety of other factors. Proving compliance in this area requires employers to maintain and report certain records about their hiring practices—and even more detailed records if the organization has a charge filed against it for failure to comply.
• Sexual Harassment Training. Sexual harassment in the workplace is being taken more seriously than ever in today’s society. There are a variety of courses available for employees, to show them how to conduct themselves and what constitutes unacceptable behavior, as well as what to do and how to report it if they are sexually harassed.
• Fiduciary Rule. Do you offer an IRA, 401(k), or other type of investment portfolio for your employees? Who oversees those investment? Relatively recent changes to the law state that any financial advisor must adhere to the fiduciary rule—i.e. they must place their client’s interests ahead of their own when providing investment advice. Does the person or organization handling your employees’ retirement accounts and other investments comply with these regulations?
• Overtime. How much overtime are your employees allowed to work? How much do they get paid for working above and beyond normal hours? What are your responsibilities in that situation? What do you need to provide for them? Overtime rules can differ depending on where your company is located, but it’s important to know them before asking employees to stay late.

These are just a few of the issues to be aware of when it comes to compliance. Proper compliance doesn’t just protect your employees. It protects you as well, from lawsuits and other penalties. It’s important to make sure your employees know that they’re safe from exploitation, discrimination, and harassment, and that they have legal recourse if they ever face these things. Giving them that peace of mind will help make your company a much better working environment for everyone.

Therefore, it’s in your best interest to reduce employee turnover as much as possible and keep workers at your company for as long as possible. Here are a few tips for fixing high turnover at your organization.

Offer Competitive Benefits

You may not have the money to offer employees as high a salary as your competitors. You may not be able to give them as comprehensive a retirement plan, or a company car. But with a little creativity, you can still give them an attractive benefits package.

Give them a little extra paid vacation time each year. Provide opportunities to volunteer with charities, so your social justice minded employees can feel their time at your company is helping them do some good in the world.

You can also offer flex time, enabling employees to work from home part of the time. This way, people with families can balance work with things like picking the kids up from school, taking care of them when they’re sick, attending soccer games, etc.

The key to offering competitive benefits is to find out what’s important to your employees and then find a way to give it to them. In the end, that’s worth much more than money and will keep them with you for the long haul.

Celebrate Employee Success

In many companies, when an employee makes a mistake, their boss immediately reprimands them. But when they do well, it seems like no one notices. This will quickly make your workers feel unappreciated, often prompting them to look at job opportunities elsewhere.

However, if you take just a little bit of time to celebrate your employees when they do well and show them that you appreciate them, it can greatly increase their job satisfaction, motivate them for the future, and most importantly, instill in them a sense of loyalty to your company.

Even small, inexpensive expressions of appreciation can go a long way. Buy lunch for the marketing team when their latest campaign is a success. Give sales reps a certificate when they exceed their quota for the month. Hold parties and other events when the company is doing well. Even just a public word of praise for an employee after a win is a great gesture. Make it clear that the company’s success is everybody’s success, and make it something to be proud of.

Provide Opportunities for Advancement

One of the biggest reasons why employees leave a company is because they feel like their career has stalled there. So actively work to help your workers advance. For many that means promotions, but that’s not the only way people look to advance.

Take an active interest in employees’ careers, to find out what it is they want out of their job. Maybe they want to increase their knowledge of the field, or gain a new skillset. Maybe their passion lies in a different department, and they’d rather make a lateral move than an upward one. Maybe they’d like an opportunity to mentor someone else and use their experience to help new employees get acclimated. Whatever it is your employees are looking to do, find a way to help them achieve it. If your company is helping them find a path to the career they’ve always wanted, they’re more likely to stick around.

There are a myriad of other ways of fixing high turnover and getting employees to stay at your company. Most important, though, is respect. Show your employees that you respect them and care about them, and are willing to go the extra mile to make sure they’re happy and fulfilled at your company. The more you can do that, the more employee turnover will decrease within your organization.

HR leaders should look for ways of simplifying open enrollment for healthcare plans to encourage employees to make the most of the available options. Below are some tips HR can use to simplify open enrollment.

Educate Employees on Coverage Options

Employees should be educated about the importance of open enrollment and what’s available way ahead of time. For instance, you can provide materials four to six weeks before open enrollment to give workers a chance to review their options and have the opportunity to ask questions ahead of time. Using WorkforceOne employees can compare plans side by side online instead of having to go through many pages of confusing paperwork in order to see what plan is best for themselves and their family.

Use Influencers to Engage Team Members

Open enrollment will significantly impact the lives of your employees. Therefore make it a more “people-oriented” process. Use other “influencer” employees to find out the questions or reservations workers may have about the plans.

Leverage well-networked employees to encourage others to utilize the benefits. The influencers do not have to be on the executive team. They could also be support or clerical individuals that most employees trust and go to for friendly advice.

Consider the Needs of Employees

Confirm that the process and perks of the open enrollment of the previous year are still relevant for the New Year. Review the success of past communication channels and see what can be improved. Your team should help you determine the best way to provide information.

Tailor enrollment communication based on the demographics of your employees and the coverage available. For example, you can create materials based on marital status or benefits.

Provide Incentives for Action-Takers

Encourage open enrollment engagement with specific results in mind. Provide information that will help people not only understand benefits and how they work, but also sign up for them. Use creative ways to get employees’ attention and make them act on the enrollment. For example, you can provide testimonials of employees that have benefited from certain perks such as fertility-related coverage or family leave.

Leverage Available Resources

Find ways to use the available resources effectively to encourage open enrollment. For example, you can partner with executives both inside and outside the organization to provide information about coverage.

For small organizations with limited resources, partnering with outside experts such as insurance brokers to educate the workforce can encourage uptake of benefits. Internal teams such as marketing can also be leveraged to create benefits’ content on the organization’s intranet.

Involve Spouses in Coverage Discussion

The benefits that employees choose will determine the healthcare their families will receive. Therefore, it is vital to involve spouses in the open enrollment process. Guide employees by providing a list of topics to enable them to understand what’s best for them and their families.

Also, consider organizing information sessions specifically for simplifying open enrollment for healthcare plans for employees. These sessions can be held after work hours or on the weekends, when they are more likely to attend with their spouses.  At Paypro we have a dedicated benefits team that are able to answer any of your benefits related questions and give you the best and most cost effective solutions for your business.

1. Start as Early as Possible. The sooner you start getting your new hire acclimated to their surroundings, the sooner they’ll be able to reach their full potential at your company. If you start the day they begin the job, there will be a transitional period while they get used to things, and a learning curve in terms of productivity. If you have a training period before they begin, you can ensure that they have all the information they need, or at least much of it, right from the start. Even more efficient, though, is to begin onboarding during the interview process. Have one of the interviewers be not a superior, but a peer, someone they’ll be working alongside, who can show them firsthand a typical day at your company, and gauge how well they interact with their potential coworkers.

2. Get Set Up Beforehand. What will your new employee need when starting their job? A desk with a computer? A phone, with direct extension? Company e-mail address? Account or user profile for any software platform you may use? Employee ID? Make a list in advance of everything you’ll need to provide them, and have it all ready to go the minute they walk through the door on Day 1. If they show up and then spend their first several hours waiting for you to put them in the system, walk them through a complicated setup process, or even give them a desk to work at, then that’s several hours of lost productivity.

3. Create a Jargon Dictionary. Any company has its industry-specific terms, particularly acronyms. Some of them are basic things that anyone should know, like CRM or ERP. But others may be specific to your company, and even though you’re used to them, they can be intimidating for a new hire, especially if you throw them at them all at once. To make things easier, compile a basic dictionary of jargon that they’re likely to encounter at your company, including what each acronym stands for, as well as any slang terms or in jokes that your other employees may use. You can print a copy for them, but even more helpful would be e-mailing them a copy of the file, or putting it on their desktop. This way, they have an easy reference at their fingertips for anything they may otherwise have trouble understanding.

4. Make It a Two-Way Conversation. You know how things are done in your company. You’ve worked there for years, so to you, this is all old hat. Therefore, there are plenty of things you likely take for granted. So without even meaning to, you’ll gloss over these aspects of company culture. The new hire is confused about what you just said, but you’ve already moved on to the next thing. So rather than just telling them how things work at your company, engage them in dialogue. Encourage questions. Ask them if there’s anything they need clarification on, or that you can explain better. You might even ask them to explain certain steps or processes back to you, to make sure they’ve got it. Be patient and don’t rush things. Taking the extra time now to ensure they’ve got it down now, will make them more efficient and productive in the long run.

5. Personalize It. Not every employee is the same, and not all of them learn or acclimate in the same way. If you have a standard, cookie cutter methodology for onboarding, you’ll have trouble making it work for everyone. Have a basic list of things each new hire needs to know, but personalize the process for each employee. Start with someone the new employee already met in your company (e.g. during the interview process), to make the transition smoother. Have the trainer/interviewer build on what they know about the employee in order to relate to them more effectively. For instance, is your new hire outgoing and gregarious, or shy and introverted? This should influence how you relate to them as you acclimate them to your company culture.

6. Assign Them a Mentor. Onboarding is more than just a basic training program that an employee can complete on their first morning, and then be ready to go. That may be enough to get them started, but really helping them find their place in the company and thrive there can take time. Therefore, once the basic training is over, assign them a mentor who can help them as they go along: someone who’s been with your company a long time and can answer questions, provide guidance, and help them reach their full potential.

7. Help Them Get to Know People. Onboarding is about more than just how your employee can do their job effectively. It’s about making them part of the team. Of course, during the basic training process, there’s little you can do on that front beyond a basic introduction to other employees during a brief tour of the office. However, if you implement regular activities that the entire office can participate in together, it will go a long way towards helping employees to bond with one another, as well as raising morale. Have a monthly lunch potluck, wherein everyone brings a dish to share. Start an office-wide game, such as a fantasy football league, or pickup basketball team. Encourage new hires to take part in these activities, in order to get to know the people they’ll be working with.

Onboarding is an ongoing process. A basic, one-day training program can help your employees understand the basics of your company and their place in it, but fully integrating them into your team takes time and special care. If you really make the effort to get your employees fully onboarded into your company over time, you’ll increase productivity, reduce employee turnover, and create a great team that will serve your company well.

Technology can be a valuable tool in onboarding strategies and achieving your goals with respect to new employees. Paypro offers a comprehensive suite of workforce management solutions that give you the accurate, real-time information you need to make informed decisions. Please contact us with questions – we are here to help simplify your workforce management!