There are a few key acronyms that human resource professionals and business owners or managers will often have to be aware of, and two great examples that are often used interchangeably here are HRM and HCM. Short for human resource management and human capital management, it’s true that these two terms can bleed into one another in some ways – but it’s also important to know their differences.

At WTA Inc., we’re here to serve as Salt Lake City’s top professional employee organization (PEO), offering numerous services that range from broad themes like these all the way to specifics like liability management, immigration compliance and more. How should you be thinking about these two terms, how do HR professionals manage each of them, and what else do you need to know here?

What is HRM?

Human resource management refers to various processes that focus on administrative human resource functions. For instance, things like payroll, benefits, compliance, policy enforcement, and employee relations all fall into the HRM category.

For many, it’s easier to consider HRM the “specific” category here. It deals with all the various functions and processes that a business needs to perform when it comes to taking care of its employees.

What is HCM?

Human capital management, meanwhile, deals in broader areas – in fact, most consider HRM to be a sub-category of HCM. The broad goal of HCM is finding ways to maximize the value of employees for a business.

This isn’t to say that employees are treated impersonally or like robots within the realm of HCM – that’s why HRM is a key component here. It’s about taking a high-level look at the people who work for your business, and finding ways to ensure that their skills and talent are utilized in an effective manner.

History of Both

Both of these approaches to workplace environment have existed for decades, but HRM is definitely the original of the two. In the early 1960s, it was clear that the American workplace was trending toward a more level playing field for employees, from the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a result, HRM arose organically due to the need for employers to properly manage the employees that they were hiring.

HCM, meanwhile, is a slightly more modern approach. It started gaining traction in the later parts of the 20th century, as corporate America started to realize the value of their employees as a whole.

By understanding the differences between HRM and HCM, employers can more effectively understand how best to manage their workforce – and that’s where WTA Inc. comes in! Our team is here to help navigate these waters with ease, providing Salt Lake City businesses with any number of services that are designed to help maximize the value of their employees. Reach out today for more information!

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basics and major benefits of what’s known as the skills-based hiring approach. Skills-based hiring involves prioritizing skill and competency requirements for employees rather than less impactful areas like education status, and it’s gaining popularity across numerous industries and has several benefits.

At WTA Inc., we’re happy to help with recruitment and hiring, plus numerous other outsourced payroll and HR needs for your business. While part one of our series went over all the benefits of skills-based hiring for many employers, today’s part two will look at some of the best practices employers should be maintaining if they plan to utilize this approach in their hiring processes.

Identifying Your Needed Skills

Naturally, one of the first and most important steps in skills-based hiring is to identify which skills are most important for your employer or organization. It’s important to go beyond the basics here, and really dig deep into what will be needed from your employees or staff members in order to achieve success within your company.

Think about the job roles you need filled and what specific duties each role requires. What competencies are most important? Are there any special requirements needed in order to do the job well? Taking time to really consider these questions and think through the answers can help you create a comprehensive list of skills needed for each role. Once you have an idea of which skills are the most important, take it one step further by defining how each skill will be measured and evaluated.

Creating a Fair Evaluation Process

Once you have your list of skills and metrics in place, it’s time to move on to the evaluation process itself. This step is all about creating an environment in which potential candidates are being judged fairly and objectively based on their skills alone. To ensure fair evaluations, consider implementing a scorecard system in order to rank and evaluate candidates’ skills.

Every candidate should receive the same scorecard, which should include all of the required skills or metrics they will be judged on. This way, no one candidate is receiving special treatment during the hiring process; rather, everyone is being assessed based solely on their qualifications and merit.

Building a Talent Pipeline

As you’re well aware, the job market is constantly changing and evolving. It can be difficult to stay on top of trends, especially when it comes to hiring new employees or staff members. That’s where building a talent pipeline comes in – this strategy involves maintaining an ongoing relationship with qualified candidates whose skills match your company’s needs, so that you have a pool of potential employees you can draw from when needed.

When building your talent pipeline, it’s important to cast a wide net in order to identify the most qualified candidates for each role. This way, you’ll have a variety of candidates with different experiences and skill sets who may be a good fit for various roles within your organization.

Overall, skills-based hiring is a great way to ensure that your company is recruiting and hiring the best of the best. By following these best practices and utilizing WTA Inc.‘s recruitment and HR services, you can rest assured that you’re finding the candidates who are most qualified for each role. Contact us today!

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some basic recommendations for how to retain your business’s best employees. Employee retention is a major factor for businesses of all shapes and sizes, and there are several ways you can go about ensuring that your top performers are incentivized to stay on your team for the long haul.

At WTA, Inc., we’re here to offer a variety of employer HR solutions, such as recruitment and hiring and many others, to keep your Salt Lake City business operating at high levels. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll go over some further tips on how to retain your best employees and keep them motivated.

Maintain Work-Life Balance

One key element that’s been rising in importance for employers in recent years is the idea of work-life balance. In the past, it was more common for employers to demand long hours from their employees with little regard for their home life. However, this approach is no longer as effective, as studies have shown that workers who don’t have a good work-life balance are more likely to be disengaged and less productive.

It’s important to make sure that your employees have the opportunity to take breaks, use their vacation days, and have a healthy lifestyle outside of work. When your employees feel like they have a good work-life balance, they’re more likely to be engaged with their work and less likely to look for other opportunities.

Offer Opportunities for Growth

Another way to keep your best employees motivated is to offer them opportunities for growth within your company. When employees feel like they’re stuck in a dead-end job, they’re much more likely to start looking for other opportunities. However, if you can provide a clear path for advancement, your employees will be more likely to stick around.

There are a few different ways you can offer opportunities for growth. One way is to provide training and development opportunities so employees can learn new skills and grow their knowledge. You can also create new positions or promote employees to positions of greater responsibility. By offering these types of opportunities, you can show your employees that you’re invested in their development and that you want them to stay with your company for the long term.

Provide Quality Benefits

Finally, another way to keep your best employees motivated is to provide quality benefits. Employees are looking for more than just a paycheck these days, and they want to know that their employer is invested in their well-being.

One of the most important benefits you can offer is health insurance. In today’s economy, healthcare costs are rising, and employees are looking for employers who can help them offset these costs. You can also offer other benefits such as retirement savings plans, paid time off, and flexible work schedules. By offering these types of benefits, you can show your employees that you care about their well-being and that you want to make sure they’re taken care of.

Employee retention is a critical issue for businesses of all sizes. By following these tips, you can ensure that your best employees are motivated to stay with your company for the long term.

If you’re looking for help with your employee retention efforts or have any other HR and related needs for your SLC business, contact WTA, Inc. today.

Many workplaces have taken on modern approaches to talent attraction and hiring, and especially given the rise of technology and devices in many industries, one of the most common such approaches that’s gaining popularity across recent years is the skills-based hiring approach. Skills-based hiring speaks to employers setting specific skill or competency requirements or targets for prospective employees, whether these are specific task-related skills or other “soft” professional skills.

At WTA, Inc., we’re happy to offer a wide range of human resource services, including recruitment and hiring for any of your company’s needs. In this two-part blog series, we’ll begin today by going over the general benefits of skills-based hiring – which will also allow us to dig a bit further into what this practice actually is and how it works. In part two, we’ll go over some best practices if you’ve decided skills-based hiring is the ideal approach for your company. Let’s dive in!

Opening Up the Talent Pools

Skills-based hiring is a contrasting approach to one many businesses used for years: Simply hiring from four-year college degree programs rather than looking for people with specified skills. Employers simply assumed that all the relevant materials were being covered in courses, but in reality, some employers weren’t getting the skills they needed. The same goes for job-seekers who may have earned a degree in one field but want to apply their skills in a different way.

Essentially, skills-based hiring opens up the talent pools when it comes to recruitment and hiring – allowing for candidates without formal education or experience to still be considered for positions.

Reducing Unconscious Bias and Increasing Diversity

Another important factor in skills-based hiring is that it helps to reduce unconscious bias in the recruitment process – especially when the vendors or agencies used by an employer are fully vetted. By getting away from traditional approaches, employers can shift their focus from a candidate’s background and more towards their qualification and abilities, creating an environment of more fairness and equity.

In doing so, employers can also create a much more diverse workforce – not only in terms of gender, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, but also in terms of different skill sets or professional experiences that can bring new perspectives to the team.

Improving Employee Retention

Maybe most importantly, skills-based hiring involves a much greater focus on the fit of a candidate and the job. Finding not only someone who has the needed qualifications, but also someone who fits in with the culture of a company can go a long way in reducing turnover and improving employee retention rates. In turn, this helps build a stronger company overall over time, as employees are more likely to stick around when they feel valued and comfortable in their work environment.

These are just a few benefits that can come with skills-based hiring, and in part two of our series, we’ll look over some best practices and tips for implementing it at your company. Stay tuned! And for more on any of our human resource services, contact WTA, Inc. today. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

There are a few top priorities out there among business owners, hiring managers and various HR staffers, and one that’s at or near the top of any such list is employee retention. Not only are companies looking to attract and hire top talent, they’re also looking to ensure that they’re able to hold onto that talent and maintain their staff as consistently as they can.

At WTA, Inc., we’re here to help. We offer a wide range of employer HR solutions, including recruitment and hiring plus several others that speak to long-term employee retention. In a general sense, what are some ways that companies can go about optimizing their retention capabilities? Let’s go over several in this two-part blog series.

Noting and Engaging Top Employees

For some reason, there’s sometimes an assumption among business owners and management staff that their most productive employees are already fully engaged in their roles. Their production is so high, after all, that many simply assume it’s because they’re fully invested in their position. The problem with that thinking, however, is that it could lead to a lack of appreciation for said employees’ efforts and hard work.

In order to optimize employee retention, companies need to take note of top employees and consistently engage them. This means recognizing and appreciating the contributions they are making to the company. In a general sense, that could mean offering them special perks like flexible schedules, bonus pay or even promotions before they actually become available.

Keep Your Policies Flexible

Generally speaking, the average employee prefers as much flexibility in their quest to complete their job duties as they can get. They may appreciate the ability to work remotely at times or use a flexible schedule that helps them avoid rush hour congestion and traffic. With so many employees in today’s workforce preferring flexibility and seeking it out, companies need to stay on top of this and keep their policies flexible whenever possible.

For instance, if you’re hiring a remote worker, they may want to work remotely at some point. They may want to take an entire week off or even come in on certain days. On the other hand, if you’re hiring a more traditional employee, they may prefer coming in on certain days and working remotely other times. Keeping all of your policies flexible can ensure that, regardless of who you’re hiring or how they want to work, you’ll be able to accommodate them as much as possible.

In part two of our series, we’ll go over some additional ways you should be thinking about engaging your employees to maintain high employee retention. For more on this, or to learn about any of our hiring or other human resource services, speak to our team at WTA, Inc. today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we looked at some of the simple basics on human resource audits and their uses in today’s business marketplace. Audits are vital across many parts of the business world, and especially within HR areas where ensuring quality performance and compliance with local regulations is very important.

At WTA Inc., we’re happy to provide numerous HR solutions and services for our clients, from risk management themes to immigration compliance, tax and payroll services, and more. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll shift gears a little bit and look at a more specific question: What are some of the distinct processes or areas of your HR department that might trigger or necessitate an audit? Here are several to keep an eye on.

Personnel Files

Documentation is a major part of HR, and it’s also one of the most commonly audited areas. Personnel files are often a large focus during an audit since they document everything from hiring processes and employee roles to compensation and performance data.

Reviewing personnel files can help determine if your organization is keeping accurate records, following proper hiring procedures, and maintaining compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. It’s important to ensure that your personnel files are up-to-date and complete before an audit occurs, as missing or inaccurate information can result in significant penalties.

Timekeeping and Payroll

Another major area of focus for HR audits is timekeeping and payroll. This includes ensuring that employees are being paid correctly and on time, that hours are being accurately tracked, and that overtime is being properly calculated and paid out. Auditors will also often review payroll records to verify that taxes are being withheld correctly and that all required deductions are being made.

Benefits Administration

Another area that is commonly audited is benefits administration. This includes ensuring that employees are enrolled in the correct benefits plans, that premiums are being paid on time, and that claims are being processed correctly. Auditors will also often review documentation to verify that employees are eligible for the benefits they are receiving.

Attendance Policies

For many organizations, attendance is a major concern. As such, auditors will often review attendance policies to ensure that they are fair and compliant with all relevant laws. They will also often review attendance records to verify that employees are adhering to the policy and that absences are being properly documented and approved.

These are just a few of the many areas that may be audited as part of an HR audit. By understanding which areas are most likely to be scrutinized, you can help ensure that your organization is prepared for an audit and that all relevant documentation is in order.

WTA Inc. provides a full range of HR solutions to help organizations stay compliant with all relevant laws and regulations. To learn more about our services, contact us today.

Self-assessment is a vital part of running a business, and applies to several different parts of a given company — a great example being human resources. Between compliance regulations, office culture needs and numerous other areas, regularly assessing the performance and practices of a given HR department is very important. One of the best ways to do this is using what’s known as an HR audit.

At WTA Inc, we’re happy to offer a wide range of human resource services to business clients throughout Salt Lake City and nearby areas, with solutions ranging from employer liability management and compliance to recruitment, hiring, payroll and more. What is an HR audit, and what different types are out there? Why should you consider regularly utilizing these for your business? Here’s a simple rundown across this two-part blog series.

HR Audit Basics and Reasoning

As its name implies, an HR audit refers to the process of carefully and deliberately examining different aspects of a company’s HR department in order to get an accurate idea of how it is performing. This can involve everything from looking at compliance issues and employment law concerns to tracking employee benefits usage and getting feedback on things like payroll, job descriptions, hiring processes, employee morale and so much more.

There are several reasons why an HR audit can be useful for businesses. First, it helps to ensure that your company is compliant with all local, state and federal laws and regulations — which is not only important from a legal standpoint, but can also help you avoid penalties, fees and other costly consequences. Additionally, an HR audit can help you to identify any areas where your department may be falling short, and provides actionable steps that can be taken in order to improve things. Finally, it can simply give you greater peace of mind knowing that your HR department is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Different Types of HR Audits

There are several different types of HR audits that businesses can utilize, depending on their nature and several other factors. Here are the most common formats:

• Compliance audit: As mentioned, compliance audits are designed to ensure that a company is adhering to all applicable laws and regulations. This can involve everything from employment law compliance to safety standards and more.
• Strategic audit: A strategic audit is focused on ensuring that an HR department’s goals and objectives are aligned with those of the business as a whole. This type of audit can help to ensure that your company is making the most effective use of its human resources.
• Best practices audit: A best practices audit is designed to help a company identify any areas where its HR department could be improved. This can involve benchmarking against other businesses in your industry, or simply examining different aspects of your department to see where things could be improved.
• Function-specific audit: Finally, a function-specific audit is designed to examine a specific area or function of an HR department. This could involve things like benefits administration, payroll, recruitment, employee training, etc.

In part two of our series, we’ll look at how to decide which kind of audit to perform, when to perform various audits, and what to expect while doing so.

For more on this, or to learn about any of our HR solutions for SLC clients, speak to the team at WTA Inc today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the simplest ways to improve company culture for those who work remotely. While culture is often a close consideration for in-person employees, there are some situations where it tends to fall by the wayside when it comes to remote workers — but there are ways to combat this for your business.

At WTA Inc., we’re proud to offer a wide range of HR services, including everything from recruitment and hiring to payroll, worker’s compensation and more. What are some other simple ways you can promote strong culture, not just for your in-person employees but for remote ones as well? Here’s a basic primer.

Promote Habits and Team “Rituals”

When it comes to company culture, there’s a lot to be said for consistency and daily routines. If you’ve ever been a part of team or project where everyone was constantly on the go without much time to connect, you know how important it can be to have some sort of stability.

For remote employees, this is doubly important as they might not have many (or any) in-person interaction with their co-workers. As such, it’s beneficial to come up with some rituals or daily habits that everyone on the team can do, even if they’re not all in the same place.

This could be something as simple as having a brief check-in at the start of each day via chat or video call, or it could be setting aside a specific day each week for team bonding and fun. Whatever you choose, the important thing is that it’s something everyone can do regardless of location.

Encourage Social Interaction

Just because your employees aren’t in the same place doesn’t mean they can’t socialize with one another. In fact, it’s important to encourage social interaction among remote employees as it can help build camaraderie and improve communication.

There are a few ways you can go about this. First, you can create dedicated social channels on your company’s chat or collaboration platform for employees to connect with one another outside of work-related matters. Alternatively, you can set up regular social calls or video chats where employees can catch up with one another in a more informal setting.

You could also consider holding remote team-building exercises or events on a semi-regular basis. These don’t have to be anything fancy — even something as simple as hosting a virtual happy hour or playing online games together can go a long way.

Set Up Some Face Time

Finally, in situations where it’s feasible from a logistical standpoint, it can be helpful to set up some regular face time between remote employees and their in-person counterparts. This could be something as simple as having a weekly or monthly video call where everyone can catch up, or it could involve bringing remote employees into the office for an occasional meeting or team-building exercise.

This isn’t always possible, of course, but if you have remote employees spread out across different time zones it can be a great way to help everyone feel more connected.

For more on how to promote a strong culture for employees who don’t work in the office, or to learn about any of our human resource services, speak to the team at WTA, Inc. today.

Company culture is of vital importance for many businesses, both from HR and related standpoints, but it has a tendency to only be considered within the in-person realm. And while establishing a great culture for all physical employees is very important, it’s also vital not to forget about another growing group here: Remote employees.

At WTA, Inc., we’re happy to provide a range of human resources and other services, including recruitment and hiring for various employee types. If your business is one of many that’s increased its reliance on remote workers over the last few years, or even if you were already utilizing such workers in the past, what can you do to improve the culture for those remote employees? Here are several basic themes in this two-part blog series.

Importance of Purposeful, Well-Intended Onboarding

The cultural experience of your company begins for a remote employee during their initial onboarding process. It’s during this time that they’ll get their first real taste of what it means to be a part of your company, and how you treat your employees. Make sure that your remote onboarding process is carefully planned and well-executed, with the goal of making every new remote employee feel like a valued member of the team from day one.

For instance, you may want to consider having a specific remote onboarding team or contact, who can provide support and answer any questions that the new employee may have. You should also make sure to provide all of the necessary resources and materials upfront, so that the remote employee can hit the ground running on their first day.

Finally, don’t forget to check in regularly during the first few weeks or months, to ensure that the remote employee is settling in well and adjust the onboarding process if necessary.

Ensuring Communication and Connection

One of the challenges of working remotely is feeling like you’re always out of the loop, or that your voice isn’t being heard. As such, it’s important to make sure that communication is a two-way street in your company, and that remote employees have ample opportunity to provide feedback, ask questions, and be heard.

Encouraging regular check-ins, whether through video conferencing, phone calls, or even just messaging apps, can help to ensure that everyone feels like they’re part of the team.

Confidence Promotion

Remote employees may sometimes feel like they’re not as valued as their in-person counterparts, which can lead to a lack of confidence in their abilities. As such, it’s important to make sure that you’re promoting confidence in your remote employees, and letting them know that they are just as valuable to the company as anyone else.

One way to do this is to give remote employees opportunities to lead projects or take on additional responsibility. This will not only boost their confidence, but also help them to feel like they’re truly contributing to the company.

You may also want to consider offering remote employees access to company mentorship programs, or pairing them up with more experienced employees, so that they can always have someone to turn to with questions or concerns.

For more on how to improve your company’s culture for remote employees, or to learn about any of our HR or related services, speak to the team at WTA, Inc. today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the simplest themes out there that HR professionals and business owners should be considering during hiring processes with the goal of attracting great candidates. Everyone wants top performers in their field to work for their company, and there are a few ways you can go about positioning yourself to attract them to you.

At WTA, Inc., we’re happy to offer a variety of recruitment and hiring solutions among our various human resources services to our Salt Lake City clients, which also include areas like risk management, payroll and tax administration, and several others. What are some other major concepts we promote to our clients when it comes to attracting top talent to your job openings? Here are several.

Application Process: Simple and Easy

The last thing you want is for great job candidates to be turned off by a complicated or lengthy application process. If it’s taking someone more than 15-20 minutes to apply for a position, you’re likely going to lose them. Make sure your application process is as streamlined as possible.

This includes themes like having an easily navigable careers page on your website, using online application forms that are mobile-friendly, and reducing the amount of information you’re asking applicants to provide. The simpler you can make it, the better.

Provide Growth Opportunities

Most high-quality candidates are well aware of their worth on the market, and they’re not going to stay with a company that doesn’t provide them opportunity for growth. When you’re advertising job openings, be sure to include information about opportunities for career advancement within the company.

This could mean things like promoting from within whenever possible, offering tuition reimbursement or other continuing education programs, and providing mentorship or coaching programs to help employees develop their skills.

An “Entrepreneurial” Culture

When we talk about an “entrepreneurial culture”, we’re really talking about a company culture that supports and encourages creativity, innovation, and out-of-the-box thinking. This is the kind of environment where top performers can truly thrive and excel.

To create this kind of culture, start by instituting policies that encourage employees to be proactive and take initiative. You should also provide ample opportunity for employees to share their ideas and give feedback. And finally, make sure you’re rewarding employees for their creativity and innovation with things like bonuses, spot awards, and public recognition. Not only this, but it’s important to make sure prospective job candidates are aware of all this during the recruitment process.

These are just a few of the major themes we focus on when helping our clients attract quality job candidates. For more on this subject, or to learn about any of our human resource services in SLC and nearby areas, get in touch with the team at WTA, Inc. today.