Working from home is suddenly widespread in Hawai‘i as employers mitigate the spread of COVID-19. “Companies should be allowing temporary remote work arrangements because they care about the health and safety of their employees,” writes Derek Kanehira, VP and director…
How are you coping amid the COVID-19 crisis? This is a really big challenge. Having been through the Great Recession and dotcom bust, this is 10 times worse because of the speed and completeness of the economy shutdown. Our business…
Employee retention is an increasing concern for employers faced with a competitive labor market. Record low unemployment means everyone is struggling to hire. Yet more than three-fourths of all employees who voluntarily leave their position could have been retained, according…
Have you ever made a bad hire? You’re not alone. While asking thoughtful interview questions can help determine if a candidate is a good fit for your work (or not), there’s one thing you have to watch out for: illegal…
The job of an employer today isn’t as simple as it once was. As we get into 2020, look for these signs to see if it’s the right time to shake up your HR and get outside support. Your business…
Employment and labor laws evolve every year and with that comes added compliance for Hawaii employers. As 2020 kicks off, here is a quick breakdown of the new labor laws your human resources team needs to know. New Hawaii Employment…
Six of the ten fastest growing occupations from 2018 to 2028 are healthcare and social assistance related, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projections. Combine an expected rise in demand for employment in the healthcare sector, with non-competitive…
Jasmine Tanioka remembers her parents, Mel and Lynn Tanioka, working seven days a week when they started Tanioka’s Seafoods and Catering. It’s a big job for any organization, let alone a family business, where long working hours can often spill…
Rick Nakashima knows the restaurant business. As a partner in Ruby Tuesday Hawaii, Gyu-Kaku Hawaii, and Rainbow Drive-In Hawaii, he has operations all over the islands and employs nearly 700 people across the state. This is no small feat when…
Tis the season for festive decorations, holiday parties and...year-end paperwork. As the holidays roll in, it’s time to brush off your HR to-do list. Don’t have one? Keep reading. Year-end paperwork and reporting doesn’t have to overtake your holiday celebrations.…
“Making business simple is our goal.” –Bill Guss, Founder, ALTRES A lot has changed in 50 years. New technologies shape and disrupt business processes and entire industries, seemingly overnight. Regulatory and compliance issues are endlessly complex and workplace dynamics constantly…
For many employers, open enrollment is fast approaching, and that means it’s time to renew your employee health insurance plans for 2020. Benefits are a significant labor cost. So how confident are you that you're getting the best value? Here’s…
"I'LL NEVER FORGET IT" Three people – two women and a man – describe being sexually harassed while on the job. They asked to remain anonymous to protect their privacy and to avoid retribution. ■ For a Honolulu woman who is…
Two women tackling the issue say the solution is to include everyone in the process: women and men, managers and employees, victims and perpetrators. Rachael Wong's Voice is urgent, but her words are measured. She says sexual harassment in the…
More than 100 insurance carriers are licensed to offer workers’ compensation insurance in Hawaii. The way these insurance carriers manage workers’ compensation has basically not changed in decades. The traditional system is complicated, time-consuming, and can disrupt company cash flow—but…
Payroll is an essential and stressful part of running a business. Mismanaged payroll can result in hefty penalties, time to revise, and even hurt your relationship with your employees. Here are some of the most common (and costly!) payroll mistakes…
Wage and hour compliance can be complicated, but it’s important to get it right. That’s because mistakes can be costly. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division in Honolulu investigated companies at several Hawaii malls…
The unfortunate fact is that 50 percent of all small start-ups will fail within five years. This means lost capital, lost jobs and tax base, and the lost dreams of Hawaii’s entrepreneurs. “We know how difficult it can be to…
Before we dig in to the debate, let’s quickly define what goes into HR, or Human Resources. Essentially, HR is anything and everything that relates to the management of your workforce. It involves recruiting and hiring new employees, assessing, managing…
At a mere 2.8%, Hawaii remains the nation’s leader of the lowest unemployment rate as of March 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lack of a reliable candidate pool is motivating business owners to use staffing agencies…
Highly fulfilled employees are more engaged, stay longer and produce more, author Bill Schiemann recently told a group of Hawaii human resource management executives. Enhancing work-life integration significantly contributes toward a sense of fulfillment, he says. Schiemann, following his ten-year…
To attract, motivate and retain Millennials, quality of life needs to be at the center of the relationship, says Ken Gilbert, senior consultant and partner of Business Consulting Resources. Each organization has to figure out what works best for its…
We all know it’s much easier and cheaper to keep a good employee than to find and train a new one, but getting workers to stay is hard. Here are strategies that local companies can use to retain their employees.…
It’s an old saying that the only constant is change—and that certainly applies to the world of HR. Even as employers are still getting used to changes like tax reform and Hawaii’s new “salary history ban”, it’s important to keep looking forward…