Tag Archives: Employee
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Updated FMLA Forms
Posted on 09.19.2018
An updated set of Family and Medical Leave Act (FLMA) forms for employers has been released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division. The only revision to these forms is an updated expiration date. The previous forms expired on August 31 of this year, but now, the updated forms will be valid through August 31, … Continue reading
Posted in Compliance
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A Client’s Perspective: CloudNine
Posted on 09.05.2018
Based in Houston, Texas, CloudNine is a data and legal discovery technology company with proven expertise in simplifying and automating the discovery of data for audits, investigations and litigation. CloudNine empowers legal and business professionals with eDiscovery automation software and professional services that simplify litigation, investigations, and audits for law firms and corporations. “We began working with Achilles Group … Continue reading
Posted in Strategy Alignment
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The #MeToo Movement
Posted on 05.31.2018
At Achilles Group, we are dedicated to designing and building a best in class HR Infrastructure both as your foundation for growth and as a firewall to mitigate employment related risks and protect against loss. With the rise of the #MeToo Movement late last year, we watched as sexual misconduct allegations against several high-profile men like Kevin … Continue reading
Posted in HR Risk Mitigation
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People Make or Break the Company
Posted on 04.23.2018
We’ve all heard it before: “A company’s most important asset is its people.” Because of this sentiment, it’s a tricky balancing act for a growing business to add more people to the team while simultaneously preserving their culture. In the past year, I’ve worked with many clients in this exact same position, but we’ve partnered … Continue reading
Posted in People Performance
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How We Back Up Your Front Line
Posted on 02.20.2018
Achilles Group is committed to producing a great market response to your recruiting ads by implementing a well-structured process, a commitment to hire at targeted salary levels, and effective job postings. However, that means our clients must be well-equipped to manage the response pool, conduct interviews, identify top candidates, approve finalist offers, and close the … Continue reading
Posted in Recruiting Effectiveness
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Ready for your business to move forward in 2018?
Posted on 01.18.2018
“Don’t look back—you’re not going that way!” We like that phrase; it serves as a reminder to grow from and move past hard times and to keep focused on the path ahead. At Achilles Group we believe Houston is, in fact, moving forward, and a key indicator for us is how much our clients recruiting … Continue reading
Posted in TalentConnection
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Success Story: Houston Zoo
Posted on 11.13.2017
“We reached out to the Achilles Group to assist us when we found ourselves down one person on the HR team with the absence of a Vice President of Human Resources. Because we were in the middle of working on several major projects and did not have enough time or manpower to take care of … Continue reading
Posted in People Performance
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Clear, Timely, Focused, Respectful, Feedback
Posted on 11.03.2017
“But I’m just a soul whose intentions are good/ Oh lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.” The lyrics to that old blues song perfectly illustrate the importance of communicating your feedback in a clear, timely, focused and respectful manner. The goal is not to tear down your employees but to give them the gift … Continue reading
Posted in People Performance
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Recruiting Effectiveness at First Presbyterian
Posted on 10.23.2017
Recruiting the right candidate for your organization doesn’t always mean filling the position with someone similar to the person who you had in the role before. Instead, it should depend on the future direction of the company, so always remember to keep the big picture in mind. Character and experience are just as important as … Continue reading
Posted in Recruiting Effectiveness
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5 Tips for Virtual Workforce Engagement
Posted on 09.22.2017
Two of the hot topics in business today—employee engagement and workplace flexibility—can often seem at odds in terms of the virtual workforce. As working from home, at client sites, or second locations has increased, this has led to a decrease in employee engagement; however, there’s more to it than mere distance. The number-one reason virtual … Continue reading
Posted in HR Risk Mitigation
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How Does Payroll Work in Times of Natural Disaster?
Posted on 09.20.2017
As a result of Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent flooding throughout Southeast Texas, many businesses that were forced to closed may be wondering how to handle payroll and PTO issues. Here are a few tips and guidelines to help clear up the confusion: Payroll: Exempt (or salaried) employees: the employer is required by law to … Continue reading
Posted in HR Risk Mitigation
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Controversial Overtime Rule Struck Down by District Court
Posted on 09.13.2017
A federal court judge in Texas has struck down a controversial overtime change to the Fair Labor Standards Act (or FLSA) put in place by the Department of Labor (DOL) during the Obama Administration. The rule, which was originally scheduled to go into effect last December, was designed to extend overtime pay eligibility for over … Continue reading
Posted in Compliance
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Changes coming to the EEO-1 Report
Posted on 09.08.2017
As announced on August 29th, 2017 by the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (or OIRA), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (or EEOC) is implementing an immediate stay and reviewing of the effectiveness of the pay data collection components of the revised Equal Employer Information Report (as known as the EEO-1 report). Last … Continue reading
Posted in HR Risk Mitigation
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How to Prepare Your Company for Inclement Weather
Posted on 08.25.2017
When bad storms occur, your business should be prepared and adapt accordingly. Below are a few tips to help you get ready: 1. Have a plan. What’s your evacuation procedure? How will your employees be informed of office closings? Who’s in charge of shutting everything down? Make sure that everyone receives clear and concise communication … Continue reading
Posted in Helpful Tips
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Why Employee Feedback is Essential to Business Growth
Posted on 07.28.2017
While rapid business growth is always an exciting prospect, it’s not without its challenges. In the case of South Hampton Resources, they were a smaller company with a family-style business whose growth quickly exceeded their management capacity. They had many tenured employees, so as the management personnel transformed it took some getting used to. However, … Continue reading
Posted in People Performance
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Compliance Update – I-9 Breaking News!
Posted on 07.26.2017
USCIS released the latest I-9 form (Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification) today, July 17, 2017. The changes are summarized below: Name update: “Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices” changed to “Immigrant and Employee Rights Section”. Deleted “the end of” from the phrase “the first day of employment.” List C addition of “Consular … Continue reading
Posted in Compliance
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Employee Handbooks: A Solid Foundation for Business Growth
Posted on 06.26.2017
An Employee Reflection on the Crest Management Success Story Earlier this month we shared a Success Story from Crest Management, one of our recent clients. Specifically, we focused on the work that we did to help improve their HR Infrastructure by updating their employee handbook. Now that you’ve heard the client’s perspective, we’d like to … Continue reading
Posted in HR Risk Mitigation
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Don’t Do HR for HR’s Sake
Posted on 06.19.2017
This month’s focus has been on HR Infrastructure, which is the very foundation of an HR program. One of the first things that comes to mind when people think of HR Infrastructure is policy: the mutually agreed-upon playbook and the guidelines that shape the employer/employee relationship. However, at Achilles Group this goes beyond mere policies … Continue reading
Posted in HR Risk Mitigation
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Spotlight On: Dan Calvert
Posted on 03.02.2017
Dan Calvert serves as the President of Achilles Group where he offers a wealth of experience in business, human resources and the retail industry. With over 30 years of business experience and over 20 years of HR experience, Dan offers his clients shrewd business acumen and sound advice. We recently asked Dan to share some … Continue reading
Posted in The Team
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How Fractional HR Can Help You!
Posted on 02.22.2017
Can you relate to any of the scenarios below? There are only two of us handling everything from operations to accounting to legal to HR. With everything on our plates, it’s challenging to adequately handle HR issues when they arise, especially if we are in the middle of another important project. Our current HR Director … Continue reading
Posted in Fractional HR