Injuries happen. Auto dealers who have successfully implemented a positive safety culture have created effective procedures for helping an injured employee get back to work. A lot can be done to communicate to the injured colleague that they are valued and wanted back.



Here are a couple of scenarios where it?s important to encourage employees to return to work:



(1) Injured employees who haven?t yet reached maximum improvement but are able to return to work in a… Continue

There are 13,000 different voter districts in the United States and each one has its own rules and regulations. As HR administrators and employers, the important thing to know is whether or not your state requires employers give their employees time off for voting. Most do, and even some with pay.

Here’s the state-by-state list of employers who are mandated to give their employees time off to vote, re-posted as it appears on the …

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The NLRB is moving closer to defining a final position on when an employee?s social media postings qualify as protected activity. It has recently published a helpful report detailing the outcome of 14 social-media cases, including its first ?Facebook firing? decision.



In this case, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) upheld an earlier decision that a luxury car dealership lawfully fired a sales person over a Facebook post. The employee had violated the company?s social media…

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According to a new survey by Career Builder, 51% of employers have hired an applicant with a criminal history. Since more than 92 million individuals have a criminal history on file in state databases, according to the Justice Department?s Bureau of Justice Statistics, employers will have applicants that have a criminal past. The key for employers is to run a background check so that they know about any criminal past activities and can make an informed hiring decision. Having a past…

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This series focuses on proven techniques to stop employee theft and fraud at your auto dealership.



10. Investigate

9. Audits

8. Hotline

7. Effective screening



6. Review building security

Have a plan in place that limits employee access to sensitive areas. Look for weaknesses such as back office security- who has access, are there protocols for where people should or shouldn?t be? Use key cards, pass cards or fobs to keep people out of areas where they… Continue

The days of 6 paper copies of a Hazardous Waste Manifest may finally be drawing to a close. Earlier this month President Obama signed Senate Bill S.710; The Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act. This regulation amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act requiring the federal government to implement an optional electronic submission system within 3 years. This optional system must be made available to any person currently required to submit paper manifests.



There is little… Continue

http://youtu.be/1S7kMfYpewk

All car batteries contain sulfuric acid and produce hydrogen and oxygen gases. If the hydrogen gas comes into contact with an ignition source, the battery can explode, sending pieces of the battery and acid flying. There are several safety precautions technicians should routinely follow when handling car batteries. This three minute…

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We've all seen the slogan: "safety is everybody's business." No argument there. A positive safety culture requires teamwork. But there's a funny thing about teams: if no one's in charge of the action items, everyone assumes that it's "someone else's business" to take care of them. And nothing actually gets done.

Every effective safety program has a safety coordinator. In some cases, the coordinator is a GM or high-level executive. If that approach works for your dealership, stick to…

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In the second post of this series, Kathryn Carlson discussed two methods to address employee theft once it has taken place. This segment of the series advocates two preventative methods:



Hotline

This is the one thing that the…

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Recording of Jim Ziegler's webinar is now available http://bit.ly/SCbRkA

When we try to create a ?safety culture,? we often start with the people on the shop floor, where obvious hazards lurk, like electric shock and oil slicks. Actually, one of the most effective places to begin creating a safety culture is the boss? office. (And if you are ?the boss,? thanks for reading this post.)



For a safety program, the difference between success or failure is often defined by the level of senior management team involvement. When GMs, owners or CEOs are involved,… Continue

There's something to be learned from this Forbes article with the average dealership spending $2,610,000 on payroll in 2011.

This new guidance was posted on August 31, 2012 by the IRS, in collaboration with the Department of Treasury, Department of Labor, and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The guidance explains how employers can use a moving average to determine the status of full time employees, and answers questions employers might have about handling automatic enrollment of new…

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KPA's team lead from Austin Texas, Amanda Rawls will present Thursday's webinar about auto dealer housekeeping regulations. Go Amanda! http://bit.ly/SCubdt

Which insulating glove are right for working with hybrids and EVs?


The high-voltage systems on electric vehicles present a serious shock risk. In addition to training your staff in safety procedures, make sure they have the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including rubber insulating gloves. The key issue is to use gloves with the right rating. Continue

#AutoMarketing webinar today: Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn, Oh My: The Employment Law Implications of Social Networking http://www.dealerwebinars.com/implications.html

Hiring?s a Lot Like Gettin? Hitched! (With a Little Help From Social Media)