Open House Details

Please click to listen to the video invitation above.

Monday June 30, 2014
2 pm to 7 pm
Drop in any time! 
Ribbon Cutting at 5 pm

Giveaways • Photobooth • Food & Drink

522 East Main Street
Mascoutah, IL 62258

You can join the event on Facebook here and make sure you "like" our Facebook page while you’re there. Thank you for your support! 

A Personal Note from Kandi Mensing

Kandi here. I just returned from spending 7 days in New York City. What an amazing week! If you’re anything like me, you sometimes need a break from business and reality. Since I was spending 3 days in Stamford, CT (just an hour outside of NYC), for business, I decided to extend my stay and take some time for me, to reenergize myself, reconnect to my purpose, and I did just that. Rather than staying in a hotel, I chose to sublet a Manhattan apartment and so I got to experience the city as a real New Yorker! What a fast-paced city, but I was surprised by how friendly and helpful New Yorkers are. The movies make them out to be stiff and rude, and my experience was nothing like that.

I spent 3 days with the most incredible entrepreneurs from around the world. We have created strong friendships in the last year of working together, but our time together last week provided me with some lessons, I’d like to share with you. I hope they serve you in some way.

Too often, we entrepreneurs run ourselves ragged in our businesses. We are pulled constantly from one thing to the next. We need to actively find focus. It’s important to find focus by delegating to your team, creating well-trained staff, respecting your time, schedule, and calendar, and outsourcing the activities that are a drain on your business (accounting, cleaning, billing, website work, marketing, public relations, and human resources just to name a few). Your time is your responsibility, and it’s your duty to ensure that you are not overwhelmed so that you can "show up" in a big way for your business.

We entrepreneurs are also very hard on ourselves. We often don’t take the time to celebrate our small or large successes. Instead, we move on to the next goal, the next project. We set strict, sometimes unrealistic goals and deadlines and when we are unsuccessful at meeting them, it takes a hit on our confidence, which prevents us from moving forward the next time, or causes frustration. Take time every day to celebrate your accomplishments for that day. Implement a system to track goals you set (no matter how small) and whether you met them. I constantly amaze myself at what I accomplish every quarter because I establish goals, and track them. It creates confidence, which I believe breeds success.

Make time for the things that matter most. Work smarter, not harder. We sometimes equate being busy with being successful and that is so far from the truth! It’s not about doing everything right, it’s about doing the right things. Be strategic and focused rather than busy. There’s no point working on things that don’t give you results. Your business needs you to be focused and energized, and if you’re stressed and overwhelmed, you will not show up for your business and your business will suffer as a result. Work more strategically. Work less hours by ensuring your time is respected, uninterrupted, and work on the strategic, most important things in your business.

I could go on all day but I wanted to share with you the lessons that spoke to me the most, the issues that I find are a common denominator in the businesses of our clients. Entrepreneurship is a full contact sport, but we are the coaches building the teams, training the teams, leading the teams, and creating the legacy. When we have strategies, and we show up energized in our business, there’s only one option: WINNING!

The I-9 form is required by every employee to prove they are authorized to work in the United States. Fines for filling it out improperly can range from $110 per violation to $16,000 per violation, which can add up quickly in case of an audit. Protect yourself and your business by knowing the common mistakes and how to fill out the form the right way.

1.  Not filling in the blanks. It may seem obvious, but everything must be filled out. Too often, employers leave something they consider inconsequential blank. Don't even leave the lines for dates blank. Doing so can lead to a fine.

2.  Not having the employee fill out Section 1. Section 1 must be filled out by the employee. Again, everything, including the address, needs to be filled out.

3.  Filling out the preparer/translator section as an employer. Employers sometimes think they need to fill out the preparer/translator certificate section. In actuality, someone other than the employer needs to act in that role and fill it out.

4.  Not keeping the form long enough. A common mistake for employers is that they think they only need to keep the I-9 for three years. Instead, you need to keep it for as long as the employee works for you plus one year or for up to three years, whichever is longer.

5.  Handing out the Spanish language form to Spanish-speaking employees. It's tempting to give your Spanish-speaking employees the Spanish version of the I-9. But resist. That version can only be used in Puerto Rico. However, it can be used as a reference for the employee to fill out the English version.

6.  Using the wrong type of visa. When reviewing the worker's documents, don't get tripped up by the type of visa provided. Make sure the document is not a tourist visa, which raises a red flag in audits.

7.  Not inspecting expiration dates. Expired passports used to be acceptable, but no longer. In general, inspect all expiration dates on the documents.

8.  Waiting to have employees fill out their part of the I-9. Don't put off having employees fill out their part of the I-9. They need to have it filled out by the first day of work, and the employer has until the third day. That means, if the employee begins work on a Monday, he or she needs to have the I-9 filled out by then, and -- there has been some confusion about this -- the employer needs to have his or her section filled out by Wednesday. A good rule of thumb is to have employers fill out their part at the same time as the employee so it isn’t forgotten.

9.  Requiring certain types of documentation. It is not your choice which documents employees provide. They need only to honor what the I-9 requires: a legitimate document from List A or one document from List B and one from List C. Also, don't ask for more than the minimum required. If a U.S. citizen provides a passport, for example, a driver's license isn't needed.

10. Improperly storing documents. Don't put the I-9s and any accompanying documents in employees' files. All of the forms should be in one place.

For more tips and a walk-through of the form, watch the short video below:

Elite HR Team™ works with a variety of small businesses. Many of them don't have a dedicated human resources (HR) department, and sometimes, it isn't even just one person handling the HR function. For example, the office manager may be in charge of paperwork and filing, while the accounting department keeps track of hours, payroll deductions, and insurance matters, and the manager or supervisor oversees discipline. One of our resources published a list of the top essential skills that are needed in human resources management.* Below is their list of must-haves, along with our comments.

1. Organization. Organized files are a must in human resources, not only to keep the business running smoothly, but also to create a paper trail in case of audit or lawsuit. Compliant recordkeeping helps avoid costly lawsuits and government fines. 

2. Multitasking. Human resources requires many hats. You not only have to find new employees, deal with personnel issues, and ensure that everyone understands their benefits package, but you also have to know what the laws say about all of it. Everyday is a new and exciting challenge, if you're ready to accept it.

3. Dealing with Grey Areas. Is it discrimination? Is it harassment? What is "reasonable" accommodation? What do you do when faced with a he said/she said situation? Dealing with human resources situations means remaining professional, documenting decisions, and using your best judgment based on the facts you had at hand.

4. Negotiation. Negotiation is an important skill to help navigate the grey areas. Do you have the ability to help people to compromise and be happy with the solution, even if it's not what they wanted. Some negotiations are routine, such goes along with deal as a request for a raise, while others may be more rare.

5. Communication. Communication is so important across all lines of business that it should maybe be higher on the list! Keeping in constant communication with your employees not only shows that you care, but also lets them know what's expected of them, which keeps your organization running smoothly.

6. Discrete and Ethical. Discretion is essential, especially in our business. You will notice that Elite HR Team never shares the names of our clients, and instead just says "A Large Manufacturer." We find that people don't like to discuss their business problems, even if they've found the solution.

7. Dual Focus. The HR tightrope is stretched between the employees and management. You want to keep employees happy, while simultaneously protecting the business's bottom line.

8. Conflict Management and Problem Solving. It would be a beautiful day if we could all learn to get along! We've had HR complaints on things so small as the smell of someone's oatmeal in the kitchen to an employee not realizing that it was dress-down day and crying that she missed the chance to wear jeans. Although these issues may seem small, they obviously affected the employees enough to ruin their day, and human resources has to sometimes act not only as a sounding board but must also comfort them and find a reasonable solution.

9. Change Management. In the previous eight skills, we listed several day-to-day issues that human resources must juggle. But you must also be able to keep the big picture in mind as you run your business. Where are you going and how are you going to get there? Strategic HR Planning can give you a road map to the future. 

If you feel that you're missing some of these attributes in your company's human resources management, we have solutions. You might want to consider a program such as Elite HR Business School™, which walks you through establishing compliant HR function. We also have retainer options that allow you to learn to do it yourself all the way through handing over HR function to a team of consultants. Find which one is right for you.

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No matter what your political views or affiliations, the truth is that times are changing and businesses need to change with the times. Many states, including Elite HR Team's home state of Illinois, are passing same-sex marriage laws.

Illinois's legislation was passed last fall and took effect June 1. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage, whether by court decision, state legislature, or popular vote. Eight other states that have bans on same-sex marriage have been or are involved in court battles, calling these bans unconstitutional, so more changes may be coming. Currently, the states where same-sex marriage is legal are:

California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. These new laws will affect employers in various ways.

Employers will need to treat same-sex spouses the same way they treat opposite-sex spouses. This will have ramifications for employer-sponsored health plans with spousal coverage eligibility as well as retirement plan beneficiary requirements.

Also, employee leave policies will be affected. For example, the guarantees provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for the serious health condition of a spouse will be available to same-sex spouses. Similarly, other leave or benefit policies relating to spouses and families (e.g., bereavement leave) will need to be administered consistently for opposite-sex and same-sex married employees.

Employers also need to know what their state specific laws say. A provision in the Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on marital status. Thus, no adverse action should be taken against employees based on their status as married or single. Sex and familial status are both protected classes under the Civil Rights Act, which means you cannot base a decision to hire or fire on them.

In addition to knowing how the law will affect you, you should also consider Sexual Harassment & Diversity Awareness training, so that your staff understands how to avoid discrimination in the workplace and so you can prove that you don’t condone discrimination on this basis should you end up in litigation for such a claim. Courts are more lenient on employers that have required this training for all employees and repeated the training. This issue has cropped up in other local news as the St. Louis Rams signed openly gay Michael Sam in the draft. Don Jones, a safety for the Miami Dolphins, was suspended, fined, and required to take "sensitivity training" before returning to practice because of remarks he made on Twitter. If he had been through Elite HR Team's training session, he would have known better!