7 Takeaways from Paycor's Spring HR & Compliance Virtual Summit

Editor’s Note: This is a summary of Paycor’s Spring HR & Compliance Virtual Summit. The two-day event, which drew nearly 10,000 HR leaders, highlighted FLSA compliance, recruiting, engaging, and retaining employees, the importance of HR audits, and how to create safe workplaces. Here are 7 highlights from the event. Each session is available to watch on-demand on Paycor’s website for the price of your email address.

1) The Price Is Right for Everyone: Ensuring Fair Hourly Worker Pay Under FLSA

In this session, Julie Pugh, assistant general counsel at TopBuild, covered the ins and outs of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Insights included:

• Exemptions from minimum wage and overtime pay include executive, administrative, and professional employees, but proper classification is crucial to avoid violations.

• Common mistakes in FLSA compliance include making classification decisions based on titles, classifying all supervisors as exempt, assuming all salaried employees are exempt, and ignoring state-specific laws.

•The FLSA does not require vacation, holidays, meal or rest periods, premium pay raises or fringes, discharge notices, reasons for discharge, or immediate payment of final wages.

• State-specific minimum wage rates vary and HR professionals should be aware of local requirements.

• Record-keeping requirements include maintaining records of hours worked each day, additions to or deductions from employee wages, and retaining records for at least 3 years.

Key Quote: “We don’t want to have to do the math on enforcement, so let’s make sure that we’re doing things the right way from a compliance standpoint so that if we do have any sort of enforcement through investigation or other legal remedies, we don’t have to do the math.”

2) HR Uncensored

Paycor’s CHRO, Paaras Parker, and VP of Total Rewards and HR Operations Jennifer Gessendorf tag-teamed to address HR’s role in improving employee engagement and company culture and answered attendees’ pre-submitted questions. Highlights included:

• HR policies and employee engagement are crucial for creating a safe and supportive work environment.

• Companies should have transparent and consistent compensation policies to prevent employee dissatisfaction.

• Addressing employee burnout and promoting a healthy work-life balance can improve retention rates.

Key Quote: “Creating a safe and supportive environment reduces stress, burnout, and anxiety. Not only does that lead to better well-being, but more productive employees and more engaged employees.”

3) 10 Ways to Recruit, Engage & Retain with Social Impact

Founder and CEO of Millie, Rachel Klausner discussed various ways to engage employees through social impact initiatives. The session covered 10 unique ways to engage employees in social impact, including volunteer events, donation campaigns, and charitable gift cards. Takeaways included:

• Incorporating social impact initiatives into the workplace can lead to increased employee retention and a more engaged workforce.

• One way to further engage employees in social impact work is to involve them in the planning and execution of initiatives.

• To inject some fun into social impact initiatives, incorporate gamification and competition into programs such as giving campaigns and volunteer events. For example, create a “giving madness bracket.”

Key Quote: “Employee turnover drops by an average of 36% among employees engaged in company giving. And turnover drops by an average of 57% among employees who are engaged in both giving and volunteering with the company.”

4) HR Audits: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

Gia Wiggins, founder of Auditocity and president and owner of Morale Resource, focused on the importance of conducting human resources data audits, the process of conducting an audit, and the potential dangers of not conducting audits. The session also provided insights into compliance, best practices, and tools to help with HR audits. Session highlights included:

• Audits should include items such as compensation and benefits, regulatory items, data collection, compensation duties testing, drug screens and background checks, temporary worker treatment, and 1099 treatment, among others.

• Conducting regular audits can save a company money in fines, fees, and remediation costs.

• Sign up for updates from the Department of Labor, EEOC, SHRM, and Paycor to stay informed about changes in regulations and best practices.

5) What’s Keeping HR Up at Night?

Joey Price, CEO of Jumpstart HR, discussed various issues affecting HR professionals, including artificial intelligence, mental health, flexible work arrangements, and managing a multigenerational workforce. He shared insights, studies, and examples to help address these challenges and reduce anxiety around them. Takeaways included:

• AI can be used as a complementary tool to improve productivity and reduce workload, but organizations should also consider the ethical implications and potential job displacement.

• Addressing mental health at work can lead to better outcomes for employees and the organization, including reduced burnout and improved productivity.

• Implementing a four-day work week can have positive impacts on employee well-being and company performance, but organizations should carefully consider the potential challenges and implications.

• Managing a multigenerational workforce requires understanding the unique needs and expectations of each generation and fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment.

Key Quote: “Get some rest. The future will be okay. There’s insight, there’s information, there’s inspiration.”

6) Respect Matters: Creating a Safe and Supportive Workplace for Everyone

Attorney Merry Campbell’s session highlighted the importance of harassment prevention training for HR professionals, covering the legal aspects, company policies, and real-life examples of harassment cases. Insights surfaced in this session included:

• Harassment prevention training is essential for HR professionals to create a respectful and inclusive workplace environment.

• Understanding the difference between problems and tragedies is crucial in preventing harassment issues from escalating.

• Legal aspects and company policies play a significant role in addressing harassment issues. And investigations and remedial actions are essential.

• Open communication and understanding different perspectives can help in creating a more inclusive workplace.

Key Quote: “Your behavior might be a little different in the office than it is outside the office, but all an anti-harassment policy asks of you is that you treat everybody with dignity and with respect.”

7) Measuring and Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace

This session, presented by Catherine Mattice, founder of Civility Partners, focused on the importance of psychological safety and trust in the workplace, discussing the differences between the two concepts and how they can be improved within organizations.

• Trust involves feeling comfortable being vulnerable with someone else, while psychological safety encompasses feeling safe to share ideas and take risks in a group setting.

• To create an environment of trust and psychological safety, organizations should focus on proactive leadership, effective communication, and a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Training managers on how to address behaviors that harm trust and psychological safety is essential.

• Implementing a comprehensive performance management system can help improve psychological safety and trust within an organization.

Key Quote: “Psychological safety has an ROI to it. It’s about feeling safe to be yourself… that you’re still going to be included even if you have some sort of crazy idea or you ask a ‘stupid’ question.”