All of us at impactHR are excited to introduce our new company website! 
Our new site, built by Columbia, MD’s IMPACT Marketing and Public Relations, is designed to appeal to the multi-faceted information needs of our clients, prospective clients, partners and friends. With this new platform, we’re able to project clearly how our values, solutions and services address our clients’ strategic HR needs.
We invite you to visit our website – and hope you find content that helps you and your team maximize the performance of your people, processes and technology.
impactAction: If you have questions or need assistance with your HR needs, please reach out to us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
impactBreakast: Protecting Your Company’s Data from Employee Misuse
Nearly two out of three corporate cyber breach incidents in the US are carried out by employees in their current roles and/or when transitioning out of their 
companies, said Atlantic Data Forensics’ (ADF) CEO Brian Dykstra, who presented at our impactBreakfast learning/networking event last month.
Dykstra said it’s more critical than ever to protect and preserve your data when employees are on the job and when they depart your company or organization.
Dykstra, a recognized cyber crimes investigator, shared several cases ADF has addressed around employee data misconduct, including when: employees ran a competing company using their employer’s assets and intellectual property; an employee absconded with payroll funds over a multi-year period; and a misbehaving CEO ultimately was removed by the company’s board.
To combat data breaches and theft, whether intentional or accidental by employees, Dykstra recommends employee training on cybersecurity do’s and don’ts, such as how to avoid phishing scams and making sure passwords are changed often. He also recommends employers understand fully where their most sensitive data is stored and who may or may not have access to it.
impactAction: If you have questions or need assistance with your employee training needs, contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
HoCo Chamber’s Women’s Leadership Conference 2020 Date Set
Mark your calendar: the annual Women’s Leadership Conference (WLC) is set to take place Friday, March 27, 2020, at Maryland Live! Casino & Hotel. 
The theme of next year’s conference is “HERSTORY: Ingnite your 2020 Vision: Enlighten, Embrace, Equip and Execute!”
The annual WLC features a distinguished group of women leaders in a range of professions in the Baltimore-Washington region and aims to recognize “the contribution of phenomenal women leaders and their effect on regional business growth as well as to inspire all attendees to strive for more effective leadership.”
The WLC is hosted by the Howard County Chamber of Commerce. More details forthcoming!
Your End-of-Year HR Checklist: Getting Ready for 2020
With the end of the year soon here, it’s a good time now to evaluate the components of your HR function to prepare for optimum efficiency at the start of the new year.
Here is a quick guide/checklist of tasks and processes to consider reviewing and freshening up to help you get ready for 2020:
HR infrastructure – Review your current HR structure to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of services provided throughout the organization with a special focus on staffing levels, technology and operating procedures.
Compliance – Complete an overview of the legally required aspects of employee management practices with an audit of all documents, records and policies to ensure you’re in compliance with relevant federal, state and local regulations.
Technology – Review your employee data management, record-keeping and retention policy and data flow management (such as the effectiveness of data exchange across the organization).
Here is a snapshot checklist of key HR practices/processes to review for compliance, clarity, completeness and accuracy:
Documents and records:
- Personnel files
- Medical files
- I-9 files
- Terminated employment records/files
- File documentation
- Policies
- Employee handbook
Practices and processes:
- Management development
- Employee development
- Reward and recognition practices
- Termination practices
- Salary and compensation practices
- Performance management issues
It’s also a good idea to review and update your current employee handbook content. Or if your organization or company doesn’t have a handbook yet, consider developing one for your employees.
Here are some questions to ask when reviewing or building your employee handbook:
- Are there any policy updates that need to be made?
- Have any procedures changed that need updating?
- Does it contain clear, consistent and concise language?
- Is the employee handbook orderly and well-organized?
- Does the handbook reflect your unique company culture?
Providing a polished, organized employee handbook can help build and maintain good relationships with your employees. Ideally, your handbook should be updated annually to ensure policies and procedures are current. It also needs to reflect applicable changes in law that occurred during the past year.
impactAction: If you need assistance tackling your end-of-year checklist, contact an impactHR team member at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
MD Employers: New Anti-Discrimination Rules in Effect this Month
Under recent changes to Maryland’s Fair Employment Practices Act (FEPA), all employers with 15+ employees in the state, as of Oct. 1, 2019, can now be subject to anti-discrimination and harassment claims by their independent contractors.
In addition, under amendments to FEPA passed into law earlier this year, employers with at least one employee can be subject to harassment claims specifically. Harassment, under this law, is “based on race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.”
impactAction: If you have questions or need assistance complying with Maryland FEPA, contact an impactHR team member at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.