HR Mavericks

HR Maverick

Tanner Pierce, PHR

Tanner Pierce, PHR

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Tanner has over 4 years of HR professional experience in various fields of HR. He has experience in hiring, recruiting, employment law, unemployment, onboarding, outboarding, and training to name a few. Most of his experience comes from working in the Professional Employer and Staffing Industries. He has a passion for putting people in the best position to succeed and really tries to understand the different backgrounds people come from.

What words of advice and encouragement would you give to someone just starting out in HR?

Don’t be afraid to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. In HR, you are constantly working on various kind of projects(sometimes not directly related to HR), so it is important to show your willingness to work on any kind of project you are given. Also, Identify your strengths and build upon them. Everyone has different things they are good at, and it is important to highlight those and bring value to your company by magnifying those strengths, instead of focusing on your weaknesses and what you need to change to be better.

HR Encyclopedia articles written by Tanner Pierce, PHR:

Employee Social Wellness

You know from your own experience that when you feel positively connected to those around you, you are happier and have more to contribute. As an HR department, how are you supporting your employees’ social wellness—and how does it impact your company if you are not? Read on to learn how to create a culture that supports social wellness.

Employment Status

As an employer, it is important to understand the different employment statuses and what they mean for you, your company and your employees. Employment status helps set expectations between an employer and employee in regards to what is expected of them.

One-on-Ones

One-on-one meetings have become an expected part of management. What is their value, and what makes them effective? Here's how to use one-on-ones wisely and have a positive impact on an employees' morale, productivity, and relationship with their manager.

Employee Lifecycle

The blood of a company is the employee lifecycle. In order for a company to be successful, and to take proper care of their employees, it is vital for them to understand each stage of the employee cycle. How to implement the employee lifecycle properly can be difficult. This article will provide a better understanding of the employee lifecycle as a whole, each stage of that cycle, and how to properly implement each stage.

Paid Time Off (PTO)

We all know that to be a happy and productive employee, some time off is necessary. After all, do we work to live, or live to work? Paid time off is a valuable benefit for both employer and employee—but how do you create a good policy and implement a PTO program? Read on to find out.

Employee Birthdays

Companies often look for ways to improve their culture and help their employees feel validated. There are many ways to do this, but one of the simplest can be through celebrating employees' birthdays. How a company celebrates employees birthdays can go a long way in ensuring the employee feels welcomed and appreciated.

Company Culture Change

In today’s hiring world, it can be hard for companies to differentiate from other companies or to stand out among them. One of the biggest ways to stand out is through company culture. Having a great company culture can help attract the best talent and retain more of your employees. It is important to understand how to change company culture and the impact your company culture has on your company.

Group Training

Every company needs to train their employees, and no one wants to waste time and money delivering education ineffectively. This article is a guide to group training in the workplace when it is appropriate, and the best way to go about it.

Company Christmas Party

As the holidays roll around, it can lead to employee burnout. One thing that can help with this, and give employees something to look forward to, is hosting a company Christmas party. This article will outline the pros and cons of hosting a company Christmas party.

Facebook Recruiting

Recruiting is a science and an art, and there are a lot of different ways to do it. Social media is a very common method, but are you getting the best out of your efforts? This article provides an introduction on how to recruit using Facebook.

Executive Onboarding

Hiring a new executive for your company is an expensive and important process, but your job isn't over with the hire. Making sure the new leader gets oriented and feels supported is crucial to solidifying a good match and increasing their productivity as quickly as possible. How do you create an effective, welcoming and nurturing onboarding process for a new executive?

Sexual Harassment Training

As an HR leader, one of your key responsibilities is creating a safe, comfortable workplace that does not tolerate harassment of any kind. This article addresses how to train your employees on sexual harrasment and how to prevent it from happening.

Workplace Diversity

Your company, prospective candidates, and current employees are relying on you to understand and support your company’s diversity initiatives. Learn why it's essential to your company's success, and how to plan to increase your workplace diversity.

Contract to Hire

There are many different kinds of hires and it is important to understand each one. In this article we will explain what a contract to hire is and their pros and cons.

Workplace Fires

While fires in the workplace hopefully do not occur often, it is important to understand what to do when they do occur. This article will outline the importance of having a plan in place and what actions to take when a fire does break out.

Technical Recruiter

Recruiting can be daunting and difficult for companies these days. It is tough to attract and compete for the best talent. You want to have the right recruiters in place to recruit the best talent for you. One of those recruiters are technical recruiters.

Employee Trust

Every employee wants to feel safe and comfortable at work. Part of that safety comes from an employee’s ability to trust that the company they’re working for has their best interests in mind.

Virtual Meetings

For most companies, virtual meetings were virtually non-existent just a few years ago. However, after the Covid pandemic in 2020, It has become more and more common. Let's look at what a virtual meeting is and how you can make it most effective.

Commission Plan

Building a strong sales team requires a strategic commission plan. Let's look at how to create an attractive, clear, successful commission plan.

Entry-Level Job

The term “entry-level” is seen all over the place on posted jobs. However, what entry-level means can be different for every company. Read on to understand what entry-level means and how it should be communicated to applicants.

Adverse Impact

Adverse impact is a term that can sound scary because of the ramifications and unknown effects that might come from it. But this term is something every employer needs to be aware of.

Turnover Rate

Any good company knows it needs to retain its top talent in order to be successful. Understanding your company’s turnover rate will help you increase retention.

On-Target Earnings

When it comes to building a competitive commissions plan, one of the first things that should be determined is on-target earnings. This is important to determine as it is one of the first things sales reps want to know when they start a new job. In this article, on-target earnings will be explained, as well as the role they play in motivating employees.

Hiring with ZipRecruiter

There are lots of different ways to recruit new talent to your company and many online venues on which to do it. This article dives into ZipRecruiter and how it can be effective in recruiting for your company.

SPIFFs

Finding the right ways to motivate your salespeople can be hard. You want something that will help achieve your company goals while also being beneficial to the employee. A common incentive among sales teams are SPIFFs. SPIFFs can be complicated, so this article dives into their benefits and potential downsides.

Thanksgiving Company Party

Companies are always looking for ways to boost morale. Have you ever thrown a company Thanksgiving party?

Leave Management

One key function of HR is managing employee leaves. It is important to stay organized and understand each kind of leave. Read on to dive into leave management and the impact it can have on a company.

Training Pay

When employees start a new job, the onboarding process includes training. Do you understand how to go about paying employees while in training? This article dives into training pay and how employees should be paid while in training.

Department of Labor

The Department of Labor operates many programs to help the workforce, and HR needs to keep up with changes and regulations. This article dives into what the Department of Labor does and the impact it has on employees, employers, and the economy.

Severance Pay

An employee leaving a company can be a complicated situation. Severance pay can help. This article explains everything you need to know about severance pay.

HR Communities

In HR, there are many places HR professionals can go to find answers, receive support or provide support for others. However, where to go and which information to trust can be a hard decision. In this article, we’ll discuss what HR communities are, the role they can play for HR professionals and HR communities that exist.

Percentile Ranks

Solid business decisions require data. Are you comfortable providing and interpreting it? This article dives into what percentile ranks are and the role they play in helping HR make decisions.

Labor Laws

As an HR professional, one of your responsibilities is to ensure your company is compliant with necessary state and federal laws. It can be overwhelming to stay on top of all the different laws. This article explains what labor laws are and their impact on an organization.

Remote Employee Connection

The workplace has changed dramatically since the 2020 Covid pandemic. More and more employers are offering employees the opportunity to work remotely, allowing them more flexibility. Are employees still making the connections they need with their co-workers? This article dives into remote employee connection and its effect on the workplace.

Paid Holidays

You know from personal experience how important time off for holidays is. Have your holidays always been paid time off? Read on to learn about the role paid holidays play in an employee’s job, and how a company should manage them.

Outsourcing HR

The many components of HR can be intimidating to someone not familiar with their full range. If you don’t want to tackle it all on your own, consider outsourcing HR.

Personal Leave

Are you struggling to keep track of all the different kinds of leave you offer your employees? One type of leave is personal leave, which will be discussed in this article.

HR in the Higher Education Industry

While HR is universal in all industries, HR needs can vary in each industry. HR in the higher education industry is no different. This article dives into the impact and challenges HR can face in the higher education industry.

Labor Law Posters

Working in HR comes with many rules and regulations—even about posters. Why are you required by law to put up posters in your workplace, and how can you most easily meet those requirements?

Underpaying Employees

Employees want to feel valued and appreciated, and one way to show you value them is to pay them what they are worth. We'll look at the causes and consequences of underpaying, as well as how to avoid it.

Retirement Benefits

As an employer, you want to do everything you can to take care of your employees. One way to care for employees is through retirement benefits, something every employer should consider providing. This article explains what retirement benefits are and the impact they have on employees.

Payroll Frequency

When employees start a job, they want to know how they are going to be paid and how frequently. This is typically handled by the payroll team, and it is important that it be clear and consistent. This article dives into everything that goes into payroll frequency.

Physical Paychecks

Does anyone use physical paychecks anymore? Some do. Let's look at what you need to know when issuing them.

HR Education

Business professionals are constantly looking for new ways to learn and grow through courses, certification, training or other forms of learning. It is important to understand different ways to further one’s learning in a given field. Read this article to understand how HR professionals can increase their education.

Employee Service Awards

We know that employee recognition is an important motivator. How do you incorporate it? One tool is employee service awards.

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN)

Employee layoffs are difficult for both the employer and employee. Beyond the effect a layoff will have on the employee(s), are you aware of the potential legal ramifications? When laying off employees, be aware of the WARN act. This article dives deeper into the WARN act and the role it plays for employers and employees.

Monthly Payroll

Are you having a hard time determining how often you should pay your employees? Are you considering doing a monthly payroll but aren’t sure of its advantages and disadvantages? This article dives into a monthly payroll and if it is the right fit for your company.

Text Recruiting

Are you struggling to recruit candidates? Have you considered texting as a recruiting tool? Let's look at how texting can be beneficial.

Hiring Criteria

Who you hire has significant impacts on the success of your organization. Set yourself up to make the best hires by implementing hiring criteria throughout your process.

Second-Chance Employers

Do you automatically set aside applications from people with criminal records? You might want to reconsider that. Let's take a look at becoming a second-chance employer.

Employee Management Software

One of the key roles of HR is managing and securely storing employee files. As technology has become more prevalent, these files are now being stored in employee management software. Would EMS work for you?

HR Budget

Are you having a hard time determining how to allocate your money from the budget? Are you overwhelmed with where to put your money for each aspect of HR? If you need answers for the HR budget, this article can paint a clearer picture for you.

Daily Payroll

Are you considering paying your employees daily, but are not sure what impact it will have on your company? Are you unfamiliar with how daily payroll works? If you need some guidance and understanding of daily payroll, keep reading.

Employee Grievance

When your employees come to you with concerns, complaints, or issues, are you comfortable responding to them? This article explains employee grievances and how to handle them.

Talent.com Recruiting

With the many recruiting sites that help with job posting, it can be difficult to determine the right fit for your company. Many factors go into determining which site is the best fit. This article discusses why Talent.com might be the best fit for your company.

Paycheck

We all know how important getting paid is. But how does that paycheck get to your employees on time and accurately? Let's look at best practices around payday.

Employee Monitoring

With workplace accountability, employees are held to a certain standard. One way to hold employees accountable is through employee monitoring. This article will discuss employee monitoring and the role it plays in the workplace.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit program can save your organization thousands of dollars in taxes and increase the diversity of your workforce. Read on to find out how it works.

Professional Exemption

How will your employees get paid? Often, businesses choose to pay an employee hourly or salary depending on which is more convenient for them. However, there’s more to it than that! This article explains what exempt means and the laws and regulations that an employer should be aware of.

HR Forecasting

As a business, you need to make future decisions with the information you have. You can’t predict the future, but you want to have a well-thought out plan that helps your business succeed. This article discusses HR forecasting and the role it can play for your business.

Salary Expectations

Salary negotiations can be hard. It can be intimidating to try to find a number that works for the company and the candidate, but it is vital in keeping the candidate aboard for the long haul if you hire them, and it plays a big role in creating a company culture where employees feel valued and important. You always want to make your employees feel valuable to your company, and that all starts in the hiring process. Read on to learn how to navigate your candidate's salary expectations to ensure success.

Internal Job Posting

When posting a job internally, it can be intimidating to know how to go about it. This article will answer some of the most commonly asked questions and provide insight on the best ways to approach an internal job posting.

Job Fair

Recruiting for potential employees is a never-ending job, and is more effective with a diverse set of approaches. Posting jobs online will probably always be a primary avenue, but job fairs are one possibility many recruiters forget to consider. Read on to decide if job fairs are for you, and how to go about it if they are.

State Employment Agency

State employment agencies are beneficial for both employees and employers. They offer many kinds of services to the public, as well as play a role in helping mediate employment and labor issues. Read on to learn more.

Exit Interview

When employees leave your company, one of the first questions you ask is why? As an employer, you want to understand why your employees decide to leave your company. Employees leave for a multitude of reasons: better job opportunities elsewhere, job dissatisfaction, reduction in hours, or personal reasons. Whatever the reason might be, exit interviews are one of the best ways to understand why they are leaving and to help you know how to prevent more turnover in the future.

Employer Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment Insurance can be confusing and frustrating when you have an employee or former employee file for unemployment and you receive the claim. Understanding unemployment insurance is and the impact it can have on your company can go a long way in easing the frustration and confusion that comes from receiving an unemployment claim.