I understand why you think about it that way. HR is short for Human Resources and it’s a super broad term which is thrown around. I like to remind people that HR has the word Human in it. HR is about people. As employers, we want to find great people, put them in positions where they can thrive personally and professionally, and then get out of the way and let them shine.
Human Resources does include payroll. But I will let you in on a secret. The cost to run payroll for the provider is very low. I mean incredibly low and it is all run by software. So I see Payroll as a minor component of HR. Where HR really comes into play is when it comes to problem solving and compliance. And that’s where we shine. We provide a ton of training, one on one, during the custom crafting process. We stay with you and can answer easy to very difficult questions about HR. Things like background checks, payroll, and even benefits all run on autopilot once they are set up. For me, HR is your people and your teams. It’s planning and getting good at managing people. Getting better at hiring. Caring enough to be super accountable in that you know you are in compliance with all the wage and hour rules and employment regulations before you start holding others accountable.
How did I gt into this? Wow. So in a life long ago I owned two live music venues with about 65 employees. I also had several touring bands on the road who I managed. Bands like Dave Matthews and Phish played my stages. The Avett brothers started at my open mic night.
What I had was lots of employees and not a whole lot of knowledge on how to manage them. It was crazy that one day my team would be amazing and a week later, everything would come off the rails. I got by. I learned that my problems were shared by almost every entrepreneur and manager out there. People needed support and then my idea morphed from there. I focused on Dental and medical and compliance and helping with some coaching.
Then three years ago I identified Cannabis as place where we could make a difference. I’ve been studying you guys and collecting new members in your industry ever since.
Cannabis is arguably one of the most heavily regulated industries in existence today. Writing handbooks for this industry seems nightmarish! Why didn’t you choose to focus on an industry less regulated, like motor vehicle manufacturing or nuclear energy?
I did that for 14 years. When my old business associates and friends run into me and ask me what I am doing now, and I tell them, they are like… WHAT wait? What?
But here is the thing, I am a manger owner just like many of my members. I know what it feels like to grow. I feel your pain:)!
Bwhaha. Well, lets just say that given my music background and that I have the power to choose the industry I want to serve, Cannibis is a “good fit” for me. Code…
Seriously,
I love seeing what’s happening.
Like everyone, I want my company’s efforts to matter. I sincerely believe in the industry and I know you guys are vulnerable. You are a sweet for predatory employment plaintiffs attorneys target. I like helping to take that target off your back.
Know the rules and follow them.
Be consistent
Require your managers to understand what every policy means and how it is to be enforced
If someone tells you that you are an at-will employer and can fire someone, as guidance, seek someone who actually understands that At-Will employment has limitations. Lots of them.
Hire difference makers and take good care of them. they will take care of you. But when things go wrong or get weird because people are weird, make sure that your house is in order.
leverage software to help you stay wage and hour complaint. (Talking to you California)
Enforced = Applied. I am not a lover of rules. But I am also here to protect you and I’ve found that many of the laws and regulations sort of limit what we can actually do. We accept that and play within the rules. That said, you still get to be the boss.
We operate in all 50. We have members in all 50 states and that includes the cities they operate from. It’s an important distinction. 12 years ago we did not have to pay attention to municipal rules because they did not exist for the most part. That has all changed. It does not matter where an employer is. We can help with an hr issue and do it knowing exactly which laws and regulations apply.
Can you offer guidance to people in states like Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah which all recently passed medical cannabis legislation? What should owner/operators do to start off on the right note?
Nick you are in AZ. Did you know that if you fire an employee within 3 months of them taking a paid sick day that they are protected? If you were the employer, you might get sued for retaliating against them for taking that sick day? New rule. Two years old. We know how to navigate that problem.
Yes, we can help them. In fact, we are already ahead there because we have been helping other employers there as well. Additionally, We watch the legislation specific to your industry and bring any of the nuances they write into the laws about employees into the book and our support as well.
Starting off means understanding that your liability begins as soon as you get your first employee. It’s not hard to get this stuff correct if you have the knowledge or access to it. Start with compliance in wage and hour. Make sure you get all the paperwork and HR software systems in place. We built an amazing software HR system just for our members. We believe in software but people to people is still where its at when it comes to service.
