Frequently Asked Questions

If you want to have productive employees who are dedicated to the vision and mission of your company, effective onboarding is key. This involves more than new hire paperwork, a tour of your organization and introduction to colleagues. It is important to convey a clear understanding of the job expectations, company culture and access to the tools and resources necessary for your employees to complete their work efficiently and effectively. Set aside time for relationship building among team members and ensure that goals are clearly communicated. Help your new employees to understand how feedback will be provided and the structure of your organization. A good onboarding process should be both personalized to the employee and should give them time to integrate into the company. Onboarding can last up to a year in a strong organization that includes regular feedback and communication. In the long run, a good onboarding plan can save time and money, not to mention create strong, productive employee relationships. 

Complying with employment laws and regulations is crucial to protecting your company, avoiding legal mishaps and fostering a safe work environment for your employees. It is important to know what laws apply to your company such as employment discrimination, wage and hour laws, and occupational safety and health laws. Furthermore, it is important to stay up to date on changes to these laws. The first step is to develop and implement policies that protect your organization and align with legal requirements. Next is to ensure your team is up to date on training in major areas of compliance and safety. Lastly, keep good records for your employees. The best way to get on top of employment laws and regulations is to reach out and have an audit of your policies and procedures completed by The New Arena. We can let you know where you might have blind spots and give you direction on which policies and procedures should be updated. The New Arena can get your team trained and up to date in all areas of compliance to keep your organization free from legal troubles as well as foster a workplace environment that is healthy and safe for all employees. 

There is no quicker culture killer than mishandled or avoided employee performance issues. It is unfortunately far too easy to let performance issues go instead of addressing them, which can lead to job dissatisfaction, infighting among employees, and/or loss of productivity. These are costly outcomes. The best way to handle performance issues with your employees is timely and effective communication of the concerns, setting clear and explicit expectations, and providing regular feedback. If your employees are used to you giving regular feedback in both correction and praise, it will not be a surprise when there are performance issues that are more difficult to remedy. In such cases, it is important to stick to the performance over personalities. Identify the specific issue, its root causes, and potential solutions. Confronting the situation in a fair and professional manner and ensuring that the employee understands the issue and its impact on their performance is key. Allow your employee to respond and express their thoughts, concerns or potential solutions to the identified issues. Lastly, set a development plan together with benchmarks and clear expectations. Set dates for follow up and follow through on meeting at those times. Invest in your employees' growth and their sustained success in their role with your company. 

In order to ensure the company is offering competitive and equitable rewards to its employees, it is imperative to conduct research and stay up-do-date with industry standards. An organization should begin with ensuring that all legal requirements for compensation are being met and in compliance with federal, state and local regulations. It is also important to research market trends for your industry and location. Getting input from your employees on what benefits they find to be most helpful or rewarding can lead to a better total usage of your resources and increased satisfaction from your employees. Lastly, communication is key when it comes to discussing a total rewards program with your employees. Ensure that coverage periods, claims and eligibility are clearly communicated and your employees know who to contact with questions or concerns. Ensuring a far and competitive compensation in the forefront can resolve issues with turnover and unsatisfied employees. Make sure you have a philosophy or reason behind how and why you compensate your employees in the way in which you do. Communicate that philosophy and stand true to your word.