What's not to love about Human Resources?

Someone asked me recently, “You look so young, yet you come with so much experience. How did you get into HR?”

Without giving you my whole resume, here's what happened. I found a job in college that was flexible with scheduling, with an international HR outsourcing corporation called Workscape.  After college, I went to Manpower Staffing, then, after moving from Boise to Idaho Falls, to Advantage Employer Solutions. Finally, I made the big decision to start my own business.

Over 14 years, I've worked with everyone from IBM, GM, Nokia and Whole Foods down to small businesses with one or two employees. From almost the beginning, I recognized I loved HR because I loved working with people. I loved helping people who hadn't received their insurance ID cards and helping people get hired after searching for months. Designing policies and procedures to help streamline business operations -- maybe that wasn’t my favorite part, but I have had the opportunity to do it a lot. HR is a vast array of disciplines and knowledge all centered around a company’s greatest and most valuable resources, its employees.

Because it covers so much, HR can be misunderstood and often hated by both employers and employees. I’ve spoken to a number of business people who loathe anything employment related. In their minds, it’s best to maintain simple HR management. I've also dealt with employees who view the HR department as the company’s KGB for “handling employees.”

The funny thing is, both sides are insanely wrong and could do themselves a big favor by changing their mindset about HR.

Businesses do not have to seek out and hire a true HR professional to maintain great HR management practices. I have seen HR management conducted successfully by office managers, supervisors and business owners. I will say, however, that in order for HR management to be successfully integrated into a business it is important that the person in charge of HR has proper training, experience, knowledge and a steady commitment keep up on the latest developments. There are numerous HR training programs, blogs, newsletters, webinars, organizations, professionals and consultants, all available at the click of a button.

No matter how small, it’s increasingly important for every business to integrate HR management into its organization.  HR management has become the front line for business against potential legal liabilities, but also helps businesses to operate more efficiently and effectively. If you don’t integrate HR management into your organization, I can promise you will continue to have long-term issues that go far beyond losing your last unemployment claim appeals hearing.

For employees, HR professionals are not always the “bad guys.” Ideally, their job is to manage all employment related issues in a fair, impartial and streamlined manner. I understand this doesn’t always happen, but keep in mind most of the time there are probably about 50 things that go into a situation that you will never have any idea of, and a lot of them have to do with employment and labor law compliance. I just ask you to be more open-minded in knowing that their job is to be impartial and fair.

In simple terms for both sides, HR is an advocate of both the business and the worker. While every business may not have a dedicated HR professional in them, those responsible for HR management should in theory be this advocate for both sides of the employment relationship. If that’s the case, what’s not to love about HR?

Monica Bitrick is a human resources consultant based in Idaho Falls. She writes a weekly column on HR issues for BizMojo Idaho.

City plans public workshop Wednesday on trails, bike paths

The City of Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation Division is holding an open house Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. to review the Connecting Our Community draft plan. The meeting will be held at the Marriott Residence Inn.

The purpose of the Connecting Our Community plan is to make improvements in the pedestrian and bicycle trails and paths in the Idaho Falls area. Working with information received through a mail-in survey and open house workshops, the planning will include the examination of funding options for improvements in trails and roadway crossings and the expansion of on- and off-road paths that will allow bicyclists and pedestrians to get around the city better.

There will be a short presentation by Joe Gilpin of Alta Planning and Design, followed by an opportunity for members of the public to review and comment on the draft plans, including a conceptual plan for a proposed mountain bike park.   

In October 2013, Idaho Falls residents received a two-page, 21-question survey inside their utility bills. The survey was distributed in Ammon, Iona and Ucon in community newsletters. In the 1,115 surveys that came back, respondents identified three plan priorities: more connections to the greenbelt; safe routes to schools; and new and improved trails overall and along canals.

Site plan filed for Home2 Suites at Snake River Landing

A drawing of a Home2 Suites hotel, from the Hilton Worldwide Web site.

It looks like a new extended-stay hotel is in the works for Idaho Falls, a Hotel2 Suites by Hilton at Snake River Landing.

Horrocks Engineers filed a site plan March 25 at the Idaho Falls City Annex. This is the first step toward getting a project up and running, with engineers from all city departments looking at the plans and suggesting revisions.

What is being proposed is a project at the southwest corner of Snake River Parkway and Whitewater Drive covering 94,425 square feet, with parking for 112 vehicles.

Home2 Suites was launched in 2009, the first new brand introduced by Hilton Worldwide in 20 years. Since then, 21 hotels have opened, 21 are under construction and more than 80 properties are scheduled for development. The development focus has been on the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The design concept for suites is one of a "working wall," incorporating kitchen and flexible working space by connecting separate living and bedroom zones. Meanwhile, an "Oasis" features more than 4,000 square feet of space for guest work or play.

The footprint is typically under two acres, and the 107-suite prototype features four-story wood-frame construction. Properties are designed to be built in under one year.

Snake River Landing's parent company, Ball Ventures, already has a relationship with Hilton Worldwide, having developed the Idaho Falls Hilton Garden Inn nearly 10 years ago.

An interior view, offering a look at the kind of style Hilton is going for with Home2 Suites.

EIRMC names new chief operating officer

Jeff Sollis

Jeff Sollis has been named as chief operations officer at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical, according to a hospital news release.

Sollis has been with EIRMC's parent company, Hospital Corporation of America for seven years. Sollis he comes from Timpanogos Regional Hospital, a 122-bed hospital in Orem, Utah, where he served as COO. Before that, he worked at North Suburban Medical Center in Denver, Colo., and at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kan.

As COO, he will lead several departments, including medical imaging, pharmacy, laboratory, therapy services, plant operations, nutrition services, environmental services and EIRMC's Behavioral Health Center.

He holds a bachelor of arts degree in behavioral health from the University of Utah and a master's degree in health administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Paid time off is good for employees and employers

The Arizona desert is the perfect place to be productive and get work done. As I write this I am headed back to Idaho from sunny Phoenix, Ariz., where I spent spring break.

During our five-day family vacation, I have answered e-mails, spoken to insurance underwriters, scheduled interviews and meetings, written new employment policies and updated job descriptions. All this productivity has taken place in between sightseeing, shopping, swimming, MLB pre-season games and time with friends.

Despite the fact that I own and manage my own company, I relate more to today’s average employee. Like most employees, the workplace extends my office, hours typically aren’t Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and if a client calls with a question when I am on vacation I answer it.

Businesses continue to change and conform to societal trends and demands. With markets expanding globally and the public demanding 24/7 operations, staffing and managing businesses has never been more challenging. Employees are tasked with more to do in their day-to-day duties, while attendance at work is crucial for business operations.

So the question then becomes, are there benefits to offering and taking paid time off away from work? The answer for both businesses and employees is simple -– yes.

Currently U.S. employment regulations do not legally mandate that employers offer any paid  time off. According to Forbes.com the United States is the only advanced economy that does not require employers to offer paid time off, lagging behind countries like Canada, Japan,   France, etc. This means it’s up to employers to voluntarily offer paid time off to their employees in the United States.

Most U.S. employers offer paid time off, right? Not quite. According to Forbes.com, it's only one out of four. Companies that pay lower wages, have part-time employees and are small businesses are more likely to not offer paid time off.

Offering paid time off has a number of benefits that can impact and cost a company far less than the paid time off employees may take during the year. Paid time off allows employees to have a work-life balance without the worry of lost or decreased income for the employees.

As employees are required to work longer and harder hours as a part of 24/7 business operations, job-related stress can be a major concern in the workplace. Job-related stress leads to lower productivity, increased absenteeism, lower employee morale, health issues  and high turnover. Paid time off can not only significantly decrease work-related stress, it can also be beneficial to the economy. As employees are allowed to take paid time off from work, they are able to take vacations, go shopping, eat at restaurants, and enjoy other recreational activities, all benefitting the economy.

So how does a business come up with a paid time off policy if they don’t have one in place? The Internet is filled with ideas on policies that can get a company started in the right direction. Business and management consultants have a vast knowledge of how to draft a paid time off policy -- what to include and specific suggestions on key points.

While businesses may worry about an employee missing work, and have to financially pay for the employee being away from the workplace with paid time of, the benefits of offering paid time off far exceed the costs.