That’s a wrap! The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) Trainings for EEO Professionals, both Train-the-Trainer and Investigation Skills training, have wrapped up for 2024. HR Solutions At Work founder Judy Kalisker has served on the faculty for the annual program as a volunteer since its inception in 2000.

This series of training programs helps EEO professionals identify and develop the skills needed to conduct effective internal discrimination complaint investigations and provide critical discrimination and harassment prevention training. There is one more session for 2024: “Responding to Accommodation Requests.” More information on this course, and the link to sign up when new courses are added to the schedule, can be found here on the MCAD website.

HR Solutions At Work can also offer customized training for internal HR and management teams. If you’d like to learn more about this or any of our outsourced HR services, please contact us here.

Did you know that HR Solutions At Work does custom webinars for small business owners? We can tailor HR and legal content to fit any industry, from tech and health care to construction and farms. Best of all, we do this for free for networking groups and associations!

We recently hosted a webinar, highlighting our custom HR services, for a group of community farm executives. These attendees represented a variety of independent farms united by the shared goal of equitable access to healthy, sustainably grown produce for all, and we were thrilled to be able to support this mission. Judy Kalisker and Natalie Costello led the lively and interactive webinar, which covered a range of topics including compensation packages, equitable benefits, feedback, and performance reviews.

The webinar focused not only on the macro level of these topics, which are applicable to any industry, but also on the micro level of what is unique to farms and to nonprofit organizations. The participants appreciated the guidance tailored to unique challenges in their industry.

Webinar participants commented that they had never heard of this kind of program before at other HR companies. One participant said that having all of the farm’s HR needs serviced by one organization was a “game-changer.” Another nonprofit operations leader wrote to us afterward (they agreed to be quoted here), saying:

Finally! This is the HR resource that I’ve been looking for for so long. You have no idea how much weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

For our part, we left the webinar feeling energized and excited to plan more webinars for a variety of industries in 2024. We’d love to hear from you: Do you think your industry’s small business owners would benefit from a tailored webinar? Is there anything in particular you’d like some guidance on?

Please contact us if you’re interested in having HR Solutions At Work create a free custom webinar, lunch & learn, or coffee chat for a networking group in your industry. If you would prefer to set up a one-on-one meeting with our Director of HR Services to learn more about our outsourced HR solutions for small employers, please contact us here.

In October 2020, Judy Kalisker was featured on the Channel Maven Consulting podcast focusing on diversity and inclusion in the workplace — issues that are just as relevant today as they were then. In the interview, Judy talks about how some conversations about social or political issues can create tension in the workplace. Among other things, she also discusses the distinction between diversity and inclusion on the one hand and discrimination and harassment on the other.

One point to remember when it comes to DEI training, Judy points out, is that “no one should be made to feel uncomfortable because of who they are.” And, importantly: your diversity and inclusion training should tie to your business goals, company culture, and policies.

Many employers and managers think they should know how to address potentially divisive issues in the workplace and handle important conversations, but these issues are complicated and involve not only the business decisions your organization’s leaders are trained and experienced in, but also legal and HR issues. That’s where we come in. We provide advice and HR solutions for employers, such as workplace training and investigations, that help employers navigate these tricky issues.  

If you have questions about this, or if you’d like to hear more about our advice, outsourced HR solutions, workplace trainings, or investigations, please send us a note and we’ll get in touch to discuss your needs.

HR Solutions At Work participated in the November 8, 2023 Multi-Chamber Expo run by the Waltham Chamber of Commerce. Nearly 100 vendors exhibited, representing a variety of local businesses that included restaurants, non-profit organizations, small family ventures, national banks, and more. The event had a huge turnout, with raffles, dance performances, free massages, and food samples from local restaurants, bakeries, and ice cream shops.

Representing HR Solutions At Work were (pictured above, left to right) Senior HR Consultant Jessica Toohey, Content and Communications Coordinator Jennifer London, and HR Administrator Merrilee Guarini. At our exhibitor booth, we answered questions about our company, gave out free pens and tote bags, and had a blast meeting the huge variety of companies interested in our services. We came away from the event energized and excited about attending more local events, learning about the wonderful businesses right in our backyard, and helping teams both large and small to find HR solutions to help their businesses grow.

A huge thank you to Waltham Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Molyna Richards for organizing the event and including us!