WIDE PRAIRIE HR, LLC

SESSIONS 2024 

All sessions can be delivered in Spanish or English/Spanish hybrid

All sessions can be delivered in-person or virtually

Our learning deliverables can be customized or built from scratch to meet the needs of your people and business

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESS OWNERS

The ability to think and act strategically is an increasingly critical leverage point for visionary and innovative business owners. Employee engagement and alignment, innovation, culture are all driven by strategy, and best guided by empowered leadership at all levels. In this session we will provide you with the tools to become a true strategic thinker.

Topics covered include:

  • What were you thinking?

  • SWOT

  • Organic/Inorganic growth

  • Cascading strategy

  • Action plans and takeaways

EMPLOYMENT LAW BASICS FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESS OWNERS

This session will provide a general overview of basic employment law and compliance issues that provide the foundational framework for any business owner, helping avoid legal pitfalls while helping create and sustain a welcoming and equitable environment. In this session we will discuss the basics that apply to most businesses such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). We will discuss the relationship between these laws and handbooks, job descriptions and overall good people management.

RECRUITING AND HIRING: BECOMING THE EMPLOYER OF CHOICE

Hiring and onboarding is a critical yet often most mismanaged part of the employment cycle. This session will provide tools and insights to help you find and retain the best of the best as an employer of choice.

Topics covered include:

  • The decision to hire. Why are you hiring?

  • Attracting and qualifying the best talent

  • Creating effective job descriptions and not lame job ads

  • Compliant and effective interviewing

  • Due Diligence: Reference checks, background checks, etc.

  • Hiring paperwork and administration

  • Recruiting software and third party resources

  • Onboarding

SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION TRAINING (EMPLOYEE AND SUPERVISOR SESSIONS)

Employee Training

This important training provides employees with the knowledge to understand and avoid engaging in sexual harassment and other forms of harassment This training also helps create and sustain an environment of civility and respect.

Topics:

  • What is Sexual Harassment?

  • Other Forms of Harassment

  • Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

  • Your Responsibilities

  • Reporting Harassment Concerns

  • Creating and Sustaining an Environment of Civility and Respect

Supervisor Training

Supervisors and managers play a key role in recognizing and responding to sexual and other forms of harassment. This training will raise supervisor's awareness and provide the tools to help prevent and resolve instances of sexual and other forms of harassment while creating and sustaining a culture of civility and respect in the workplace.

Topics:

  • What is Sexual Harassment?

  • Other Forms of Harassment

  • Recent Lawsuits and Judgements

  • The Supervisor's Role in Preventing Sexual Harassment in the WorkplaceResponding to and Reporting Harassment Concerns

  • The Supervisor's Role in Creating and Sustaining an Environment of Civility and Respect

 WINNING WITH ONE-ON-ONES

One-on-ones are a simple, very effective tool for strengthening individua relationships. However, they are often viewed as a “box-ticking” requirement completed with reluctance by both manager and employee. In this work-shop style session we will explore how to bring positivity and meaning to O\one-on-ones that make this time spent valuable for all parties.

HANDBOOK AND JOB DESCRIPTION BASICS

Well written and well managed handbooks and job descriptions are critical foundational tools for any successful business. These documents are essential for maintaining a robust work culture while helping minimize legal and civil exposure. In these work-shop style sessions we will discuss essentials and requirements of creating useful and compliant handbooks and job descriptions.

AI AND THE FUTURE OF WORK

 You have most likely heard or read about how artificial intelligence is now a fully present part of all aspects our world – from writing ‘new’ Beatles songs, to self-designing algorithms that predict what you will want to buy next with frightening accuracy, to helping select the best candidates for your company. Employers seeking to accelerate and improve the experience of their employees and customers are turning to AI as a critical competitive advantage – or being left behind. In this highly informative session designed for a non-technical audience of business owners, senior managers and human resources professionals we will discuss –

  • The history of AI – it’s not new!

  • The impact of AI on operations, strategy and competition

  • Are we running the machines or are they running us?

  • AI Terms:  ChatGPT, GenAI, Smart Integration, etc

  • The role of people in a machine-powered future

  • What are the jobs of the future? What is the future employee skill set?

  • Limits and challenges of AI – the risk of data-driven biases

  • Ethical, moral and legal considerations

PROFIT MEETS PURPOSE: COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP FOR THE BUSINESS OWNER

An innovative and thoughtful business leader knows that profit is critical for the continuation of a business. The most successful businesses are able to thrive by driving a robust balance of profitability and purpose. In this session we will explore what it means for a business to operate with a sense of purpose that reflects an organizational commitment to the overall well-being of its employees and greater community through economic, social and environmental stewardship - while at the same time maintaining and even enhancing the bottom line.

DOCUMENTATION BASICS

A habit of creating meaningful documentation is an essential tool for any successful leader, providing an essential tool for people management while protecting and minimizing company liability. This session will provide the fundamentals of good documentation practices – including good versus bad documentation, tools and methods, and retention requirements. We will also workshop different scenarios highlighting the importance of strong documentation practic

WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY: TELECOMMUTING, REMOTE WORK AND ALTERNATIVE WORK ARRANGEMENTS AS A COMPETETIVE ADVANTAGE

The bottom-line benefits of workplace flexibility are increasingly important for employee productivity and retention. Less attention has been paid to the challenges faced when integrating flexibility into work groups. In this session we will discuss the essentials of workplace flexibility including how to supervise remote employees, tools and technology, and legal and operation considerations of alternative work arrangements.. 

HIRING AND RETENTION FOR A DIVERSE WORKFORCE

Attracting and retaining a diverse workforce doesn’t end with recruiting. It only begins with recruiting. It requires creating and sustaining a welcoming and inclusive environment that creates a sense of belonging and engage for all employees. This dynamic and engaging session, in two parts, will provide employers with the tools and ideas necessary to grow and strengthen their company through diversity. Part I will include an overview of the business case for diversity, recruiting and onboarding for a diverse workforce, recognizing and avoiding bias, and proper training of supervisors. Part II will focus on understanding culture issues and creating and sustaining a welcoming environment.

NECESSARY COMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

It is critical for any leader to learn to establish open and trusting relationships at all levels, providing the framework for strong and productive partnerships. In this session we will learn how to identify and successfully manage through conflict situations, creating and maintaining a positive work environment.

Topics covered include:

  • Developing credibility

  • Understanding communication styles

  • Active listening and effective communication techniques

  • Sources of conflict

  • Approaches and preparing for successful conflict resolution

  • Creating a positive work environment

DISCIPLINE AND PARTING WAYS

While no one looks forward to disciplining or firing employees, it is a reality that these situations will occur from time to time. Disciplinary issues and termination of employment effects recruiting, retention, employee relations, morale, productivity and more. Numerous legal risks may arise as well when an employer fires an employee. This highly interactive session will provide the tools and processes necessary to help you address discipline and termination issues in an equitable, respectful, and legally defendable manner. 

  • Performance issue or discipline?

  • What does your handbook say? What are you policies?

  • Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)

  • Documentation: The good, the bad and, yes, the ugly

  • Legal, work comp, FMLA and other issues to consider

  • The termination meeting: a respectful separation

  • What happens after the termination?

TIME MANAGEMENT

There are never enough hours in the day, but you can learn to be more effective with the ones you are given. This session will provide you with knowledge of how to make more effectvie use or your time, implementing measurable action steps that will allow you to take control of your day and make sure you are unleashing all of your productive potential. We will cover managing time, wasting time, personal time study, planning and tools, the Eisenhower Matrix, meetings, and unruly email.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY BASICS

In this session, we will discuss how to effectively evaluate an employee's performance. While yearly evaluations are still standard in many companies, effective performance management goes beyond the yearly sit down and is effectively driven by best practices in setting expectations, transparency, and accountability. We will cover the concept of performance management, performance evaluations and other tools, accountability, measurable goal setting, and what to do when the wheels fall off.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Successful change management requires the application of knowledge, tools and resources to implement and sustain change.  In this session we will outline the steps required to successfully implement new processes, products and business strategies while minimizing negative outcomes including:

  • Defining the scope and impact and change

  • Planning for change both tactically and strategically

  • Outlining a clear, effective communication strategy

  • Engaging leadership and all employees

  • Sustaining the change

LEAD THYSELF

Are you truly ready to lead others? But first, are you able to lead yourself? A company culture that promotes people development necessarily acknowledges and encourages self-awareness.  Self-aware individuals and teams are adaptable, culturally aware, and make solid decisions based on honest communication. Join us to explore the concepts of individual and organizational self-awareness, and discuss the tools necessary to promote a culture in which people are valued for their differences and supported to make effective decisions. What the heck does lead thyself mean anyway?