Human Resources Issues for E Cigarette, E Liquid & ENDS Industry

Human Resources Issues for E Cigarette, E Liquid & ENDS Industry

Overview of Key Functions of Human Resources

A commonly heard phrase in business is “Our people are our greatest asset.” With this in mind, it is not surprising that businesses of all sizes have some form of human resources (HR). HR is a gateway for the business to interact with its employees and is a critical component of employee well-being. Key functions of HR include the following:

Recruitment. Recruiting new employees is one of the primary responsibilities of the HR and is a complicated task. It entails advertising open positions, interviewing and hiring candidates and setting aside hours devoted to training the new recruits.

Safety. Employers have a duty to provide a safe working environment for employees. HR supports workplace safety training and maintains required logs for workplace injury. Workers compensation issues are also handled by HR.

Compensation and Benefits. Payroll is the process by which employees receive their salary and involves verifying, balancing and reconciling payroll data and depositing and reporting taxes. It also facilitates any benefits provided by the company.

Compliance. HR ensures that a business operates in compliance with all state and Federal labor laws, including employee classification, number of breaks given per number of hours worked, the number of hours worked, and the age in which an individual can become employed.

Employee Relations. HR typically assists in developing an employee handbook, which clarifies the roles and expectations of employees. When there is a dispute or misunderstanding between employees or between employees and a manager, HR mediates the situation. This function of HR can also assist in identifying and resolving potential wage and hour, harassment, discrimination and/or retaliation claims prior to reaching litigation.

Training & Development. HR often publishes training materials and implements employee training and development for a variety of reasons. It also ensures performance reviews are conducted.

Employee Separation. Employee separation is inevitable and is a sensitive issue. There are two types: voluntary (separation of employees on their own request) and involuntary separation (separation of employees for organizational reasons which are beyond the control of the employees – i.e. termination). The decision to terminate an employee can raise many legal issues and potentially litigation.

Efficiently addressing these areas within your organization can provide you with structure and the ability to meet business needs through managing employees

The e-cig/e-liquid attorneys at Brown & Charbonneau, LLP are up to date on all of the relevant issues affecting the industry, including HR matters, and are prepared to assist you. To learn more, call us today at 714.505.3000, or e-mail inquiries@bc-llp.com to set up a consultation. For more information about the e-cigarette, e-liquid and ENDS industry, please click here