At this time of year, we used to talk about remote work as an option to avoid weather events but 2020 has changed all that. Many of us are working full time at home now and many of us may be getting tired of it. So here's a reminder that remote work can be a good thing.

HR Reflections for the New Year

2020 has been a challenging year and 2021 will continue to test our patience and resilience. The start of a new year is usually a time for people to take on new projects, either self-improvement based or professional development oriented. While change does not need an arbitrary date, there is however, a vast prevalence of the “fresh start effect” that follows important temporary landmarks that demarcates the passage of time,

We have all struggled with the definition of work-life balance. And now more than ever, we struggle with separating our work and home lives. The pandemic has forced more employees to work from home and although many welcome the added flexibility, many are struggling to find balance between work and home life.

Pre-pandemic, employers were increasingly trying to provide work-at-home options as retention tools, and employees often looked for new jobs citing better work-life balance as the primary reason for the search. Although employees welcome this new flexibility, we have to recognize that working from home has its own set of challenges.

Remote employees, whether contracted or full-time, can bring a lot of value to organizations that want to operate leaner, faster, and more efficiently. Because of this, as much as 50% of the modern workforce does their job at least, in part, through telecommuting and remote collaboration with other employees.

Local and municipal governments face unique challenges that includes not only meeting the basic needs of citizens, but also improving their overall experience when dealing with local government – both online and in-person. 

And while technology can assist in improving interactions between citizens and governments, all levels of government administration are today challenged with trying to operate with severe budget restrictions.

Solutions for Municipal Government

Administrators, finance, HR and IT departments are tasked with educating themselves about technologies that can increase efficiency and accuracy, and finding affordable solutions for municipal government that work in this unique environment.

From the ROI of integrated payroll and HR solutions, leveraging HR data, citizen and employee self-serve solutions, to cyber security and identity management, StarGarden can help local governments gain efficiencies and serve citizens more effectively.

Benefits of Integrated Payroll and HR

Countering Downward Budget Pressures

Employee Termination

Self Serve and Employee Engagement

Cyber Security

Identity Verification and Fraud

After reviewing your current HR and payroll systems, are you thinking about implementing an integrated scheduling and payroll system, but aren’t sure whether it’s worth the time and money? An integrated system offers many significant benefits.

I always tell my clients that I have four letters stenciled across my forehead “R I S K”.

When someone applies for a job in your enterprise or, appears at a counter wanting to be served or, is wanting to deal with you electronically, verifying their identity should be based on risk. Let’s use Jane Doe as an example.

Local and county governments are entrusted with many types of personally identifiable information (PII), personal health information (PHI) and other sensitive data such as births, deaths, social security/social insurance numbers, property tax, deeds and medical records. 

As keepers of such valuable information local governments need to ensure that security measures are in place to protect constituents' data from cyber attack. Here's how HR departments in local government can play an active role in reducing cyber security risks.

Is it time to buy an HCM solution or replace your aging HCM? For most organizations it starts with recognizing issues with the existing way of work.

One of the common reasons why municipalities switch to HR technology is to allow employees to view, validate and update their own information on a web portal. Many municipalities provide self-service to employees for benefit selection, viewing policies, and accessing training programs and information.