By Laurie Wachter The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives and livelihoods across industries and countries. Across the globe, hospitality and sales jobs disappeared, and other jobs shifted home to dining room tables and spare rooms. Schools and daycare centers closed, further destabilizing the work-life balance of many. The socially distanced global community shared a dramatic shift that left us frustrated, isolated and searching for a new normal. For many, that meant reevaluating their relationship to their job... Continue Reading

Celebrating 15 Years of SIP Certified Over 47k acres of certified vineyards, 5 wineries, and 60.3m bottles Nearly 30 years ago, a small group of like-minded grape growers started a nonprofit to guide and educate the industry toward sustainability. Today, one of the groups’ award-winning programs, SIP Certified, is recognized as the gold standard program for sustainable winegrowing.  In 1996, this group, known as Vineyard Team, wrote the first self-assessment for sustainable vineyard farming: The Positive Points System (PPS). By completing the PPS year after year, growers would evaluate and improve their sustainable practices on every level, from habitat protection to water conservation, soil health to human resources. Consumer demand to understand how their wine was made compelled the group to transform the self-assessment tool into an official certification program. Their goal was to develop a rigorous, third-party verified program so vineyard stewards could be confident t

In March 2020, with many employers moving to remote work due to COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced COVID-19 certain more flexible ways to complete I-9 document verification requirements. These flexibilities allowed for the temporary use of video link, fax, or email confirmation of document validity. Prior to that, it was required that all verification be done in person. Recently, DHS has announced that COVID-19 allowances for non-physical verification of I-9 documents expire on July 31, 2023. DHS is also requiring employers to reverify identification documents by in-person inspection for all employees who were verified remotely between March 1, 2020 and today. This must be completed by August 30, 2023. There are several options for physical examination of COVID-19 era completed I-9 documents. If the same company representative (person who did the first inspection) is doing the physical verification of the docu

Usually, California employers need to be prepared for the possibility of new employment laws signed during the legislative session, which adjourned on August 31. This year, there was some additional wrangling in the legislature that took a little longer. But, as expected, Governor Newsome signed several bills expanding employee workplace protections on September 29th and 30th. Below are the top laws that we believe could impact our clients. Read on, the fun has just begun! Before you start, we suggest you have your heartburn medication handy, or maybe some coffee or some other drink of choice. . . we’re HR people, and can’t tell you what kind of drink to choose, but we think you might already know. Ok, ready? Set? Here we go. . . 1. COVID-Related Bills: AB 152, AB 2693, and AB 1751 California COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Effective now through the end of the 2022 (But you’re already compliant, right?) Ok, we know, we’re all done with COVID, right? N

A recent article published by the North Bay Business provided insights to the reasons employees are make a mass exodus from the workplace. https://www.northbaybiz.com/2022/01/30/the-great-resignation/ What can you do? Set clear goals and objectives Give Praise and RecognitionAvoid micromanaging employees; it only leads to frustration and Empower employees with more responsibility and authority Allow remote work options or flexibility in their work schedule Encourage Creativity and Idea SharingSolicit ideas from your employees on process, product, and/or service improvements Reward employees on ideas the company implements Nurture creative expression and innovative thinking Support Job-Related EducationHigh-performing individuals tend to be life-long learners encourage Offer training and development opportunities to provide skills and tools Reimburse job-related courses taken by employees  Summary A company’s success is largely dependent on their workforce. Employees exp

We are an exciting and fast paced winery seeking a part time Human Resources Coordinator who is enthusiastic and customer service oriented to take on Human Resources functions at Castello di Amorosa. At the Castle, we pride ourselves in providing our guests with not only a wonderful experience, but leaving them with beautiful memories. The Human Resources Coordinator is responsible for conducting the day to day flow of the Human Resources functions of Castello di Amorosa Winery. This position performs HR compliance, recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, benefits management, workforce planning and time clock administration. Do you have experience in the HR field? Are you interested to challenge yourself on a wide range of HR tasks? Would like to enjoy some flexibility in your schedule? Read on! See more details and apply here:https://www.wineindustry.jobs/jobs/51442970-human-resources-coordinator-20-25-hours-week-at-castello-di-amorosa-winery

Check out our new video which summarizes a few new employment laws effective January 2021.