Hear about the Nextep experience straight from a Nextep client
Serving our clients and elevating their employment experience is one of our guiding principles, and we don’t take that lightly. Our commitment to clients has only grown stronger this year.
We had the opportunity to virtually chat with Gena Dupus, Partner/Principal at our client, Black Forest Decor, about the challenges her business faced at the onset of COVID-19 and how Nextep has helped guide her company in the midst of the pandemic.
Q: COVID-19 brought challenges for employers across the country. What has been the most difficult adjustment for your business during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: The most difficult issue was trying to keep compliant with all the legalities and tax issues involved. Without Nextep, this would have been incredibly difficult. I was able to watch several of the Friday webinars, which helped keep us up to speed on the evolving issues related to COVID, sick leave, PPP, etc.
Courtney in HR has been invaluable to our company. We have consulted with her regarding numerous facets to the COVID pandemic, and she always has the answers. She is always available and provides quick responses, which I greatly appreciate. Some of the issues that arise need immediate attention and her availability has been incredibly helpful.
Q: How about your employees? What have their challenges been during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: Our biggest challenge is keeping everyone healthy. This required having as many employees as possible teleworking for a time. This was quite challenging for many of our employees. We all had to adapt, and overall our employees kept a positive attitude and did what needed to be done.
Q: How has Nextep helped you and your business with these challenges?
A: I have watched many of the Friday webinars Nextep hosted. I have also consulted our HR business partner, Courtney, numerous times for advice on specific issues, including an employee being exposed to and testing positive for COVID, guidelines on exposed employees returning to work, setting up protocol for allowing essential workers at the warehouse to come to work during the pandemic (temperature checks, etc.), handling high-risk employees concerned about working during the pandemic, and on setting up new COVID-related pay codes; having payroll manage all the COVID pay codes is very helpful. I wouldn’t have time to keep track of all of this.
Q: Do you feel your company and employees have gotten through this situation better with Nextep as your partner than you would have on your own?
A: Absolutely. The resources made available have been extremely helpful. It would have been difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with all the policy issues early on. Having this information clarified and provided in an easy format really helped a great deal.
With the deep integration of technology at Nextep, our experts were able to quickly create COVID-19 resources to guide clients and the general public through new legislation and workplace requirements — all without missing a beat.
We’re here to help you work through anything that comes your way. We’d love to serve you and show you how we can help you stay ahead of the game for the rest of 2020 and beyond — schedule a personalized demo with us to see how we can make your business stronger by bringing HR where you are!
