HR & CANNABIS

There is more to Human Resource Management in the Cannabis Industry than just hiring and firing, salary and benefits. A new report, quoted by Forbes, estimates that by 2020 the legal marijuana industry will create around 250,000 jobs – or more than the expected employment positions to be found in the nation’s manufacturing sector. And with the legal cannabis market growing in both size and value, more cannabis companies are realizing that they need human resources professionals to handle both the mainstream challenges of managing a company as well as the unique issues facing legal cannabis businesses. That is where ChampionPEO steps in.

ChampionPEO makes sure your grow, dispensary, testing lab, or ancillary business has everything in place and is prepared for any HR scenario that comes our way.

ROBUST JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Employers need to communicate what is expected of each employee, both to hire the person with the right skill set, and to have a joint understanding of the job to turn to in the case of poor performance. Having a firm to not only create but update your job descriptions as your business grows will expose any overlap or gaps in workflow and responsibility.
Employees that “touch the plant” have very strict laws they need to abide by. ChampionPEO can assist in your selection process to be sure your new hires are rule-followers, or they could put you whole business at risk.

Hot Jobs In the US Cannabis Industry

Trimmer

Manicures and prepares all harvested flower product to be sold in medical and recreational cannabis retail locations.

Verifying Employee Eligibility

Champion has found that some cannabis company founders have non-traditional business backgrounds and may not realize that Federal law requires all new employees to complete an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form. The I-9 form helps companies ensure their employees’ identity and their authorization to work in the United States. We make sure all current and oncoming employees are verified, eligible, and filed appropriately according to employee record keeping rules and regulations. Along with verifying, ChampionPEO takes care of all federal audits, so you don’t have too.

Understanding Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Classifications

The FLSA are the minimum wage, overtime pay, record-keeping and other employment standards. Some jobs in the legal cannabis sector are still new and employers may not know how to classify them.

Should the staff who tend the cannabis plants be considered exempt, or should that classification be reserved only for geneticists who develop a company’s unique strains? And who gets overtime?

ChampionPEO has cannabis-specific policies and procedures already implemented so you can rest assured all FLSA Classifications are being administered according to Federal law requirements.

Other employment laws that employers need to be aware of and that ChampionPEO can implement and administer include disability accessibility, family medical leave, record retention requirements, etc.

Hiring the Best and Minimizing Turnover

It is common for employers in the legal cannabis sector might begin by hiring friends they can trust, but if there are issues with commitment or a skill mismatch, that relationship will sour…fast. ChampionPEO can assist clients in their recruitment process including job postings, interviewing, background checks, and ultimately hiring and implementing into your workforce. We make sure to look for a diverse workforce that can bring different perspectives and life experiences along with their skill sets.

Communicating cultural issues like product excellence, work-life balance, teamwork or other parts of the founders’ vision is key in both work and deed. ChampionPEO can create an employee handbook including policies for time off, safety, security, laws that might be applicable to employees at work, etc. while unifying the staff’s understanding of their on-the-job rules. By having ChampionPEO assist in job training, employee development and setting up periodic scheduled reviews, your marijuana-related business will keep the lines of communication open.