“ERA” was birthed in 2014 out of a mutual perceived need. Cost containment and providing excellent service has become lost in the world of workers’ compensation and the injured worker. More small employers have either left CA or closed their doors in the past decade over business and workers’ compensation cost increases than any other reason.
After spending a year speaking with various professionals in Worker’s Compensation, Lawyers, Insurance Brokers and HR Experts and attempting to show why our model of support would NOT WORK, it was concluded that here was a niche market for someone wanting to help the small business by providing quality services with a focus on relationships, a proven HR and safety model coupled with a cost-effective workers’ compensation package.
Our Mission
Creating cost-effective operational, people and stewardship solutions for organizations with a continual focus on relationships, integrity, courage and strategy
Our Values
We say what we do – People before process – Truth with best practice – Humility in leadership – Excellence in life
One Core Principal
Relational-focused support and systems
Problems in Business Today
Employers Resource Associates, Inc. was established is a relational-focused Administrative Service Organization (ASO), providing business and administration services and expertise supporting firms that have done poorly administering and running their own organization. As a result of poor choices, their workers’ compensation (WC) insurance coverage, required by every employer in the state of CA, has become so cost prohibitive the organization has a choice; fix it or cease operations. With the fear of closing their doors, the firm has made a proactive decision to move positively in the areas of safety and HR (to the best of their ability), resulting in a drop in WC injuries and claims.
The organization now faces an insurmountable challenge. They are moving forward with greater success, yet the cost of Workers’ Compensation Insurance has not, and will not, drop for the organization in today’s market for another 3+ years despite the organization’s success. The profits are absorbed by the cost of maintaining WC Insurance
The organization just described, is whom ERA sees as our client. ERA’s primary objective is to focus on the grey-collar companies that had bad WC claims/losses; 3, 4 even 5 years ago and over the past couple years have purposely made a focused effort and decision to move positively in the areas of safety/risk management and human resources management. By doing so this has resulted in a drop in WC claims and greater gross profits. However now the organization faces a wall. No insurance carrier will give them credit for the 2 to 3 most recent positive years when trying to secure WC insurance and support. ERA will.
Product & Services
Whereas quality Risk Management/Safety and HR Systems Management are the tools for ensuring things run well, it is offering lower cost WC insurance to the client along with a pro-active v. reactive administrative approach that will differentiates ERA from our competitors. We believe by providing positive synergized system support within a committed and improved work culture, our clients will see a lower frequency and severity of injuries and a more highly motivated workforce.
What Can ERA Provide Our Clients
Workers’ Compensation Insurance and Administration
A key component and cost-center for the small business is the cost of workers’ compensation. In the state of CA all employers with 1+ employee is required to have it. The problem in today’s market is that the carriers are very aware of the requirement and are willing to hold hostage smaller organizations that have in the past not been as aware as they are currently in providing a safe work culture. This has resulted in ridiculous additional charges being added to the cost of what should be a competitive workers’ compensation premium.
By having some leverage with underwriting, ERA looks to provide a fair price for workers’ compensation insurance while continuing to increase the quality of human resources and risk management therefore lowering an organizations injury frequency and severity of claim. A full win-win scenario!
Human Resources Systems, Management and Services
ERA has a desire to help develop a work-place personality or culture that focuses on getting the job done with motivated employees and without a fear of labor or safety compliance issues.
With a focus and expertise in the areas of creating innovative and strategic human resources and development solutions and systems, our HR team specializes in supporting small to medium size marketplace and nonprofit organizations by taking human resource legal and development transactions to a place of transforming and impacting an organization’s goals and metrics through their people and relationships.
Spotlighting the employer with 10 to 150+ employees, growing organizations have the same HR support and strategy demands as much larger firms yet cannot afford a person with the needed HR expertise. After completing a full HR audit of an organization and putting in place time-proven HR systems and solutions proprietary to ERA, the capstone is providing one of two effective models to support an organization:
1– providing the ERA Retention System model; a 24/7 unlimited HR support from ERA via phone, email and in-person when needed.
OR
2 – in addition to #1 above, providing a seasoned ERA Manager to work on-site as an active part of an organization’s leadership team. Typically our HR team will work anywhere from 16 to 32 hours per month depending on the number of employees and the need.
Payroll Facilitation and Administration
The goal of ERA is to provide a quality personalized outsourced payroll processing and tax filing services to employers of all sizes. ERA Payroll has a full service tax-filing department that generates agency-approved federal, state, and local tax returns and payments. Procedures have been established to ensure that the appropriate tax filings are complete, accurate, and timely.
ERA Payroll’s web-based processing web application eliminates the cost of specialized hardware and removes the burden of software installation and upgrades. All the client needs is a computer with internet access and a browser.
All services and results are accessed through one portal, presented in a single well-organized report, with 24/7 password-protection. With the ERA payroll process, clients will have full user-friendly payroll access within their payroll, included within a single cost:
Safety and Risk Managements
Employers continue to be under ever-increasing public pressure, and legal obligation, to improve safety and reduce health risks in the work environment. Moreover, given the new congressional agenda which includes shifting more responsibility to the states, California employers especially cannot drop their guard where issues of employee safety are concerned. Safety and a quality Injury and Illness Prevention Plan, couple with solid Risk Management systems, are critical for today’s employer and the safety of their employees.
ERA provides full safety support and compliance, IIPP writing and the facilitation of an “active living and breathing” safety program when needed, coupled with orchestrating regular safety meetings and training.
Past and Current Clients
About Us
Ronald Frank Smedley
Ron is CEO and co-principal of ERA.
With over 30+ years in the area a human resources, workers’ compensation and business development, Ron has an M. A. from California State University, Long Beach, CA with an emphasis in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a B. S. in Psychology from Biola College.
In 1993, he was presented an honorary degree in Human Resource Management while in Kiev, Ukraine as a result of consulting and training in the areas of team building and leadership with the Government Ministers and newly formed Company Owners of the country.
As a human resource specialist, Ron is often called upon in the area of labor law interpretation and policy/procedure writing with the line-of-sight focus of strategic change management while transforming both the people and systems within the organization.
As one who develops others, you readily observe his passion to see men and women grow into leaders that understand what it means to inspire and influence others within the workplace and life. Following Ron’s passion is the drive to help men and women understand the value of the relationship and growing it in others.
Besides working full-time consulting, Ron has instructed at Claremont Graduate University since 2009 and currently teaches graduate courses in Compensation & Benefits, Ethics and Strategic Processes for Human Resource executives within the Human Resource Design program.
Currently Ron is doing research in the area of passion and learning models…he knows when men and women learn how to discover that “fire in their belly”; they will understand more about how they are created and where they can best serve their fellow beings.
Ron’s passion is seeing men and women grow beyond their paradigm and the “box” they so often place themselves within.
Ryan Giffen
With over 18 years in the service industry with a focus on human resources, development and culture, Ryan’s professional experience in leading hotel groups and restaurant chains has provided a strong foundation of people management to meet the changing and challenging demands of today’s workforce. Ryan has served in the capacity of higher education instructing in the area of Human Resources, California Labor Law, Employment Law, and several other business management subjects at Orange Coast College, California State University—Pomona, Johnson & Wales University, and Cypress College. A combination of practical wisdom and focused research has lead to the ongoing success with his clients.
Academically, Ryan earned a Ph.D. in Hospitality Management from Iowa State University and published a dissertation on Organizational culture and personality type: Relationship with person-organization fit and turnover intention. Furthermore, he has an M.A. in Organizational Leadership and a B.A. in Social Sciences from Biola University.
As a frequent guest speaker in the area of leadership, human resources and employee development, Ryan’s applied research in organizational culture, motivation and behavior continues to help organizations better understand the ever evolving employee. Certified as a variety of motivational and behavior tools and metrics, Ryan is able to utilize ethical assessment that can assist organizations on building effective communication and relationships between internal and external stakeholders.
A mastery of time management, Ryan is still able to enjoy activities such as: traveling, snowboarding, biking, running, spending time with friends, and keeping a regimented fitness routine.
Pat McAuley
Pat brings over 20+ years experience in Human Resources, practicing as a Professional Generalist, with a focus on HR procedure interpretation and Selection – Recruiting. In her last position, prior to joining ERA, Pat worked as the Director of Recruiting for a large corporation, managing a team of recruiters nationwide.
Pat believes that Human Resources is the heart of an organization and is the beginning of any organization’s ability to meet and even exceed their goals and objectives. When an organization hires the right person, treats them with respect and compassion, and helps them be the best they can be, that employee will do everything they can to help their organization succeed.
Pat received her M.S. in Human Resource Design from Claremont Graduate University and her Bachelor’s degree from Biola University. She was also an Adjunct Professor teaching Human Resource Management at Biola University from 2002 to 2013.