Recent Press

Why Three Days of Bereavement Leave is Not Enough

Entrepreneur.comJuly 24 2023
My dad passed away unexpectedly in July 2022. After a year, I'm still grieving. My own experience made me rethink bereavement leave and the way that we deal with loss and grief in the workplace.

Top 50 Innovative Businesses: Hood College, HR Answerbox and iHire

The Frederick County Office of Economic DevelopmentApril 12 2023
This year FCOED is recognizing and celebrating Frederick County’s innovative businesses. These businesses are making the biggest impact on their industries, workplace, and community — thriving in today’s ever-changing environment.

Experts: To Reduce Employee Turnover, Start a Wellness Conversation

Associations NowApril 11 2023
A recent ASAE/Avenue M Group text poll found that organizations with lower turnover rates are looking beyond compensation and discussing professional development and health benefits with workers.

4 Things You Can Do To Truly Disconnect From Work Over The Holidays

Entrepreneur.comDecember 28 2022
One of the biggest challenges of being an entrepreneur is knowing how to disconnect from the pressures of work when taking a break.

The 3 Pillars of Running a Business That Operates Smoothly

Entrepreneur.comDecember 28 2022
Don't over-complicate what really needs to happen to cultivate a successful enterprise.

8 Keys to Keeping Employees Happy and Engaged During the Great Resignation

Entrepreneur.comDecember 28 2022
Companies that focus on happier workplaces will win in the end.

Piloting a Program That Betters How AU Works

American UniversityAugust 03 2022
AU's first supervisors academy aims to build a culture of belonging and thriving.

Trouble Hiring? It’s Time to Invest in Your Workplace Culture.

EntrepreneurFebruary 22 2022
If you've tried to recruit someone into your business over the past several months, you know how difficult it is to find qualified talent.

10 Techniques to Manage a Flexible Workforce

The SHRM BlogDecember 10 2021
To help you run a more flexible workforce, we asked business HR professionals and business leaders this question for their insights. From cultivating mutual respect and trust to focusing on results, there are several strategies you can use to guide a flexible workforce.

Are Untrained Managers Ruining Your Business?

Entrepreneur.comSeptember 03 2021
A warning that untrained managers are quite possibly ruining your business may seem at first needlessly inflammatory, but all too often it’s the truth. The reality is that most managers struggle to effectively lead their teams, and that costs a business more than you likely realize.

Create an Organizational Culture That Helps Retain Staff

ASAESeptember 03 2021
High employee turnover can cost associations more than $2 million each year, according to research. With poll data showing that many employees are considering leaving their current jobs, associations can employ a few simple strategies to help create a culture that retains staff.

Remote work policies are here to stay, shaping the future of office space

The Frederick News-PostApril 29 2021
The pandemic has ushered in a new normal for many American workers: working from home. While many jobs cannot be performed from home — including jobs in manufacturing, health care and hospitality — more than 70 percent of American workers were working from home last December, according to a Pew Research study.

Amanda Haddaway: Revamping the corporate industry with HR Answerbox

Beyond ExclamationApril 29 2021
Everyone has a unique way to measure success. For Amanda Haddaway, success is helping her clients solve their most pressing employee management challenges. She states, “When I can fix something that’s broken in an organization or within a team, or solve an issue that’s keeping the business owner up at night, I feel like I’ve done what I needed to do.”

Is Your Workplace Culture Missing the X Factor?

Entrepreneur.comMarch 16 2021
We spend a lot of time at work, so it makes sense that business owners, leaders and HR professionals are concerned about their work environments and how employees perceive their organizations. Yet so many of these same leaders think workplace culture automatically takes care of itself.

How to lay an employee off compassionately if you have to do it remotely

Business insiderDecember 04 2020
Laying someone off is never easy, whether you do it in person or virtually. Be compassionate and honest.

Influential Women in the Frederick County Business Community

Frederick News-PostDecember 04 2020
As many great stories start, Amanda Haddaway found her passion in human relations by accident. She had interned for an IT company while she was in college that later extended her an offer to write reports, putting her new communication degree to use.

Local Business Owner Recognized as One of the 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch in 2020

Insights SuccessDecember 04 2020
Amanda Haddaway, managing director of HR Answerbox, was recently selected by Insights Success as one of the 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch in 2020.

The employer’s guide: 15 things to avoid when letting an employee go

HumanResourceOnline.netDecember 04 2020
You've definitely heard the saying, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Well, the same goes for preparations. In fact, HR consultant Amanda Haddaway says preparation is paramount. You should anticipate any questions the employee might have, then formulate and practice your answers.

Developing the Mindset and Skillset to Be a New Manager

SHRMDecember 04 2020
Employees promoted to management are often expected to continue some or all of their previous responsibilities, says Amanda Haddaway, SHRM-SCP, managing director of HR Answerbox in Woodsboro, Md.

HR Answerbox Recognized as Best Boutique Corporate Training & HR Consultancy 2021 – USA

Corporate Vision MagazineDecember 04 2020
"Being recognized is especially meaningful this year because 2020 has been a challenge" said Amanda Haddaway, managing director of HR Answerbox. We've been able to innovate our offerings to best serve our clients with their current HR and training needs. All of our training programs are now available as live or recorded online versions and we've launched a virtual HR service for consulting and compliance support."

HR Dashboards and Analytics

SmartsheetSeptember 23 2019
A 2016 report by Grand View Research found that the global human resource management market size was valued at $12.6 billion and was on track to grow to $30 billion by 2025. There’s a good reason: People are the most important factor in any organization’s success. Companies are turning to more efficient ways — chiefly, by relying on data and analytics — to manage their all-important human capital.

#SHRM19 Speaker Spotlight: Amanda Haddaway, HR Answerbox

SHRM BlogMay 14 2019
The solo HR practitioner is often pulled in so many directions they need a reliable partner to get the job done right. SHRM's resource center is designed to support HR professionals in small businesses by providing tools and guidance for their most challenging problems.

Small Business HR Tips

Frederick Chamber blogMarch 13 2019
When Amanda Haddaway started HR Answerbox, her boutique human resources consultancy firm, four years ago she was already a seasoned HR professional with over 16 years of experience working in corporate human resources. With nearly 40,000 hours of HR experience under her belt, the two highest professional certifications in human resources, SPHR and SHRM-SCP, and a Master of Jurisprudence degree in Labor and Employment Law, she was ready and able to launch a company designed to help business owners, executives, and managers tackle the complex, and not so complex, human resources challenges they face on a daily basis.

Time Management Techniques for the Busy HR Professional

HR Oxygen podcastMarch 13 2019
Time is the one currency we just never have enough of! As a busy HR professional, you know this better than anyone. Our guest today, Amanda Haddaway of HR Answer Box will share some of her tips and techniques to better make use of the time we have, and to create additional pockets of time.

Employee Orientation and Onboarding: Why It Matters

Frederick County Chamber of CommerceNovember 15 2018
Most organizations spend considerable time and money identifying and selecting talent, but some fall short once the person starts with the organization. Think about your own orientation and onboarding strategies. What is the candidate experience once the offer is accepted and a start date is determined?

Revamping Your Performance Management Training

Training Industry MagazineSeptember 17 2018
Complaints about performance reviews are all too common in the workplace. Managers feel like they are wasting precious time going through a process that doesn’t have much meaning, and employees aren’t receiving feedback that helps them to grow and develop as professionals. So, what can organizations do to fix this problem?

#SHRM18 Top Tips for Succeeding as an HR Department of One Session with Amanda Haddaway

ViventiumJune 27 2018
An HR department of one (HR DOO) is a generalist, a problem-solver, a multi-tasker, a recruiter, trainer, employee relations specialist, benefits administrator, CHRO. They wear all the hats. As I sat on the ground in the front left corner (we’d run out of seats), in the #SHRM18 session given by Amanda Haddaway, I couldn’t believe how many HR DOO’s there were in that session alone!

Revamping Your Performance Management Training (Training Industry Magazine)

Employee Orientation and Onboarding: Why It Matters (Frederick County Chamber of Commerce)

#SHRM18 Top Tips for Succeeding as an HR Department of One Session with Amanda Haddaway (Viventium)

How to Ask for (and Get) the Raise You Deserve

Help! I Need HR Software and I Have No Idea Where to Start

HR Department of One: Managing the Impossible (Paychex)

What Small Businesses Need to Know about HR (Entrepreneur Podcast Network)

Master Checklist for Your First 6 Months as Head of HR (Reinventing HR – A blog by Reflektive)

The ROI of Recognition in the Workplace (Reinventing HR – A blog by Reflektive)

Working with Nerds: A Survival Guide for Extroverts (Swift Systems Blog)

How to Know If You Should Use Performance Ratings (Reinventing HR – A blog by Reflektive)

The Link Between Performance Management and Employee Engagement (Hppy)

Three Ways to Turn Managers Into Coaches (Reinventing HR – A blog by Reflektive)

The State of Small Business: Maryland (Business News Daily)

10 Tech Tools for Entrepreneurs (Recruiter.com)

HR Answerbox Partners with iHire to Provide New Recruiting Solution

5 realistic resolutions that will get you a job by graduation (Monster)

More companies refuse to throw holiday parties for workers (MarketWatch)

Radio Interview with Amanda Haddaway (WTHU)

Is Your Online Employment Page Turning Away Mobile Users? (CareerCo)

Are Your Job Descriptions Motivating Job Seekers? (FlexJobs)

11 Important Qualities to Look for in Your Next Hire (Business News Daily)

Feedback, appreciation and benefits: How to improve your retention rate (SmartCEO)

Time to Let Go? 15 Expert Tips for Firing Employees (Business News Daily)

6 Career Missteps to Avoid in 2014 (U.S. News & World Report)

Five Things Missing From Your Employee Handbook (NFIB)

Job Interview Questions That Could Get You Sued (BusinessNewsDaily)

How Smart Leaders Manage a New Employee’s Engagement (Dale Carnegie Training)

Things to do after work that can help your career (CBS MoneyWatch)

Spotting a candidate fishing for a counter offer (CBS MoneyWatch)

The many faces of business-casual (Chicago Tribune)