At a minimum, the human resources department handles: Recruiting. Hiring. Compensation. Employee benefits. Training and development. Employee relations. Employee engagement. Employee retention. Health and safety. HR compliance. To save money, many small-business owners tackle these employment activities on their own, only to learn that the company is better off … [Read more...]

To take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, an employee must: Work for an employer that has least 50 employees for 20 or more workweeks in the present or previous year. Have worked for the employer for at least 12 months, whether consecutively or nonconsecutively. Have worked at least 1,250 hours for the employer during the 12 months prior to the start of the leave. Work at … [Read more...]

The employee handbook is no longer viewed as just a communication tool for employers. It's now regarded as a protection strategy as well. The handbook can be your recipe for onboarding success and your legal knight in shining armor, regardless of your business size. Your recipe for onboarding success Consider the following basic information that's typically given to new hires during … [Read more...]

Before Open Enrollment - Reflect on the previous open enrollment period. Note the successes and failures and formulate a strategy for avoiding prior blunders. - Survey your employees to get a sense of what they want and don't want in their benefits packages. They may want more personalized options, more communication or a more streamlined elections process. - Consult with your benefits … [Read more...]

A diverse talent pool offers the best odds for hiring the right person for each position. What are some of the challenges in putting together diverse teams? Minority groups may feel undervalued and not speak up as much. Majority groups may feel alienated by efforts to enhance diversity. Cultural conflicts may distract teams from working on company problems. Team members may create … [Read more...]

When you offer a PEP, a pooled plan provider or PPP will be responsible for most fiduciary and administrative duties for the plan, freeing participating employers and enabling them to limit legal exposure. There's a streamlining of reporting and disclosure requirements as well. Fidelity, Paychex and Aon are offering PEPs as PPPs. Fidelity's plan is aimed at small businesses with five to 50 … [Read more...]

After-tax deductions These deductions are subtracted from employees' wages after pretax deductions and payroll taxes have been taken out. After-tax deductions — such as wage garnishment, Roth 401(k) contributions and charitable donations — do not lower employees' taxable wages. Automated clearing house (ACH) ACH accomplishes the electronic transfer of funds from one bank account to … [Read more...]

Do you have a pay compression program in your company? Pay compression occurs when either of the following happens: A new hire earns nearly the same amount as a more experienced employee in the same role. A subordinate earns close to what their manager or supervisor makes. Pay compression: Example No. 1 A job candidate has everything you're looking for, including hot skills. You know … [Read more...]

Becoming an employer of choice is about positioning your company in a way that makes candidates eager to work for you and your most qualified employees likely to stay with you. When your competitors appear with tempting incentives, these candidates and employees will refuse because you are fulfilling their needs. These needs can vary from person to person. For example, although job proximity may … [Read more...]

In his widely referenced article "The Cost of Poor Communications," leading communications consultant David Grossman points to a survey involving 400 businesses, each with 100,000 employees. Each surveyed business reported an average loss of $62.4 million per year stemming from poor communication. The costs associated with poor communication are both direct and indirect, and include: Job … [Read more...]