Traditionally regarded as a back-office function, the concept of an HR department originally leaned heavily into a transactional dynamic. The focus was on managing day-to-day administrative tasks relating to recruiting interested applicants, hiring new employees, properly compensating workers who have been onboarded, managing benefits and carrying out the termination process when … [Read more...]

The overall success of your new hires will likely be heavily dependent on their experiences during the onboarding process. As such, if the onboarding process of your company is incomplete or insufficient, it will show. A low-quality onboarding process will also increase the chances of new hires leaving your company in favor of your competitors. In order for the onboarding process to positively … [Read more...]

Regardless of your business' size, your employees are your greatest asset. But to find and keep qualified people, you need a high-functioning HR unit. Along with managing talent, the HR team must perform a range of strategic and administrative tasks on a daily or periodic basis. The sheer volume of these responsibilities can be overwhelming for even the most well-intentioned HR team. For many … [Read more...]

Do you offer a variety of fringe benefits to your employees? According to the IRS, these may include cars and flights on aircraft that the employer provides, free or discounted commercial flights, vacations, discounts on property or services, memberships in country clubs or other social clubs, and tickets to entertainment or sporting events. Simply put, according to the IRS, "a fringe benefit … [Read more...]

Because small businesses often have limited assets, it's vital that they prioritize their human resource objectives. Staffing, budgeting, legal compliance and outsourcing are top goals to consider. Staffing To save money, some small employers add HR tasks to the workload of employees who have no (or very little) HR experience. However, this misdelegation of responsibilities can seriously … [Read more...]

According to a 2022 Mercer survey, only 10% of employers offer lifestyle savings accounts, or LSAs. But a massive 70% say they are considering including LSAs in their benefits packages. What, exactly, are LSAs? A lifestyle savings account is an employer-funded benefit designed to help employees make positive lifestyle choices. LSAs support employee health and wellness, which improve employee … [Read more...]

No employer is immune from new hire turnover. In fact, it happens frequently. According to the Work Institute's 2020 Retention Report, over one-third of employees leave their employers within the first year. What's more, "Two out of three employees who leave in the first year do so in the first six months." In addition to the loss of workers, there's also the cost of replacing these departees. … [Read more...]

Will we need more or less office space as companies ask people to come back to the office this year? Will employers negotiate smaller, cheaper digs after having made their peace with employees working from home more often, or will square footage be necessary to give workers safe distancing space? Will we say goodbye to open floor plans and hello to enclosed offices and even — gasp! — … [Read more...]

When you hire someone to work for you, the worker will likely be considered either an employee or an independent contractor. Usually, you will decide whether you want to onboard an employee or simply hire a contractor prior to advertising for the available position. That way, whoever comes across your job post will know whether they can expect employment or a contract job prior to applying for the … [Read more...]

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, whether employees should receive on-call pay depends on whether the time spent on call qualifies as "hours worked." If so, employees must receive at least the federal minimum wage for each hour spent on call, plus overtime for all work hours over 40 for the week.  Whether on-call time qualifies as hours worked should be determined on a case-by-case basis. … [Read more...]