Worker sat dead for one day before anyone noticed

read more here: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/weird/021511-worker-sat-dead-at-desk-for-1-day

Posted February 16th, 2011 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments

New 2011 Minimum Wage Changes - New Posting Requirements!

The minimum wage is increased in seven states including Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Washington State on January 1, 2011. As a consequence, employers will be required to update their minimum  wage posters to reflect the effective minimum wage rates. In addition, Florida employers are required to post the 2011 minimum wage notice even though the minimum wage will remain the same at $7.25.

NAPEO Members save 30% off the retail price with Compliance Poster Company for a variety of high-quality compliance products, including the convenient State & Federal All-On-One™ Labor Law Poster and the cost-saving, environmentally friendly Peel ‘N Post™ update solution. NAPEO members also have the option to customize your posters at no additional cost with your PEO’s logo, phone number, and website! To find out more information or to place your order today, call NAPEO’s dedicated Customer Service Representative, Darius Derakshan, at (800) 997-5545.

Posted January 14th, 2011 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments

Is it time to outsource your HR?

Foxbusiness.com

Most small-business owners know the frustration of spending more time than they want or should
on non-revenue-generating activities. From payroll and human resource management to benefits
and compensation, entrepreneurs can spend up to 40 percent of their precious day engaged in
these necessary but time-sucking tasks.
 

The answer for many growing companies may be to hire one of the 700 professional employer
organizations (PEOs) in the U.S. These companies become the legal employer of your staff and
handle all the payroll, benefits and HR functions.

“Most small businesses are under 25 employees, and that means the owner is the most
productive, is critical to the success of the business, and has to get out there and generate sales
and products,” says Milan Yager, president and CEO of the National Association of Professional
Employer Organizations. When small businesses outsource non-core activities, “they can focus
on the business of their business,” says Yager.

But when does it make sense to hire a PEO? While PEOs aren’t for every company, those that
do use them can often offer better benefit packages and thus hire better talent, says Ed Vargas,
senior vice president of health and benefits at Consulting. “We help them set up a Fortune
500 package of benefits,” he says.

In assessing whether or not you should hire a PEO, there are several questions to consider
before you make a decision:
- How big is your company? Expert opinion varies on how large a company should be before it
hires a PEO. A general rule of thumb is “when administrative processes begin slowing down the
productivity of the firm,” says Dan Sheridan, president and chief operating officer of Extensis, a
PEO. While it is different for every company, “this typically occurs when a business reaches 10 to
15 employees a week,” says Sheridan.

Some PEOs won’t work with companies that have fewer than 10 employees. "Once a company
gets very big, then it is easier to have an in-house HR department,” says Janis Sweeney, owner
of National Employee Management Resources, a PEO. The sweet spot for a PEO, she says, is
between 16 and 80 people. The composition of your workforce is also important. Companies that
only offer insurance to a few key executives wouldn’t benefit from PEOs.

- How much does a PEO cost? Like all professional services, the way a PEO prices services
varies depending on the company. Industry experts estimate that the cost ranges from about 2
percent to 11 percent of wages. Another way to look at the expense is per employee. With that
measure, it would run between $500 and $1,500 per employee per year. For very small
companies with only two to five employees, some PEOs might price their services at a flat fee of
$150 per month.

On the flip side, it is important to try and estimate the total cost of your HR functions. Truth is,
most businesses “have no idea what their true costs are, as they only think of wages but never
add up all the other things,” says Yager.

- How much control do you want over your HR functions? A PEO acts as a business partner
to the client company. If a business owner wants to control all aspects of a business and is not
open to suggestions or following through on recommendations a PEO makes, then a PEO may
not make sense, says Jim Thibodeau, president of StaffScapes Inc.

Businesses do lose a bit of flexibility in the coverage they can offer when they use a PEO.
Related to the issue of control is the perception of your employees. “Employees are used to
seeing [your business name] on the check,” and the PEO becomes the check signer, says
Sweeney.

- What services do you need? “Picking the right PEO is of paramount importance,” says
Sheridan. The PEO should be certified by the Employer Services Assurance Corporation, have
experience in the client’s industry and cover that company’s territory, he says. Also bear in mind
that some PEOs specialize in a Web-based high-tech approach, while others are focused on
face-to-face support.

Remember — each PEO is different, and business owners would do well to read the fine print.

Posted December 16th, 2010 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments

Can you terminate employees for what they say on Facebook?

A notice from Stacy Gabriel of GABRIEL & ASHWORTH, P.L.L.C.

www.gabrielashworth.com

The National Labor Relations Board’s (“NLRB”) Acting General Counsel recently issued a complaint challenging an employer’s termination of an employee who made negative comments about her supervisor on her Facebook page.  The employee referred to her supervisor as a mental patient and sparked additional negative remarks about the supervisor from her co-workers on her Facebook page.  The complaint alleges that the employee’s Facebook comments are “protected, concerted activity” under the National Labor Relations Act and, therefore, her termination based on these comments was unlawful.

The complaint separately challenges the employer’s blogging and internet policy, which broadly prohibits making disparaging, discriminatory or defamatory comments when discussing the Company or its employees.  According to the complaint, the policy chills employees’ exercise of their right to engage in protected concerted activity.  

The National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) rules relating to protected, concerted activities apply to both unionized and non-unionized employers.  A hearing on the complaint is scheduled for January 2011.  At that time, the NLRB will hopefully provide more guidance for employers on what action, if any, they can take in response to employee comments made on online social networking sites.  In the meantime, you should carefully review your policies to ensure they are not written in a way that could be viewed as chilling employees’ exercise of their NLRA rights.  Also, be very cautious before disciplining an employee for making negative comments about management or the Company.    

Posted November 23rd, 2010 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments

Top Ten Reasons Companies Outsource

flatworldsolutions.com

Outsourcing is the process of delegating a company’s business process to third parties or external agencies, leveraging benefits ranging from low cost labor, improved quality to product and service innovation. When outsourcing transgresses national boundaries and is managed by companies located in other countries, outsourcing takes the form of offshoring.

A hotly debated topic with pros and cons, both outsourcing as well as offshoring have a direct impact on a company’s top and bottom line and have become key components of defining how successful enterprises are run. Given below, as reflected by companies, are the top 10 reasons to outsource:

   1. Lower operational and labor costs are among the primary reasons why companies choose to outsource. When properly executed it has a defining impact on a company’s revenue recognition and can deliver significant savings.
   2. Companies also choose to outsource or offshore so that they may continue focusing on their core business processes while delegating mundane time consuming processes to external agencies.
   3. Outsourcing and offshoring also enable companies to tap in to and leverage a global knowledge base, having access to world class capabilities.
   4. Freeing up internal resources that could be put in to effective use for other purposes is also one of the primary benefits realized when companies outsource or offshore.
   5. Many times stranded with internal resource crunches, many world class enterprises outsource to gain access to resources not available internally.
   6. Outsourcing, many a time is undertaken to save costs and provide a buffer capital fund to companies that could be leveraged in a manner that best profits the company.
   7. By delegating responsibilities to external agencies companies can wash their hands off functions that are difficult to manage and control while still realizing their benefits.
   8. Outsourcing and especially offshoring helps companies mitigate risk and is also among the primary reasons embarked upon.
   9. Outsourcing also enables companies to realize the benefits of re-engineering.
  10. Some companies also outsource to help them expand and gain access to new market areas, by taking the point of production or service delivery closer to their end users.

To summarize among the reasons to outsource, companies undertake outsourcing and offshoring for a variety of reasons depending upon their vision and purpose of the exercise. While this may vary from company to company, the fruits of labor are visible among some of the leading enterprises world wide, where in outsourcing and offshoring have become a core component of day to day business strategies.

Posted November 3rd, 2010 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Uncategorized | | 2 Comments