Remember the playground bully? The kid whose purpose was to torment, threat, and (at times) physically assault others? Well, that bully grew-up and became your co-worker. If not addressed, bullies can cost an organization over $750,000 annually, according to Allison West, Esq., SPHR at the HR Star Conference hosted in Los Angeles.

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the IRS claims to lose millions of dollars in uncollected taxes each year due to independent contractor misclassification by employers. As such, as part of a national research project on employment taxes, the IRS is scheduled to audit 6,000 randomly selected companies ranging from large to small [...]

When you, the employer, deliberately choose to develop your staff, you are investing in the solidarity of the company as well as your people. When you train your staff, you provide more meaning for people at work, and you build and strengthen the skills, processes, and knowledge development that your organization will need in the [...]

Companies both large and small are finding themselves in legal battles against employees for not complying with overtime laws. A New Jersey federal court jury unanimously awarded $2.5 million to Staples, Inc. employees in a class-action lawsuit for failing to comply with the laws that require the correct classification of employees (e.g. exempt or non-exempt) [...]

The absence of an Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) ranks among the most frequent Cal/OSHA (California Occupational Safety and Health Administration) citations against businesses. Fines for the failure to have an IIPP are upwards to $7,000. Many California employers are not aware that it is mandated by law to have a written IIPP. The [...]

Most people will agree that there is never enough time in a 24-hour day. If there were ten more hours added to each day, would we still have enough time to accomplish what we want? While we will never know the answer, according to the monthly publication, “Communication Briefing,” there are five major time-wasters that [...]

The State Compensation Insurance Fund, or SCIF, announced a mid-year rate hike of almost 15% in its workers’ compensation rates, effective July 1, 2009. While this may sound like bad news for a quarter of California’s employers who are covered by SCIF, the news could have been a lot worse – the 15% increase is [...]

In response to current economic pressures, companies are forced to quickly rethink their ways of operating and learn new groundrules. Working through a myriad of challenges, business must continue to remain focused on profitability and stability.

Small Business Insight: Downsizing Can Raise Legal Issues Four important considerations to make before reducing staff Employers are faced with the tough decision to reduce staff in response to the deepening recession. There are important legal issues that may negatively impact business owners, if not considered prior to downsizing.

Employment costs often comprise the greatest area of expense within a company. Salaries, benefits, taxes and related insurances typically constitute more than half of an organization’s operating budget, and in service industries, it can be significantly higher. As such, they are often the first area of expense to be considered when companies are forced to [...]

Accurate and up-to-date personnel files provide protection when faced with litigation . With unemployment reaching double digits, it may only be a matter of time until an employer will be sued over a personnel issue. But keeping accurate, up-to-date, consistent personnel files can help mitigate the damage.

Research Brief Human Resource Outsourcing Trends and Their Impact in a Tight Economy SUMMARY While there are indications that the tight economy may be starting to turn around, small businesses may feel the squeeze for some time to come. The government has instituted certain economic incentives, but small business must also take matters into their [...]

Summary: Following the highly publicized lawsuit brought against Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks, sexual harassment has once again reared its ugly head. Despite strides to reduce harassment in the workplace, employers must still do more to educate themselves and their staff. Professional HR consulting and outsourcing firms such as CPEhr provide such a [...]

Article Summary Employers face new challenges following the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement it will levy larger fines against businesses that employ undocumented workers. HR Outsourcing has become a viable option for small employers to remain in compliance and avoid costly penalties.

Summary Effectively managing Human Resources has become a daunting task for small and mid-market businesses. U.S. corporations must grapple with one of the most complicated systems of employment laws in the world. One solution is to turn to Human Resources Outsourcing which allows companies to shift nonessential jobs easily, and inexpensively, to off-site experts.

Article Summary In response to the growing risks and time-consuming activities related to managing employees, frustrated employers are turning to Professional Employer Organizations in record numbers. PEOs are experts in all aspects of Human Resources and help small and mid-sized employers comply with the law and offer their staff enhanced training and benefits.

Small Business Health Benefit Challenges… And Solutions Summary After pay, health insurance is the most important inducement small businesses use to recruit and keep employees motivated. Yet many employers are finding the ability to provide cost effective health insurance more challenging as premiums continue to rise and the options available continue to decrease. Employers are [...]

Article Summary California employers need to be aware that California HR Consulting Services differs from federal law in significant ways that can make life even more difficult, if not downright treacherous, for businesses with limited human resources expertise. That is why California employers are turning to HR Outsourcing experts for protection and support.

Summary While there are indications that the tight economy may be starting to weaken, small businesses may feel the squeeze for some time to come. In an effort to offset rising operational costs and flat revenues, many small business are turning to Human Resources Outsourcing firms as a way reduce overhead, cut costs, and improve [...]

Summary The Professional Employer Organization industry is a business model for outsourcing human resource services. PEOs, also known as employee leasing in some business circles, provide administrative services for tasks such as human resources, the handling of employee benefits, payroll, and workers’ compensations. Like any industry, there are specific guidelines and criteria that should be [...]