Putting At-Will Employment at Risk

April 11th, 2011

“At-will” employment refers to a common-law rule that the employment relationship may be terminated by the employer or the employee at any time, for any reason, with or without cause or notice. The intent behind this rule is to allow either the employee or employer to terminate the employment relationship without liability to the other.  The recent establishment of various federal and state regulations and the application of certain employment laws, however, have created conditions much more in favor of today’s employees.   To minimize the risks of wrongful termination claims, every employer needs to understand at least three big exceptions to the employment at-will concept:  Read the rest of this entry »

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Top 5 Benefits of Outsourcing

December 18th, 2010

When evaluating your choices and decisions on outsourcing different business processes, as a small or medium-sized business owner you will be well served if you go by the thumb rule of outsourcing: if the work can be done better outside than inside, opt for it.

Outsourcing, when done for the right reasons can help you increase profits, reduce the cost of doing business, and improve efficiency of all your business processes—both core and non-core processes.

Here are the top 5 benefits of outsourcing: Read the rest of this entry »

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Six HR Tips for Non-Compete Agreements

December 6th, 2010

Many small businesses struggle to determine whether or not non-compete agreements are worthwhile to use. Such agreements are employment contracts designed to restrict an employee’s right to start a competing business across the street or to take your clients, other employees, or even your training with them when joining your competition. Depending on how the agreements are written and applied, they may help add protection to your business or simply add headaches. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Impact of Hiring Temporary Workers

December 5th, 2010

With the continued challenge of today’s economic times, temporary workers play a significant role to businesses in terms of lowering costs. Especially with employers in industries that heavily rely on strong holiday season sales, the performance of temporary workers also is critical to customer service satisfaction. However, how do you know whether or not hiring temporary workers is truly advantageous to your business?

Consider the following six advantages and disadvantages: Read the rest of this entry »

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Business Process Outsourcing

November 24th, 2010

What is one thing that all successful companies, big, small, or medium-sized have in common?

They all outsource their non-core activities to strategic partners who specialize in these functions.

In today’s economy, if you are not using outsourcing as a valuable strategy, you are doing your competitors a favor. The reasons are simple: (1) outsourcing provides businesses an opportunity to reduce their cost of doing business, and (2) it gives them the freedom to focus solely on their core competency functions to increase their profits. Read the rest of this entry »

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Advantages of Outsourcing

November 21st, 2010

Do what you do best and outsource the rest – Tom Peters (management guru)

Take a look at successful entrepreneurs and you will notice one thing common in all: they are not jack-of-all-trades, instead, they focus on their strengths.

Successful businesses do what they do best in-house and outsource the rest to third parties who specializes in those operations.

Outsourcing is being used by businesses all over the world to reduce their cost of doing business. However, cost-cutting is not the only benefit of outsourcing or the only reason why businesses seek strategic outsourcing partner(s). When done right, outsourcing helps businesses improve the efficiency and quality of their all business operations, allow them to generate better customer solutions, improve their ability to plan and implement new strategies and initiatives, and generate more profits. Read the rest of this entry »

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Pros and Cons of Outsourcing

November 18th, 2010

As a small or medium-sized business owner, if you are considering outsourcing some of your business processes, it is necessary that you understand in detail the pros and cons of outsourcing.

When done for right reasons and with the right outsourcing partner, outsourcing can help you streamline your business processes, reduce your cost of doing business, and increase your profits.

The advantages of outsourcing substantially outweigh the disadvantages. However, before you form a strategic business alliance with an outsourcing partner you must learn all you can about outsourcing. This will help you decide if outsourcing is right for your business and how it can help you.

Following is a list of advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing: Read the rest of this entry »

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Benefits of Outsourcing

November 11th, 2010

As a business owner, do you want to increase your revenues and reduce your cost of doing business?

Do you want access to specialized skills and services at a low cost?

Do you want to focus completely on doing what you do best, running your business?

The answer to all of the above questions does not lie in a magic-wand, but in business outsourcing.

So, what is business outsourcing?

As the name suggests, business outsourcing is the process of hiring a third-party to handle specific business activities for you. Some of the business activities that companies frequently outsource include: Financial and Administration functions, Human Resources Functions, Accounting and Payroll Functions, and Call Centre and Customer Service Processes. Read the rest of this entry »

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Eight Steps To An Injury and Illness Prevention Program

November 3rd, 2010

While the new rules and enforcement efforts are expected in terms of Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requirements and regulations, each employer should find ways to stay one step ahead to help their business create and maintain a safe and healthy workforce and workplace environment. One way is to establish a comprehensive and useful Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP).

At a minimum, an IIPP should acknowledge: Read the rest of this entry »

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IRS Form W-2 Reporting Requirement Delayed

November 2nd, 2010

On October 12, 2010, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) instituted a one-year delay in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement in order to allow employers to make changes to their payroll systems or procedures in compliance preparation to report the cost of coverage under an employer-sponsored group health plan on Form W-2.

The IRS will defer the new requirement under Code Sec. 6051(a)(14) for employers to report the cost of coverage under an employer-sponsored health plan on Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, making the reporting by employers optional in 2011. Read the rest of this entry »

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