Posted by Carolyn Sokol on Tue, May 08, 2012 @ 11:54 PM
Recently, the New York State Society for Human Resource Management ranked Ambrose, a Professional Employer Organization, as the sixth best small to medium size business to work at in New York State. The selection process consisted of an evaluation of companies’ benefits, policies, and practices and an employee survey. Further information about the ranking can be found on PRWeb. In addition, FrankCrum was named one of Tampa Bay’s top workplaces by newspaper Tampa Bay Times. This is the company’s third year on the list, showing an impressive streak of high employee satisfaction. In a slow job market, for those of you with an HR degree, it may be worth your while to investigate working at a PEO. PEO’s are rapidly becoming one of the most important niche markets throughout the world, growing at a rate of 10% per year. Many HR graduates are unable to find work once they graduate due to their lack of experience and the large pool of applicants for a small number of jobs. Working at a PEO can open the door to this much coveted experience as well as specialization:
PEO’s normally have five different branches in which employees work:
- Risk Management
- Benefits Administration
- Benefits Management
- Payroll/Payroll Tax
- Human Resource Consulting
Spending a few years in the PEO industry provides wisdom and knowledge that can be applied universally, giving an edge to those applicants. Either using a PEO as a springboard for your HR career, or making a PEO your occupation for many years, there are choices abound in the outsourcing HR market. For more information, check out our article; Is a PEO Career Right for You?
Posted by Stephen Ross on Sun, Apr 29, 2012 @ 02:15 PM
Today, it seems like fewer and fewer people believe that they can affect the course of politics. They turn on their televisions to find talking heads spewing pre-determined points, and pundits punitively perturbing the debate. As the Affordable Care Act (affectionately known as Obamacare) is being discussed in the Supreme Court over the legality of the bill, there is a media frenzy over why the bill is right or wrong, constitutional or unconstitutional, ethical or morally deprecating. However, if one takes a step back and actually analyzes what the conversation is about, then one can see how the differences are actually figments of imagination.
Healthcare is expensive, especially for small businesses. Even though a PEO may alleviate some of these financial burdens, the general trend of increasing premiums hurts everyone. So, when discussing healthcare, shouldn’t we focus on the things we agree on like pre-existing conditions and healthcare for children? Why is it that analysts talk about how the “Democrat” plan is a Socialist takeover, or the Republican plan leaves millions in the dust, instead of discussing what the people actually want? There’s a reason Congress has a ridiculously low approval rate: they’ve shown that they are ineffectual at doing their job. Congressmen and women are chosen to work towards compromise and move the country in the best direction; instead, they’ve decided that party politics rule over all.
Before throwing the Affordable Care Act under the bus as a government takeover of healthcare, read over some of the provisions. It has some elements that all of us want to see, and it’s the American people’s job to make sure that party politics don’t prevent the reconstruction of the healthcare industry to fit the consumer.
Posted by Carolyn Sokol on Mon, Apr 23, 2012 @ 09:16 AM
Outsourcing HR can be incredibly advantageous, allowing small business owners to spend less time worrying about processing payroll, filing payroll taxes, and handling workers’ compensation insurance for their employees and more time generating profits. Of course, outsourcing HR is not the solution for every small business. Each small business owner must look over the costs and benefits of outsourcing individually. He or she must also consider the following: the stage of the small business life cycle in which the company is found, the company’s organizational strategy, and the company’s organizational size, location and complexity. There are other questions that must be answered by the small business owner before investing in a PEO company or other group to which HR services can be outsourced. Dino Eliadis also explains in depth the small business life cycle to help small business owners determine which stage they are in so that they can help determine if outsourcing is right for them.
Read our full article here, “How to Know When your Business is ready for Outsourcing HR…”
Posted by Carolyn Sokol on Sun, Apr 22, 2012 @ 07:56 PM
Here in the United States, we have our own unique way of conducting business. Apart from workplace memes, esoteric cultural norms, and the basic do’s and don’ts of everyday interaction, we have a whole slew of rigid regulations and strict rules that can confound even the most experienced Americans. Imagine being a stranger in our terrifying, corporate world.
Foreign companies, fear not; USA PEOs (Professional Employer Organizations) are here to help. PEOs assume administrative tasks such as processing payroll, filing taxes, offering employee benefit options and obtaining worker’s comp insurance for their clients. Basically, a PEO keeps you in compliance. It also does a lot of your dirty work for you, by taking responsibility for many tedious tasks that would otherwise occupy your time and waste your resources. The efficient partnership between your business and the PEO of your choice is known as co-employment.
Also known as Employee Leasing Companies, PEOs can even offer consulting services regarding issues such as government regulations and reporting requirements. Keep in mind there are many, many choices to choose from.
As in anything, be sure to do your research to find the PEO that is right for you. Consider using our free Services Matching Tool to help find the perfect fit for your business.
Posted by Carolyn Sokol on Sun, Apr 01, 2012 @ 04:25 PM
I realize that I have to keep an eye on my kids’ internet use and apparently I’m not the only one. Google, “online parental control software” and literally millions of results are generated. Do I now have to watch my employees’ internet activity as well? Are my employees tweeting my company secrets?
American Management Association conducted a survey in 2009, questioning employees at 596 companies. Fourteen percent of employees indicated they had leaked confidential company information by email. For small businesses, 14% may only be a few employees but any leak of information could essentially be the end of the business. Does that give me the right to patrol my employees’ Facebooks? There are plenty of companies that ask their employees for their Facebook usernames and passwords. Should I do the same? One one hand, I want to protect my employees' privacy but if they may be willing to reveal company information, am I forced to monitor them? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Posted by Carolyn Sokol on Fri, Mar 23, 2012 @ 06:33 PM
Great article on increasing health and productivity of employees! Health reimbursement accounts, outsourcing benefits, wellness programs, and staying fit can all have a positive influence on your workforce. Read this informative article from CNN Money/Fortune Magazine, 5 Ways to Healthier Employees.
Posted by Carolyn Sokol on Sun, Mar 11, 2012 @ 12:40 PM
I have been thinking about interviews a lot lately because my son has had several with college alumni. As an applying student, the interview can be intimidating (and as an applying student’s mother, it can be nerve-wracking). This made me consider then the position of the interviewer, recalling the interviews I had when hiring my employees. Small businesses are often at a disadvantage because we lack the influence of larger corporations, and the accompanying legal help! Fortunately, smaller businesses can consult PEOs to ensure that the company does not cross the line into discriminatory hiring, for example. There are plenty of articles in the library explaining the value of a PEO, but what I would like to talk about is interviewing new employees. The importance of an interview for a small business is obvious: your decision seems ever-present because you are likely to work with or at least see on a regular basis the new hire.
I think part of the reason I wrote these two articles was because I needed to improve my interviewing skills. I recently hired an employee at the suggestion of another employee. The two had known each other for quite a while and would be able to essentially hold the same job (i.e., the new hire would assist the current employee). Both employees would be working long distance for PEOcompare instead of coming in to the office but I thought that it could work. Unfortunately, I did not conduct a complete, detailed interview and did not discover until after I hired my new employee that the new hire and the current employee were not as close distance-wise as I had expected them to be, making communication between the two of them a little more difficult than I had hoped for. While things are working out now, I was upset with myself for being so foolish. Thus was born the “How to nail the interview… when you’re the interviewer” and “How to read a resume” articles.
Now I want to hear from you. How have you swam through the pool of applicants and chosen the best fish, er, I mean employee? When I was hiring employees I read through their resumes obviously. Then I wanted to make sure that they had the right skills so I had candidates applying to be writers submit previous pieces of work or “mock articles.” How have YOU had your employees show that they possessed the necessary skills to keep your company sailing smoothly?
Posted by Carolyn Sokol on Thu, Mar 08, 2012 @ 12:04 PM
I think employees are looking for more than a paycheck these days and you must utilize cost-effective methods to differentiate your business. Transparency is important, high value candidates should ask you about the stability of your business and your plans for the future. We also always look at skills & experience but "fit" can be just as important! Read our latest white paper for tips and helpful advice on hiring the best employees in 2012!
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Posted by Carolyn Sokol on Mon, Feb 20, 2012 @ 12:55 PM
As a small business owner myself, I see great value in using a PEO when it comes to tasks such as payroll, taxes, workers comp, government regulations, etc. However, I initiallly could not understand how a company that did not interact directly with my employees could possibly help me to evaluate and manage them. There are many components to keeping my workers motivated, supervised, evaluated, and essentially happy working in my business. What could an organization outside of my industry and company culture possibly contribute to a performance review?
While you may be familiar with what a Professional Employer Organization is, do you really understand what a PEO Company can do for you in terms of managing the performance of your employees? Some of the benefits outlined include performance management practices and strategy execution, one of the biggest challenges for small business owners. Here, I list the different tools that PEOs offer that you may not be aware of in order to provide insight as to how PEO companies are able to improve the productivity of your small business. Read Article Here...
Posted by Carolyn Sokol on Mon, Feb 13, 2012 @ 08:47 AM
Three companies describe why they decided to outsource their human resources to an HR service provider and how, when faced with the challenge of wading through a crowded vendor landscape, they evaluated their alternatives and made a final decision.
DOWNLOAD THIS COMPLIMENTARY WHITE PAPER TO READ MORE...
