Myth: As a small business owner, I don’t have to pay interns who receive credit from their school. Some business owners believe college students seeking summer internships can provide free labor in exchange for school credit. It’s become something of a tradition. After all, these businesses are often helping students gain valuable career experience. That…

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Myth: Paper paychecks are for small businesses; direct deposits are for big companies. Your business may be small, with just a few employees, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mimic big companies when it comes to issuing paychecks. If you’re still distributing paper checks to your employees, you may want to consider the advantages of…

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Myth: I do not have to pay employees who access work email on their mobile device after they have clocked out for the day. We live in a hyper-connected world where employees are reachable essentially all the time. It isn’t unusual for staffers to write emails over the weekend, check phone messages late at night…

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Question: I own a small pet store and want to begin working with volunteers and a local non-profit to hold weekly pet adoptions. How should I do this to protect myself and my business? It is unusual for individuals to volunteer their services to for-profit businesses. It is more common for nonprofit organizations to utilize…

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August 12-18 is OSHA Safe and Sound Week 2019, an annual reminder of the importance of health and safety programs. Two key areas to focus on are your employees’ well-being and reporting injuries and claims. An organization that values safety will improve employee morale and engagement, and help your team feel supported and valued. Learn…

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Are your employee discipline policies focused on punishment, or are you more focused on offering positive guidelines? Done right, a more positive approach to employee discipline can improve morale and create a stronger, more impactful company culture. Learn the 5 steps for creating empowering human resources policies, and why the positive approach is so effective,…

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While there are no federal legal requirements for paid family leave, several states already have laws on the books, some have laws that will go into effect in the next few years, and many other states are considering passing laws. And each law has different wage replacements rates, length of family leave, and funding mechanisms.…

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Do you know how much a new employee will cost your business? Not just the salary—the full, true cost. To know the actual cost of hiring, you need to factor in benefits, training costs, and even the costs of the hiring process itself. For a business to succeed, it needs to have accurate information, including…

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Are you implementing HR best practices, or are you following passing fads and trends? Are you even sure which is which? “Talent management” is one of the biggest concerns among businesses of all sizes, as business owners and CEOs look for ways to modernize their workforce. It’s important to identify the best strategies to put…

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Businesses using biometrics is no longer just for the movies. As many as 40 percent of businesses say they plan to use some form of biometric technology, whether for security, cost reduction, or any other reason. These technologies can range from scanning fingerprints to facial geometry, and businesses are using this data for everything from…

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