Human Resources

Have to Let an Employee Go? Read This First!

It is true that your defense against a wrongful termination suit is almost entirely developed when the employee is hired and during employment. But handling the termination itself in a professional manner will also help reduce the incidence of problems. So, here’s what smart companies do:

Seven Leadership Principles for Creating a Great Workplace

Edward R. Murrow, the famous American broadcaster depicted in the movie Good Night, and Good Luck, once said, “The obscure we eventually see, the completely obvious takes longer.” In your quest to build a successful company, do not assume that creating a great work environment is complicated. In fact, the steps are quite simple, if not completely obvious from a “people practice” perspective.

Protect Yourself from Compensation Claims of Former Employees

If you’re like most business owners, you prefer to minimize what you pay to departing employees, whether the departure is your doing or theirs. Of course, if an employee is salaried or paid by the hour, you have to pay at least for the time he or she actually worked. State law stipulates how quickly you must pay. Some say the next day. Many stipulate the next normal payroll date for your company.

IRS Cracking Down on Employers That Overuse Independent Contractor Status

IRS has begun cracking down on companies that classify some or all of their workers as independent contractors. In many cases, the IRS believes, these workers should be treated as employees. Employers must pay FICA and FUTA taxes on their employees’ wages and also must let them participate in various company pension and welfare benefit plans.

Perils Abound in Requiring Employess to Pay for Damaged Property

The Department of Labor, the federal governing body on the issue of wage and hour laws in the United States, says that a salaried employee may not have his or her salary reduced to pay for an employer’s lost or damaged property.

Holidays: Enemy of Progress?

If you’re like me, you work a lot. That’s because you’re dedicated to your work. Heck, you NEED to work. You have goals to reach and, ah, a lot of fires to put out.

Federal Minimum Wage Raised to $5.85 on July 24. More to Come.

Ask the Expert: Respect in the Workplace

In our work with organizations on leadership development, we frequently conduct surveys to determine what is needed to improve the health and success of the organization. Invariably, righting a perceived “lack of respect” leads the list.

What Employees Want

Great people can work anywhere they choose. So if you want to fill your company with great people, you have to be pretty special. You have to offer compelling reasons to choose your company over others. Let’s start with what employees want.

Make a Commitment to Hiring and Retaining “A” Players

Jack Welch is generally regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, company-builders of our generation. At the helm of General Electric, he delivered double-digit growth and profits for decades. He says his trick was attracting, training and retaining “A” performers.

Human Resources

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