People First

Personnel files should be kept in a locked location or on a secure server if electronically kept. In addition, not everything about an employee should be kept in one file. To protect employers from HIPAA violations it is critical to know what to keep where and for how long. Knowing where to keep the employee’s...

Bonus programs are a way for employers to show they appreciate their employees. To make them feel that they are a part of the business. Bonuses boost morale. As the business grows, employees can see that they are being recognized for how they contributed to that growth. I have worked with clients where we implemented...

This is a hot topic right now as the labor market is not friendly to employers right now. One of the things we can do is to do whatever we can to keep our existing employees to avoid the recruiting dilemma. We have several ways we have been suggesting to our clients to implement to...

I have been teaching HR at a local university for over 18 years and whenever I discuss overtime pay calculation, my students, who are HR professionals, are surprised. You see, the Department of Labor determines how overtime is calculated and what needs to be included in the calculation. There are items you may not be...

Worker’s Compensation policies are for a one-year period. At the end of the year, the insurance carrier will conduct an audit of your payroll to determine if jobs were properly classified and all payroll paid has been reported. The will cross reference the employer 941 and state unemployment tax returns. Once the audit is completed...

Worker’s Compensation rates are set by the specific type of work the employee does. There are codes assigned to each type of job. Rates are then set based on the historical activity regarding injuries in each job code. Underwriters then look at the specific industry and the employer to see what their experience is and...

Yes, you do. Worker’s Compensation is like Unemployment, it is federally mandated but state administered. Know what your laws are in the states in which you have employees. Some states require worker’s comp once you have so many employees. For the protection of the business, I recommend getting it even with one employee. You don’t...

Here’s what I would recommend. What training do they have? Are they HR Certified? What is their educational background? Does their personality match that of your culture? Do they know your industry? Are they able to assist with strategic planning? What areas of HR do you have a need? Do they have a background in...

Under the doctrine of negligent hiring, an employer is liable for harm its employees inflict on third parties when the employer knew or should have known of the employee’s potential risk to cause harm, or if the risk would have been discovered by a reasonable investigation. Negligent retention occurs when an employer fails to take...

I do recommend background checks and reference checks. You want to make sure you use a valid resource. One that is approved for employment background checks to avoid any potential liability. You also want to make sure that the applicant knows that you’re going to be doing a background check. You should do this in...