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A Disaster Can Happen to You. Here’s What You Need to Know to Protect Your Business

A Disaster Can Happen to You. Here’s What You Need to Know to Protect Your Business

As many parts of the country are entering the spring storm season (or are still digging out from winter weather), now is a good time to review your company’s disaster plans and emergency protocols. It makes good business sense to be prepared for natural disasters, widespread illness or even acts of terrorism. With some planning, you can protect your employees, information and equipment. Preplanning also helps you continue “business as usual” if you suddenly sustain damage to a facility or if employees can’t come to work but your customers are still depending on you. According to the Insurance Information Institute, a staggering 40 percent of businesses affected by disasters never re-open. This number is significant considering also that more than 25 percent of small businesses will experience a ”significant crisis” in a given year and nearly 66 percent of small businesses do not have an emergency plan in place. Now is the time to create a disaster plan Your emergency plan will define employee and company roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency and should also define short and long-term company goals after a disaster. It should be written out and shared with employees in advance of a disaster.

March 30, 2016 ・4 mins read

Diversity & Inclusion

Today is International Women’s Day. Let’s Look at the 3 Biggest Ways You Can Support Your Female Employees All Year!

Happy International Women’s Day! Wait, what? International Women’s Day? We’ll be honest, we didn’t know that there was such a thing. But if this one day gives us the opportunity to discuss hiring, compensation and cultural practices that affect our fellow sisters in the workforce, why not take it? For those of you not in the know, International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This year’s theme is “pledge for parity,” with a focus on accelerating equality between men and women. This is especially timely given increasing attention and legislation toward equal pay practices between the sexes. So, how should you take this opportunity to celebrate your female staff?

March 8, 2016 ・4 mins read

Performance Management

If an employee resigns but is also due a performance evaluation and merit raise before they leave, do we have to do both of these things?

February 25, 2016 ・2 mins read

American Presidential Candidates Are Failing Small Businesses: An Open Letter from the CEO of TriNet

The following letter from TriNet CEO Burton M. Goldfield is in response to the TriNet 2016 Presidential Election Survey Dear 2016 Presidential Candidates: As the CEO of TriNet, I work to provide HR services for more than 12,000 U.S. small businesses and their 314,000 employees every day. I see firsthand the struggles these aspirational companies go through as they try to grow their businesses while navigating an increasingly volatile regulatory landscape. What’s even more challenging is that when they flourish, they face a heightened impact of ever-changing regulatory issues. Whether it’s differing tax or labor laws at the federal, state and local levels, or the states’ varying degrees of Affordable Care Act implementation, there is a plethora of employment law with which they have to comply. What you perceive to be a minor tax change at the federal, state or local level may impact a small business to the tune of $20,000. This can put them out of business. Large companies can more easily absorb these unanticipated costs. These complexities skew the focus of small businesses away from successfully executing their business plans.

February 18, 2016 ・3 mins read

3 Health Savings Account (HSA) Fun Facts

Here are three important facts about health savings accounts (HSA).

February 5, 2016 ・8 mins read

Do You Know Your Emotional Intelligence? It Can Define Your Career Success

Guest post by Structured GI Leadership Emotions have no place in the workplace - or do they? We are all humans and emotions make us just that. Your emotional intelligence is, essentially, your ability to recognize and control your own emotions and emotional reactions. It means being in touch with how you’re feeling and the feelings of those around you, then using that awareness – as opposed to your emotional reactions - to guide your thoughts and behaviors. In the workplace, your emotional intelligence determines how your employees will view you and respond to you. While many think of emotions as being inappropriate for the workplace, your emotional intelligence can actually define your career path. People will not follow those they cannot trust and people will not trust those whose emotional IQ they cannot read. The five key aspects of emotional intelligence

January 27, 2016 ・5 mins read

8 Top-Level KPIs for Startup HR Departments

How well is your HR department performing? Consider these eight key performance indicators to measure the business impact of your HR initiatives.

January 25, 2016 ・4 mins read

Happy New Year from the Federal Government! The ACA Reporting Deadlines Have Been Extended!

This post is part of the TriNet ongoing series about the Affordable Care Act and its effects on small business. Midsize companies can start 2016 with some welcome news from the government! The IRS announced on December 28 that Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) subject to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) 2015 Section 6056 reporting requirements have extended deadlines to file their required forms with the IRS. To start, review our post on ACA for midsize employers to determine if your business is considered an ALE for ACA-reporting purposes. Here is a breakdown of forms ALEs are required to file and their new deadlines:

January 4, 2016 ・2 mins read

When Does COBRA Coverage Start?

COBRA offers employees continued health insurance following a termination, but when does COBRA coverage start? Learn the details here.

September 28, 2015 ・4 mins read

Does an employer need to be checking I-9 documents beyond an employee's first day of employment for any upcoming expiration date listed on the ID's provided?

September 24, 2015 ・2 mins read

The Affordable Care Act Turns Six: Let’s Take a Look at the Year Ahead!

Six years ago, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) transformed healthcare and became part of the business landscape for every employer. Since then, we have seen significant changes in regulations, penalties and deadlines affecting employers of all sizes. Here are some of the aspects of the ACA to keep top of mind this year.

March 23, 2016 ・4 mins read

How Workplace Culture Can Attract the Right Employees

Driving Culture! Determining Culture! Re-establishing Culture! On any given day I speak to a number of small business leaders and entrepreneurs who are concerned about their company’s culture. This is because they know that creating a company culture is key to attracting the right employees and, in turn, driving business growth. Why you should care about company culture The thing is, there is only so much businesses can offer employees in the way of pay, benefits and extra perks to stand out from the competition. And, if you’re a small business or startup, it becomes even harder to compete financially for the most coveted employees.

March 17, 2016 ・4 mins read

The New Minimum Salary for Exempt Status Could More Than Double in 2016. Here is What You Need to Know to be Prepared

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is in the process of amending the overtime exemption rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Currently, the FLSA provides an exemption from overtime pay for employees who meet certain tests regarding their job duties and who are paid on a salary basis at no less than $455 a week. This new rule would dramatically increase the number of employees eligible for overtime pay by the end of 2016. Under the proposed new regulations, the threshold for exempt status would go from $23,600 per year ($455 per week) to $50,440 per year ($970 per week) – an amount in the 40th percentile of earnings for full-time salaried workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The DOL estimates that this increase in salary threshold for exempt status would affect approximately five million workers, making them eligible for overtime pay. In California alone, 420,000 workers would be affected. Why the increase in exempt status salary? President Obama directed the DOL to change their minimum pay for exempt status because more and more employees worked in excess of 40 hours per week for pay that would put them below the federal poverty threshold. The wage threshold hasn’t changed since 2004, which is the only time it has been updated since the 1970s. Importantly, the new regulation would also include changes to the salary threshold every year, based on wage growth and inflation.

March 14, 2016 ・4 mins read

What You Need to Know About the Latest HR Technology Trends

What You Need to Know About the Latest HR Technology Trends

Business today is all about leveraging the power of technology for efficiency, security and convenience. With new cloud technologies, automating your HR tasks doesn’t need to be cost-prohibitive. Instead, it can be an indispensable tool for managing your most important resource (your employees) at an efficient price and pace. Human resources creates dozens of pieces of paper for every employee, including applications, background checks, insurance, employment and benefits forms, and post-separation forms. Luckily, there is an answer to dealing with paper, and achieving more oversight and control over HR records. Mobile HR and cloud applications are changing the way people work – helping to alleviate the cost and time burdens of managing documents and ushering in a brand new era of data management.

February 22, 2016 ・5 mins read

Small Business Owners Tell Us How They Really Feel About the 2016 Presidential Candidates

February 17, 2016 ・1 min read

Hiring for Biotechnology: 5 Characteristics Early-Stage Companies Should Look for in Employees

Without question, one critical success factor for all biotechnology companies is the ability to identify and retain a synergistic combination of internal and external team members, all working seamlessly toward the same goal. It is impossible to start and build a successful biotechnology company without the help of an exceptional and synergistic team of individuals. In this post, I will discuss the most important characteristics biotech entrepreneurs should seek in new employees.

February 3, 2016 ・4 mins read

3 Steps Small Businesses Can Take to Prevent Wage and Hour Lawsuits

A worrisome business trend is the growing number of wage and hour lawsuits that are a significant source of financial exposure for employers. As the number of lawsuits climbs, so does the cost to employers. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that it receives nearly 25,000 wage-and-hour related complaints per year. The number of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) cases filed in the federal court is more than five times higher than it was 20 years ago. Compensation considerations Overtime claims account for 40 percent of wage and hour class action lawsuits. Other common wage-and-hour claims include:

January 25, 2016 ・5 mins read

Why Cleaning Matters: 3 Reasons to Keep Your Workplace Tidy

Guest post by Quill.com. Please also check out our previous post on scent aversions in the workplace. Stand at the door of your office. Are you looking at a clean and orderly workspace or a disorganized mess? How does the space make you feel? Are you happy and excited to get to work or does a quick glance at your office make you want to hightail it in the opposite direction? Neatness and order in the workplace matter—and not just because “neat is nice.” Studies have proven that when your workspace is cluttered, it’s difficult to process information, let alone focus on priorities, projects and tasks. In addition to reduced productivity, a messy office also negatively affects your psychological, emotional and professional well-being. The good news is that cleaning up your workspace is a high-impact, low-cost activity with immediate and noticeable benefits for business owners and workers alike.

January 15, 2016 ・8 mins read

National Boss Day: How to Celebrate Your Boss Like a Boss

October 16th is National Boss's Day! Say thanks and celebrate with your team using these top ideas.

October 15, 2015 ・6 mins read

If I only pay independent contractors, should I to apply for a state identification number and contribute to my state's workers' compensation insurance fund?

September 25, 2015 ・3 mins read

Can an Employer Change Vacation Policy Without Notice?

September 23, 2015 ・2 mins read

A Disaster Can Happen to You. Here’s What You Need to Know to Protect Your Business

A Disaster Can Happen to You. Here’s What You Need to Know to Protect Your Business

As many parts of the country are entering the spring storm season (or are still digging out from winter weather), now is a good time to review your company’s disaster plans and emergency protocols. It makes good business sense to be prepared for natural disasters, widespread illness or even acts of terrorism. With some planning, you can protect your employees, information and equipment. Preplanning also helps you continue “business as usual” if you suddenly sustain damage to a facility or if employees can’t come to work but your customers are still depending on you. According to the Insurance Information Institute, a staggering 40 percent of businesses affected by disasters never re-open. This number is significant considering also that more than 25 percent of small businesses will experience a ”significant crisis” in a given year and nearly 66 percent of small businesses do not have an emergency plan in place. Now is the time to create a disaster plan Your emergency plan will define employee and company roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency and should also define short and long-term company goals after a disaster. It should be written out and shared with employees in advance of a disaster.

March 30, 2016 ・4 mins read

The Affordable Care Act Turns Six: Let’s Take a Look at the Year Ahead!

Six years ago, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) transformed healthcare and became part of the business landscape for every employer. Since then, we have seen significant changes in regulations, penalties and deadlines affecting employers of all sizes. Here are some of the aspects of the ACA to keep top of mind this year.

March 23, 2016 ・4 mins read

How Workplace Culture Can Attract the Right Employees

Driving Culture! Determining Culture! Re-establishing Culture! On any given day I speak to a number of small business leaders and entrepreneurs who are concerned about their company’s culture. This is because they know that creating a company culture is key to attracting the right employees and, in turn, driving business growth. Why you should care about company culture The thing is, there is only so much businesses can offer employees in the way of pay, benefits and extra perks to stand out from the competition. And, if you’re a small business or startup, it becomes even harder to compete financially for the most coveted employees.

March 17, 2016 ・4 mins read

The New Minimum Salary for Exempt Status Could More Than Double in 2016. Here is What You Need to Know to be Prepared

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is in the process of amending the overtime exemption rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Currently, the FLSA provides an exemption from overtime pay for employees who meet certain tests regarding their job duties and who are paid on a salary basis at no less than $455 a week. This new rule would dramatically increase the number of employees eligible for overtime pay by the end of 2016. Under the proposed new regulations, the threshold for exempt status would go from $23,600 per year ($455 per week) to $50,440 per year ($970 per week) – an amount in the 40th percentile of earnings for full-time salaried workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The DOL estimates that this increase in salary threshold for exempt status would affect approximately five million workers, making them eligible for overtime pay. In California alone, 420,000 workers would be affected. Why the increase in exempt status salary? President Obama directed the DOL to change their minimum pay for exempt status because more and more employees worked in excess of 40 hours per week for pay that would put them below the federal poverty threshold. The wage threshold hasn’t changed since 2004, which is the only time it has been updated since the 1970s. Importantly, the new regulation would also include changes to the salary threshold every year, based on wage growth and inflation.

March 14, 2016 ・4 mins read

Diversity & Inclusion

Today is International Women’s Day. Let’s Look at the 3 Biggest Ways You Can Support Your Female Employees All Year!

Happy International Women’s Day! Wait, what? International Women’s Day? We’ll be honest, we didn’t know that there was such a thing. But if this one day gives us the opportunity to discuss hiring, compensation and cultural practices that affect our fellow sisters in the workforce, why not take it? For those of you not in the know, International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This year’s theme is “pledge for parity,” with a focus on accelerating equality between men and women. This is especially timely given increasing attention and legislation toward equal pay practices between the sexes. So, how should you take this opportunity to celebrate your female staff?

March 8, 2016 ・4 mins read

Performance Management

If an employee resigns but is also due a performance evaluation and merit raise before they leave, do we have to do both of these things?

February 25, 2016 ・2 mins read

What You Need to Know About the Latest HR Technology Trends

What You Need to Know About the Latest HR Technology Trends

Business today is all about leveraging the power of technology for efficiency, security and convenience. With new cloud technologies, automating your HR tasks doesn’t need to be cost-prohibitive. Instead, it can be an indispensable tool for managing your most important resource (your employees) at an efficient price and pace. Human resources creates dozens of pieces of paper for every employee, including applications, background checks, insurance, employment and benefits forms, and post-separation forms. Luckily, there is an answer to dealing with paper, and achieving more oversight and control over HR records. Mobile HR and cloud applications are changing the way people work – helping to alleviate the cost and time burdens of managing documents and ushering in a brand new era of data management.

February 22, 2016 ・5 mins read

American Presidential Candidates Are Failing Small Businesses: An Open Letter from the CEO of TriNet

The following letter from TriNet CEO Burton M. Goldfield is in response to the TriNet 2016 Presidential Election Survey Dear 2016 Presidential Candidates: As the CEO of TriNet, I work to provide HR services for more than 12,000 U.S. small businesses and their 314,000 employees every day. I see firsthand the struggles these aspirational companies go through as they try to grow their businesses while navigating an increasingly volatile regulatory landscape. What’s even more challenging is that when they flourish, they face a heightened impact of ever-changing regulatory issues. Whether it’s differing tax or labor laws at the federal, state and local levels, or the states’ varying degrees of Affordable Care Act implementation, there is a plethora of employment law with which they have to comply. What you perceive to be a minor tax change at the federal, state or local level may impact a small business to the tune of $20,000. This can put them out of business. Large companies can more easily absorb these unanticipated costs. These complexities skew the focus of small businesses away from successfully executing their business plans.

February 18, 2016 ・3 mins read

Small Business Owners Tell Us How They Really Feel About the 2016 Presidential Candidates

February 17, 2016 ・1 min read

3 Health Savings Account (HSA) Fun Facts

Here are three important facts about health savings accounts (HSA).

February 5, 2016 ・8 mins read

Hiring for Biotechnology: 5 Characteristics Early-Stage Companies Should Look for in Employees

Without question, one critical success factor for all biotechnology companies is the ability to identify and retain a synergistic combination of internal and external team members, all working seamlessly toward the same goal. It is impossible to start and build a successful biotechnology company without the help of an exceptional and synergistic team of individuals. In this post, I will discuss the most important characteristics biotech entrepreneurs should seek in new employees.

February 3, 2016 ・4 mins read

Do You Know Your Emotional Intelligence? It Can Define Your Career Success

Guest post by Structured GI Leadership Emotions have no place in the workplace - or do they? We are all humans and emotions make us just that. Your emotional intelligence is, essentially, your ability to recognize and control your own emotions and emotional reactions. It means being in touch with how you’re feeling and the feelings of those around you, then using that awareness – as opposed to your emotional reactions - to guide your thoughts and behaviors. In the workplace, your emotional intelligence determines how your employees will view you and respond to you. While many think of emotions as being inappropriate for the workplace, your emotional intelligence can actually define your career path. People will not follow those they cannot trust and people will not trust those whose emotional IQ they cannot read. The five key aspects of emotional intelligence

January 27, 2016 ・5 mins read

3 Steps Small Businesses Can Take to Prevent Wage and Hour Lawsuits

A worrisome business trend is the growing number of wage and hour lawsuits that are a significant source of financial exposure for employers. As the number of lawsuits climbs, so does the cost to employers. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that it receives nearly 25,000 wage-and-hour related complaints per year. The number of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) cases filed in the federal court is more than five times higher than it was 20 years ago. Compensation considerations Overtime claims account for 40 percent of wage and hour class action lawsuits. Other common wage-and-hour claims include:

January 25, 2016 ・5 mins read

8 Top-Level KPIs for Startup HR Departments

How well is your HR department performing? Consider these eight key performance indicators to measure the business impact of your HR initiatives.

January 25, 2016 ・4 mins read

Why Cleaning Matters: 3 Reasons to Keep Your Workplace Tidy

Guest post by Quill.com. Please also check out our previous post on scent aversions in the workplace. Stand at the door of your office. Are you looking at a clean and orderly workspace or a disorganized mess? How does the space make you feel? Are you happy and excited to get to work or does a quick glance at your office make you want to hightail it in the opposite direction? Neatness and order in the workplace matter—and not just because “neat is nice.” Studies have proven that when your workspace is cluttered, it’s difficult to process information, let alone focus on priorities, projects and tasks. In addition to reduced productivity, a messy office also negatively affects your psychological, emotional and professional well-being. The good news is that cleaning up your workspace is a high-impact, low-cost activity with immediate and noticeable benefits for business owners and workers alike.

January 15, 2016 ・8 mins read

Happy New Year from the Federal Government! The ACA Reporting Deadlines Have Been Extended!

This post is part of the TriNet ongoing series about the Affordable Care Act and its effects on small business. Midsize companies can start 2016 with some welcome news from the government! The IRS announced on December 28 that Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) subject to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) 2015 Section 6056 reporting requirements have extended deadlines to file their required forms with the IRS. To start, review our post on ACA for midsize employers to determine if your business is considered an ALE for ACA-reporting purposes. Here is a breakdown of forms ALEs are required to file and their new deadlines:

January 4, 2016 ・2 mins read

National Boss Day: How to Celebrate Your Boss Like a Boss

October 16th is National Boss's Day! Say thanks and celebrate with your team using these top ideas.

October 15, 2015 ・6 mins read

When Does COBRA Coverage Start?

COBRA offers employees continued health insurance following a termination, but when does COBRA coverage start? Learn the details here.

September 28, 2015 ・4 mins read

If I only pay independent contractors, should I to apply for a state identification number and contribute to my state's workers' compensation insurance fund?

September 25, 2015 ・3 mins read

Does an employer need to be checking I-9 documents beyond an employee's first day of employment for any upcoming expiration date listed on the ID's provided?

September 24, 2015 ・2 mins read

Can an Employer Change Vacation Policy Without Notice?

September 23, 2015 ・2 mins read

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