2010 has seen changes in the business landscape for all of us, from the small start up to the large corporations, including H.R 2847, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE Act) aimed at encouraging businesses to hire and retain unemployed workers. .

The nitty gritty of the HIRE Act focuses at putting America to work by providing businesses with a tax credit for qualified employees retained for at least one year, of up to $1,000 per worker. As well as a payroll tax exemption of the employers’ share (6.2%) of Social Security payroll taxes on the wages of a qualified workers paid between March 19, 2010 and December 31, 2010. In total these tax savings can add up to $7,621.60 ($1000 credit plus up to $6,621.60 in forgiven Social Security withholding for 2010) per employee. Better yet, you don’t have to wait till the next tax filing to see the benefits since the Social Security withholding’s never even leaves your pocket.

To make sure your new employee will save you money check the following:

* Were they hired after Feb. 3, 2010 but before Jan. 1, 2011?
* Were they hired for a newly created position, or a position that opened up from an employee willingly resigning or being terminated for a cause?
* Sorry guys, they can’t be related to you(the employer)
* Your new employee must sign an affidavit (form W-11) stating they have not been employed, or working 40 hours a week, in the prior 60 days to beginning work.

One great, and not as well known, gem in the HIRE Act -a qualified worker meeting the above criteria CAN be a formerly laid off employee of the company! And with no full time work requirements companies, small to medium sized business especially, can rehire at part time those great former employees, already knowledgeable in the field, as well as re-staff positions currently left vacant due to economic down turns, all while saving money!

And since we all love saving money through tax credits and forgiveness’ now is the time to take advantage of these incentives and work with us to maximize effectiveness. As we’ve seen with other tax credit, such as the New Homebuyer Incentives of 2009/2010, requirements and payouts are constantly changing and funds are available only for a limited time. Contact your tax professional for advice(it’s after tax season, and they will love to hear from you!), feel free to contact us for more information or refer to the IRS website for specific details

So how does this Act effect you, as a PEO client? Thanks to the efforts of the National Association of Professional Employer Organization(NAPEO) you can continue the smart decision to focus on what your company does best, and let us what we do best, while still reaping the potentially enormous benefits of the HIRE Act. But plain and simple, whether you hire directly or through a PEO service you can reap the full benefits of the HIRE Act.

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What can you do to tip the odds in your favor? The answer appears simple–satisfy more customers. But, if you want testimonials, referrals and repeat customers, don’t just satisfy them—you have to deliver knock-your-socks-off service!

In order to give your customers what they want, you must know what they want – assuming won’t guarantee out-of-this-world customer happiness.

Measure customer satisfaction
Here’s where a targeted client satisfaction survey comes in—it takes the pulse of where your clients are on the happiness scale.

Human Capital Strategies has been conducting a customer survey for the past two years. It is now part of their strategy to maintain clients and increase referrals. Jason Knight, Founder states, “We focus on fulfilling our company’s mission statement, which makes a promise to our customer about the quality of service we provide to them. It made sense to ask them how we were doing.”

Target areas to improve
Knight targets communication, problem solving, fulfilling client expectations and whether services were completed in a timely manner. The 2009 Survey shows a high percentage of customers were satisfied with:

• Communication with clients 95.83%
• Timeliness of service and problem solving 100.00%
• Meeting client expectations in value of service 94.66%
• Ease of doing business with 97.92%

Take action
Although the numbers look good the past two years, Knight challenged his staff to improve the quality of their services to their clients. It must be working, because Christine Nichols was a finalist in the 2009 Phoenix Human Resources Manager of the Year (http://www.prlog.org/10433384-human-capital-strategies-celebrates-christine-nichols-selection-as-hr-director-of-the-year-finalist.html), and Human Capital Strategies was named a finalist for the 2009 Sterling Awards (http://www.prlog.org/10404152-human-capital-strategies-named-sterling-award-finalist.html).

It’s clear that one of the best ways to ensure success for your company is to ask customers how they feel about your service. If you fall short of their expectations, then up your game. Take action and then next year, take another survey

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You might also recognize behaviors that you want repeated, such as out-of-the-box thinking, team work or even timeliness and attendance.

Or, perhaps you want your recognition program to create a positive work environment.

Recognition prized by employees

Even if revenue is down, you can create an effective recognition program that does not have to cost a lot of money. Here are some tips for making your valued employees feel like they really are valued.

Say, “Thank you.”

Think about how a sincere, genuine expression of gratitude feels to you. It feels pretty good, doesn’t it? It’s the simplest, and often the best way to tell your employees that they are appreciated.

Thank them for great performance on special projects—as well as doing a good job on their regular responsibilities. Everyone likes knowing that they are contributing.

Recognize individuals and teams publicly

Foster an environment of recognition by recognizing the good work of individuals and teams at staff meetings. This can help motivate your employees to consistently perform at high levels.

Nominate staff for professional awards

If employees are members of professional organizations, find out if they might be eligible for recognition from their organization. It will only cost you a little time in research and to fill out and submit applications and supportive information.

Pass on compliments from clients

If your clients express appreciation for a job well done, make sure your employees hear about it. It’s nice to know that your job makes a difference to customers.

Coach employees

Help your staff perform even better by coaching them on new responsibilities or their current responsibilities if you’d like improvements. Regular job performance reviews help your staff know what is expected of them and how they’re doing in meeting those expectations.

Human resources create formal program

Talk with your human resource director to establish effective, consistent ways to acknowledge employee excellence. A formal program will help you to establish an environment of recognition.

If you do not have a human resources department, there are professional human resources consultants who can help create a program that motivates, reinforces excellence and creates a work place that acknowledges outstanding performance.

(NOTE: Image courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net)

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An ASO is an organization that independently handles many of your employee needs. This includes payroll processing, paying medical benefits, as well as handling employee taxes. Another organization that is similar to an ASO is the professional employer organization or PEO.

The main difference between the two types of organizations is who is responsible for the employees. A PEO leases the employees to you for a percentage of their pay. An ASO has no claim on the employees and charges a straight fee for its services.

Here are some ways to find out if an ASO will reduce cost and increase productivity of your business.

Is your human resources department taking too much of the budget, or could you use less of a burden in your payroll processing? Often many staff members will be needed to do the said administrative work for the company. By utilizing an administrative services organization you will be reducing the workload on your current staff members and may be able to reduce the cost of payroll processing.

Does your company need help with medical benefits administration and support? If you are finding it difficult to provide the necessary health benefits to your employees, you could be setting yourself up for a difficult, perhaps even legal issue in the future. By enlisting the help of an ASO, you will be placing these detailed responsibilities upon another organization.

Does your company accurately understand all of the minute details about local, federal and state tax practices? Also does your company have the ability to stay informed in all of these areas and keep up with current practices? If you decide your company could stand to outsource these responsibilities, you could place these responsibilities on an administrative services organization.

Finally the real question is; has administrative work become a nightmare for your current staff employees? Has work become difficult to manage or prone to mistakes? Any mistake on payroll could cost a few hundred dollars or more, and when you add the IRS penalties you could incur, your company could stand to lose a great deal of money. ASO’s often employ the use of a human resource information system, or HRIS. An HRIS is an intelligent database system that tracks and manages your employees. With access to the HRIS, you could follow and manage your employees and ensure things are running smoothly.

Whether or not your company could use an administrative service organization is up to you. If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may want to look for ASO’s in your area that can provide the services at a price you can afford. An administrative services organization provides payroll and employee benefit reliability. One thing is certain; an administrative services organization could make your business more manageable.

Visit ASO & Human Resource Services for assistance with your ASO questions.

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Notice: Arizona businesses who do work for the US Government

A business coalition, including the U.S. Chamber and SHRM, has lost in its effort to have a court overturn the federal regulation requiring federal contractors to start using the E-Verify Program for federal contracts that are entered into or modified after September 8, 2009.  The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Maryland on August 26, 2009, turned down all arguments raised by the plaintiffs and has opened the door for the rule to be applicable as planned on September 8, 2009. There is no word on whether or not the decision will be appealed.  The USCIS Web site has a federal contractor page as well as a series of Q&As on the rule that explains its provisions and application.

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The IRS plans to increase federal employment tax audits this fall and is focusing on four issues: worker classification (the employee versus independent contractor issue); fringe benefits (taxable versus tax-free); officer’s compensation; and reimbursed expenses. The IRS audit program will select employers for audit based on a statistical sample. While the audit program is not focused on fraud, the IRS has also increased the number of investigators looking into employment tax fraud by 249 percent and, according to the IRS, the average sentence imposed on those convicted of tax fraud runs 29 months.     Maryland, the governor has created a task force by Executive Order to enforce the Workplace Fraud Act of 2009 aimed at improper classification of employees as independent contractors. Though the act was aimed at the construction and landscaping industries, the task force is not as limited in its focus and can look further af

Click for assistance with phoenix payroll & arizona payroll tax matters.

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IRS

The current federal minimum which is $6.55 per hour will change to $7.25 per hour.  Prior to 2007 when the federal minimum wage was increased from $5.15 per hour to $5.85 per hour, it had remained the same for ten years.   Wage and Hour Division, www.dol.gov/esa/whd (July 2009).

Commentary

As this is the last scheduled increase in the minimum wage from the 2007 amendment and with the recent job numbers, it is doubtful employers will see another wage increase anytime soon.

All employers should take note of the increase and adjust their wage schedule accordingly.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is launching a bold, new audit initiative today by issuing Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to 652 businesses nationwide – which exceeds the total number ICE issued throughout all of last fiscal year. The notices alert business owners that ICE will be inspecting their hiring records to determine whether or not they are complying with employment eligibility verification laws and regulations. Inspections are one of the most powerful tools the federal government has to enforce employment and immigration laws. This new initiative illustrates ICE’s increased focus on holding employers accountable for their hiring practices and efforts to ensure a legal workforce.

“ICE is committed to establishing a meaningful I-9 inspection program to promote compliance with the law. This nationwide effort is a first step in ICE’s long-term strategy to address and deter illegal employment,” said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE John Morton.

Department of Homeland Security

Employers are required to complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This form requires employers to review and record the individual’s identity document(s) and determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and related to the individual.

In FY 2008, ICE issued 503 similar notices throughout the year. In April, ICE implemented a new, comprehensive strategy to reduce the demand for illegal employment and protect employment opportunities for the nation’s lawful workforce. Under this strategy, ICE is focusing its resources on the auditing and investigation of employers suspected of cultivating illegal workplaces by knowingly employing illegal workers. The nationwide initiative being launched today is a direct result of this new strategy.

The 652 businesses being presented with NOIs for a Form I-9 audit have been selected for inspection as a result of leads and information obtained through other investigative means. Due to the ongoing, law enforcement sensitive nature of these audits, the names and locations of the businesses will not be released at this time.  If you receive a notice, you should consult with your counsel. However, best practices would require that you: a) respond promptly (or obtain an extension of time to do so), b) do not take any action which could be viewed as tampering with the I-9s or underlying documents, c) initiate an internal review of your practices and an audit, and d) maintain copies of all information and documents provided to DHS.

Note that while you can always take action as to deficient I-9s after you respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), you should date such action as of the date taken and not backdate signatures or alter documents.

For guidance or assistance with hiring practices click here to speak to professionals.

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At the Bargain Zone, a freight surplus store in Lee’s Summit, office manager Jeff LeMasters was clear about cell phone and Internet rules for employees:

No personal calls, no texting, while on the store floor. And employees had to sign a contract that said they’d be terminated for personal use of the Internet while working.

But LeMasters wasn’t clear about what to do when “someone called and told us we needed to take a look” at what an employee wrote on Facebook.

The employee “was basically trashing us online,” LeMasters found. The comments included profanity and derogatory things about the work and the owners.

“We had no way to know if that could have a negative impact on our business, but we knew we didn’t want it out there,” LeMasters said.

The world of Facebook, MySpace and YouTube postings is giving employers headaches. Often, employers like LeMasters are exploring on a case-by-case basis what rights they have to police employees’ blogs and social networking pages.

LeMasters and business partner Randy Benton quickly learned they had no constitutional right to fight the worker’s postings, but they did have a clear course because some of the Internet use had occurred at the store.

“We didn’t fire the employee because of what was said,” LeMaster said. “We fired the employee because the time spent online was in violation of the signed work contract.”

Usually, though, there isn’t such a bright line to guide employers.

“There’s always a tension between employee privacy rights and the rights of the employer to protect the company image and, sometimes, co-workers,” said Joseph Clees, a lawyer with the Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart law firm.

Get the whole story go to: http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1241136.html

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